In Design and Technology, we made Mars Rovers. We watched footage of the recent landing of Perseverance on Mars and looked at the features needed for such a vehicle. This linked with our learning about the Earth and Space in science. We constructed a jinx framework for the chassis and then need to apply our previous learning about electrical circuits in order to power our rovers. We used a pulley to turn the axle. When testing and improving our rovers, we needed to consider forces such as friction. If the wheels were too close to the chassis and there was too much friction then this stopped the wheels turning. We tested our rovers on different surfaces; again, friction had an effect. Our rovers travelled faster on smoother surfaces. We had great fun and learnt so much. It was an exciting project to tackle on our return to school following the recent Covid closure.
