Before we get started, let’s explore what you know and want to know about space exploration.
In your camp notebook or on a piece of paper, create a KWL Chart like this:
Underneath the K column, tell us everything you know about space travel and exploration. Think about things like:
Our planets and solar system
Missions we’ve conducted
Equipment and technology used
Under the W column, write out all the things you hope to know at the end of the camp. What are the things you’re curious about and want to learn?
Leave the L column blank for now and we’ll return to it later.
Our World: Mission Patches
Have you ever noticed the mission patches on an astronaut’s spacesuit? Here are a few examples:
Image reference: www.history.nasa.gov/mission_patches.html
Apollo 11 | Skylab 3 | STS-130 | Gemini 11
What similarities and differences do you notice among these mission patches?
After NASA selects a crew for a mission, one of their first tasks is to create a mission patch that represents themselves and the mission. Before we begin our journey, let’s design our own mission patch.
Consider including the following in your design:
Shape: What shape would you like your patch to be?
Mission Name: “To the Moon & Beyond!” or feel free to create your own mission name.
Your Name: Include your name or your family name (last name).
Personal Symbols: Pictures that represent you or your family.
Additional Images: Any other images you’d like—what do they symbolize?
Bionics: Nature Helps Us Build Cool Stuff!
Bionics is when we use ideas from nature to create new technology and gadgets. In medicine, bionics lets us replace or improve body parts with man-made versions. For example, bionic arms or legs help people with disabilities regain abilities they might have lost. Another example is making robots that look and act like humans—these are called humanoid robots.
On the International Space Station, everything is made for humans. So, having a robot that can work like a human is super helpful! One important part of a humanoid robot is a bionic hand. Bionic hands allow robots to pick up and use things made for people. Astronauts can get really tired using their hands in bulky space gloves. That’s why the European Space Agency (ESA) developed the DEXHAND—a special bionic hand for robots and maybe even for astronauts to use!
Now let’s build our own bionic hand out of cardboard!
Before you get started, think about:
- What tasks and movements can be done by the human hand?
- Examine your own hand. Pay attention to how and where it moves.
- What structures are found in the human hand?
- How do the parts of the human hand work together to complete a task?
- How can engineers develop an artificial hand that mimics the human hand?
Materials Needed:
Tape
Scissors
Cardboard paper or cardstock paper
Standard drinking straws
Smoothie straw or bigger diameter straw
Yarn or twine
Instructions:
- Trace your hand on a cardboard or cardstock paper.
- Cut the traced hand out (cutting it a little bigger than the actual tracing).
- Mark your finger joints on the cutout by drawing straight or curved lines across each finger. Look at your own hand to see where the joints should be drawn on your model.
- Fold the fingers at the lines.
- Cut smaller straws to size (leave a little gap between the lines to facilitate in threading the yarn).
- Tape straw pieces to the hand.
- Thread yarn through the straw pieces. Each finger will have a length of yarn of its own. (Hint: if you have trouble threading the yarn through the straws, you can wrap tape around the end of the yarn to make it easier – similar to the plastic tip of a shoelace.)
- Thread all five pieces of yarn through the bigger straw.
- Now experiment by pulling on one or multiple strings to cause the hand to close. Compare your model to your own hand. How are they similar and how are they different? In a human hand, the brain sends signals to muscles and tendons which contract to move the fingers. In your model, the string represents the tendons and, when pulled, cause the fingers to move.
- Now try to do every day tasks with your bionic hand. Can you pick up a pencil with the bionic hand? Creating a robot that can function like a human with the same amount of dexterity is very challenging!
“Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.” – Mae Jemison