Audience
Educators, Students
Grade Levels
Grades 5-8, Grades 9-12, Informal Education
Subject
Careers, Technology, Models
Type
Hands-on Activities, Videos
NASA Role Model: Sam James
NASA Center: Langley Research Center
Topic: Mechanical Engineering Technician
Original Air Date: June 12, 2020
Explore the career of a model fabricator at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and learn what it takes to create models of the most cutting-edge machines in the aeronautics industry for testing in NASA’s wind tunnels.
STEM Short Activity: Design and Build a Space Habitat
Objective: Work as a team to design and build a model of a space habitat using the engineering design process.
Duration: 90-120 minutes
Materials Needed: Variety of building materials that can be obtained from craft scraps and recyclable materials, scissors, tape, glue or stapler
Difficulty: Medium
Next Generation Science Standards: MS-ETS1-1, MS-ETS1-3
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics: 6.SP.B.5.A, 7.G.B.6, MP1, MP3, MP5, MP6
“NASA STEM Stars” is a webchat series. Each chat introduces a science, technology, engineering or math career, addresses a STEM topic and highlights a NASA mission. The chat includes a STEM activity that students can do at home. After the interviews, experts answer students’ questions.