Lesson Synopsis:
Students explore the evolution of space exploration from early missions to modern commercial ventures and future innovations. They examine how space travel has shifted from government-led projects to private entrepreneurship. The lesson concludes by imagining how future businesses might thrive in space—from Moon habitats to orbiting hotels and asteroid mining stations.

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Learning Objectives:

• Identify key milestones in space exploration history and their impact on science and society.
• Explain how current companies and technologies are shaping the modern space industry.
• Analyze potential future opportunities and challenges for space-based businesses.
• Apply creative problem-solving to design an original concept for a future space company.

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Build Challenge:
Students design and prototype a model for a space startup—such as a floating space hotel, a lunar habitat, or a robotic asteroid-mining station—that solves a real-world problem in an imaginative way.