Audience
Educators
Grade Levels
Grades 5-8
Subject
Engineering Design, Physical Science, Technology, Forces and Motion, Space Station, Space Vehicles
Type
Lesson Plans / Activities, Videos
The International Space Station is equipped with a series of trusses used to maintain the structure of the station as it orbits at a speed of approximately 17,500 mph in low-Earth orbit. Watch Expedition 55/56 Flight Engineer Ricky Arnold discuss the significance of these resilient structures and the forces they are up against in microgravity.
Classroom Connection: Engineering Design—Trusses
Grade Level: 6-8
Time Required: 50 minutes
Next Generation Science Standards:
MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.