Activities about Space Travel
Trip to Mars
Students plan a manned mission to Mars. Students perform laboratory, field, and computer-based activities and simulations while studying Newton's laws of motion. As they plan their trip to Mars, they research and compare three propulsion systems: a chemical rocket, a plasma rocket, and a solar sail.
Using baking soda and vinegar, propel an object to introduce the idea of how things move through space.
Soda Straw Rockets
Students study how basic rocket processes are applied to space flight, launching paper rockets by blowing into a straw.
Egg Drop Challenge
Students demonstrate an understanding of the challenges of soft landing a spacecraft on Mars, a hard planet, by designing, building and testing their own "interplanetary lander."
There are several different models of edible spacecraft available at this Web site.