14. Competition Design 1- Manual Flying (2 Hours)

Space Competition

  • What is my problem? You will take over the Mars Helicopter named Ingenuity for a special mission. Your drone will need to fly to the Mars Rover Perseverance to retrieve the Core Sampling so they can be sent back to Earth. The coring samples are far away from the drop-off site, so NASA has recruited your team to take the task on for them. There will be some obstacles; Mars has the tallest mountain in the solar system, volcanoes, and long valleys. Using the Engineering Design Process, you will work together to design the best way to get to the Core Samples and bring them back to the Mars Rover.
  • What are my constraints? You will have to use the Engineering Design Process and include the following in your mission. 
    • Students will need to fly the drone with Tello App
    • Students will need to travel over a large valley (5 feet wide)
    • Students will need to fly high over a volcano (5 feet tall)
    • Students will need to pick up the core samples from the rover
    • Students will need to drop off the coring samples at the drop-off spot
    • Students will need to include a map of their route

  • Brainstorm some solutions to your problem. 
  • Do some research with your team if needed.

  • Draw out your ideas on a piece of paper. Don’t forget to check the materials list below to include anything you might need. You can work on your idea and come together with your team or have a team member be a scribe and write down all the ideas. You should include drawings and labels for the parts of your plan.
  • Materials List:
    • Any supplies your instructor provides or approves
  • Don’t forget to draw your map for the drone to fly. You will need to label it, include arrow lines, and draw any obstacles like volcanoes.

  • Use your plan to create your project with your team. 
  • Test your course by flying your drone through it and make any changes that you think might make it better. 

  • Now that you have tested it, you and your team will think about what you would do to improve it (make it better) and share it with your group. 
  • Make those changes necessary.
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