Unit 6.4: Design Your Own Rover

Angela Daneshmand, Santiago Canyon College

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Initial Publication Date: September 20, 2024

Summary

How will we investigate other planets for resources? In this unit, students work in teams to design a rover/orbiter headed toward an assigned planet/planet's moon. They will research about the planet/planet's moon, take into consideration any constraints given by the destination's characteristics, and design a model with the ultimate goal of resource identification and extraction. Each team creates a scientist spotlight for themselves as a NASA scientist, presents a funding proposal for their rover/orbiter design, discusses the merits of each team's proposal, and votes on which proposal(s) to fund.

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Learning Objectives

At the end of this unit, students will be able to:

  1. Develop a design for a future rover mission that will explore in search of and/or extract a particular resource
  2. Apply science and engineering practices to address questions about Earth and/or planetary systems
  3. Work in teams to problem-solve and communicate the results of scientific investigations
  4. Reflect on their ability to use science and engineering practices

Context for Use

Unit 6.4 is an introductory unit intended to come after Unit 6.1-6.3. Students have learned best practices in executing rover and orbiter missions from previous units. Engineering design is incorporated through the planning and designing of an extraterrestrial rover in search of resources.

Target Audience:

This module is intended for students in undergraduate level earth science courses, including entry-level courses designed for future educators.

Time Needed:

The activities in this module are designed to take place over the course of three 85-minute class sessions and can be administered in face-to-face, synchronous, or asynchronous classes (pending ideas).

Prerequisite Skills Needed:

Units 1-5 and Unit 6.1-6.3 should be completed before attempting this module. If this is not possible, it is recommended that students watch the NASA videos from Unit 6.2 and review past NASA missions listed in Unit 6.3.

Description and Teaching Materials

Teaching Materials:

  • The Pre-Class Homework aims to establish a foundation for designing a rover/orbiter in class. Each group has chosen a planet/moon to explore and will research facts about this planet to figure out which type of rover/orbiter is the best fit and which tools should be a part of the rover in order to complete your mission goals successfully.
  • The Pre-Class Homework for day 2 allows students to peer-review rover/orbiter designs. Students evaluate another team's rover, give feedback on the engineering design relative to the planet they explore, and suggest potential revisions. This can be done in class if time permits. If not completed in class, feedback groups need to be assigned before the end of class Day 1. Groups who are exploring Jovian planets should be assigned to another Jovian planet and groups exploring Terrestrial planets should be assigned to another Terrestrial planet.
  • The Unit 6 Scientist Spotlight Project helps you envision yourself as a scientist. As stated at the beginning of the semester, anyone can be a scientist. This includes you! By completing this assignment you will create a scientist spotlight for yourself using Canva and refine your graphic design skills. Your scientist spotlight will be added to your Planet Mission Project and will be presented during your NSF Funding pitch.
  • This slide set serves as a guide through Unit 6.4 and covers days 1-3 of this Unit.
    • Unit 6.4 Slide Set (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 1.3MB Aug20 24)
  • Marsbound! Game Cards: Print these before class (1 set per group) and hand them out when groups start describing what types of equipment the rover/orbiter would need in order to accomplish the goals they set forth. This game is specifically for Mars, but can give students ideas of the types of equipment they may need to include.
  • Final Presentation Worksheet and Rubric: Students will use the first page to take notes on each planet presentation. They will use their notes to justify their individual ranking at the bottom of the page. Next, groups will get together and review the individual rankings for each mission and then come to a consensus on how to rank each mission as a group (page 2). Note: they cannot rank their own missions. They will need to justify their top 3 rankings with 2 pieces of evidence/examples as to why they deserve their spot vs the other groups. Page 3 is the rubric for the entire presentation. Teams get points for key components of their presentation and points based on how their pitch was ranked and whether they received funding.

