Design Brief

The Docking Challenge is made up of three distinct stages. Each stage in the Challenge will help you better understand the concepts behind orbital mechanics and rendezvousing and docking in space. You'll develop observational skills, refine your ability to analyze results and, finally, test the practical application of what you've learned by developing an effective way to communicate with your teammates as you work together to design and test a docking simulator.

In the first stage, Background Activities, you'll learn to recognize the special characteristics of steady and accelerated motion. Training Activities, the second stage in the challenge, will give you an opportunity to pry a little deeper into the science of orbital mechanics. Activities in this stage include the construction of several devices that will help you to model various types of orbits and the manipulation of a web-based orbital simulator. In the last stage, Docking Activities, you'll try your hand at using a web-based simulator to model a rendezvous of the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station, as well as, take on the challenge of designing and testing an actual docking simulator using a standard office chair, a cell phone, some rope, and a video camera. The web-based simulator will afford you an opportunity to build upon what you've learned about orbital mechanics, while designing the docking simulator will let you experience firsthand, the challenges facing astronauts and cosmonauts working in space. In this final activity you'll have to concentrate your efforts on developing effective ways of communicating with the other members of your team.