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[ MUSIC ]

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>> HI, I'M LANCE FOSTER.

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I'M AN ENGINEER AT NASA,

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AND WELCOME TO THE NASA

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ENGINEERING DESIGN CHALLENGE

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"PARACHUTING ONTO MARS."

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HAVE YOU EVER TRAVELED IN A CAR

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AND SUDDENLY HAD TO STOP?

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NOW IMAGINE YOU'RE IN

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A SPACECRAFT TRAVELING

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13,000 MILES PER HOUR,

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AND YOU ONLY HAVE 7 MINUTES

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TO SLOW DOWN AND SAFELY LAND

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YOUR VEHICLE ON THE SURFACE

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OF A PLANET SUCH AS MARS.

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TO DO THIS, YOU FIRST

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HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT

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OF DRAG AND THE EFFECT IT HAS

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ON AN OBJECT TRAVELING

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THROUGH SPACE.

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DRAG IS A FORCE THAT OPPOSES

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AN OBJECT'S MOTION THROUGH AIR.

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FOR EXAMPLE, AS A SPACECRAFT

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LIKE THIS ONE ACCELERATES,

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THE SURROUNDING AIR PUSHES

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AGAINST IT, CREATING RESISTANCE.

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HOWEVER, TO SLOW THE VEHICLE

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DOWN ENOUGH TO MAKE

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A SAFE LANDING, A DECELERATOR

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OR DRAG DEVICE SERVES

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AS A BRAKING SYSTEM

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FOR THE VEHICLE.

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THAT'S THE CHALLENGE NASA FACES

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EVERY TIME IT LANDS A SPACECRAFT

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ON ANOTHER PLANET.

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AND AS WE PLAN MORE ADVANCED

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ROBOTIC MISSIONS AND

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HUMAN EXPEDITIONS TO PLANETS

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FURTHER OUT INTO OUR

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SOLAR SYSTEM, WE'LL NEED TO LAND

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EVEN HEAVIER SPACECRAFT.

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THIS WILL REQUIRE MORE POWERFUL

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YET LIGHTWEIGHT DECELERATORS,

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OR BRAKING SYSTEMS.

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NEXT UP IS NASA ENGINEER

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CHRIS TANNER FROM

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THE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY

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TO TELL US MORE ABOUT

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A CHALLENGE THAT NASA HAS

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FOR YOU.

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>> HI, MY NAME'S CHRIS TANNER,

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AND I'M A MECHANICAL ENGINEER

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AT THE JET PROPULSION

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 LABORATORY.

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HERE I DO WIND TUNNEL TESTING

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OF PARACHUTES FOR EVENTUAL USE

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AT MARS.

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NASA'S BEEN TRAVELING TO MARS

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FOR OVER 40 YEARS,

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AND WITH EVERY SPACECRAFT,

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WE SEND BIGGER, HEAVIER,

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AND MORE COMPLEX ROBOTS.

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HOWEVER, THE HEAVIER 

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THE SPACECRAFT, THE MORE

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DIFFICULT IT BECOMES TO

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SLOW DOWN ONCE IT GETS TO MARS.

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AND WHEN A SPACECRAFT LANDS

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ON MARS, IT ONLY HAS 7 MINUTES

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TO DECELERATE OR SLOW DOWN

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FROM 13,000 MILES PER HOUR

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TO 0 MILES PER HOUR.

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AND THAT'S REALLY HARD TO DO.

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UP UNTIL NOW, WE USED

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A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT SYSTEMS

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TO DECELERATE OUR SPACECRAFT,

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FROM AIRBAGS TO RETRO ROCKETS,

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TO SUPERSONIC PARACHUTES.

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HOWEVER, WE'RE GONNA NEED

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SOMETHING BIGGER AND BETTER

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TO EVENTUALLY LAND 

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LARGER ROBOTS OR HUMANS ON MARS.

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NASA'S CURRENTLY WORKING ON

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NEW LIGHTWEIGHT DECELERATOR

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 SYSTEMS TO HELP US SLOW DOWN

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MORE QUICKLY.

