MISSION COMMANDER PORTAL
Welcome to Space Academy, Mission Commander! Start here for a quick introduction to the project.
MISSIONS
1: WELCOME
Coordinate pairs
Welcome to SPACE ACADEMY! In this warmup activity, students learn their mission: rescuing the lost explorer robot P.I.P.E.R.
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PROVIDED
1 18x24 Crew Badge per group
OPTIONAL: Crew Code poster
OPTIONAL: Jobs posterNEED
Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
1 Device per group -
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2: WHERE IS P.I.P.E.R.?
Coordinate pairs
Crews use a grid map of Proxima Centauri b and a series of data transmissions to figure out P.I.P.E.R.’s last known location.
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PROVIDED
18 x 24 Proxima Centauri b maps
JournalsNEED
1 device per group
Markers, pencils or crayons -
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GAME:
3: BUILD YOUR E.E.V.
Engineering design
Each crew will build an “Exoplanet Exploration Vehicle” (E.E.V.) to help them navigate the rocky terrain of Proxima Centauri b.
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PROVIDED
1 E.E.V. kit per crew
1 blue battery & 1 pink motor
per crew
1 Assembly Guide per crew
1 storage container & label
per crew
1 flagpole per student
1 flag template per crew
Charging station for teacherNEED
1 device per cew
Markers, crayons or colored pencils
Scissors & tape -
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Make an E.E.V. obstacle course
4: HOW FAR? HOW FAST?
Distance, rate & time
Crews develop a method to predict how far their vehicle will travel in any given amount of time, then test their ability to make these predictions.
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PROVIDED
Assembled E.E.V.s
Stopwatches
Floor Tape for teacher
Blue dot stickers for teacherNEED
1 device per group
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No printing required
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No extensions for this mission
5: PRECISION
Making predictions
Cadets discover the importance of using standardized methods and units of measurement as they collect data on the E.E.V.’s movements.
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PROVIDED
Assembled E.E.V.s
Dot stickers (5 blue and 1 red)
Paper track for each crew
JournalsNEED
Meter Sticks
1 device per group
Markers and pencils
Scissors
Extensive floor space
for crews to test their vehicles -
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GAME
6: GRAPH IT
Using graphs
Plotting their data, cadets practice using a graph to make accurate, fast predictions about the movement of their E.E.V.
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PROVIDED
Assembled E.E.V.s
Graph Poster (1 per team)
Journals
StopwatchesNEED
Meter Sticks (1 per team)
1 device per group
Markers, pencils -
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GAME:
7: RESCUE SIMULATION
Place value
Crews are ready to head to Proxima Centauri b to rescue P.I.PE.R. But before they go, they must complete a simulated rescue.
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PROVIDED
P.I.P.E.R. stickers
Warp Zone placard
Paper track
Stopwatches
Journals
Floor tapeNEED
Meter sticks
1 device/team
Scissors -
OPTIONAL EXTENSIONS PRINTING
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GAME
8: PREPARE FOR LIFTOFF
Classifying 2D shapes
To determine the security code for the rocket, each crew will need to decipher an image with 2D shapes and a decoder sheet.
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PROVIDED
Star map
Decoder sheet
JournalsNEED
1+ devices
Pencils -
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GAME:
9: REACTIVATE P.I.P.E.R
Using graphs & tables
Arriving on Proxima Centauri b crews rescue P.I.P.E.R. by determining how long they need to run their E.E.V.’s to reach the search zone.
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PROVIDED
Floor tape
P.I.P.E.R. placard
1 Stopwatch
Proxima Centauri b maps
Graphs from Mission 6
JournalsNEED
1 device per group
Pencils
Meter Stick (1 per team) -
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No extensions for this mission
10: TIME TO GO HOME
Using graphs & tables
P.I.P.E.R. has been rescued ... but there is an unexpected crisis: an asteroid is heading right for the search zone! Evacuate!
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PROVIDED
Floor tape
Stopwatches
Warp Zone placard
Journals
Evacuation PostersNEED
Meter Sticks
1+ devices per group
Calculators
Extensive floor space -
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Letter to P.I.P.E.R.