Mass Measurements aboard Space Station Skylab and Comparing Masses Without the Use of Gravity

This two-part lesson contains a qualitative discussion of the distinction between weight and mass, followed by a description of a 1973 mass measurement in a zero-g environment conducted by astronauts aboard a space station. The second section describes a similar classroom experiment. Students learn to distinguish between weight and mass and that both are properties of matter and all observations suggest that they are proportional to each other. Students also discover that in oscillations of a mass against an elastic spring in the absence of gravity or in horizontal motion, the length of the oscillation period is proportional to the square root of the mass. This makes it possible to compare masses without the use of gravity. In addition, they receive information about space station Skylab and the measurement of astronaut mass conducted aboard it. Educational levels: High school