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ONE COMPONENT OF THAT IS CALLED

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A SUPERSONIC INFLATABLE

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AERODYNAMIC DECELERATOR,

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OR SIAD FOR SHORT.

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THIS DEVICE INFLATES AROUND

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THE ENTRY VEHICLE

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AT HIGH SUPERSONIC SPEEDS

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ABOUT FOUR TIMES THE SPEED 

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OF SOUND, MAKING THE VEHICLE

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LARGER, CREATING MORE DRAG

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AND HELPING IT SLOW DOWN

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EVEN QUICKER.

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ANOTHER COMPONENT OF

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THE SYSTEM IS A LARGER AND

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HIGHER PERFORMANCE PARACHUTE.

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NOW, PREVIOUSLY, THE LARGEST

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PARACHUTE EVER FLOWN ON MARS

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MEASURED 71 FEET IN DIAMETER

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AND WAS USED TO LAND

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THE CURIOSITY ROVER

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IN AUGUST OF 2012.

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OUR NEW PARACHUTE MEASURES

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100 FEET IN DIAMETER, WHICH IS

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ABOUT THE SAME SIZE

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AS A BIG RIG TRUCK THAT

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YOU'D SEE ON THE ROAD.

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THIS NEW PARACHUTE WILL ALSO

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FLY AROUND MACH 2.

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NOW, CAN YOU IMAGINE

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A BIG RIG TRUCK FLYING AT

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TWO TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND?

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THESE ARE THE KIND OF PROBLEMS

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THAT WE WORK ON HERE AT

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THE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY.

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NOW, YOUR CHALLENGE TODAY IS

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TO DESIGN A DECELERATOR SYSTEM

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TO SLOW DOWN YOUR SPACECRAFT.

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NOW, THERE'S A LOT

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TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION.

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IN PARTICULAR, HOW DO YOU MAKE

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YOUR DECELERATOR BOTH LARGE

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TO CREATE A LOT OF DRAG,

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AND ALSO LIGHTWEIGHT, 

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SO IT DOESN'T WEIGH DOWN

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YOUR SPACECRAFT?

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NOW, START THINKING ABOUT

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WHAT SPECIAL FEATURES

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YOU WANT TO USE ON YOUR SYSTEM.

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AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE

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THE SUGGESTIONS YOU HAVE FOR

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OUR NEXT TRIP TO MARS.

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>> THANKS, CHRIS.

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NOW, HERE'S YOUR ASSIGNMENT.

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DESIGN AND BUILD A DRAG DEVICE

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THAT WILL HELP SLOW DOWN 

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AND SAFELY LAND YOUR SPACECRAFT.

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EACH OF YOUR TEAMS MUST:

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CONNECT YOUR DRAG DEVICE

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TO A TEAM-BUILT CARGO BAY

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THAT IS ASSEMBLED USING

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THE TEMPLATE PROVIDED IN

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YOUR GUIDE.

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DEPLOY YOUR ENTIRE DEVICE

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FROM TWO METERS.

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IT MUST REMAIN INTACT

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THROUGHOUT THE DROP.

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CREATE A CARGO BAY THAT

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MUST HOLD 10 GRAMS.

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AND MAKE SURE THE OVERALL

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MASS OF YOUR DRAG DEVICE

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DOES NOT EXCEED 50 GRAMS.

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USE THE ENGINEERING DESIGN

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PROCESS TO HELP YOU

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CREATE A SOLUTION.

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KEEP IN MIND, YOUR DESIGN

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MAY NOT WORK AS EXPECTED.

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YOU MAY HAVE TO PERFORM

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MULTIPLE TESTS AND MAKE

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 ADJUSTMENTS, BUT THAT'S OKAY.

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IT'S ALL PART OF

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THE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS.

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NOW, IT'S YOUR TURN

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TO GET TO WORK.

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AND BY ALL MEANS, BE CREATIVE.

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I'M EXCITED TO SEE THE DESIGNS

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THAT YOUR TEAMS CREATE.

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GOOD LUCK.

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[ MUSIC ]