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LUNAR LANDING

Background Exploration provides the foundation of our knowledge, technology, resources, and inspiration. It seeks answers to fundamental questions about our existence, responds to recent discoveries and puts in place revolutionary techniques and capabilities to inspire our nation, the world, and the next generation. Through NASA, we touch the unknown, we learn and we understand. As we take our first steps toward sustaining a human presence in the solar system, we can look forward to far-off visions of the past becoming realities of the future. A new era of NASA space exploration began on July 20, 1969 with the Apollo 11 mission. That year the lunar module Eagle landed on the surface of the Moon (Figure 1). Landing on the Moon was an important step towards future space exploration and it was one that was viewed by the world. It is estimated that one billion people world-wide watched Neil Armstrong's first step onto the surface of the Moon and heard him say the words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!" Since that time, tremendous strides have been made in science and technology, with developments continuing to advance. Space exploration is on the forefront of this progress. NASA hopes to send humans on extended missions to the Moon, and other planetary bodies. Technological advances will allow astronauts to build outposts, conduct new research, and learn to live on a surface different from Earth’s. This will pave the way for eventual journeys to Mars and beyond.

Figure 1: Apollo 11 Lunar Module Figure 2: New Lunar Lander (NASA concept)

The human exploration missions to the Moon that took place during the Apollo program and the robotic exploration missions of the Ranger, Surveyor, and Lunar Orbiter programs that preceded the Apollo astronauts, returned a wealth of information that helped develop a new scientific understanding of the Moon. After Apollo, additional scientific knowledge about the Moon was gained from the Clementine, Lunar Prospector and SMART-1 missions - all robotic spacecraft that explored the Moon from lunar

www.nasa.gov Lunar Landing 1/3 orbit. Based on the information gathered from all of these past missions, scientists and engineers have proposed future landing sites that could provide clues to still unanswered questions about the Moon. The proposed landing sites would bring us to locations where potential resources may be located. Hydrogen might be found in the form of water ice in permanently shadowed craters near the lunar polar region. Another chemical element that may be found in some of the potential landing sites is oxygen, probably bound in the crystalline minerals of the lunar soil. Although it’s been done before, landing spacecraft on the lunar surface is not easy. The Moon’s gravitational force is 0.165 times the surface gravity on Earth. This difference in surface gravity affects the amount of thrust, or opposing gravitational force, needed to land. Another critical decision for landing on the lunar surface is the landing location. Landing safely means avoiding rocks, holes or slopes large enough to damage the spacecraft. This is called hazard avoidance. Selecting landing sites that will be advantageous and interesting for science and engineering is also important. On Apollo missions, the crew looked out the window and visually picked a safe landing location. NASA’s latest development projects, with hazard avoidance technology, will enable astronauts to safely land and explore the surface of the Moon. On unpiloted missions, the spacecraft will have systems on board to automatically find the safe areas and land the spacecraft. See Figure 2. Landing safely and learning to live on the Moon or other planetary bodies would give NASA a head start in exploring Mars and other destinations in the solar system.

Problem During a lunar landing the spacecraft is 100 meters above the lunar surface and coming straight down to a safe landing location with a constant thrust. The velocity of the spacecraft is 10 meters per second (m/s) at this point. The lander should touch down on the surface at 0.5 m/s due to the constant thrust (Figure 3).

V0  m/s10

100 m

F  .V m/s50 Surface

Figure 3: Problem Diagram

www.nasa.gov Lunar Landing 2/3 A. What is the magnitude and direction of the acceleration of the spacecraft? Express your answer in m/s2.

B. How long does it take to reach the surface from 100 m?

C. If the spacecraft has a mass of 20,000 kilograms (kg), what thrust in newtons (N) must the engines be exerting? Ignore the change in mass of the spacecraft due to propellant use. Include a force diagram with your solution.

