Launching interest in the space industry
Newton Rooms: All
Level: S1 and S2
Duration: 4.5 hours
Description: Pupils will learn and experience different roles/careers within the space sector and what they do to launch rockets and satellites.
They will get an insight into the Scottish space industry and how the growing sector can benefit Scotland.
Activity 1: Remote Sensing Scavenger Hunt. In groups, pupils will explore some different types of data that satellites can collect via remote sensing. They will spend time at stations that have equipment simulating satellite imagery and other technology. Within the time limit they will work together to gather as much information as they can, and gain an understanding of why satellite data is useful to Scotland and the world.
Activity 2: Satellite Survival. In groups, pupils will programme a Lego Spike Prime robot to orbit a model earth, behaving as a satellite in orbit. They will be challenged to edit their code to follow different orbits and avoid collisions with other satellites. They’ll also have the opportunity to further explore block coding and try code of their creation with the robot.
Activity 3: Rocket Design. In groups, pupils will design and make a rocket using materials provided. They will test their rocket’s performance using a compressed air rocket launcher, and a speed radar gun. They can make adjustments to their design before re-testing. They will continue this iterative design process and gain an understanding of how the design affects the physics and flight of a rocket.