Launching Into Space

After learning about the legacy of Katherine Johnson and her work with Apollo 13, Jennifer Cook’s third grade students at Phillips Elementary School were inspired to design their own space capsules.

The students used household items to design and construct their capsules before launching them. The goal was to design a capsule that would stay airborne for as long as possible. They took turns during three time trials, collected data, and discussed how gravity, weight and wind affected their capsules’ performance.