Science & Engineering Day: Asteroid Mining

Create a new technology!

Activity best for children age 4 and up

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to travel to space? What do you think you would find? Today, you will get the chance to design your very own asteroid mining machine.

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Asteroids are rocky objects that can sometimes contain metals and other resources that could be used on Earth. Asteroids and other objects in space can contain everything from water, which can be used to create fuel for long space missions, cobalt, nickel, and even valuable metals like gold and platinum. These space mining technologies do not exist yet, but scientists and engineers are trying to figure out ways to mine and use these resources through NASA missions that are helping them learn more.

Materials you’ll need:

Printed worksheet

Writing tool

Optional: miscellaneous recyclables or household items

Worksheets:

English

Spanish

Directions

STEP 1
Print one of the worksheets provided above.

STEP 2
All engineers start with a plan! Answer the questions on the worksheet and draw your asteroid mining machine on your paper.

STEP 3
Optional: with materials you can find around your house, build the machine you designed on your worksheet.

Questions to think about while planning and building: 

How will your machine travel to an asteroid?

How will your machine break apart the asteroid?

How much of the mined material can your machine hold?

What do you do after you collect the recourses from the asteroid?

How will you travel back to Earth?

What will you use the resources for?