This topic encourages students to think about conditions space travellers will meet, how spacecraft will be powered, and the problems associated with space travel including the maintenance of medical fitness. Students will be able to use data sources to investigate conditions on different planets and draw conclusions on requirements for survival – it is important to be able to find out information about the universe without travelling there. To navigate, pilots will need to recognise that the solar system is part of the Milky Way and relate this to other galaxies in the universe. An understanding of the motion of asteroids and meteors will help the navigator to avoid the paths of these potentially dangerous objects. Navigators will also need to take into account the orbital motion of moons and planets caused by gravity. Strong gravitational regions in space caused by black holes and other objects will need to be avoided!

The study of the Big Bang theory, the expanding universe and the evolution of a star is also included in this topic.

There is scope for discussing the social and economical benefits of knowledge about the universe and the technological developments that may be gained from its exploration.