Space Florida and NASA-KSC have partnered to provide an opportunity for Florida Elementary, Middle & High school students to participate in an innovative Planetary Lander ‘Egg-Drop’ Competition at Universal CityWalk, located at Universal Orlando Resort, on Saturday, May 21st, 2011. Open to all Florida schools and home-schoolers, this exciting competition (now in its third year) invites Florida teachers and their students to register teams with Space Florida and compete in a Planetary Lander competition at Universal CityWalk. Each team will design and build their own Lander in which a ‘raw-egg’ will serve as the payload and must survive a drop of almost 20-feet, just as a real NASA Lander should on the Moon, Mars or an Asteroid. Teams must build their Planetary Landers so that they can fit into a 10inchx10inchx12inch container and the Landers may be constructed of all forms of aluminum, plastic, wood or soft foam. Complete Guidelines, Rules, Regulations, Prizes and Judging Criteria are available from Space Florida. Prizes will be awarded in all three categories – Elementary, Middle and High School.
In addition, NASA-KSC will be providing special Teacher Workshops on Saturday April 23 at the Orlando Science Center, offering NASA materials and guidance from aerospace professionals regarding the building of Planetary Landers. “This exciting competition is a wonderful opportunity for teachers and students to work together in the design and testing of their Planetary Lander at Universal Orlando Resort,” said Tony Gannon, Space Florida’s Director of Education. “NASA-KSC and Space Florida are inviting both students and teachers alike to participate in this rewarding aerospace engineering, hands-on project”. The deadline for Florida schools teams to register with Space Florida is May 6, 2011; however, due to the enormous interest in this competition, team leaders are advised to do so ASAP. For additional information, Emma Newsham, the Space Florida Education Manager.