Astronomy and Space · Satellites
Track the International Space Station
Predict, watch and time passes of the space station and calculate its orbital speed.
- DifficultyEasy
- Estimated time2–7 days
- Budget₹0
- ClassClass 8–12
- TeamSolo or up to 2
- You needA phone
Prerequisites: None beyond your class work
Original · by TechnifyedData AnalysisField StudyBeginner friendlyFree to doResearch oriented
Overview
Predict, watch and time passes of the space station and calculate its orbital speed.
Skills you will use
Safety
- Tell someone where you are going, go in a group, avoid traffic, deep water and bad weather, and get permission before entering private land.
Materials and tools
- A free pass-prediction site or app
- Watch
- Notebook
- Clear evening sky
Tools and software
Step-by-step roadmap
Start
You will finish with: an observation log and a calculated speed near 7.7 km/s.
- 1
Prerequisites
Nothing special to know first. Then collect the 4 items in the materials list.
- 2
Learn
Read up on satellites: ISS, orbits, prediction. Your textbook chapter and one short video are enough.
- 3
Plan
Write the research question, who or what you will study, how many, and the exact questions or measures.
- 4
Build
- Look up visible passes for your location this week.
- Watch three passes and time how long each takes to cross the sky.
- Note the direction it appears and disappears.
- Use the orbit height (about 400 km) to calculate the circumference of the orbit.
- Divide by the 92-minute period to find the speed.
- 5
Test
Check a sample of your data by hand, and ask whether another explanation fits your findings equally well.
- 6
Document
Keep the raw responses or data safe, anonymise names, and build the tables and charts. Report structure
- 7
Present
State the question, the method in one line, the two or three main findings and their limits. Presentation structure
- 8
Publish
Share a short paper or poster; offer a summary to the people who took part.
Expected outcome
An observation log and a calculated speed near 7.7 km/s.
Other versions of this project
Advanced version
Photograph a pass as a streak and measure its angular speed.
Research mode
Text marked "You write this" is a prompt for your own work; everything else is specific to this project.
- Research question
- You write thisOne question you can answer with data, narrow enough to finish in the time you have.
- Hypothesis
- You write thisWhat you expect to find, and why.
- Variables
- You write thisWhat you change or compare, what you measure, and what you hold constant.
- Methodology
- You write thisDescribe the method in enough detail that someone else could repeat it: sample, tools, procedure.
- Data collection
- You write thisSay what you will record, how many times, and how you will keep the records safe.
- Analysis
- You write thisChoose the table, chart or test that answers the question; report averages with their spread.
- Limitations
- You write thisList what could have affected the result: small sample, instrument limits, things you could not control.
Literature review
Find five to eight sources (your textbook, review articles, reports) and note what each says about your question. Group them by idea, not one after another, and end with what is still not known.
References
List every source you used in one style throughout (author, year, title, where it was published, link and the date you opened it).
Working as a team
Solo or up to 2. Suggested roles:
Report and presentation
Report structure
- Title
- Abstract
- Introduction and research question
- Review of what is already known
- Method: sample, tools, procedure
- Findings (tables and charts)
- Discussion
- Limitations
- Conclusion and suggestions
- References
- Annexure: questionnaire or data
Presentation structure
- Research question
- Why it matters
- Method and sample
- Finding 1
- Finding 2
- Finding 3
- What it means
- Limitations
- Conclusion
Viva questions
Prepare your own answers to these before you present.
- What is the aim of your project, in one sentence?
- What is the principle behind it?
- Why did you choose these materials or tools?
- What result did you get, and was it what you expected?
- What went wrong and how did you fix it?
- How could this be improved or used in real life?
Resources
Plan for Microsoft Teams PhoneMicrosoft · Free course courseConfigure and deploy Teams Phone with Direct RoutingMicrosoft · Free course courseExtend Teams Phone with additional servicesMicrosoft · Free course courseCelesTrak satellite datacelestrak.orgStellarium Web: sky mapstellarium-web.orgNASA Sciencescience.nasa.govSource and attribution
Original
Written by Technifyed. Free to use for your own school or college project; write the report in your own words. Added 1 Oct 2026.
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