LESSON MATERIALS

Fourth

Mechanical Engineer

Rover Rookies: Build Your Own Mars Rover!

SPONSORED BY

OBJECTIVE

By the end of the lesson, students will:

  • Understand what a Mechanical Engineer does.

  • Learn the basics of how rovers function on Mars.

  • Follow the engineering design process: design, build, test, and improve.

  • Explore scientific concepts including energy, friction, and traction.

FUTURE READY

In this lesson, students step into the role of Mechanical Engineers to design and test a rover built for extreme environments like Mars. As they build, test, and improve their designs, they practice industry-aligned skills such as managing motion and energy, reducing friction, improving traction, and strengthening systems through iteration—just like engineers working on real space missions. Along the way, they are introduced to related careers in engineering, manufacturing, and testing, while developing high-demand skills like problem-solving, teamwork, persistence, and systems thinking that apply across Space & Aerospace and other hands-on technology fields.

LESSON DURATION

45 minutes