Literacy Partners: On your own, choose five challenging words or words you want to know more about from the books at your seat that deal with space, aerospace, and the major components of our universe. Use sticky notes to mark the word in the book, and write the word on the sticky note.

Bell Work: 2/25/15

Get with your team and compare words. Decide on 5 words to

present to the class.

Standards Essential Questions

How can we design a simple experimental procedure with an identified control and appropriate variables?

What tools and procedures are needed to test the design features of our prototype?

What protocol was used to determine if the engineering design process was successfully applied?

How can we use data to draw conclusions about the major components of the universe?

Are we able to explain how the relative distance of objects from the earth affects how they appear?

SPI 0607.Inq.1 Design a simple experimental procedure with an identified control and appropriate variables.

SPI 0607.T/E.1 Identify the tools and procedures needed to test the design features of a prototype.

SPI 0607.T/E.2 Evaluate a protocol to determine if the engineering design process was successfully applied.

SPI 0607.6.1 Use data to draw conclusions about the major components of the universe.

SPI 0607.6.2 Explain how the relative distance of objects from the earth affects how they appear.

Standards & EQs

Your team will create a contract that will include team responsibilities, a constitution, individual roles, and other specific policies that will ensure a successful challenge.

Team Contract

• For what reasons or tasks does NASA use rovers?

• How do rovers get to the faraway planet or moon they need to explore?

SPECIAL REPORT from the ISS!

What can your team test about your rocket to see if it will reach each destination accurately and safely?

Bell Work: 2/27/15

Participate in Accountable Talk with your team to compare the information you found on the four words above. Remember: ask meaningful questions & change or modify your work (if needed).

Vocabulary ReferenceUse my portaportal and the books provided to find the meanings of

the circled words.

Standards Essential Questions

How can we design a simple experimental procedure with an identified control and appropriate variables?

What tools and procedures are needed to test the design features of our prototype?

What protocol was used to determine if the engineering design process was successfully applied?

How can we use data to draw conclusions about the major components of the universe?

Are we able to explain how the relative distance of objects from the earth affects how they appear?

SPI 0607.Inq.1 Design a simple experimental procedure with an identified control and appropriate variables.

SPI 0607.T/E.1 Identify the tools and procedures needed to test the design features of a prototype.

SPI 0607.T/E.2 Evaluate a protocol to determine if the engineering design process was successfully applied.

SPI 0607.6.1 Use data to draw conclusions about the major components of the universe.

SPI 0607.6.2 Explain how the relative distance of objects from the earth affects how they appear.

Standards & EQs

Aerospace engineers design technologies that can fly inside and outside of the Earth’s atmosphere. There are many variables to consider when engineering a vehicle for space flight, so aerospace engineers often specialize on one aspect, such as aerodynamics or flight mechanics. Aerospace engineers collaborate with other engineers, scientists, mathematicians, and professionals on other aspects of space technologies. An important tool aerospace engineers use is the process of modeling. Since aerospace engineers design technologies that will be used in locations, which could be very different from Earth, they often use models and simulations to test the technologies.

In this challenge, your team will learn about rovers sent to explore different destinations in space, and the rockets that transport them there. Your team will focus on creating models of technologies, such as rockets and rovers, that travel to distant worlds. Your challenge is to choose a destination to explore and design and create a rocket and rover specifically for that destination. Your team will consider what tools will be transported on the rover, but you are cautioned to choose wisely. Each tool adds more weight to the rover, and therefore to the rocket. Depending on the distance to your destination, the rover or rocket may have to be redesigned. In the end, can your rocket and rover travel safely to the destination chosen by your space commander?

Liftoff Challenge

Rocket & Rover Destinations (from Earth):

The Moon (Luna)

3 ft. (238,900 miles) 

Mars

10 ft. (57.4 million miles) 

Titan (a moon of Saturn)

15 ft. (886 million miles) 

Pluto

30 ft. (4.67 billion miles) 

• Restate your problem

• State what you already know

• List any limitations or controls

• Complete research on the four destinations.

• Complete “Action Research” on how to get your rocket to each destination.

• Use a protractor to experiment with different angles.

• Test how far the rocket will fly with 0, 10, & 20 weights attached.

• What is the best combination of angles and weights for each destination?

Rocket Launcher• To see how the

launcher works, tear off one side of the straw wrapper and blow through the straw to send the paper sleeve flying!

• Launching Protocol: • Launching zone must be

clear• You must say “LIFTOFF”

before launching.• Let me demonstrate…

RO

CK

ET

S

Test your rocket several times with 0, 10, and 20 weights attached. Make a chart in your STEM

notebook and record the number of weights of each test, along with the distance the rocket

traveled.

5. Predict which weighted rocket (and at what angle) will go the farthest.

Reflection

• What launch angle worked best?

• How did the weight affect your rockets?

• Do you think aerospace engineers test how weight will affect a rocket? Why?

• What steps of the EDP did you use today?

Use a Post-It Note to “tweet” about the following question: If you could send a rover anywhere in

space, what destination would you choose? What would you want to find out there? Draw a picture or write a description.

Tweet a response…