Well, I originally created this imaginary planet beyond the orbit of Pluto. It was my intention to create a physically real planet obeying all the known natural laws of nature and then allowing students to use these laws of nature to discover the planet and in turn learn about the planet and about the laws of nature themselves. 

I later moved the planet in near the Asteroid Belt to bring it closer to the realm of life that we are more familiar with so that the students may also consider the possibility of life as we know it to exist. 

I had developed about 30 activities which can be altered to serve from seventh grade to twelfth - obviously with some modifications. I have incorporated about 20 of them in this GearUp project to encourage and support seventh grade students’ academic skills such as reading, writing, math, science, and team work. The actual projects are not on-line. What follows is simply a report of their results and efforts one several of the projects. Some sections listed above are more than one project.

The students were led on a mission of discovery centering around a new planet in our solar system and its exploration at a distance. The project incorporated physics, astronomy, mathematics, geometry, biology, engineering and chemistry toward the discovery of this tenth planet. Students worked in groups of five with a mentor (adult) to assist when needed.

Jeffrey Lynn Hopkins               
Physics/Astronomy Professor
Midlands Technical College    
Columbia, SC                              
April 2000