Manoeuvring on the Moon

Activity overview

Run the activity

1. You’re going to watch a short video. The aim isn't to find right answers, it's to explore ideas and find out what they know.

• Do they know what might happen based on the image?

2. After you've watched the video, lead a discussion with your class:

• Compare and contrast the different machines
• What does the class notice about the wheels and how the machines move?
• Have the pupils got any ideas about why they were designed?
• Do they know where are they going to travel?

3. Ask the class to describe what they saw using only one word.

Background science

The video shows a family of five multi-purpose U-shaped rovers designed to carry science instruments. Juno rovers were used in NASA tests on the rocky slopes of a Hawaiian volcano to simulate missions to the Moon. The rovers were designed by the Canadian Space Agency. 

Space missions to the Moon, Mars or an asteroid can take years from drawing board to launch pad. And once a spacecraft arrives at its distant destination, the technology absolutely has to work! Space projects typically go through lots of testing, tweaking and design before the technology leaves Earth. In order to prepare for exploration of space, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has worked with over 40 companies and universities to build a team of terrestrial rovers – the grandparents of the robots that may one day explore the surface of new worlds, acting as eyes and ears for scientists, or even working hand-in-hand with astronauts as robotic helpers. 

Take it further

Why not get to class to complete our Problem Solver activity Resilient rovers in which they design their own rover to be able to travel across the moon's surface?