Day 1 85-minute Class Session Overview:

  • Small group discussion (30 minutes): Students discuss their findings from the pre-work, generate potential mission goals, and deduce key elements for their presentation. Remind students the ultimate goal is resource identification and extraction. The focus of student goals might be other goals that lead up to that ("conduct a magnetic survey..."). Instructors will walk around and ask groups to explain the mission goals that they have created to ensure the mission goals are feasible and have at least one goal surrounding location and extraction of a resource. Once they have mission goals in place, they will describe what types of equipment their rover/orbiter would need in order to accomplish these goals. Instructor will hand out Marsbound! Game Cards after groups have finalized their mission goals and come up with a few ideas for instrumentation.
  • Poster Board/ Google Slide Creation (55 minutes): In groups, students showcase their rover, including: name of rover, planet explored including any constraints due to the planet's characteristics, mission goals, type of lander/orbiter, specific features, and an explanation on 1) how those features relate back to the mission goals and 2) how those features can withstand the elements of their particular planet. Students will post a link to their Google Slides on a discussion board on the LMS so that other students can view their project.
    • If not creating a Google Slide, teams need to take a clear photo of their poster board and post it in a discussion forum for students to access during the homework. If completing the homework in class, post-its can be utilized for teams to leave comments/suggestions for one another.

Homework:

  • The Pre-Class Homework for day 2 allows students to peer-review rover/orbiter designs. Students evaluate another team's rover, give feedback on the engineering design relative to the planet they explore, and suggest potential revisions. Note: If you have a large class, you will want to create feedback groups and assign them before the end of class Day 1. Groups who are exploring Jovian planets should be assigned to another Jovian planet and groups exploring Terrestrial planets should be assigned to another Terrestrial planet. If you have a longer class period, I suggest completing Pre-Class Homework for day 2 face-to-face using post-its instead of as homework. This will ensure that all students evaluate and make suggestions for other group's rover/orbiters.

Day 2 85-minute Class Session Overview:

  • NSF Funding Presentation Preparation: Students will revise their rover/orbiter while taking peer feedback into consideration. They will look critically at their design and prepare an enticing presentation to guide us on a journey with their rover/orbiter in hopes that funding will be approved to execute their mission goals.
    They will need to prepare slides and a presentation detailing the following:
    • Planet conditions
    • Potential resources to be extracted
    • Previous missions/discoveries to the planet
    • Mission goals
    • Your rover design with explanation
    • A scientist spotlight for each member of your team (completed in Unit 6 Scientist Spotlight Project (Acrobat (PDF) 6.2MB Jan19 24) below)
  • Class time can be used at each group's discretion. They can work on their slides, create their scientist spotlights (homework), and/or practice their presentation.

Homework:

  • The Pre-Class Homework for day 3 helps you envision yourself as a scientist. As stated at the beginning of the semester, anyone can be a scientist. This includes you! By completing this assignment you will create a scientist spotlight for yourself using Canva and refine your graphic design skills. Your scientist spotlight will include your name, a few self-portraits, and a brief biography. It will be added to your Planet Mission Project and be presented during your NSF Funding pitch.

Day 3 85-minute Class Session Overview:

  • Virtual Gallery Walk (15 minutes): Groups will visit 1 other team's rover Google Slide/poster board and leave comments/questions/suggestions for last minute revisions based on page 3 of Final Presentation Worksheet and Rubric (Acrobat (PDF) 159kB Jul8 24).
  • Presentation and Polling (50 minutes): Allot an average of 7 minutes per group. Each group presents information on their planet, previous missions/discoveries on the planet, and finishes by presenting a funding proposal for their rover design to the entire class. After each presentation, small groups discuss the merits of the proposal and come to a consensus about which ones to fund. 
    • Final Presentation Worksheet and Rubric: Students will use the first page to take notes on each planet presentation. They will use their notes to justify their individual ranking at the bottom of the page. Next, groups will get together and review the individual rankings for each mission and then come to a consensus on how to rank each mission (page 2). They will need to justify their top 3 rankings with 2 pieces of evidence/examples as to why they deserve their spot vs the other groups. Page 3 is the rubric for the entire presentation. Teams get points based on how their pitch was ranked and whether they received funding. Note: Groups cannot rank their own missions. 
  • Rover Wrap Up (10 minutes): Groups will make edits based on suggestions and submit their final rover proposal.
  • Unit 6 Astronomy Exit Ticket (10 minutes): Students map out the SEP circle for this unit (suggested answers are located in the "Unit 6.4 Slide Set Instructor Key") and answer 2 reflection questions of their choice. 
  • Closing Remarks: 
    • Announce which proposals have been funded
    • Connect Unit 6 back to all previous units
    • Answer the motivating question: Are there resources on other planets that humans can access? Should we access them?

