Description
Lesson Overview
Students will:
- Discuss challenges of landing a rover on Mars
- Build landing gear to safely land an plastic egg “rover” on “Mars”
- Discuss what worked vs. didn’t work about designs
- Make comparisons to NASA’s methods, including the Curiosity landing video
Lesson Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Solve the problem of landing a mock rover on “Mars” by designing and building a lander, including defining constraints (e.g., limited materials, budget, and time) and identifying criteria for success
- Evaluate different design solutions for this problem.
This lesson is aligned with these Next Generation Science (NGS) Standards.
Standards Covered
Disciplinary Core Idea (DCI)
ETS1 Engineering Design – EST1.A Define Design Problems
- (3rd-5th) Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints).
- (6th-8th) The more precisely a design task’s criteria and constraints can be defined, the more likely it is that the designed solution will be successful.
Science & Engineering Practice (SEP)
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
- (3rd-5th) Apply scientific ideas to solve design problems.
- (6th-8th) Apply scientific ideas or principles to design, construct, and/or test a design of an object, tool, process or system.
Crosscutting Concept (CCC)
Structure and Function
3rd-5th
- Different materials have different substructures, which can sometimes be observed.
- Substructures have shapes and parts that serve functions.
6th-8th
- Complex and microscopic structures and systems can be visualized, modeled, and used to describe how their function depends on the shapes, composition, and relationships among its parts; therefore, complex natural and designed structures/systems can be analyzed to determine how they function.
- Structures can be designed to serve particular functions by taking into account properties of different materials, and how materials can be shaped and used.
