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Overview

Participants explore some of the engineering and technical challenges of controlling spacecraft tens of millions of miles away. Then participants plan their own designs for a “space helicopter” that mimic NASA objectives, including making them as durable and low-weight as possible.

Essential question

How do engineers and inventors need to consider the different environmental conditions in which their inventions will operate?

Estimated time

One or two 50-minute class periods (Note: If you have limited time and resources, you can work through the sketch/design phase only.)

Subjects

Science, engineering, technology

Grades: 6-12

Introduction

We have aircraft on earth, which we can control here easily because we are so close to them. But in space, if there is an issue, the commands do not reach the spacecraft immediately. Just imagine the challenges involved in controlling flight in another part of the solar system. Mars is tens of MILLIONS of miles away, and yet NASA scientists were recently able to use remote signals to guide the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter that was deployed as part of the Perseverance Rover that is exploring the surface of Mars. To function in such a distant and hostile environment, NASA engineers had to make the helicopter especially durable and light, challenges that engineers on earth must consider for all sorts of other inventions as well.

Materials

• 1 Whiteboards per team
• 4 Dry Erase Markers per team
• Computer with Internet access
• Scissors
• Paper of different weights
• Scotch tape or similar (optional)
• 4-6 paper clips of different sizes per team
• ‘Copter template (can download to print out here )
• Scale for step #7

Warm-up activity

Watch the PBS NewsHour segment above on the Mars Ingenuity launch, and what it means for the future of space exploration. (If there is time, you can also watch the first 5 minutes of the video here of Ingenuity making its flight on Mars.) Then answer the following questions:

• What are the objectives of the mission?
• Why test this copter on Mars?
• How is the Martian environment different than the environment on Earth, and what do you think are some special challenges of operating a remote helicopter there?

Main activity

1. Read the article located here and study the four terms in bold print. Study the diagram at the right side of the page as well. (5 min)
2. With your group, take five minutes and create a diagram on the whiteboard that shows how each of the forces on the diagram would be different on Mars than on Earth. (5 min)
3. Discuss diagrams among whole class. Answer the question: How is lift different on Mars than it is on Earth and why is this an issue? (5 min)
4. Use the template to cut out a copter. Your job is to change the paper, the mass, the size or any other variable you would like to make the copter descend as slowly as possible. Before crafting your aircraft, sketch the design with your group. Consider: What modifications will help make it stay up longer? What modifications will help make it light and more durable? Use the steps of the Invention Process as outlined by MIT Lemelson Spark!Lab to construct your design (10 min)
5. Construct your copter according to your sketch. As with the NASA design, try to make your aircraft both light and durable. No change is off limits within the materials you have been given; the materials are your budget.  Just like NASA, the “cheaper” you can make your aircraft by using fewer materials to accomplish your goal, the better. (10 min)
6. Test out your aircraft using a timer. (time as available)
7. If you like, and if you have a scale available, you can weigh the aircraft as well. Since the Ingenuity Helicopter weighs around 4 pounds, your craft must be durable AND light.  What is the lightest you can make the copter while still keeping it aloft the longest time? (next day along with extensions or with time available)

Additional resources

1. To gain more lift in a thinner Martian atmosphere OR to allow it to stay aloft longer, what design changes would you suggest to the Ingenuity helicopter and what would the goal of this modification be? Sketch out how you might change your design for a Martian environment.
2. Take your copter outside and test the copter in a new environment. Is it breezy, or warmer or colder? Do any of these changes affect the performance of your copter? What modifications would you make to adapt to these new conditions? Sketch them out.
3. Use Scratch to create animation of the Ingenuity helicopter with your suggested changes.
4. Try this simulation of a landing on rough terrain.

Mr. Doug Spicher is a teacher with 30 years of classroom experience in Prince George’s and Howard Counties in Maryland. He has a BS from Youngstown State and an MEd in curriculum from Loyola College.  He has written activities for both counties and is a contributor of PHet activities for the University of Colorado at Boulder.

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