A Long Way Down: Designing Parachutes
Science Topic: Astronomy
Engineering Field: Aerospace Engineering
Country: Brazil
Storybook: Paulo's Parachute Mission
In this unit, students meet Paulo, a boy from Brazil whose parents are aerospace engineers. As Paulo struggles with a move to a new town and his fears about classmates and neighbors not accepting him, he soon realizes that his past experience with creating parachutes might make him a fast friend after all. Students will be introduced to the concept of drag and the role that different atmospheres play in creating drag. All of this knowledge will be applied by students in order to eventually complete their design challenge: creating a parachute that is “Mission Ready.”
Students will explore and analyze data related to three variables of a parachute: suspension line length, canopy size, and canopy material. Students use this data to help them design a parachute that meets both the packing criterion and the speed criterion for a mission traveling to a planet with an atmosphere thinner than Earth’s.
GEMS Connection: Messages from Space
FOSS Connection: Planetary Science
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