Background to project:

NASA has a web site called wings over Mars.  The challenge is to design something that can:

q      fit in a capsule

q      be able to withstand a trip

o       forces

o       radiation

q      be able to operate remotely

q      be able to collect data

q      be able to cover a large area of Mars

Mars has its own environment in which a project has to operate:

q      the atmosphere is:

o       thin nearly 0.5% of Earth so an average pressure on Earth is 101.3 kPa, on Mars it is 0.6 kPa.

§         http://www.universetoday.com/guide-to-space/mars/atmosphere-of-mars/

§         The article talks about the atmosphere killing you it’s not the carbon dioxide it’s the thin atmosphere.  If you were in a pressure suit and you took off your helmet you lungs would explode and your blood would boil due to a low pressure.

o       no free oxygen mostly carbon dioxide

§         http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/06/02/solar-wind-atmosphere.html

§         (new discovery)

q      gravity is 1/3 of Earth which is beneficial since things don’t weigh as much

 

What was done as a class?

q      Students built kites or small planes (or other).

q      Students tested their designs.

q      Some students rebuilt and retested several times.

q      Students are now writing a paper.

 

What was the learning?

q      Engineering Design Standards:

o       Define a problem, specify criteria, limits of design based on science, and generate several solutions.

o       Create and test or otherwise analyze a promising solution. Collect data and incorporate modifications.

o       Analyze data, did it work, what needed more work, what you would do differently.

o       Recommend a proposed solution, identify its strengths and weaknesses, and describe how it is a better alternative.  Identify areas of further engineering to make the project work.

o       Describe new technologies needed to make the project work.

q      Limits of design based on science, this is what we learned all year:

o       Energy

§         Five forms

§         Two states

§         Conservation of energy

§         Energy movement

o       Forces

§         Newton’s three laws

§         Gravity

§         Work is force times distance (also energy)

§         Power is the rate of work

o       Matter (chemical properties)

§         The atom

§         Periodic table of elements

§         Bonding of matter

§         Conservation of matter

o       Matter (physical properties)

§         States of matter as defined by temperature of material

§         Density of matter

§         Properties of Gases

o       Matter (radioactive properties)

 

What is the final product (a paper)

 

Write a paragraph on background information (Your audience is someone not involved in the project)

q      Source of idea

q      Define a problem

q      What is the criteria for the project (if you worked for NASA)

q      Conclusion to paragraph what would be your solution.

 

Write a paragraph on your involvement (Your audience is someone not involved in the project)

q      What ideas did you bring to your group

q      What idea did your group use

o       (yours or someone else’s if someone else’s how was it different then yours)

o       (if yours how was yours better)

q      How did you participate in the building of the project

q      What would you have done differently

q      Did you get along with everyone in your group

q      Remember the personality worksheet we did was your group a good mix of people

o       Who was the leader

o       Who was the organizer

o       Who was the worker

o       Who was the idea man

o       Who didn’t work

 

Write a paragraph on your testing of project (Your audience is someone not involved in the project)

q      Did the project work?

q      How much testing did you do?

q      How much rebuilding or redesigning did you do?

 

Write a scientific paragraph (Your audience is someone not involved in the project and the idea is that this is something that is going to Mars.)

q      How is energy important in your project?

q      What forces does your project need to withstand?

q      What materials or properties of the materials are important for the success of the project?

 

Write a conclusion paragraph (Your audience is someone not involved in the project)

q      How successful were you and your group.

o       Did you work well

o       Did you get something done

o       Did your project idea work

q      What would you do differently

o       Change ideas

o       Change groups

o       Change materials

q      What is your recommendation (Your audience is someone who is wanting to buy from you.  You need to sell them your idea or propose a solution to the original problem)

q      What did you learn from this project?

o       Did you learn to get along with people

o       Did you learn to create and design

o       Did you learn how to analyze modify and redesign

o       Did you learn how to write a paper

o       Any other information that will make your teacher say they got it.