On the Moon Educator Guide
Audience: Educators
Grades: 3-12 and Informal
Product Number: EG-2009-02-05-MSFC

NASA is one of the largest employers of engineers in the world. "Design SquadВ®," an award-winning TV show that airs on PBS, engages teams of students in imaginative engineering challenges. Together, NASA and "Design Squad" have developed the On the Moon educator guide. The guide brings hands-on engineering and the adventure of space exploration to life for students. The activities are related to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite missions. In this guide, students are challenged to design and build:
An air-powered rocket.
A shock-absorbing system that will protect two marshmallow "astronauts."
A rubber band-powered rover.
A cardboard crane for maximum load-lifting ability.
A paper cup modified so that it can carry a marble down a zip line and drop the marble onto a target.
A solar hot water heater to cause the greatest rise in temperature.