3.2.1…Countdown to Kai’s Space Mission

3.2.1...Countdown to Kai’s Space Mission

After an amazing holiday in Queenstown flying through the trees on the Zipline, a helicopter ride to the top of the Remarkables, a Shark boat jump, and my daughter doing a bungee jump, I do wonder how it will feel to be in a real rocket being launched into space.

With both Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin reaching the Karman Line last week, I do believe we are one step closer to getting more civilians to space or at least to the edge of the atmosphere. The Karman line is where space begins, 100 kilometers (54 nautical miles; 62 miles; 330,000 feet) above Earth’s sea level.

Kai's Space Mission 2021 is here!

In the meantime, we are launching Kai’s Space Mission, which is back for a second round. This year we are introducing different challenges which are a bit more exploration-based, with references to the real-world scientific explorations that are currently happening on Mars.

Last weekend NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity flew its first mile on the Red Planet. This may not sound impressive at first, but this has been Ingenuity’s 10th and highest flight soaring over a rocky region called “Raised Ridges” at its Jezero Crater home.

The objective of Kai’s Space Mission is

Students develop, create, code, and collect data during their scientific mission exploring the Jerico Crater.
There are 4 categories and each robot has a specific role to choose from
- Mining
- Agriculture
- Construction
- Homebase/space crew

Add a few sensors, use your creativity and collect the data to help with the Terraform of Mars.

Kai’s Clan is all about collaboration, so print your worksheet and start planning for the mission with your students. Each student has to choose a role from four categories which will be represented by their robot/character counterpart on the Mars Adventure Mat.

If any teachers have questions please contact me directly. We can do a Zoom call or do it the traditional way and phone us to help you get started. You have until the middle of November (Term 4 for Australasia) to submit your final project via Flipgrid. We can’t wait to see your ideas come to life and I’m sure just like last year our judge Denise Wright, a NASA Solar System Ambassador, will have a hard time choosing this year’s winner.