Using Nature as Inspiration to Design Martian Landers
Turn and Talk…
What do you notice in nature that slows descent?
What do you notice and wonder? How does the structure help these animals glide?
Real World Problem:
Plans for colonizing Mars are already in place. The materials needed for survival are being sent to Mars await the arrival of humans. This cargo must land safely.
Your team has been challenged by NASA to use structures from plants and animals in nature as inspiration to create a Martian lander.
Real World Problem:
Your design must carry a payload (PocketLab), to the ground safely. It must withstand shock, demonstrate air resistance, and resist gravitational pull. The most successful design will stay in the air for the longest time.
You will design, test, collect data, redesign and retest.
Divide into teams of 3 or 4.
Possible Materials List:
Plastic bags/tablecloth Measuring tape Toothpicks
Aluminum foil Stopwatch (phone) Craft sticks
Tissue paper Masking tape Toilet paper
String Dixie cups Rubber bands
Cotton balls Binder clips Straws
Copy paper Coffee filters Napkins
Cardstock Sponges Pipe cleaners
Feathers
Adding Constraints: You can limit students to X number of “things” or you can assign a “budget” similar to this:
Building Requirements: Your team will be given a $10 budget. Plan your design wisely! You are NOT allowed to go over budget, but you are not required to use all of your money. The prices for building supplies are as follows:
etc...
PocketLab:
PocketLabs collect data in real time.
the PocketLab.
*Look at the dot before and after the drop. Use the number after “ t= _ “.
Subtract the two numbers to get your time.
5.50
5.80
Data Sheet for young learners:
Did it work?
Yes!
No!
Data: (3-5th grade)
Data (scaffolded structure) Only Test One Variable. Look for patterns in the data.
For grades 1-3, have groups test either the small or large canopy, each group tests only one line length. Then put data together as a class.
For grades 4-5, they can test one canopy size with varying line lengths or one line length with varying canopy sizes. Put data together with others.
| Small Canopy Diameter _____________ cm | Large Canopy Diameter _____________ cm | | ||||
Hang Time (seconds) | |||||||
Length of suspension lines | Trial 1 | Trial 2 | Trial 3 | Trial 1 | Trial 2 | Trial 3 | Length of suspension lines |
15 cm | | | | | | | 15 cm |
25 cm | | | | | | | 25 cm |
35 cm | | | | | | | 35 cm |
Explain:
Evaluate:
Reflection
Claim: (our design was/was not successful because)
Evidence: (What data did you collect?)
Reasoning: (Because…..)
Examples
Contacts, Credits, & Permissions
Lisa Pitts Oakdale Middle School Twitter @Lisa_Pitts5 Email: lisapitts1972@gmail.com | Sheryl McCarthy The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori School Twitter: @SherylM32490346 Email: smccarthy@gscmontessori.org |
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Please evaluate this session by going to your AGENDA.
Using Nature as Inspiration to Design Martian Landers.
NGSS Standards
K-2
K-PS2-2 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an object with a push or a pull.
1-LS1-1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.*
*2-PS1-2 Matter and Its Interactions
Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.*
Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
NGSS Standards
3-5
3-PS2-1 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.
3-PS2-2 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.
3-LS3-1 Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits
Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms.
Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.
Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.*
4-LS1-1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
5-PS1-1 Matter and Its Interactions
Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.
5-PS1-3 Matter and Its Interactions
Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.
Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
NGSS Standards
6-8
MS-PS2-1 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.
MS-PS2-2 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.
MS-PS2-4 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects.
MS-PS2-5 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.
Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object.
Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.
MS-LS1-4 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.
Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.