DIY Pasta Rover

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In this activity, learners design and build a NASA rover using raw pasta and candy with a limited imaginary budget. Similar to engineers at NASA, learners will use keep track of the total cost of materials used to create their rover. Activity includes step-by-step instructions with pictures and an attached budget sheet with fictional prices for each raw pasta and candy component.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
30 to 45 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$5 - $10 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 18
Resource Type:
Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • Different types of pasta: lasagna, spaghetti, rigatoni, rotini, penne, etc.
  • Circular candies or crackers
  • Budget activity sheet
  • Glue (adult supervision highly recommended if using hot glue)

Keywords

Subjects

  • Earth and Space Science
    • Astronomy
      • Probes, Satellites and Spacecraft
  • Engineering and Technology
    • Engineering
      • Aerospace Engineering
    • Technology
      • Construction
  • Mathematics
  • The Nature of Technology
    • The Design Process

Informal Categories

  • Arts and Crafts
  • Model Building

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, 2021