Mars Rubber Band Rover Engineering Design Challenge - STEM Activity
Students will first learn about mechanical engineering and potential and kinetic energy before designing and making a rover powered by the rubber band’s energy to explore the surface of Mars.
Grades: 5th - 8th
Teaching Duration: 2 weeks
Students will first learn about mechanical engineering and potential and kinetic energy before designing and making a rover powered by the rubber band’s energy to explore the surface of Mars.
Grades: 5th - 8th
Teaching Duration: 2 weeks
Students will first learn about mechanical engineering and potential and kinetic energy before designing and making a rover powered by the rubber band’s energy to explore the surface of Mars.
Grades: 5th - 8th
Teaching Duration: 2 weeks
lesson overview
Rubber Band Mars Rover STEM Challenge:
Students will first learn about mechanical engineering and potential and kinetic energy before designing and making a rover powered by the rubber band’s energy to explore the surface of Mars. This is a great space-themed STEM engineering design challenge.
Activity Overview: You are part of an astronaut crew on a scientific expedition on Mars! While out exploring the surface, we identified large Martian rocks that may give clues of ancient life on the red planet. The rocks are large and heavy, and our mission is to find a way to transport the samples back to base for testing. We will need to design a self-propelled vehicle using elastic potential energy stored in rubber bands!
Real-world STEM Connection:
Overview of NASA's Mission to Mars
Elastic potential energy and kinetic energy
Career Connection: NASA engineers and scientists working at JPL
As with many STEM activities, this challenge can be tailored to students of various skill levels and abilities.
Included in this product:
Detailed teachers guide with links to resources
Editable teacher companion presentation slides
Photos and videos of student examples
Student handouts to guide them through the design process
Videos to motivate and support learning
Editable Google Slides STEM journal for distance learning
STEM Career Connections and real-world examples
Science handouts
Student recording sheet for each step of the process
Suggested Materials: Many different materials can be used for this challenge. Here are some suggestions that worked well for our students.
Craft sticks
Rubber bands
Rubber bands
Zip ties
Straws
Wheels (Wheel & Axle set)
Wooden dowels
Hot glue gun or Elmer’s glue
Masking tape
Scissors
Cup
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Looking for more STEM lessons? Find the Vivify resource guide here: bit.ly/VivifyResourceGuide