Soft Landing Challenge

Four people in a yard holding balloons. One is on a ladder. Caption: Five, four, three, two, one.

Cars use airbags. Packages use airbags. Why shouldn't eggs use airbags too? Students model NASA's airbag landing system in this activity from "Design Squad Nation." They design and build protective covers made of balloons to protect an egg dropped from a height of three feet. Their systems model the airbag landing systems used by three NASA Mars missions. The students use the engineering design process, apply a variety of science concepts, and learn about NASA's exploration of the solar system. Part of the "Design Squad Nation" series.

(Source: DCMP)

Metadata

Keywords:
astronomy, physics

Files 1

  • Soft Landing Challenge

    Type:
    Video
    Format:
    Streaming
    Accommodations:
    English Audio Descriptions - Visual, English Captions - Auditory
    Languages:
    English
    License:
    OER
    Author:
    PBS Learning Media
    Length:
    4 minutes