Satellite Shield

Materials

• Satellite Shield Observation Sheet (1 per team)
• Pencils (2 per team)
• Optional: Device to project a video

Building Materials

Look for items that match the categories. See the suggestions below for ideas. Try to provide several different types of items for each category.

Use the table below for inspiration. Don't limit yourself to the items on this list — be creative!

Background Information for Teachers

Vocabulary

For more tips on vocabulary and common engineering terms see The Tech Interactive's Tech Tip: The Language of Engineering.

• Collision: An event in which two or more bodies exert forces on each other
• Energy: The capacity or power to do work
• Impact: The resulting force or energy when two or more objects collide
• Orbital debris: Space debris in the Earth's orbit
• Space debris: Defunct human-made objects in space
• Speed: The rate of motion at which an object is moving along a path
• Velocity: The rate and direction of an object's movement

Prep Work

Test Area Set-Up

1. Follow the instructions below to create the testing items:
   • Make the launch tube by taping cardboard tubes together, creating one long tube around 2 ft (.61 m) long.
   • Create the space debris testers by using tape or rubber bands to attach the item with a sharp end to the writing utensil.
   • Create the satellites by using rubber bands to secure a piece of penetrable material over the open end of each container.
   *Pre-cut more pieces of the penetrable material to replace after tests as needed.

   Testing Items

   Image Credit: Tech Museum

   three illustrations showing cardboard tube with tape in the middle, pen with screw taped to the end, container with purple cover held on top with rubber band

2. Place space debris testers and launch tube on a testing table.
   • To ensure safe prototyping practices, the testing table should be located at least 10 ft (3.05 m) away from the building and material tables.
3. When teams are ready to test, they will bring their satellite to the testing table, position the launch tube directly over their satellite, and drop one space debris tester down the tube.

Swipe left to see more

Testing Variations
Balloon Astronaut Another way to approach this design challenge is to ask teams to build a protective suit for a balloon "astronaut." We recommend using a 7 ft (2.13 m) PVC pipe for testing, as it generally takes more kinetic energy for the space debris to pop the balloon.	Image Credit: Tech Museum Illustration of testing set-up for Balloon Astronaut version. At the top a pen has a screw taped to it. The pen is over a 7 ft PVC pipe. The PVC pipe is over a ballon which is labeled 'Balloon astronaut' with protective shield	Testing Without the Tube If desired, this activity can be also conducted by dropping the space debris directly down on the test item without the tube. To ensure consistency when testing, place a piece of tape on a wall 2 ft (.61 m) from the ground and ask learners to drop the space debris tester from that height.	Image Credit: Tech Museum Two illustrations. One shows a cardboard tube with a red circle over it, the second shows a two foot measurement

Lesson Preparation

1. Collect, organize, and set up building materials.
2. Print the Satellite Shield Observation Sheets.
3. Build a solution (or solutions) yourself, with other educators, or with kids you know. This will allow you to practice with the materials and tools and to anticipate student questions.

Lesson Instructions

Frame the Challenge

Activate Prior Knowledge (10 min)

1. Start by exploring what learners already know about space debris, or human-made space junk.
   • What do you think the word "debris" means?
   • What do we know about space debris? How is it made?
   • What kinds of items make up space debris?
   • Where is most space debris located?
2. Inform learners that most space debris is orbital debris, revolving around the Earth's orbit.
   • If learners need more context, see Additional Resources: Orbital Debris.
   • Optional: Project this NASA video to visually show what the debris currently looks like around the Earth.
3. Ask Guiding Questions to explore the problems caused by orbital debris.
   • Why might orbital debris be dangerous for spacecrafts, satellites, or an astronaut doing a spacewalk?
   • What could happen if orbital debris collides with a spacecraft or satellite at high speeds?
   • What could help decrease the damage of high velocity impact from orbital debris?
4. Have them consider what could be done to protect the more than 5,465 satellites in space as of April 2022. (Want to know the current number? Check out the Union of Concerned Scientists website, which tracks space traffic.)

Introduce the Design Challenge (5 min)

1. Introduce the design scenario:
   You and your team of satellite engineers are tasked with designing a protective barrier that can shield a satellite from orbital debris. Your team will need to collect data on different material combinations to see which properties are most successful at preventing colliding debris from damaging the satellite.
2. Introduce the design problem, criteria, and constraints.
   Image Credit: Tech Museum

   Design problem: Design a barrier for a satellite that will protect it from being hit by small space debris moving at high speeds. Criteria: Protective barrier must fit snugly on the satellite. Must consist of at least two different kinds of materials. Constraints: Only use light-weight, flexible materials. Maximum of four layers may be used. There's a time limit!

3. Turn learners' attention to the testing area. Demonstrate a test on a "satellite" without any protective barrier by placing the tube on top of it and sending the space debris testers down the tube.
   • Review the safety procedures with learners to ensure best practices during testing.
4. Show learners the Observation handout where they will record each material combination they test.
   • Emphasize that rather than continuing to adjust and retest the same design, their goal is to test multiple materials combinations they believe could be potentially effective at preventing damage from the space debris testers.
5. Let learners know that they will spend the first few minutes exploring the materials and discussing what properties they think they should include in their design before they get their satellites.

Design Challenge

Materials Investigation (10 min)

1. Divide students into teams of three or four.
2. Have teams collect materials. Ask them to spend this time playing with the materials to learn more about their physical components, properties or characteristics.
3. While teams are exploring the materials, encourage them to be curious about which properties may be most effective for solving this problem:
   • Is the material stretchy or stiff? How flexible does it need to be?
   • Do you think this material might be good at absorbing impact? Why?
4. When they are ready, have teams call you over and share a couple of observations they made about the materials and why they think they will be effective at protecting the satellite.
5. Once the team shows they are ready to proceed, give them a satellite and a Satellite Shield Observation Sheet.

Prototype (Build and Test) (20 min)

1. As teams build and test, ask open-ended questions to encourage learners to reflect on how they are using the materials:

2. Encourage teams to test as often as possible. Help them make observations during testing.
   • Remind learners to record their results for each test on their Satellite Shield Observation Sheet.
   • Have teams continue testing throughout the entire prototyping time, even if they are successful. Remind them that their goal is to explore as many types of materials combinations as possible.
3. Provide ten and five minute warnings. Bring the whole class back together when the time is up.

Share Solutions (10 min)

1. Have the teams take turns sharing what they discovered during their material properties testing. Possible Sharing Questions could include:
   • Which material combinations were the most successful? Why do you think this combination worked well?
   • Which material combinations were the least successful? Why do you think these combinations did not work as well?
   • Was there anything else you would want to test if you had more time?
2. After each team shares, invite the other students to give positive feedback on their designs and encourage them to share suggestions.

Debrief (5 min)

1. Lead a short debrief with some of these questions. Possible Debrief Questions could include:
   • Was anything consistently successful or unsuccessful in different team tests?
   • How would your team adjust your design if the space debris were bigger?
   • What material properties did we find are important for protecting the satellite?
   • Would you make changes to your design if the space debris was approaching faster (i.e., tested using a longer tube)?