This module is designed to be engaging for students with mix-and-match hands-on activities related to material science and Space Shuttle design. Teachers are provided with a "teacher-facing" protocol and optional slides to walk through the activities for students.
Audience: Grades K-6
Time: 50 minutes per lesson, 5 lessons total
Key Terms: Vacuum, Material Science, Radiation, Thermal Energy, Composite Materials, Properties of Matter
Time: 50 minutes per lesson
Lesson 1: Suitable Materials for Space Travel -- Student Instructions/Teacher Instructions
Lesson 2: Exploring Materials for Space Travel -- Student Instructions/Teacher Instructions
Lessons 3 & 4: Exploring Temperature Impact on Materials -- Student Instructions/Teacher Instructions
Lesson 5: Evaluating and Selecting Composite Materials Suitable for Space Travel -- Student Instructions/Teacher Instructions
This module is designed to be engaging for students with mix-and-match hands-on activities related to aerodynamics and Space Shuttle design. Teachers are provided with a "teacher-facing" protocol and optional slides to walk through the activities for students.
Key Terms: Gravity, Aerodynamics, Aviation, Aerospace Engineering
Lesson 1: Exploring the Effect of Gravity -- Student Instructions/Teacher Instructions
Lesson 2: Exploring Center of Gravity -- Student Instructions/Teacher Instructions
Lesson 3: Exploring the Impact of Turbulent Air Flows -- Student Instructions/Teacher Instructions
You can find our printable airplane schematics here! Need help folding? Check out our instructional videos.
Lesson 4: Designing Shuttles to Perform Within Turbulent Air Flows -- Student Instructions/Teacher Instructions
Lesson 5: Selecting a Final Design and Calculating Cost -- Student Instructions/Teacher Instructions
Gummy bears, as it turns out, are great for demonstrating the otherwise abstract concepts that describe the most basic of light-matter interactions: absorption, transmittance, and reflection.
Audience: Grades 7-12
Time: 30-45 minutes
Key Terms: Absorption, Transmittance, Reflection, LASER, Wavelength, Frequency
The rules of optics are predictable and finite. People interact with light reflection and refraction on a regular, constant basis. Students are likely familiar with reflection and refraction concepts, but this simple demonstration can help them gain a new understanding. Using lasers, students will investigate reflection and refraction, lens and mirror properties, and optical devices.
Time: N/A (Supplemental Demonstrations for the classroom)
Key Terms: LASER, Reflection, Refraction, Lenses, Mirrors