This activity is about planetary rovers. Learners will simulate the challenges in communications that engineers face when driving a rover on Mars. They will particpate as part of a rover team to design and execute a series of commands that will... (View More) guide a rover made of people through an obstacle course simulating the Martian surface. Students will learn the limitations of operating a planetary rover and problem solving solutions by using this simulation. The lesson models the engineering design process using the 5E instructional model and includes teacher notes, vocabulary, student journal and reading. (View Less)

This activity is about rocket shape and performance. Learners will test a rocket model and predict its motion. They will launch their rocket multiple times, make observations and record the distance it traveled. They will have the opportunity to... (View More) answer a research question by collecting and analyzing data related to finding out the best nose cone length and predicting the motion of their model rockets. The lesson models the engineering design process using the 5E instructional model and includes teacher notes, vocabulary, student journal and reading. (View Less)

Learners will take and then compare the images taken by a camera - to learn about focal length (and its effects on field of view), resolution, and ultimately how cameras take close-up pictures of far away objects. Finally, they will apply this... (View More) knowledge to the images of comet Tempel 1 taken by two different spacecraft with three different cameras, in this case Deep Impact and those expected/obtained from Stardust-NExT. This lesson could easily be adapted for use with other NASA missions. (View Less)

This lesson is about cleanroom technology and the importance of contamination control. Learners will discover the different types of industries that use cleanrooms. The activity centers on drawing a parallel between suiting up for the Genesis... (View More) cleanroom and dressing to do a certain job or activity, and presenting the findings to the class. Includes a teacher's guide and students handouts. Video and audio clips are provided. This lesson 3 of 10 from the Dynamic Design: The Cleanroom module. (View Less)

This lesson is about the role of planning in spacecraft assembly. Learners will think through all the details that go into assembling the Genesis science cannister by planning for a birthday party. Planning to plan is an important skill that... (View More) students need to learn to become less reactive and more proactive when it comes to different aspects of their lives. Includes a teacher's guide and students handouts. This lesson 8 of 10 from the Dynamic Design: The Cleanroom module. (View Less)

This is a lesson about the concept of variables in relation to launching pop rockets. Learners will work in teams to test a single variable involved in launching a rocket and learn the variables involved with constructing and launching a water... (View More) rocket. This is activity 1 of 7 in Dynamic Design: Launch and Propulsion. (View Less)

This experiment is about contaminiation. Learners will model the process of verifying clean on a macroscopic level by using a small Secchi (se-key) disk and will read about how the Secchi disk is used in environmental science and compare this with... (View More) the liquid particle counter that is used in the Genesis cleanroom. Includes a teacher's guide and students handouts. This lesson 5 of 10 from the Dynamic Design: The Cleanroom module. (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 activity is about the use of remote sensing in planetary exploration. Learners will find out how human curiosity in planetary exploration results in science questions, engineering solutions, and teamwork. This activity demonstrates how... (View More) planetary features are discovered by the use of remote-sensing techniques. Students will experience the different phases in planetary exploration, including telescope observations, fly by missions, orbiters, landers, rovers, and their own ideas about human exploration. The lesson models scientific inquiry using the 5E instructional model and includes teacher notes, prerequisite concepts and vocabulary. (View Less)