Applying Engineering Skills from Launch to Landing

Each grade began by putting their creativity and engineering skills to the test by tackling a smaller problem, allowing them to rapidly prototype and test multiple iterations of their design per class period. Their initial challenge was to land a roll of tape from the ceiling of the I-Lab without making a sound. There were many crinkles, crunches, and thuds as students tested designs using a variety of materials ranging from inflated bags, table cloths, straws, springs, cardboard, paper, and tape. During this rapid prototyping phase, we also researched a wide range of possible solutions, watched the methods used by NASA during their Mars missions, and learned from experts who worked to create them. 

Next, the difficulty was elevated, both by raising the drop height from the ceiling of the I-Lab to the second floor of the building, and by replacing the very sturdy roll of tape with a far more fragile water balloon. Students took all of the data they gathered from their prior tests and used that information to design a new landing vehicle for their precious cargo. Some made parachutes to slow the fall speed while others used padding to lengthen the collision time, both of which could lead to less force being applied to the water balloon. As students created more sophisticated and successful designs, they were given the option to attempt landing multiple water balloons during one drop or to design a landing vehicle using only paper towels and masking tape. 

These steps prepared them for our final challenge, landing a water balloon from a very high height. To best replicate the Mars landers which came before them, ours were also launched in a rocket. Students modified or redesigned their vehicles to fit inside the drop chamber of our rocket. Using an air powered propulsion system, their landers were sent up to 100 ft in the air before gravity began accelerating them faster and faster back to the Earth's surface. Parachutes deployed, cushioning crumpled, boxes bounced, and students rushed to see if their precious cargo survived the fall!

This process walked students through the full Design Thinking process, beginning with empathizing with the scientists and engineers who spent years working on the prior missions, each time enduring the Seven Minutes of Terror (the time it takes for the probe to enter the Martian atmosphere and reach the surface without knowing if they had prepared the lander to reach the surface intact.)

 

The next step is defining the problem, in this case breaking the problem down into smaller pieces from the start. The stated problem was, "How might we design a device to safely land a water balloon falling from a very high height?" But our real problem that crossed all versions of the challenge was, "How might we design a device to minimize the energy transferred to a falling object colliding with the ground upon impact?" 

 

Students brainstormed a variety of designs, and researched even more, during the ideate phase. Some took inspiration from existing solutions but needed to repurpose those concepts to the available materials, while others combined multiple solutions together in hopes it would lead to an even better outcome. After we had our designs, it was time to build. 

 

By starting with the reusable roll of tape as a payload rather than the fragile water balloons, students were able to deeply engage in the prototype and test phases, in this case using a technique known as rapid prototyping. By rapidly creating solutions, testing them, and seeing their outcomes, students were able to refine their designs in an environment with less negative repercussions prior to using them in a more important setting, involving the less reusable water balloons.

 

Their success they found with this opportunity to launch a water balloon into the sky and have their design safely guide it back to Earth, or being able to protect numerous water balloons descending from the second story, is due to their spirit, curiosity, and ingenuity. Well done, Clairbourn engineers!