Build a Space Craft

Year range:

Y1-Y8

Strands:

Planet Earth & Beyond; Technology

Categories:

Flight; Structures; Vehicles

Competencies:

Participating & Contributing; Thinking

 

Task:

You need to launch an Earth-orbiting spacecraft to study the earth from above. You will be given some materials and your team will have to make the spacecraft within 20 minutes (longer can be given for younger students).

The space craft will need to have the following parts:

1. Body of the craft to hold the computer and electronics.
2. Something to supply power to the computer (e.g., solar panels)
3. Some way to communicate with Earth
4. Something to keep the electronics from freezing out in space, like a space blanket
5. Some way to slow down, or speed-up, or change direction (like thrusters) .

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Possible Materials:

• Juice box or cardboard carton
• Cardboard tube
• Aluminium foil or gift wrap paper
• 4 Popsicle sticks or 2 wooden BBQ skewers
• Matchsticks or cotton buds (optional)
• Egg carton (optional)
• Paper clips (optional)
• Paper bowl or plate (optional)
• Pipe cleaners (optional)
• Sticky tape
• Scissors
• Glue
• Paint (optional)

This challenge can be made more difficult by using wire, balsa wood or even basic electronics.              

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 Judging

This challenge is a mixture of art meeting technology. The judges will look to see it’s got the right parts, and then give extra points for design.

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