Mission project: An all class project to create a mission to one of the inner planets:
Mercury/Venus or Mars. You will be assigned to a team to plan a mission to one of
the inner planets. Your team must work with two other teams to help get a manned
mission to your planet; you get to decide on the mission details. Your team will have
one of the following Missions:
Getting there and back
Living there
Working there
It will be necessary for your team to communicate to other teams about your
mission, for example the “getting to your planet “team will need to know how many
people you wanting living on the planet. The living there and working there teams
need to know how much weight they can take. This will take a lot of research of
current missions and current materials to make it work. This is not a sciente fiction
project but a look at what is truly possible. Understanding your planet is crucial to
all engineers on the project.
Project Presentations:
Your team will present their component of the mission to their planet. The entire
planet team will try to convince the other planet teams that their mission is the next
important mission. Each team will have 10 minutes to present (each planet gets 30
minutes). Teams will need to calculate an approximate cost of their mission and
must have an engineering design that is to scale. Presentation must include a
PowerPoint and/or a tri-board. In addition each project must have a working
demonstration (not included in the time limit) or experiment: for example a model
rocket launch for the Getting there team or a rover for the Working there team or a
Solar oven for the living there team. You must have a typed essay describing your
project and designs in detail to turn in.
We will need one person to be the Planet Project Manager for each planet, they will
be in charge of overall budget and overseeing mission goals are being met.
Each team will have the following members
1. System Manager
-Oversees projects, makes sure parts of the project are being completed
-Also helps with engineering and does have final decision on design
2. Communications Officer
-Communicates to other teams any questions or needs—they are the only
person who can talk to the other teams
-Also helps with engineering
3. Systems Engineers
-Depending on your component of your mission will determine how you
decide to split up the engineering duties, but these will include research and
designing.
We will have three weeks to work on these projects. Most days you will be working
on the projects, but we will have some engineering design days to help you think
about how to work and engineer together to design as a team. There will be certain
products due along the way (like team name and logo) It is important each of you
understands your role and the importance you have to the team.
Team Descriptions and topics
Getting There and Back
Questions: How do we get there? How do we keep the crew safe? How many
supplies do we need and how much can we carry?
Required Topic: Spacecraft design
Chose two subtopics (may develop your own but must be approved)
Propulsion Systems
Launch and landing procedures (must use escape velocities)
Flight risk of radiation hazards and how you will combat them
Emergency procedures
Living There
Questions: How do we survive? What are the dangers? What are human needs?
Required topic: Habitat design
Chose two subtopics (may develop your own but must be pre-approved)
Air, water and fuel
Plant growth
Radiation and climate hazards
Physical and mental health needs
Recreation and personal needs
Working There
Questions: What is our mission, why are we there? How will we accomplish our
mission?
Required topic: Space suit design and requirements
Chose two subtopics (may develop your own but must be pre-approved)
Exploration and research
Laboratories
Tools and rovers
Work assignments
Rubric for the project. You will be graded individually
4
Scientific
Content
X2
Engineering
Content
X2
Knowledge of
planetary
information x2
Organization
4
3333
Knowledgeable of the
laws that govern space
and space travel
Knowledgeable of what
is required for
engineering design
Knowledgeable about
the planet you are going
to
Well organized
information and
presentation, format to
slides or tri-fold
Working model,
demonstration
or experiment
x2
Engineering
Design
X2
Presentation
skills
Interesting, enthusiastic,
eye contact, loud enough
voice
Visuals help guide the
presentation and are
appealing. Pictures are
added to aid and not
distract
Visual Aid
Quality
x2
Shows little
understanding
Mostly organized
Lack of
organization
Is not just a static model
but has demonstration
that explains the topic
Demonstration model does
not fully explain the topic
Some
organization
but not put
together as a
whole
presentation
Model does not
demonstrate
the topic
Drawings fully describe
what you are
engineering and are to
scale
Drawing describe design but Drawings are
not to scale
incomplete but
show some
aspects of
design
Missing or low on one of
Low skill on
these skills
two of these
skills
Visuals mostly help guide
Visuals are
but are wordy and/or
occasionally
pictures occasionally
distracting or
distract
do little to
enhance the
presentation
A few reminders to stay on
Repeated
task
reminders to
stay on task
Most of the projects details
Some of project
are described
is described
Poor quality
or no
drawing
design
Essay
X2
Project and scientific
information is described
in detail
Scientifically, formal
wording, spelling and
grammar is correct
List of each student’s
contribution and good
team work
Excellent
Overall x3
Total
1
Little or Lack
of knowledge
Some
misinformation
Always on task during
project work time
Teamwork
X2
Shows understanding of
what is required to design
2
0-1
Some
misunderstandi
ngs
Some
misconceptions
Shows understanding
Work Ethic
X2
Essay format
3
2
Shows understanding
No true
model
Low on more
than two of
these skills
No or poorly
quality visual
Rarely on
task
No or very
sketchy essay
1-2 errors
3-4 errors or
No essay or
not formal work poor quality
List of student’s
contribution but not even
distribution of work
Great
List of student’s
work but not
equitable
Good
No list, did
not work as a
team
Poor