Mars Rubber Band Rover Middle School STEM Unit | Engineering Our Cosmos

Lesson Overview

Mars Rubber Band Rover Middle School STEM Unit | Engineering Our Cosmos

This challenge is inspired by Ashwin Vasavada, a NASA planetary scientist using rovers to unlock the secrets of Mars. Students create a mechanical solution to solve a problem of transporting rocks on Mars to be transported back to base for testing. The unit brings together engineering and physical science topics for an engaging design challenge. Learning from the rovers on Mars; Perseverance and Curiosity, students use the engineering design process to create a rubber band rover to move a distance carrying a ping pong ball (rock sample) in a cup. The challenge incorporates key science concepts of potential elastic energy, kinetic energy, simple machine (wheel and axle) and friction.

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!

A Mission to Travel on Mars: In this unit, students will learn about NASA Planetary Scientist Ashwin Vasavada and his work on NASA’s Mars rover missions. Ashwin is the Project Scientist for NASA’s Curiosity rover mission, a role he has held since before the rover’s launch in 2011. His work focuses on understanding Mars’ past environment, including whether the planet could have supported microbial life.

Beyond Curiosity, he’s involved with NASA’s Perseverance rover mission and continues to contribute to our understanding of Mars’ geology and atmosphere. His research has helped reveal that ancient Mars had lakes and rivers, suggesting it was once a much warmer and wetter place.

Engineering Learning Goals in this unit include:

• Real-World Connections: Learn about Curiosity and Perseverance rover missions, how rovers travel on Mars, and the importance of building twin rovers.

• Making: Use materials to observe elastic potential energy and re-design based on testing data.

• Habits of Mind: Work as a team to build a design that solves a problem and communicate ideas and provide feedback to peers.

• Science: Explore and collect data on elastic potential energy (rubber band behavior), understand wheels are simple machines and they work with an axle, and learn about the importance of traction (friction).

• Technology: Learn about the technology of robotic rovers on Mars and about the technology and careers related to using a rover.

• Math: Use observations to make informed design changes, addition and division problems related to the project, and data tables and graphs.

Included in this product:

• Aligned to: NGSS, TEKS, and ITEEA Standards

• Complete Teacher Guide following the engineering design process

• Materials list and activity suggestions

• Editable teaching slides

• Editable student handouts for each phase of the design process, including science background, STEM career connection, information on Ashwin Vasavada, and more!

• Mission report and badges

Recommended Supplies

Materials for building:

• 12 Craft sticks

• 8 Craft cubes

• 2 7 inch Rubber bands

• 3 5 inch Rubber bands

• 2 Zip ties

• 2 Straws

• 4 Wooden dowels (option for wheel and axle - purchase on Amazon)

• 4 wheels

• 1 Hot glue gun, tape, scissors 

Materials for testing:

• Ping pong ball

• 4- 6 oz Cup

2021 Science TEKS Standards Alignment (Texas)

• Practices: 6.1A-F, 6.2D, 6.5A; 7.1A-F, 7.2D, 7.5A; 8.1A-F, 8.2D, 8.5A

• Content: 6.8A, 6.7A, 7.7A-B, 8.6C, 8.7A