Space Suit Science

This teaching resource is presented in four stages:

Stage One - Finding out about the problem. In stage one pupils find out more about spacesuits, how they work and why people need them to survive. They also find out more about the challenge to test a series of materials to assess their suitability to be used as part of a spacesuit glove. This competition principally focuses on the insulating layer of a spacesuit.

Stage Two – Designing their investigations Pupils brainstorm ways of testing different materials for their ability to insulate. They then settle on one method and plan their experiment. They may also take into account other factors to investigate such as flexibility and resistance to micrometeorite impact.

Stage Three- Carrying out the experiments Pupils test their experiment plan to see if it works. They then adapt/change their plan as necessary and carry out their experiment (ideally multiple times)

Stage Four – Presenting their results Pupils create an A2 poster of their results which can include photographs, tables, graphs, diagrams etc. They could also prepare a short presentation where they explain what they have done and why, as well as being prepared to answer questions on their investigation.