Module 1: Mission Command
Strap in and suit up, it’s time to launch the Rocket Challenge.
Get ready to unpack your rocket kit, meet your Mission Command, and form your superstar space crew.
Before you get started, make sure you’ve done your pre-challenge survey.
Your mission
Have you ever wondered how a rocket is made? What skills you need to work with rockets? Or even what it would be like to launch your very own rocket into the sky? Well, you don’t need to imagine for much longer.
Get your crew together
To put a rocket in space, it takes a whole rōpū of people.
You’ll be working as a crew to launch your rocket, and each role has an important part to play.
Meet your Mission Command
Your kaiako and ambassador are your Mission Command. They’re here to help you work through the Rocket Challenge so you can achieve mission success.
Say kia ora to your ambassador and whakarongo to their story.
Form your space crew
Your first mission is to form a space crew of 3–6 classmates. A good space crew is made up of heaps of different STEM experts who work together to plan, design, build and fly rockets into space to complete their missions.
Mission Brief 1: STEM roles quiz
Take the quiz to discover what type of STEM role suits your skills and interests best. Then, get your crew together (3-6 classmates) and use your quiz results to help decide what roles you’ll play in the challenge.
Ngā Tohutohu mō te Whāinga 1:
He patapatai mō ngā tūranga PŪRAU
Whakaotihia te patapatai kia mōhio ai koe he aha te momo tūranga PŪRAU (PŪ: Pūtaiao, Pūkaha. RAU: Hangarau, Pāngarau) e tika ake ana māu. Kia mutu tēnā, huihuia mai tō rōpū (kia tokotoru ki te tokoono ngā hoa ako), ā, whakamahia ngā putanga i te patapatai i oti i a koe hei āwhina i a koutou ki te whakatau i te mahi a tēnā me tēnā i te wero.
Space journey prep
Unpack your rocket kit
The Wonder Project has hooked you up with a rocket kit to get you started on your adventure. Unpack it with your Mission Command. What do you think the different pieces are for?
You’ll also need to find a few more things to send your rocket sky-high:
- 1.5 litre soda bottle. You’ll need two per crew and make sure it’s new!
- Water and measuring cups
- Bike pump – a foot pump is best
Smile for the camera
At the end of the Rocket Challenge, your school will have the chance to make and share a poster or short video of your challenge experience to be in to win a super sweet prize!
Make sure you’re documenting your Rocket Challenge experience with heaps of photos and videos and start thinking about the story you want to tell. Check out Mission Brief 13 if you want to get ahead.
What’s an engineer?
Engineers play a really important role in rocketry. But what do they really do?
Engineers make things that solve problems. Check out this video to learn how to think like an engineer:
Video transcript: How to think like an engineer
Do you remember those four steps that engineers use to find a solution to a problem? These are the four steps of the engineering design process:
Poster: Engineering design process
Poster: Te Tukanga o te Hoahoa Pūkaha
Just like an engineer, you’ll follow this process as you work through the Rocket Challenge.
Let’s kick things off with step one:
Ask
Engineers start all their projects by asking pātai. This helps them figure out the problem they’re trying to solve.
Throughout the challenge, you’re going to be asking and answering the pātai:
I wonder how rockets fly?
Mission Brief 2: Ask
In your crew, brainstorm what you think makes a successful rocket, and the pātai you need to ask to create your own successful rocket.
Ngā tohutohu mō te Whāinga 2: Kia kaha te pātai
I tō kapa, ohia manomanotia ngā mea e eke ai te tākirirangi me te pātai me ui e koutou e hanga ai koutou i tō ake tākirirangi momoho.
Alert!
To enter the final blast off challenge you must have completed all 13 Mission Briefs. Each time you complete all the Mission Briefs in a module, you’ll get a sticker for your progress chart.
Module 1 checklist
- Completed student pre-challenge survey
- Watched: Welcome to the Rocket Challenge
- Completed Mission Brief 1: STEM roles quiz
- Formed your crew and assigned crew roles
- Unpacked your rocket kit
- Watched: How to think like an engineer
- Learned the first step of the engineering design process – ask
- Completed Mission Brief 2: Ask
Ready for the next step?