Mars Rover Models -- A Program to Enrich Teaching Space Science, Planetary Exploration and Robotics In Elementary And Middle School by Edgar A. Bering, III, John Ramsey, Brenda S. Boyko, Holly Smith, Sandy Peck and William H. Arceneaux

Outline of Presentation  What is the Mars Rover Model Competition?  What motivated the program?  History  Sponsors  Program details  Teaching the contest as a curriculum unit  The competition  Future plans and suggestions

Program Summary  Primary and middle school (Grades 3-8) students.  Design and build a model of a Mars Rover.  Select specific science mission on Mars.  The model will be a minimal cost mock-up, constructed of mostly found objects.  A low cost ($10) solar powered car kit or ($25) RC car may serve as the chassis.

Contestant

Motivation  Provide very low cost alternative to true robotics programs  Develop flexible curriculum module that covers planetary science and aerospace engineering  Excite and motivate future engineers

A Legacy Event From The New Face of Space Exciting the Next Generation Educational Events and Activities at the World Space Congress 2002 and the

More History  Based on JPL’s Mars Millennium project  Brought to Houston by Mayor’s SparkPark project  Refined and further developed by Holly Smith, Bendwood Elementary, SBISD

Sponsors  AIAA  University of Houston Student Chapter  Houston Section  University of Houston  Office of the Senior Vice-Chancellor/Vice-President for Academic Affairs/Provost  College of Natural Science and Mathematics  Cullen College of Engineering  College of Education  College of Optometry  College of Technology  Texas Center for the Study of Advanced Materials  Physics Department  Geosciences Department  Electrical and Computer Engineering Department

Our Process  Raise Funds  Select Dates  Review Lessons From Last Event  Announce Event  Conduct Teacher Workshop  Solicit Entries, Volunteers  Conduct Event

Mars Unit Overview  Research the characteristics of Mars  Investigate the features of NASA’s probes  Power for Probes – Solar Racer (optional)  Design teams decide on mission, rover features & create initial draft with the criteria in mind  Build rovers using craft materials  Plan presentation to share their teams Mars Rover  Enter & win the competition!

Research the Characteristics of Mars  Learn about the features & conditions on Mars.  Gather information critical for a Mars space probe.  Use various sources – internet, NASA materials, videos, CD-ROMS, etc.  Share information in a fun way – have student groups teach the class.

Research the Features of NASA’s Mars probes  Learn how space probes communicate and conduct experiments on Mars  See how space probes are designed to survive in harsh conditions  Learn how rovers are designed & tested  Share facts & findings  Note mission similarities

Powering Probes : Solar Racer  Great for learning about solar power and experimenting with various kinds of propulsion  Cost: $10 per kit – teams of about 2-3 are practical  Fun for races, analyzing design & propulsion strategies

Creation of a Rover for the Competition  Review Mars conditions  Review highlights of NASA’s probes to Mars  Review the criteria for the Rover Competition Review the criteria for the Rover Competition  Form Rover Design Teams of 3-4 members

Rover Planning: Mission on Mars  Begin completing the leading questions in the Mars Rover Guide Begin completing the leading questions in the Mars Rover Guide  Obtain consensus on 2-3 objectives for their mission Obtain consensus on 2-3 objectives for their mission  Examine map of Mars to locate a landing site to accomplish mission goals

Rover Planning: Features for Mission  Brainstorm the technology and features needed to accomplish their mission.  Brainstorm features to handle the harsh conditions – cold, dust, rough terrain.  Sketch initial design incorporating team’s ideas.

Rover Construction – A Team Approach  Emphasize teamwork and group decision making  Use various arts & craft supplies along with materials available from the store – foil, cups, Styrofoam trays, straws, spoons, etc.  Use book tape & hot glue for assembly of the pieces

Building your model  Two 8 th grade students building a demonstration model during a teacher training workshop

Planning for the Presentation  Explain the criteria for the presentations - rubric  Encourage creativity with skits, props and costumes  Explain key features and the rover’s capabilities in the extreme conditions  Develop scripts & practice

Presenting the Mars Rovers  The day is here! Share rovers and creative ideas for future exploration  Encourage probing and clarifying questions from the audience  Evaluate rovers and presentations based on established criteria - rubric Evaluate rovers and presentations based on established criteria - rubric

Share your model  Lights, camera … skit!

Here Come da’ Judge!

Bright smiles, bright kids

The Winners!

Engage and empower  Positive attitude toward science  Positive perception of science relevance  Knowledge Ownership  Situational empowerment  Goal-oriented long-term task

Standards  Science process skills  Laboratory experience  Investigation planning  Data collection  Inference  Organization  Communication  Writing Yes, sir. I know that real spacecraft use white duct tape…

Mars Rover Competition Website Items of Interest: Schedule Contest Rules Entry Form Resources Mars Here We Come Slideshow

Budget  Expenses  Direct -- $7000  Overhead --$3500  Bare bones  Not covered  T-shirts & goodie bag for participants  Posters & curriculum materials for teachers

Future -- What Can AIAA Do?  Spread the word  Informally, or  Adopt program as nationwide activity  Contact schools  Help fund  Help find local corporate sponsors  National sponsors  Formal, standards based modules  Volunteers needed!

Mars Here We Come! The Mars Rover Model Competition - An Overview of the Curricula & Resources Holly Smith - Spring Branch ISD –