1 / 10

Touchdown A NASA/Design Squad Challenge

Touchdown A NASA/Design Squad Challenge. Background Knowledge.

gage
Download Presentation

Touchdown A NASA/Design Squad Challenge

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. TouchdownA NASA/Design Squad Challenge

  2. Background Knowledge • Landing on the moon is tricky. First, since a spacecraft can go as fast as 18,000 miles per hour on its way to the moon-- it needs to slow down. Then it needs to land gently. That lander has astronauts inside, not crash dummies! Easy does it!

  3. Problem • Design and build a shock-absorbing system that will protect two “astronauts” when they land.

  4. Materials(per lander) • 1 or 2 pieces of card stock 4x5 in. • 1 small paper cup • 3 index cards • 2 regular marshmallows • 10 miniature marshmallows • 3 rubber bands • 8 plastic straws • Scissors • Tape

  5. Brainstorm • Talk with your partner about how to build a spacecraft that can absorb the landing. • What kind of shock absorber can you make from these materials that can help soften a landing? • How will you make sure the lander doesn’t tip over as it falls through the air?

  6. Things to Think About While Designing • Your astronauts will be the two large marshmallows. They must be in the cup (cabin). • You cannot strap in your astronauts – No seat belts! Before you test your lander, you must prove that your astronauts can fall out of the cup by turning your lander upside down. • How can you design your lander so your astronauts do not fall out?

  7. Design • Draw a diagram of your design in your journal. • Make sure to include labels.

  8. Test, Evaluate, and Redesign • Drop your lander from a height of 30 cm. If the astronauts bounce out, figure out a way to improve your design. • Drop your lander from a height of 100 cm. Does your lander still protect the astronauts? • With your team, drop your lander from the top of the stairs. Does your lander still protect the astronauts? • ***Note: You must turn your lander over each time you test to prove that the astronauts can fall out easily.

  9. Discussion • What forces affected your lander as it fell? • After testing, what changes did you make to your lander? • How does testing help you improve a design? • What did you learn watching others test their landers?

More Related