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>> Hello.
My name is Tom Marshburn.
>> And I'm Matthias Maurer.
>> And we're astronauts
living and working aboard
the International Space Station,
orbiting 250 miles
above the Earth's surface.
>> In the not-so-distant future,
we'll be sending astronauts
on missions that go
deeper in space
than we ever have before.
To do that,
we'll need to design
transportation systems
and habitats able
to meet our needs.
Engineers are designing,
building, and testing
these systems right now.
>> You may be wondering,
"How do they achieve this,
"and what steps do they take?"
The engineers use what's called
the Engineering Design Process.
This process involves
a series of steps to guide them
in developing a solution.
Each piece of technology
on the space station
and in your home or classroom
involves engineering.
But what exactly
do engineers do?
Well, they use science, math,
and their own ingenuity
to create solutions
to technical problems.
Examples of technical problems
could be developing
more efficient light bulbs
or vehicles,
lighter sneakers or aircraft,
an orbiting space station
and transporting humans to Mars.
>> Yeah, Mars is great.
>> Here's one example
of what the process looks like.
>> Step one,
identify the problem.
Step two, identify
resources and constraints.
Step three, research.
Step four, develop solutions.
Step 5, select
the best solution.
Step six, build the solution.
Step seven, test
and evaluate the solution.
Step eight, record
and present the results.
And step nine,
improve the solution.
>> Take a look at the space
that we are currently
living and working in.
This space is filled with things
that have been engineered
using the engineering
design process.
Some of these items
are low-tech, like packaging,
storage compartments,
and fasteners.
And some of these items
are high-tech,
like computers, cameras,
and science experiments.
>> A great example of
an engineering solution to a--
something you might be
surprised is a problem,
in microgravity,
how do we drink fluids?
How do we keep 'em contained,
and how do we get 'em
in our mouth without
makin' a mess everywhere?
Here's our-our standard
drinking pouch.
I've got some grape drink
in here, and our
very nicely designed straw.
It's just perfect
for living in space.
If we didn't have this straw--
Start to see
some fluid comin' out there.
I don't want to make
too big of a mess,
so I'm only going to demonstrate
what would happen for a second
if we didn't have
our straw here.
And this would come right off.
And it's gettin' on me
right now,
so let me drink this up.
But as you can see
we have a clasp here,
very nicely designed,
that pinches the straw
at this point here,
and that keeps more fluid
from coming up the straw,
and that way,
if you want to drink something,
you just open it up
when you need to drink.
You have to remember
to close it again when you--
before you pull it
out of your mouth.
Otherwise, you're gonna get
more fluid comin' out.
>> Hey! Hey, Tom.
You're floating.
I think that's not convenient
for working, no?
>> That's true.
I've got a little bit
of a problem in that
if I do any work with my hands,
I'm gonna be pushed away
from where I'm working.
And if I have to find
a place to put my feet,
which I really wanna do
in order to get
any work done,
sometimes I can't find
a place to put my feet.
Still workin' on it.
So I got a problem.
>> Based on astronauts'
feedback and data,
we developed these rounded
hand and foot rails
so that you can stay
in one place comfortably
for short periods of time.
[ applause ]
To maximize comfort,
we also have these socks
that are padded with rubber
on top and bottom.
>> Ooh!
[ applause ]
>> For longer periods of time
in one workspace,
we engineered
these foot restraints
with cloth straps.
You can slip right in
and adjust them.
[ applause ]
>> Thanks for exploring
the engineering design
process with us.
>> I'm going to send you
back to Earth
so you can solve
your own engineering problems
using this process.
>> See you again soon.