Lesson plan

Satellite tracker lesson plan

Aim a dish with a stepper and a servo, predict a pass from an orbit model, then track it across the sky.

2 chapters, 4 lessons, about 4 hours, on the Arduino Uno R3. Every lesson runs in the browser, with nothing to install.

Start a class from this course

The unit

Objectives and materials

By the end, students can

Turn and tip a dish to any spot in the sky.
Predict where the satellite will be, then follow it.

Materials for the whole unit

Arduino Uno R3
Buzzer
Character LCD with I2C backpack
Half breadboard
Hobby servo
LED
Pushbutton
Resistor
Stepper motor, 28BYJ-48 with ULN2003

Every part is already on the simulator’s bench, so there is nothing to buy or hand out. The counts are the most any one lesson uses, if you build it on real breadboards too.

Chapter 1. About 1 h 50 min

Pointing

Turn and tip a dish to any spot in the sky.

Lesson	Time	What students do
Point by stepsAim a dish with a 28BYJ-48 stepper: 4096 half steps to a turn, a quarter turn per press, and an LCD that says where it points.	55 min	Meet the tracker Why 4096 Face east All the way around
Azimuth and elevationAdd a servo for elevation and point at any spot in the sky with two angles, on a short tour that ends straight overhead.	55 min	Two numbers for the whole sky Tip it up Straight up Both motors, one target

Materials

Arduino Uno R3
Buzzer
Character LCD with I2C backpack
Half breadboard
Hobby servo
LED
Pushbutton
Resistor
Stepper motor, 28BYJ-48 with ULN2003

Check for understanding

Each student finishes "Azimuth and elevation" on their own, without opening the hints. The simulator checks 4 of its 4 steps as they go.

Then ask each one to explain, in a sentence or two, the last thing it asked of them: "Both motors, one target".

Chapter 2. About 2 h 15 min

Orbits and tracking

Predict where the satellite will be, then follow it.

Lesson	Time	What students do
Predict a passModel a circular orbit, put yourself on a turning Earth, and turn the difference into a table of azimuth and elevation from rise to set.	55 min	An orbit in one line Find the satellite, find yourself Rise and set Read the table
Track a passFly the whole tracker: predict, pre-position, count down on the LCD, follow the satellite from rise to set, and flip over the top of a high pass.	80 min	Ready to track Predict the pass Be there first Acquisition of signal Loss of signal Over the top

Materials

Arduino Uno R3
Buzzer
Character LCD with I2C backpack
Half breadboard
Hobby servo
LED
Pushbutton
Resistor
Stepper motor, 28BYJ-48 with ULN2003

Check for understanding

Each student finishes "Track a pass" on their own, without opening the hints. The simulator checks 6 of its 6 steps as they go.

Then ask each one to explain, in a sentence or two, the last thing it asked of them: "Over the top".

Your class

Teach this unit as a class

Start a class from this course and its 4 lessons are assigned in one go, in order. Students join with a six-character code or printed login cards, and each one’s work comes back to you.

The class tools are free for 30 days for one class of up to 20 students, with no card. The lessons themselves are free either way.

Start a class from this course See the demo class

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