The class is organized into 5 planet teams to help NASA locate and rescue a lost space ship that is orbiting one of the outer planets: Grades 3-5.
Duration: 90 Minutes
The class is organized into 5 planet teams to help NASA locate and rescue a lost space ship that is orbiting one of the outer planets. Each planet team consists of Cargo, Navigation and Transmissions Specialists. The Cargo Specialists calculate the number of days for a round trip to their planet and the amount of food, water and oxygen needed for the rescue trip. The Navigation Specialists will plot coordinates to help get some location information on the lost space ship. The Transmissions Specialists decode messages which give them clues about the location of the space ship over the last 5 days. All teams work together using information they receive to determine where the lost ship is located. The Communications Team relays all information to Mission Control so that a rescue ship with all the loaded cargo can be launched from our base on Mars to that planet. Your class will locate and rescue the lost ship.
These specialists receive information from near their planet about where the lost ship has been each day, the information is encoded and they must decode it. They then complete a problem-solving chart to track where the ship has been spotted each day Monday through Friday and help predict the location of the lost ship for rescue.
Navigation Specialists plot the location of each planet on an X-Y coordinate plane. They also must plot the location of solar system “Unknowns” and the course of the ship over the last five days.
The Cargo Specialists calculate the cargo needed for a rescue trip to their planet. The cargo needed includes food, water, and oxygen for the two astronauts on the trip out to rescue the two lost astronauts and for all astronauts on the return trip. They must also calculate the number of packing crates necessary to pack the supplies.
The Communications Team relays vital information to Earth Mission Control throughout the rescue attempt. The team members must gather information and data from all teams and communicate the information effectively to ensure a coordinated rescue effort.
