Week 28 · Term Three · Distance, delay, scale and mass
Plan the first mission to Aurelia using real Mars numbers: work out how long a radio message takes, decide what a rover must do on its own, shrink the solar system to fit in a park, pack instruments under a mass limit, and write a plan with every unit showing.
Monday turns kilometers into minutes of light delay. Tuesday splits the work between Earth and the rover. Wednesday builds a scale model with a 1-meter Sun. Thursday packs the rover under a mass limit. Friday writes a mission plan that anyone on the team can check.
25 minutes
Astronomy · Distance and the speed of light
Use time = distance ÷ speed with very large numbers, convert seconds to minutes, and explain why the delay to Mars changes.
Make
A delay card
Plan handoff: The delay card is filed. Tomorrow you find out why a rover on Mars can't be driven with a joystick.
25 minutes
Engineering · When help is far away
Double a one-way delay to find a round trip, and decide which jobs a far-away machine must do by itself.
Make
An autonomy chart
Plan handoff: The autonomy chart is filed. Tomorrow you shrink the solar system to fit in a park.
25 minutes
Geometry · A scale model of space
Use a scale factor to shrink real sizes and distances, and explain what a scale model shows that a textbook picture can't.
Make
A scale model
Plan handoff: The scale model is filed. Tomorrow you decide what the rover can carry.
25 minutes
Engineering · A mass budget
Add decimal masses, stay under a limit, and choose a payload by what answers the mission's question.
Make
A mass budget
Plan handoff: The mass budget is filed. Tomorrow you write the mission plan, and learn how one mix-up lost a spacecraft.
30 minutes
Journaling · A plan anyone can check
Write a clear plan that shows every number with its units, explains the reasoning, and names the risks.
Make
A mission plan
Plan handoff: The mission plan is filed. Your week's report is ready for the portfolio.
The plan uses only work entered here. It is a family record of this week’s work, not a grade, an attendance record, or proof of mastery.
