Art and design
Develop a badge for the mission that Ohbot. Evaluate and analyse designs for space mission badges and discuss what each communicates about the mission. Children can develop mission badges for the Ohbot mission using different tools and materials. Peaky Ohbot will have space for a mission badge on his shoulder.
Science
Balloons
Can we lift a toy such as a Lego Minifigure to the ceiling using helium balloons? How many balloons does it take? How long does it stay up? What forces act on the balloon before, during and after it rises to the ceiling? Use online sources to identify what causes the balloon to come down.
What size balloon filled with helium would we need to lift 2kg? Observe how balloons filled with helium behave differently to those that we blow up from our lungs. A cylinder of helium suitable for filling 30 party balloons is available to buy for around £30. Investigate how many paper clips weight a single balloon filled with helium can lift. Get children to devise ways of finding out. One method is to use 20 paper clips attached to an inflated helium balloon and remove one at a time until the balloon just lifts. Weigh paper clips with a digital scale to identify the weight the balloon can lift and how many similar balloons would be needed to lift 2Kg.
To go further children could explore ways of measuring the volume of helium in a single balloon. With this we could identify the size of helium cylinder needed for the launch. http://balloonhelium.co.uk/main/pricing
Could our balloon filled with helium go into space? Children can predict what will happen to the balloon as it rises and discuss why this is.
Parachutes
What can we do to prevent Peaky Ohbot being smashed to pieces on touchdown? Investigate which from a selection of materials would be most suitable for Peaky.
Investigate how the size of parachute effects the descent speed by timing descents. Explore misconceptions relating to weight and speed of descent.
Explore whether there is any way to further protect a delicate robot like Peaky Ohbot during landing. Investigate materials that provide cushioning in a fall. Investigate which materials best protect eggs dropped from an upstairs window. If you place each egg inside a plastic bag they cause less mess.
After the mission
What does the data logger data on descent velocity tell us about the speed of descent after the balloon bursts? If you had been in the payload which part of the descent would be scariest? Is there anything that could be done to decrease speed of the fastest points of the descent?
Geography
Where should the launch take place? –focus on finding a suitable launch site at or near to the school. The balloon is delicate whilst on the ground and needs to be protected from wind, the site needs to be at least 50 metres from overhead cables, fences and trees. There needs to be somewhere nearby for the tracking team to connect laptops and have web access. Can we locate on a map.
When will we launch?
Two key elements need to be right for a launch -low wind and a predicted flight path that doesn't predict a landing in the sea or overseas!
To avoid the risk of the balloon being burst while we are inflating and releasing it we need to launch on a day with a wind speed of less than 10 miles per hour. Can you identify a suitable date for launch using the weather forecasts available on the Met Office website.
Can you identify a suitable day for launch using the predictor on the Hab Hub website http://predict.habhub.org/. Try altering the burst height, launch time and location and see how this effects the landing site.
You could also investigate whether you would be able to get to the landing site using public transport before the balloon lands (three hours after launch).
English
Live news updates via school blog –focus on writing for an audience, journalistic writing.
Recording, editing and sharing photography and video of the launch
Recounts of the launch
Writing a press release
Edit the video of the mission to tell the mission story
Maths
What happened to the payload during the mission? –focus on interrogating the data from the payload data recorder and video to tell the story. The data available provides 1 record each second of the mission that includes, altitude, precise location as a co-ordinate, vertical velocity, horizontal velocity, course, temperature and barometric pressure.
Develop a badge for the mission that Ohbot. Evaluate and analyse designs for space mission badges and discuss what each communicates about the mission. Children can develop mission badges for the Ohbot mission using different tools and materials. Peaky Ohbot will have space for a mission badge on his shoulder.
Science
Balloons
Can we lift a toy such as a Lego Minifigure to the ceiling using helium balloons? How many balloons does it take? How long does it stay up? What forces act on the balloon before, during and after it rises to the ceiling? Use online sources to identify what causes the balloon to come down.
What size balloon filled with helium would we need to lift 2kg? Observe how balloons filled with helium behave differently to those that we blow up from our lungs. A cylinder of helium suitable for filling 30 party balloons is available to buy for around £30. Investigate how many paper clips weight a single balloon filled with helium can lift. Get children to devise ways of finding out. One method is to use 20 paper clips attached to an inflated helium balloon and remove one at a time until the balloon just lifts. Weigh paper clips with a digital scale to identify the weight the balloon can lift and how many similar balloons would be needed to lift 2Kg.
To go further children could explore ways of measuring the volume of helium in a single balloon. With this we could identify the size of helium cylinder needed for the launch. http://balloonhelium.co.uk/main/pricing
Could our balloon filled with helium go into space? Children can predict what will happen to the balloon as it rises and discuss why this is.
Parachutes
What can we do to prevent Peaky Ohbot being smashed to pieces on touchdown? Investigate which from a selection of materials would be most suitable for Peaky.
Investigate how the size of parachute effects the descent speed by timing descents. Explore misconceptions relating to weight and speed of descent.
Explore whether there is any way to further protect a delicate robot like Peaky Ohbot during landing. Investigate materials that provide cushioning in a fall. Investigate which materials best protect eggs dropped from an upstairs window. If you place each egg inside a plastic bag they cause less mess.
After the mission
What does the data logger data on descent velocity tell us about the speed of descent after the balloon bursts? If you had been in the payload which part of the descent would be scariest? Is there anything that could be done to decrease speed of the fastest points of the descent?
Geography
Where should the launch take place? –focus on finding a suitable launch site at or near to the school. The balloon is delicate whilst on the ground and needs to be protected from wind, the site needs to be at least 50 metres from overhead cables, fences and trees. There needs to be somewhere nearby for the tracking team to connect laptops and have web access. Can we locate on a map.
When will we launch?
Two key elements need to be right for a launch -low wind and a predicted flight path that doesn't predict a landing in the sea or overseas!
To avoid the risk of the balloon being burst while we are inflating and releasing it we need to launch on a day with a wind speed of less than 10 miles per hour. Can you identify a suitable date for launch using the weather forecasts available on the Met Office website.
Can you identify a suitable day for launch using the predictor on the Hab Hub website http://predict.habhub.org/. Try altering the burst height, launch time and location and see how this effects the landing site.
You could also investigate whether you would be able to get to the landing site using public transport before the balloon lands (three hours after launch).
English
Live news updates via school blog –focus on writing for an audience, journalistic writing.
Recording, editing and sharing photography and video of the launch
Recounts of the launch
Writing a press release
Edit the video of the mission to tell the mission story
Maths
What happened to the payload during the mission? –focus on interrogating the data from the payload data recorder and video to tell the story. The data available provides 1 record each second of the mission that includes, altitude, precise location as a co-ordinate, vertical velocity, horizontal velocity, course, temperature and barometric pressure.
