Sunita in Space Class 5 Notes EVS Chapter 11

The chapter "Sunita in Space" narrates the incredible journey of Sunita Williams, an astronaut who inspired many by sharing her experiences in space. She visited India to fulfill the wish of Kalpana Chawla, another brave astronaut who lost her life during a space mission. Sunita met children and talked about her adventures beyond Earth.

Sunita Williams in Space

What is our earth really like?

• Uzaira tells Shahmir that Sunita Williams spent more than six months in space and will visit their school.
• Shahmir plays with a globe and asks where space is. He realizes that the sky, stars, sun, and moon are all part of space.
• Uzaira explains that the Earth looks like the globe when seen from space.
• Shahmir wonders why people don’t fall off the Earth since it is round.

Space

Q. Why don’t we fall off if the Earth is round?

  View Answer

Talking with Sunita Williams

• Sunita Williams’ Visit: Sunita met many children like Uzaira and Shahmir in India.
• Kalpana Chawla's Dream: She shared stories of her friend Kalpana Chawla, who wanted to meet Indian children but couldn’t. Sunita fulfilled that dream by coming to India.

Kalpana Chawla

Sunita’s experiences of living in space!

• Floating Around: Astronauts floated everywhere inside the spaceship, as there is no gravity to keep them seated.

Floating around in Space

• Water in Blobs: Water formed floating blobs. To wash, astronauts had to catch these blobs and use them on paper.
• Exciting Mealtimes: Eating was fun! Astronauts floated to the dining area and grabbed their food packets as they floated.
• Hair Standing Up: In space, hair floats and stands up all the time, so no need for a comb!
• Adapting to Floating: Without walking, astronauts had to strap themselves down to stay in one place, and papers had to be stuck to the walls.
• Fun but Challenging: Life in space was thrilling but also had its challenges.

Isn’t it Amazing?

• Objects Fall Back on Earth: When we throw a ball, it comes back down because of gravity. We don’t float around on Earth like in space.
• Water Stays in Place: Water in a glass or bucket stays put on Earth and doesn’t float around like in space.
• Earth’s Pull: The Earth’s gravity pulls everything toward itself, which is why we stay grounded.
• Distance from Earth: Sunita was 360 kilometers away from Earth in space.
• Why Hair Stood Up: In space, there’s no gravity to pull things down, which is why Sunita’s hair kept standing up.

Sunita's Hair Standing Up

• Water Flows Downwards: Water flows down slopes on Earth because gravity pulls it downward

Where are the lines, really! 

• Beauty of Earth: Sunita Williams found the Earth beautiful and clearly curved when viewed from space.
• Photographs of Earth: Photographs from spaceships show the Earth’s round shape.
• Ancient Imagination: Thousands of years ago, people could only imagine what the Earth looked like due to a lack of technology.
• Scientific Understanding: Scientists have worked hard to understand the Earth’s size and movements, answering many age-old questions.
• Uzaira's Observation: Uzaira noticed lines between countries on the globe and wondered if they really exist on Earth.

Globe

• Shahmir's Belief: Shahmir thought the lines must be real because they appear on maps of India.
• Traveling Thoughts: Uzaira asked if they would see these lines while traveling from Delhi to Rajasthan, similar to those on a map.
• Perspective from Space: From her perspective in space, Sunita observed only land and sea, without visible borders or countries.
• Human-Made Divisions: She realized that divisions between countries are human-made and do not exist in reality.
• Imaginary Lines: The lines on maps are imaginary, existing only in our minds.
• Hope for Unity: Sunita hoped people would reflect on these divisions and recognize the unity of the Earth beyond borders.

Observing the Sky

• Shahmir's Experiment: Shahmir demonstrates that he can hide the moon behind a coin by moving it back and forth while closing one eye.

• Uzaira's Reaction: Uzaira is amazed that such a large moon can be hidden by a small coin.

• Activity Suggestion: Try to replicate Shahmir's experiment with a coin and note how many centimeters away from your eye you need to position it to hide the moon

Do Your Best and Things Will Work Out!

• Inspiration from Neil Armstrong: At five years old, Sunita was inspired by Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon in 1969.

Neil Armstrong

• Early Interests: Sunita loved sports and swimming and was not very interested in studies.
• Career Journey: After high school, Sunita wanted to be a diver but could not enroll in that course. Instead, she became a helicopter pilot and eventually joined a Space Mission after further training.
• Record-Breaking Achievement: In 2007, Sunita set a record for the longest space flight by a woman.
• Encouragement: Sunita shares her experiences to inspire children: “If you want something but get something else, do not give up. Do your best, and things will work out!"
• Teaching Dream: When asked about her future, Sunita expressed her desire to become a school teacher to help children understand how science and math relate to their lives.

Key Points to Remember

• Earth is shaped like a globe.
• The sky, sun, stars, and moon are all part of space.
• Kalpana Chawla was the first Indian woman to go into space.
• Sunita Williams lived in space for six months.
• Astronauts float in a spaceship due to the absence of gravity.
• Everything looks beautiful from space.
• Neil Armstrong was the first man to land on the moon in 1969.
• Sunita Williams wanted to become a diver but became a helicopter pilot instead.