Design Devices to Help Astronauts Eat: Lunch in Outer Space!
In this open-ended design/build project, students learn about the unique challenges astronauts face while eating in outer space. They explore different food choices and food packaging, learning about the seven different forms of food that are available to astronauts. Students learn about the steps of the engineering design process, and then, as if they are NASA engineering teams, they design and build original model devices to help astronauts eat in a microgravity environment—their own creative devices for food storage and meal preparation. A guiding design worksheet is provided in English and Spanish.
Figure 1. An astronaut's meal.Copyright NASA Quest http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/people/journals/space/kloeris/04-29-01.html
Engineers are involved in all aspects of space travel and living. Many astronauts are engineers! Because of the microgravity environment, eating in space is a great challenge, so NASA engineers develop creative devices to help astronauts eat while traveling in away from the Earth's gravity.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Explain the challenges of eating in space (microgravity).
- List the three main steps in the engineering design process (design, build, test).
- Describe some of the devices engineers have designed to help astronauts eat in outer space.
- Work in teams to design and build their own device for eating in outer space.