D. In the NASA concept shown in Figure 2, the lander has 4 legs, each with a plate on the end that will set firmly on the surface. Each leg has a spring to act as a shock absorber and each shock will compress 30 cm when the leg plates touch the surface at a velocity of 0.5 m/s. Assume the engines’ thrust goes instantly to zero at the time of contact with the surface and the lunar surface does not compress. What is the average acceleration of the vehicle after it touches the surface? What is the spring constant for each spring?

www.nasa.gov Lunar Landing 3/3 Design Squad TM/© 2008 WGBH Educational Foundation DESIGN PROCESS INTRODUCING THE Sharing EvalUaTING, aND REDESIGNING BUIlDING, TESTING, Designing Brainstorming steps of the design process. below to talk about their and work tie what they’re doing to specific As kids through work a challenge, use questions such as the ones arrive at a solution is called the design . process from mistakes, again. The and series try of steps engineers use to out work perfectly. Like all engineers, theydifferent ideas, try learn When NASA engineers try to When solve NASA a engineers try problem, their • • • • • • • • • • • •

work the work way you wanted? discussing them? the work way you want? project? if you’ve been successful? your time, tools, and materials? If you had more time, how could you improve your design? What are some things everyone’s designs have in common? What do you think is the best feature of your design? Why? What were the different steps you had to do to get your project to What can you learn from looking at other kids’ projects and Why do you have to test something a few times before getting it to Does your design meet the goal set out in the challenge? What are some problems you’ll need to solve as you build your What specific goal to are achieve, you trying and how will you know Talk through the brainstormed ideas. What’s really possible given What are some different ways tackling today’sto start challenge? At this stage, all ideas are welcome, and criticism is not allowed. solutions initial ideas rarely REDESIGN successful result. about a problem and produce a process let them think creatively that the steps of the design of doing a challenge, kids see each challenge. Over the course The design process is built into Photo: Lauren Feinberg IDENTIFY PROBLEM SHARE SOLUTION BRAINSTORM DESIGN BUILD

EVALUATE TEST & 2 Lunar Lander Assessment

Have each group of students show the class their landers, explaining their design choices and how they solved the problems they encountered. Emphasize the key ideas in today’s challenge by asking: ● What forces affected your lander as it fell? (It accelerated [sped up] as it fell due to the pull of gravity. Air also pushed on it, and this air resistance slowed it down.) ● After testing, what changes did you make to your lander? (Answers will vary.) ● Engineers’ early ideas rarely work out perfectly. How does testing help them improve a design? ● (Testing helps you see what works and what doesn’t. Knowing this lets you improve a design by fixing the things that aren’t working well or could work even better.) ● What did you learn from watching others test their landers? (Answers will vary. But in general, students will see that there are many ways to successfully tackle a challenge.) ● The moon is covered in a thick layer of fine dust. How might this be an advantage? A disadvantage? (If the dust layer is soft, it would help cushion a landing. However, if it is too soft, a lander could sink into it and get stuck. Also, the lander’s rocket engine could send up clouds of dust, which could get into the machinery and cause it to jam or malfunction.) Teacher Guide Build a Lunar Lander How do I engineer a spacecraft to safely land on the moon?

Lesson Duration: 2-3 Days Audience: Classmates, Teachers Lesson Type: PBL

Overview Exploration provides the foundation of our knowledge, technology, resources, and inspiration. It seeks answers to fundamental questions about our existence, responds to recent discoveries and puts in place revolutionary techniques and capabilities to inspire our nation, the world and the next generation. Landing safely and learning to live on the Moon or other planetary bodies would give us a head start in exploring Mars and other destinations in the solar system. In this lesson, students assume the role of NASA aerospace engineers, using the engineering design process to learn steps for designing, creating, and improving equipment. They design and build a shock- absorbing system that protect two marshmallow “astronauts” when they land. By doing so, they come to understand some of the challenges of lunar landings.

Common Core Standards 21st Century Skills CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1 Technology Literacy CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.1 Critical Thinking/Problem CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1 Solving Skills CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.1 Creative Thinking CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.1 Communication Skills NGSS.3-PS2-1 Collaboration Skills NGSS.4-PS3-1 Leadership Skills NGSS.4-PS3-3 Social Skills NGSS.4-PS3-4 Self-Monitoring And Self- NGSS.MS-ETS1-1 Direction Skills NGSS.MS-ETS1-2 Project Management Skills NGSS.MS-ETS1-3 NGSS.MS-ETS1-4

Lesson Plan Step 1: Learn a bit about the Apollo missions and what it takes to land a spacecraft on the moon. Show this video to the students to help them get an idea of what a lunar lander might look like and the challenges involved in making it work. Engage the students in a discussion about the Apollo missions and the importance of exploration. Encourage debate over the impact the missions had on humanity. Students can reference the website below for more information. Get the students to listen to the audio clips for inspiration. Get the students to play this informative game( click below ) on the mechanics of landing a spacecraft on the moon. The game simulates a real world situation of limited fuel supply, uneven surface and external forces.

