1. Brainstorm
Landing on the Moon and Mars is tricky. A lander headed to the Moon can go as fast as 24,816 miles (39,937 kilometers) per hour. Those on their way to Mars might go up to 13,000 miles (21,000 kilometers) per hour. To land gently, these spacecraft need to slow down before touching the surface! And if there are astronauts on board, the lander needs to keep them safe, too.
Just as engineers develop solutions for landing different kinds of vehicles on the Moon and Mars, you can follow the engineering design process to design and build your own shock-absorbing system out of simple materials. Then, improve your design based on the results of your test landings – and test it all with code!
First, consider how you will softly land your “astronauts” using the allowable materials.
- What kind of shock absorber can you make from these materials to help soften a landing?
- How will you make sure the lander doesn’t roll while falling through the air or tip over when it lands?
About the image: In this composite image from 1969, astronaut Buzz Aldrin can be seen coming down a ladder from the mission's command module (or lander). Shortly after this series of images was taken, Buzz Aldrin became the second person to walk on the Moon. Image credit: NASA | › See more images from the Apollo 11 mission
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