Year 7 Science Students Simulate NASA’s Parker Solar Probe
Our Year 7 Science students have been on an interstellar journey, exploring the fascinating world of engineering and space exploration. Their mission? To study NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and design their own heat shield to protect a small bar of chocolate from melting – an imaginative simulation of the probe’s real-life challenge of enduring the Sun’s intense heat.
The Parker Solar Probe, launched in 2018, is humanity’s closest approach to the Sun. It is tasked with studying solar winds and the Sun’s outer atmosphere. Students delved into its mission objectives, journey timeline, and current status to build their understanding of the engineering marvel. With this knowledge in hand, they began their heat shield challenge.
The Engineering Design Process in Action
Students followed a step-by-step engineering process:
- Define: Understand the challenge—create a heat shield to protect their ‘space probe’ (the chocolate).
- Analyse: Explore possible solutions and materials to combat heat.
- Design & Create: Build prototypes based on their analysis.
- Test & Evaluate: Use a hair dryer and thermometer to measure the shield’s effectiveness.
- Improve: Refine designs for better results.
- Share: Present findings to the class.
Collaboration and Real-World Roles
Working in teams, students took on specialised roles:
- Project Manager: Ensuring everyone understands the challenge and keeps the team on track.
- Equipment Manager: Managed materials and tools needed for the task.
- Speaker: Seeks help from the teacher, other class members or outside experts.
- Reporter: Ensures the final presentation is ready by the deadline.
Students honed leadership, organisational, and analytical skills by aligning roles with individual strengths while fostering teamwork.
Testing Day: The Ultimate Challenge
Equipped with fun-size chocolates and their heat shields, students faced their fiery trial. Using a hair dryer to simulate solar heat, they monitored their prototypes’ performance, recording data and analysing results. Designs were improved and retested to achieve optimal performance.
Lessons Learned
After the final testing, students evaluated their designs and presented their findings to the class. This hands-on activity not only deepened their understanding of heat transfer and materials science but also highlighted the importance of collaboration, creativity, and perseverance in problem-solving.
Through this challenge, our Year 7 scientists embraced the spirit of inquiry and innovation, stepping into the shoes of real-world engineers. Who knows? Perhaps this experience will inspire a future NASA scientist or engineer among our students!
- EngineeringDesignProcess, Featured, ParkerSolarProbe, SpaceExploration, STEMEducation, StudentProjects, Year7Science
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
