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Flying the Shuttle

By Phil Wills (adapted from Space Technology - Student Activities)

Estimated Duration

1.5 hours

Materials Needed

Mobile cart
Four blindfolds per group
Yardstick
Bull's-eye

Objectives

To compare the difference between aircraft and spacecraft
To simulate maneuvering in an unusual environment
To get a better perspective of challenges astronauts face
To learn to work as a team to accomplish a goal and see how each team member affects outcome
To understand the importance of listening carefully and following directions

Pre-Lesson Preparation

Introduce the following scenario:

Zero G cannot be perfectly simulated on Earth. To fly the shuttle in orbit is a brand-new experience for the pilot who takes his or her first flight into space.

The experience of flying in space is difficult to simulating in Earth's one-G environment, but it must be attempted in order to give the astronauts some meaningful training before they enter the realm of zero G for the first time.

Lesson

Four students will be blindfolded and positioned on three sides of a roller cart to simulate engines on the space shuttle. A commander who is seated on the roller cart must give commands to maneuver his or her way to a bull's-eye that the teacher has placed somewhere in the room. The bull's-eye is representative of an ailing satellite that the shuttle must recover. This exercise simulates maneuvering for the first time in an unusual environment, and it gives a visual representation of the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of verbal communication.

Procedure

As a class, discuss the difference between aircraft and spacecraft.
Identify a team of five students. One student will be engine #1, the right engine; another student will engine #2, the left engine; the third student will be engine #3, the rear right engine; and the fourth student will be engine #4, the rear left engine. The remaining student will be the commander. Determine which role each team member will play.
The object of the task is for the commander to direct the engines to the bull's-eye, which represents an ailing satellite needing recovery. The commander will sit on a roller cart and give instructions to the engines, such as "Engine #1, take two steps forward, and Engine #2, take one step back." All four engines are blindfolded!
A yardstick is fixed to the roller at the right height to make contact with the satellite target. The yardstick simulates the docking probe, which must be navigated into the target. Through verbal instructions, the commander will navigate to the satellite target. When the docking probe makes contact with the satellite, the mission is accomplished.
Time each team during the mission. The time begins when the first command is given and stops when the docking probe contacts the satellite.
During each mission, make written observations on how well the team communicates and follows directions.
Compare times from each team. Discuss possible reasons for time differences.
Complete the Docking Mission Evaluation Sheet.
Discuss the evaluation sheet with the class.

Discussion

Which team had the best time?
From your observations, which commander gave the clearest and most accurate instructions?
From your observations, which team seemed to follow directions best?
In a real-life docking mission, the engines would not be people. Who would make up the team?
What would be the challenge if one of the engines malfunctioned?
In what other types of missions is manned maneuvering critical?
How are spacecraft maneuvered if a real person is not "driving" the craft?