Teaching Notes and Tips

For all modalities, instructors are encouraged to transfer the PowerPoint slides into Google Slides for classroom and student use.

Face-to-Face Courses:

  • Day 1: Poster boards/white boards and markers will need to be provided for the gallery walk. If you have a longer class period, I suggest completing Pre-Class Homework for day 2 face-to-face using post-its to leave feedback instead of completing it as homework. This will ensure that all students evaluate and make suggestions for other groups' rover/orbiters.
  • Day 2: It is best to give students a choice of what they need to work on. The instructor should travel around the room and visit each group to see what their game plan for the class session is and give guidance when necessary.

Synchronous Online Courses:

  • Day 1: Students can discuss the project in groups during a video conferencing session (e.g., Zoom) in breakout rooms. They can utilize a collaborative document such as Google Slides to showcase their rover/orbiter. If you have a longer class period, I suggest completing Pre-Class Homework for day 2 using Padlet or similar discussion board to leave feedback instead of completing it as homework. This will ensure that all students evaluate and make suggestions for other groups' rover/orbiters.
  • Day 2: Students can discuss and work on the project in groups during a video conferencing session (e.g., Zoom) in breakout rooms.
  • Day 3: Students will present their project in groups during a video conferencing session (e.g., Zoom) and complete group rankings in breakout rooms.

Asynchronous Online Courses:

  • Day 1: It may be best for students to complete this project individually. However, if they would like to do the project in pairs, they will need to set aside time during the week to work with their partner on the project. For Pre-Class Homework for day 2, students can use a Padlet or similar discussion board to leave feedback on other team's rover slides.
  • Day 2: Students can asynchronously work on their projects. However, if they would like to do the project in pairs, they will need to set aside time during the week to work with their partner on the project.
  • Day 3: Students will record their presentation on a video discussion board such as Padlet, for peers to watch asynchronously. Each student will have to rank each presentation individually and submit their rankings to the instructor.

Background Information Resources:


Assessment

Formative Assessment:

  • Pre-Class Day 1 Homework
  • Pre-Class Day 2 Homework
  • Pre-Class Day 3 Homework
  • Day 3 Virtual Gallery Walk

Summative Assessment:

References and Resources

Barnett, Amanda. "Jupiter." NASA Solar System Exploration, NASA, 10 Aug. 2022, https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/jupiter/overview/

Barnett, Amanda. "Mercury." NASA Solar System Exploration, NASA, 23 Sept. 2021, https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mercury/overview/

Barnett, Amanda. "Neptune." NASA Solar System Exploration, NASA, 19 Apr. 2022, https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/neptune/overview/

Barnett, Amanda. "Saturn." NASA Solar System Exploration, NASA, 4 Aug. 2021, https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/saturn/overview/

Barnett, Amanda. "Uranus." NASA Solar System Exploration, NASA, 4 Aug. 2021, https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/uranus/overview/

Barnett, Amanda. "Venus." NASA Solar System Exploration, NASA, 10 Feb. 2022, https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/venus/overview/

"Eyes on the Solar System." NASA, NASA/JPL, eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-system/#/home.

"MarsboundCards." Marsbound! Equipment Cards, NASA/JPL, https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/pdfs/marsbound-cards.pdf

Nyman, M., and St. Clair, T., 2016, A Geometric Model to Teach Nature of Science, Science Practices, and Metacognition: Journal of College Science Teaching, v. 45, no. 5, p. 44-50