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)

Using a plastic tray filled with sand to represent a planetary surface, learners simulate the effects of wind, water, and impacts. They will compare the surface effects they create with actual images of planetary surfaces- and determine the causes... (View More) of the features in the images. This activity was designed to be used in a library program. (View Less)