Learners design and build an airbag system that can safely land an egg dropped from a height of 3' onto the floor. This resource includes a challenge video, leader notes, and handouts. Two supplemental videos are included: 1) An airbag landing... (View More) system in action as a NASA rover lands on Mars, and 2) NASA materials engineer Erick Ordoñez explaining how he makes sure that the materials NASA sends into space are problem-free. This challenge is part of Mission: Solar System, NASA and Design Squad® Nation, a series of hands-on activities and videos let kids apply science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills to solve design challenges. Introductory resources include resources for running a challenge, introducing the design process, and tips for facilitating open-ended challenges. (View Less)

Learners design and build a device that can take a core sample from a potato. This resource includes a challenge video, leader notes, and handouts. Two supplemental videos are included: 1) NASA's Curiosity rover drilling into a rock on Mars and... (View More) collecting a sample and 2) NASA spacewalk flight controller and trainer Allison Bolinger teaching astronauts how to work outside their spacecraft. This challenge is part of Mission: Solar System, NASA and Design Squad® Nation, a series of hands-on activities and videos let kids apply science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills to solve design challenges. Introductory resources include resources for running a challenge, introducing the design process, and tips for facilitating open-ended challenges. (View Less)

In this hands-on engineering challenge, learners design, build, and improve a model that allows a moving object to change direction using an invisible force. Mimicking the gravity-assisted travel of the New Horizons spacecraft, learners roll a steel... (View More) ball (spacecraft) past a magnet (magnetic field) to hit a target (Mars) that is off to the side. This resource includes a challenge video, leader notes, and handouts. Two supplemental videos are included: 1) the use of gravity assisted travel by NASA's New Horizons mission and 2) NASA aerospace engineer Victoria Garcia describing how she uses virtual-reality tools to design living and work spaces for astronauts. She also talks about not letting her deafness be a barrier in her life. This challenge is part of Mission: Solar System, NASA and Design Squad® Nation, a series of hands-on activities and videos let kids apply science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills to solve design challenges. Introductory resources include information on running a challenge and introducing the design process, and tips for facilitating open-ended challenges. This resource has been vetted as part of the NGSS@NSTA curated collection. (View Less)

Learners design and build a device that can pass above a surface and detect magnetic fields. This resource includes a challenge video, leader notes, and handouts. Two supplemental videos are included: 1) Measuring Magnetic Fields and 2) NASA flight... (View More) systems engineer Tracy Drain explaining her role on the Juno spacecraft team. This challenge is part of Mission: Solar System, NASA and Design Squad® Nation, a series of hands-on activities and videos let kids apply science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills to solve design challenges. Introductory resources include resources for running a challenge, introducing the design process, and tips for facilitating open-ended challenges. This resource has been vetted as part of the NGSS@NSTA curated collection. (View Less)

Learners design and build a robotic arm that can lift a cup off a table. This resource includes a challenge video, leader notes, and handouts. Two supplemental videos are also included: 1) NASA's Curiosity rover using its robotic arm to probe the... (View More) Martian surface and 2) NASA robotics engineer Sandeep Yayathi explaining how he designs and builds humanoid robots that can work alongside astronauts. This challenge is part of Mission: Solar System, NASA and Design Squad® Nation, a series of hands-on activities and videos let kids apply science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills to solve design challenges. Introductory resources include resources for running a challenge, introducing the design process, and tips for facilitating open-ended challenges. This resource has been vetted as part of the NGSS@NSTA curated collection. (View Less)

Learners will design and conduct experiments to answer the question, "how does distance and inclination affect the amount of heat received from a heat source?" They will measure heat change as a function of distance or viewing angle. From that... (View More) experiment, they will identify how the MESSENGER mission to Mercury takes advantage of these passive cooling methods to keep the spacecraft comfortable in a high-temperature environment. This is lesson 3 from MESSENGER Education Module: Staying Cool. Note: the student guide starts on p. 24 of the PDF. (View Less)

This is a lesson about infrared radiation. Learners will investigate invisible forms of light as they conduct William Herschel's experiment and subsequent discovery of infrared radiation. They will construct a device to measure the presence of... (View More) infrared radiation in sunlight, explain that visible light is only part of the electromagnetic spectrum of radiation emitted by the Sun, follow the path taken by Herschel through scientific discovery, explain why we would want to use infrared radiation to study Mercury and other planets, and explain how excess infrared radiation is a concern for the MESSENGER mission. This is activity 1 of 4 at the Grade 5-8 band of "Staying Cool." (View Less)

This is a lesson about radiation and the use of the scientific method to solve problems of too much radiation. Learners will build snow goggles similar to those used by the Inuit (designed to block unwanted light, while increasing the viewer's... (View More) ability to see in a bright region) to understand some of the engineering challenges encountered while protecting the solar cells on the Mercury MESSENGER. This is Lesson 2 of 4 at the middle level in the module, Staying Cool. (View Less)

This is a activity about applying the scientific method to a design challenge. Learners will design and build a platform that will be placed on a heat source. The platform is expected to serve as an insulator for a cube of gelatin. The goal is to... (View More) keep the inside temperature of the gelatin cube as cool as possible. Materials cost will vary, depending on materials chosen by group (within budget set by the teacher). Ties are made to the Mercury MESSENGER mission. Note: the student guide starts on p. 17 of the PDF. (View Less)