Can you land on Mars? Truss/Parachute Activity

Part 1 – Building Your Structure Goals: –Learn about stability and different kinds of forces Materials: 7 Straws 14 Paper Clips

Part 1 – Building Your Structure Build a triangle and a square out of the materials by linking two paper clips and inserting them into the straws Which one do you think will be more stable? Why? TEST IT!TEST IT! - What Happens? Does it twist, bend, or collapse? - Compare the Triangle and the Square. Which was more stable? What made it more stable? Now, given two more straws and four more paperclips, how can you improve the stability of the square?

The Big Idea Tension Tension: Think of it as “Stretching,” like a string being pulled. Compression Compression: Think of it as “Squishing,” like pushing on a wall trusses When members are arranged like this they are called trusses. Can you name a type of truss you’ve seen in your everyday life? Stability Stability of our straw structures depends on the balance between straws that are in tension and ones that are in compression Two kinds of forces: Tension and Compression

Trusses in Everyday Life Eiffel Tower Bicycles Houses and Roofs Bridges

Part 2 - Landing on Mars: Attach your parachute, drop your structure… Mars How can you make your structure fly better?

Now, lets see how NASA landed on Mars: What did they do?

How do you become an Engineer? If engineering sounds interesting, what can you do to prepare yourself?

Expectations in School Math – Take it every year! Science - Chemistry, Physics, Biology Extra Curricular Activities – Sports, Dancing, Music, Clubs Go to College!

Resources Links to cool engineering sites can be found on our webpage: Check it out for more information about engineering, the different types, schools, camps and a lot more!

Do you have any Questions? Thank you for participating!! Feel free to either Michelle or Colleen with any questions you might have: Colleen - Michelle –