Stop it

This is one of a series of resources from the IET designed around the theme of the future of flight with the purpose of developing pupils knowledge and skills in design technology, engineering and mathematics. When spacecraft and jet aircraft land on the ground they are travelling very fast so in this activity pupils are tasked with developing a prototype of a parachute type system that would help to slow a landing spacecraft and allow it to land and stop safely. Pupils will need to make some design decisions contributing to the performance of their solution and will then test their prototype to see how well it works.

This activity could be used to teach developing and prototyping skills or used as part of a wider scheme of work to teach about aeronautical engineering concepts, or about career opportunities within the aviation engineering sector.