The Space project day started with watching video presentations made prior the project day by partner schools in UK, Belgium and Norway as well as sharing our video.
Each of the videos contained different information crucial for a successful travel in space or colonisation of a new planet. Topics introduced where photosynthesis, resource management (recycling), energy and food and water. Each of these topics were further discussed further and how they can be a hindrance in space with the students.
In the next part of the project day LEGO Mindstrorm robots are introduced. These robots will scout for resources and information about the new planet. The students build the robots to have a sensor for obstacles and finding water. Later on, they code the robots to perform tasks like travel a certain distance, reverse and turn when close to an obstacle and sound when finding water (blue paper acted as water).
The students test the robots’ accuracy by coding the robot to travel exactly 100 cm, as accuracy in space or foreign planet may separate the expedition from life and death. This wasn’t as easy as it seemed and students needed to do this several times to get it right. Finally, a round of competition was held to find out whose robot was coded the best.
After the robots are able to find water, an electrolysis experiment is made showing how humans could create oxygen to survive in the space by using electric current to break the water atoms to oxygen and nitrogen. Solar cells are used to power the test to demonstrate how the energy could be produced.
Once the coding process is done and the equipment is working, they are placed in a green screen corner made of green cardboard and blue cardboard watery areas. Each robot is seen interacting reacting to the “water” and reversing and turning to a different ankle when getting close to the wall. This is filmed and using Google Earth to find pictures from other planets, such as Mars, and the films and pictures are combined to show how the robots might look on a new planet.
As a conclusion for the day the distances between the planets and the size of our solar system and space in general is discussed. The robot videos are shared with the partner school.