The Solar System Puzzle Kit allows students to create an eight-cube paper puzzle of the solar system with the enclosed kit. The kit may be duplicated for classroom use. It is also recommended as a take home activity for children and parents.
By assembling the puzzle, hand-coloring the bodies of the solar system, and viewing the puzzle's 12 sides, students will reinforce their knowledge of the many fascinating worlds that make up our solar system.
In addition to puzzle pieces, the kit contains interesting facts about the Sun, each of the planets, asteroids, and comets. The resource section at the end of the publication provides sources to obtain additional resources on the solar system including those on the Internet.
Through flyby spacecraft, orbiters, atmospheric probes, and landers, NASA has studied all of the planets from close range except Pluto. However, Pluto has been observed with the Hubble Space Telescope. A number of satellites have collected images of the Sun, and so have astronauts on board the Skylab space station. Astronauts have taken a total of more than 200,000 photographs of Earth from orbit.