onsumer; specifically, how the model was designed taking into account the issues/constraints associated with who will operate, maintain, dispose, and take care of it.
- How the model is similar to a real rocket (in design and flight), as well as how it is different due to the constraints placed upon it.
Students may also want to test additional rockets and publish their own "Consumer Report" issue evaluating the rockets. This could be done as a cross-disciplinary assignment with English (writing articles) and computers (page layout and design).
Have the students research the design constraints for the NASA Space Shuttle on the NASA website.
Try a few of these questions:
- Are the constraints more or less strict?
- Are they more or less complicated?
- Does the availability of money directly solve any of these constraints?
- How is this the same as what you did and how is it different?
- How many of the similarities are considerations that any designer would have to make and how many are specific to rocketry?
Students can watch the film or read the book October Sky, which illustrates that there were many failures before there was a success.