In this intermediate-level programming challenge, students use microdevices along with light and mirrors to build a relay that can send information to a distant detector.

Students code microcontrollers to send and receive radio signals, simulating communications between Earth and spacecraft.

Students design a robotic insect for an extraterrestrial environment, then compare the process to how NASA engineers design robots for extreme environments like Mars.

Using the fundamental criteria for life, students examine simulated extraterrestrial soil samples for signs of life.

Students use tangrams to create rover designs while practicing shape recognition.

Students build a rubber-band-powered rover that can scramble across the room.

In this board-game lesson, students learn basic computer programming skills by playing the roles of a Mars rover, scientist and engineer to make exploration decisions and accomplish science goals.

Using only pasta and glue, students design a rover that will travel down a one-meter ramp and then travel an additional one meter on a smooth, flat surface.

In this activity, students learn how light and energy are spread throughout space. The rate of change can be expressed mathematically, demonstrating why spacecraft like NASA’s Juno need so many solar panels.