NASA STEM Challenges
NASA STEM Challenges: Parachuting Onto Mars
Objective: Students will use the engineering design process to develop a landing system that creates the most drag to safely land a spacecraft dropped from a great height.
Grade Level: 5-8
Time Required: Three 45-minute sessions
Description: Students will design and test a drag device to slow a spacecraft and protect its cargo, as well as calculate the surface area and measure the mass of the spacecraft. This activity uses the design of the surface area as the variable, not the material of the drag device.
Final Product: Student teams will create and submit a video featuring the process they followed to arrive at the drag device that best slowed the descent of their spacecraft.
Plan Your Challenge
Deliver Your Challenge
Submit Student Videos
Learn helpful video production tips and access the technical requirements and instructions for submitting videos.
Extras
NASA Fact Sheet
Low-Density Supersonic Decelerators [787KB PDF]
Video Features
APOLLO 15 Hammer and Feather
Curiosity's Seven Minutes of Terror
Mars in a Minute - How Do Rovers Drive on Mars?
Mars in a Minute: How Do You Get to Mars?
Mars in a Minute - How Do You Land on Mars?
Mars in a Minute: Is Mars Really Red?
Supersonic Decelerator on 'Right Track' for Future Mars Missions
Interactive Feature
SpacePlace Mars Adventure
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Need help with downloading the video?
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