Mars Rubber Band Rover Engineering Design Challenge - STEM Activity

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

• Craft cubes

• 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

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