Lesson 40 of 84 · Spacetime
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🚀 StarbaseThe Nitrogen Cycle
Spacetime.
🎯 Your mission
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
⚡ The twist
Up there, the rules of down here stop working.
Mind = Blown
🪐 A day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus.
Make a hypothesis first
Predict: what would happen on the moon vs. on Earth?
What You'll Learn
Nitrogen is needed to build proteins, and the nitrogen cycle moves it between the air, soil, and living things. Special bacteria convert nitrogen gas from the air into forms that plants can absorb through their roots.
Key Words
Tap a word to see its definition.
Materials Needed
- cups
- water
- plastic wrap
Safety First
- Be careful with scissors — ask an adult for help if needed.
- Do not look directly at the sun or bright lights.
- Clean up spills immediately to prevent slipping.
Steps
Study the diagram and label the parts you recognize.
Model natural selection: scatter colored paper scraps on grass. Time how long it takes a partner to pick up each color. Which color survived longest? Why?
Draw a detailed diagram of what you observe.
Write a conclusion: what did your results show? Did they match your prediction?
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What is a habitat?
Where you see this in real life
GPS, weather forecasts, and the seasons all rely on this.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Find a constellation in the sky. Look it up. Tell someone its story.
For the dinner table
“If you could visit any planet, which would you pick and why?”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Checkout complete lesson on Spacetime for 9th Grade
Get the full Spacetime track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.