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SCIENTIFIC CHALLENGE 1.
TOPIC FORCES
As
part of Science Year various
challenges will be put forward by the famous Professor Mc Arrone each month for
the scientists in year 6&7. Similar challenges
will be carried out all over the UK and International Schools within Europe. The
first practical problem ties in
well with the present topic of forces and involves
the safe transportation of an egg. No prior testing should be carried out at
home!
Problem.1
When
spacecraft visit different planets, they often send something to investigate the
surface of the planet. This is called a Lander. The Lander then makes
measurements on the surface of the planet, takes photos, works out what metals
and minerals make up the surface and tries to find out whether life exists on
the planet.
The
challenge is to make a Mars Lander that can get a medium size, uncooked egg to
the surface of Mars safely.
Mission Requirements
It costs
20,000 Euros to launch 1kg into space, so the lighter your Lander is, the
cheaper the mission will be. This mission has a budget of 2000 Euros so the
Lander must weigh less than 100g. Space is also limited on the space shuttle and
the Lander must be no bigger than a shoe box.
When the
Lander enters the upper atmosphere of Mars it travels at speeds of several miles
per second and the surface of Mars is rocky and hard. The Lander must survive
the journey from the spacecraft to the Martian surface. Of course, the payload
must not be damaged in any way when it lands!
Any good
scientist or engineer keeps a notebook containing their designs, descriptions of
any tests carried out and any modifications made. You should record on computer
how you made your Lander.
Marks
will be awarded for the Lander's size and weight, successfully landing the egg
with no damage and the design sheet.
The
payload will be one medium sized egg, supplied by the judges at the test site.