Hosted by OSOS , contributed by yairbh_nc on 20 September 2018
Inquiry based learning by the pupils on the Israeli mission to the moon, through the story of SpaceIL. SpaceIL is the only Israeli team participating in the international Google Lunar XPRIZE competition: a modern race to the Moon.
The pupils will learn about the mission, its history and its challenges. Through this they will learn in general about what it takes to conduct a space mission, what are challenges in navigating to the moon and making a safe landing on it, as well as what are the ethical questions in a mission like this.
The pupils will follow the spacecraft from its launch from (planned for December 2018) Cape Canarveral in Florida to its landing (planned for February 2019) on the surface of the moon.
In this adventure, SpaceIL is aiming to create a new "Apollo Effect" - names after the historical American missions to the moon. The goal is to inspire the next generation in Israel and around the world to choose to study science, technology, engineering and mathematicsa (STEM). This is a tremendous contribution to the community, as Israel faces a severe need for more scientists and engineeris.
The pupils will have opportunity to study the different aspects of such a mission through inquiery based learning. During that process they are to decide what they need to study – in working groups and with their teacher. Thus the solutions that will be achieved and the subjects that would have eventually been studied can take many directions. They will have assistance from the professinal staff of SpaceIL.
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AVAILABLE PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
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Parents |
Participate in round tables and working with the pupils on the ethical issues raised during the year. |
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Academic Lecturers |
Mentoring in a Hackathon event, and lectures by researchers and experts from the academy on relevant topics. |
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Space industry |
Mentoring in a Hackathon event and lectures on relevant subjects. |
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Municipality |
Representatives from the department of education in the municipality will take part in the events. |
Feel
In order to get the sense of the mission to the moon, the pupils will meet with a crew members of SpaceIL and will hear information about the mission: its history, current updates and the upcoming launch. The pupils will also visit the IAI - Israel Aeurospace Industries, where the spacecraft was built and is currently being prepared for launch.
One of the main goals of this phase is to have the pupils acquainted with Israeli innovative technologies and evoke their sceintific enthusiasm and inspiration. This will also help them feel related to the community they live in and develop what is commonly known as Science Identity.
By Oshratsl - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63082708
SpaceIL is an Israeli nonprofit organization, established in 2011, that was competing in the Google Lunar X Prize (GLXP) to land a spacecraft on the Moon. The contest declared no winner, but SpaceIL still aims to launch the spacecraft in December 2018 for a landing on 13 February 2019.
The entry of SpaceIL to the comtest was unique among the othe contendersm in that instead of building a tracked or wheeled rover, SpaceIL planned to meet the requirement to travel 500 meters on the lunar surface by having the lander "hop" from its landing site to another site 500 meters away using rocket propulsion.
The original mission was divided into 3 stages, all of which had to be achieved in order to complete it and take the 1st prize:
- Make a soft landing (without crashing) of an unmanned spacecraft on the surface of the Moon
- Travel 500 meters on, above, or below the surface of the Moon
- Send high definition video and pictures back to Earth
Each one of these stages is connected with tremendous challenges, on which the pupils will focus during the year.
Imagine
In this phase, the pupils will dive deeply into the scientific and technological parts of the mission.
A mission to the moon, like the one conducted by SpaceIL, provides a lot of opportunities to learn about different sicentific and technological subjects. In particular, the pupils will focus on two main subjects:
1. The technology:
Innovation in Space Exploration
Leveraging Israeli expertise in micro-satellite technologies, SpaceIL is building a small, smart and a relatively cheap spacecraft. The team is applying know-how garnered from a defense related necessity (satellites) to a new purpose of space exploration. The SpaceIL spacecraft is about the size of a dishwasher.
The Hop instead of a Rover
While the other Google Lunar XPRIZE teams developed large rovers to move the required 500 meters on the Moon’s surface, in order to conserve mass, SpaceIL developed the concept of a space hop: to have the spacecraft land and then take off again with the fuel left in its propulsion system, and then perform another landing 500 meters away.
Spacecraft Subsystems
While the other Google Lunar X Prize teams developed large rovers to move the required 500 meters on the Moon’s surface, in order to conserve mass, SpaceIL developed the idea of a space hop: to have the spacecraft land and then take off again with the fuel left in its propulsion system, and then perform another landing 500 meters away.
Efficiency and Multi functionality
For extra efficiency, SpaceIL believes in multifunctional use of every single part of the spacecraft. For example, the propulsion system will be used both for landing and for performing the 500 meter hop.
Credit: SpaceIL
2. The "Science Twist":
SpaceIL decided to include in this mission an "extra" scientific challenge, designed by researches from thw Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. The spacecraft will be equipped with a special magnometer that will help mapping the magnetic field of the moon - an experiment that has never been done directly from the surface of the moon.
For more information on the scientific challenge, click here.
Credit: SpaceIL
Durin the year the pupils will meet once a week, when parts of the learning process is done in small groups. In addition, a significant portion of the learning is done by the pupils after school hours.
Through our the year they will have lessons on specific aspects of the mission. For more information on the lessons and for downloading the lesson plans, click here.
During their class meetings, the pupils will conduct small experiments illustrating the science behind the mission. Then they will start looking for possible solutions, discussing solutions for navigating to the moon and landing safely on its surface. Also, the pupils will have the chance to discuss ethical issues of the mission, including the economical aspects.
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Create
Weekly meetings (90 minutes each):
In these meetings, the pupils will engage in learning relevant subjects in physics, biology and chemistry, according to their knowledge to that point. This progress is accompanied by experiments illustrating topics and phenomena from what they dealt with.
Weekly challenges (beyond school hours):
The pupils receive ahead of class a challenge in a relevant topic, which they need to inquire and solve and then present in class. The pupils are encouraged to work on the challenges with their parents and other society members in order to solve them and broaden their knowledge.
Hackathon (~5 hours):
Representative from relevant industry factors (e.g. Israel Space Agency, SpaceIL, Rafael) and academic researchers will be invited to serve as mentors for the pupils in this hackathon.
One can use the methodology of hackathons to engage students with other topics as well.