Resources Moon Landing Resource: http://www.spacekids.co.uk/moon/ Lunar Lander Game: http://moonlander.seb.ly

Step 2: Prepare for the challenge

Introduce the Challenge to the Students 1. Tell kids why a spacecraft that can land gently is important for getting astronauts to and from the moon safely. NASA is looking for safe landing sites on the moon. Once they find one, they need to design and build a spacecraft that can land there without injuring astronauts or damaging the spacecraft. Today you’ll make a lander—a spacecraft that can land safely when you drop it on the floor. As you test, you’ll find ways to make it work better. Improving a design based on testing is called the engineering design process. 2. Show kids the spring made out of an index card. When you jump off a high step, you bend your back and knees to absorb some of the energy and break your fall. That’s what a shock absorber does —absorbs the energy of an impact. Soft things, like marshmallows, cotton balls, foam, and bubble wrap absorb shock well. You can also use paper, like this index card made into a spring by folding it like an accordion

Step 3: Brainstorm and Design

Encourage the kids to come up with their own innovative ideas. Seed some of the below ideas if they need help to get started with the discussion.

1. What kind of shock absorber can you make from these materials to help soften a landing? (Mini-marshmallows can serve as soft footpads. Cards can be folded into springs. Straws can provide a flexible structure. Rubber bands can flex and hold things together.)

2. How will you make sure the lander doesn’t tip over as it falls through the air? (Making the parts below the platform weigh more than the parts on the top helps the lander fall straight down. Also, it helps to evenly distribute the weight on top of the platform.) Step 4: Build, Test, Evaluate & Redesign Help kids with any of the following issues. For example, if the lander: Tips over when it lands: - Move the cup slightly away from the side that’s tipping. Or, reposition the parts of the shock-absorbing system to better balance the weight. Bounces instead of landing softly: Change the size, position, or the number of shock-absorbing parts. Kids can also add mini-marshmallows for landing-pad feet. Or, they can use marshmallows at key junctions in the lander’s frame to help absorb energy. NOTE: Teachers may direct students to test their landers in their individual groups. Or, in a smaller class, each group can demonstrate before the class, while the other students watch and make notes about the different design solutions and outcomes.

Step 5: Reflection - Discuss what happened Have the students show each other their landers and talk about how they solved any problems that came up. Emphasize the key ideas in today’s challenge by asking: 1. What forces affected your lander as it fell? (It accelerated [sped up] as it fell due to the pull of gravity. Air also pushed on it, and this air resistance slowed it down.) 2. After testing, what changes did you make to your lander? (Answers will vary.)

3. Engineers’ early ideas rarely work out perfectly. How does testing help them improve a design? (Testing helps you see what works and what doesn’t. Knowing this lets you improve a design by fixing the things that aren’t working well or could work even better.) 4. What did you learn from watching others test their landers? (Answers will vary. But in general, kids will see that there are many ways to successfully tackle a challenge.) 5. The moon is covered in a thick layer of fine dust. How might this be an advantage? Or is it a disadvantage? (If the dust layer is soft, it would help cushion a landing. However, if it is too soft, a lander could sink into it and get stuck. Also, the lander’s rocket engine could send up clouds of dust, which could get into the machinery and cause it to jam or malfunction.

Step 6: How high can you go contest

Have kids drop their landers from two feet. Eliminate all landers that bounce out their “astronauts.” Next, raise the height to three feet. Continue in this fashion until a winner emerges. You can also increase the challenge by having kids add a third marshmallow “astronaut” to their cups.

Step 7: Rank the following steps in the design process by importance Build a Lunar Lander

Instructions 1) Cut out along each of the dashed lines below. 2) Review the different items in bold and discuss them with your teammates. 3) Rearrange the items to re-order your ranking for the discussion question below, and then number them 1 – 6. 4) Now fill in the justification for each item to explain your ranking. 5) When you have finished, compare your rankings/justifications with other teams. It’s okay to go back and re-rank your answers after discussing them with other teams.

Discussion Question Which of the following steps in the design process is most important? 

Ranking No. Justification: Explain why your team has ranked this here Idea

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Ranking No. Justification: Explain why your team has ranked this here Brainstorming with a team

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Ranking No. Justification: Explain why your team has ranked this here Design

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Ranking No. Justification: Explain why your team has ranked this here Implementation

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Ranking No. Justification: Explain why your team has ranked this here Testing

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Ranking No. Justification: Explain why your team has ranked this here Improving by making small changes

 

Discussion Question: Which of the following steps in the design process is most important?

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