Read the comments from teachers and students who took the Challenge.
"It was a great activity, but one that the teacher needs to prepare for in advance. It isn't an activity that you can decide today you'll do tomorrow and be successful! It takes planning and it takes practice using the materials."
"The design challenge aligned well with the local and state curriculum frameworks for process skills."
The most difficult part of implementing the challenge:
"…making sure everything worked and keeping the 'X-33 Models' made."
"…achieving repeatable setups in alignment of model and torch."
The most valuable aspects of the Program:
"…team work; hands-on; decision making"
"…promotion of teamwork and thinking skills"
"…the connection to real life events and students' ability to feel a connection to NASA employees"
Aspect of the program you would change:
"…Too dragged out. Overall project could be more streamlined"
"…the timeline"
Letters from the Students
"Our group, the Constellations, likes this project. It is a wonderful experience for student and adults. We have learned so much in experimenting with this activity. We like experiencing what NASA engineers experience. We have built a design that only went up 64 cm on the first launch then it broke. We now know that we need to make our next model more stable. If one of us ever becomes a NASA engineer, we will know more now than we would have otherwise. We are having a great time constructing these models."
"Our group at The Anthony School is enjoying the NASA Earth-To-Orbit Engineering Design Challenge. We have built one thrust structure that weighed 13.4 grams and went 94 cm on the first launch. On the second and third launch it went to 75 cm. It broke on the third launch. We have created a new structure but it hasn't been built. We like this project because you can build your own thrust structure. You can see first-hand how much effort you have to put into making a rocket launch. It is interesting competing to try to make the lightest thrust structure that will launch three times without breaking and go one meter."
"Our group, The American Eagles, enjoyed this project because we like doing hands-on projects and building structures. Our structure lasted three launches going 64 centimeters the first launch, 78 cm the second launch, and 82 cm on the third launch. The structure weighed 14.5 grams, one of the heaviest of the group, but by far the sturdiest. The structure looked like a log cabin because our cardboard was glued on top."
"We liked the Earth-To-Orbit Engineering Design Challenge. Our first structure weighed 7.4 grams and went 62 centimeters high. Our structure was made of 16 sticks. We named our rocket Phoenix. Our first launch was called Coffee Can 1. We liked it because it was fun and educational."
The most valuable aspects of the program:
"…it was important for them to see the logic behind their designs and their subsequent testing."
"…teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving challenges, learning about aerodynamics and the history of flight, doing hands-on activities and learning how much goes into the design process."
Aspect of the program you would change:
"…use of more computer technology."
"…perhaps a rubric could be included in the teacher guide..."
Incident or event you remember most:
"…The first time a particular group of students got their design to lift, you could see the excitement in their eyes.."
"…one of my students said "This isn't just science, it's art!"