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Lesson Overview
8th Grade Engineering Our Cosmos | GROWING BUNDLE!
Engineering Our Cosmos Storyline (Adaptable for Grades 6 - 8): Humanity has long looked to the stars with wonder. Now, we stand at the dawn of a new era, where engineers will lead the way to other worlds. Your mission: design the tools, technologies, and systems that enable human exploration and survival beyond Earth. Each challenge brings us closer to life among the stars—and drives innovations that improve life here on Earth. It’s time to start Engineering Our Cosmos!
This bundle contains our new 8th Grade Engineering Our Cosmos series - embark on a mission to design, build, and engineer humanity’s future among the stars!
Lessons Included in this Bundle:
Astronaut Training: 4C's of STEM Middle School Unit: 18 stand-alone activities centered around developing the 4 C’s, Creativity, Communication, Collaboration and Critical Thinking. With these in mind, the activities are framed around the theme of Astronaut Training, inspired by NASA Astronaut, Jonny Kim. Student badges are provided and teachers have the flexibility to do as many activities as desired for each category.
Design a Space Lander Middle School STEM Unit: Inspired by the true story of NASA Flight Director Diana Trujillo, a Colombian-American aerospace engineer who played a key role in NASA’s Perseverance rover mission, this STEM unit blends engineering practices and physical science in an engaging design challenge. Drawing from the Mars 2020 landing, students design and build a mechanical lander to safely deliver astronauts, represented by ping pong balls, onto the Martian surface. The lander must keep the ping pong balls inside a cup as it is dropped from various heights.
Eating in Space: Design an Astronaut Menu! (5E Science): Students will learn about Xulei Wu, Space Food Systems Manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Xulei leads a team tackling one of space flight’s toughest challenges: keeping food tasty, safe, and nutrient-rich for years at a time. For the ISS, her meals must last three years; for a Mars mission, up to seven. Her work ensures astronauts have the fuel they need to stay healthy, energized, and mission-ready, no matter how far from Earth they travel.
Plants In Space STEM Engineering Design Challenge: Students design and build a device to support a homemade greenhouse, incorporating a method to deliver light using reflection. Inspired by Matthew Mickens, NASA plant scientist, who studies how to grow crops in space with no sunlight, soil or gravity students will design a plant growing system that works inside a lava tube. This unit combines engineering, physical science, and life science in an engaging design challenge. Drawing on what scientists have learned from growing plants in space, students apply the engineering design process to develop innovative solutions. The challenge highlights key science concepts such as photosynthesis and the properties of light reflection.
Solar Energy Tower Design Challenge: Inspired by the true story of NASA electric propulsion engineer Peter Peterson, who plays a key role in advancing deep space travel through solar energy, this STEM unit blends engineering practices and physical science in an engaging design challenge. Drawing from the Solar Electric Propulsion project, students design and build a solar-powered welcome tower for a future lunar base. The tower must include a working light at the top and feature a switch at the base to control the light. Through this engineering design challenge, students explore and apply key science concepts including solar energy, circuits, and switches, while considering real-world challenges of powering infrastructure for life on the Moon.
Space Capsule Heat Shield Design Challenge: Inspired by the true story of NASA heat shield engineer Molly White, whose work on Orion’s thermal protection system is helping to safeguard the astronauts of tomorrow, this STEM unit blends engineering practices and physical science in an engaging design challenge. Drawing from NASA’s Orion mission, students design and build a heat shield to minimize the transfer of thermal energy during reentry to Earth’s atmosphere. Through this engineering design challenge, students explore and apply key science concepts including thermal energy transfer, insulation, and material properties as well as investigate real-world heat shield technologies and STEM careers. The unit also includes a developing a mission report to reflect on and present design ideas.
To Promote Engineering Learning, Students will have Engineering Learning Goals Including:
Real-World Connections
Making
Habits of Mind
Science
Technology
Math
Also Included in Each Lesson:
Alignment to: NGSS, 2021 TEKS, and ITEEA Standards
Complete Teacher Guide following the engineering design process
Materials list and activity suggestions
Editable teaching slides
Student handouts for each phase of the design process, including science background, STEM career connection, and more!
Two versions of student badges for completing the mission: full-color or a black-and-white option for students to color themselves to celebrate!
Option for printing badges using Avery Presta 94506 Round Labels
