Lunar Lander Egg Drop Project {NGSS Aligned 3-PS2-1, MS-PS2-2, 3-5-ETS1-3}

This fun and engaging project will put students in the drivers seat of the engineering design process! Students will conduct guided research to understand forces affecting their lunar landers such as gravity and air resistance before deciding on construction materials and designs to address those forces to make a smooth landing. After students design and build their lander, it's time to test! Students will collect data on drop day; egg survival and speed of the lander (optional) and use the data to draw conclusions in their reflections. This activity is a highly engaging way for students to deepen their understanding of physical forces, space and the engineering design process!

Also included is an astronaut research extension activity!

This project is aligned with NGSS -

3-PS2-1 and MS-PS2-2 - Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

3-5-ETS1-3 – Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.