1. P AULO ’ S P ARACHUTE M ISSION An Aerospace Engineering Story

2. T HE S TORY Paulo’s parents are both aerospace engineers Paulo is missing fingers on one hand Paulo’s family is moving to Alcantara, Brazil and he is nervous about meeting new friends Paulo makes a friend (Lucas) and they design a parachute to get a large, heavy fruit down from a tree

3. T HE L ESSON Context of story appeals to ALL students in a diverse classroom Lesson connects learning to real world application Instruction introduces students to the engineering design process, aerospace engineering and astronomy At the end of the lesson, students will be able to Explain how aerospace engineers design things that fly through air or space Discuss atmospheres and air resistance and how they relate Identify the basic parts of a parachute and explain how parachutes work Identify the steps of the Engineering Design Process

4. T HE ACTIVITY Students apply their knowledge of drag to design a parachute Parachute must slow the falling speed of the object to 5 feet per second Students test different canopy materials Activity leads students through the engineering design process

5. M ATERIALS

6. P LAN AND CREATE

7. T EST IT OUT