Lesson Plan on the Doppler Effect

Objective: Students will be able to

  1. explain the Doppler effect.
  2. explain how the Doppler effect will be used on the spacecraft of the NEAR Mission.

Grade Levels: 8-12

Background Information:

The Doppler effect is the apparent change in wavelengths from a source which could be visible light. If the source moves towards the observer, the waves will appear closer together forming shorter wavelengths. This is referred to as a blue shift since the wavelengths are becoming shorter. On the other hand, if the source is moving away from the observer, the waves will appear stretched out to longer wavelengths. This is referred to as a red shift since the wavelengths are becoming longer.

One of the elements on the spacecraft of the NEAR mission is the radio science experiment. The radio science experiment will use Doppler tracking to determine acceleration of the spacecraft by Eros' gravity. This will be one of the tools along with the altitude data from the star camera and multispectral imager, and knowledge of Eros' shape used to determine Eros' density and large-scale density variations.

Activities:

Activity: Understanding the Doppler Effect

No Frames Table of Contents

[LMGFP home page] Contact Karen Krupinsky (kgurley@gsfc.nasa.gov) or
Tammy Seergae (tseergae@umd.edu) for further information.