Artemis ROADS II Companion Course
Welcome to the NESSP Student Challenge Companion Courses. This course is organized around the guiding question, “How can we use experiments, models, and rehearsals here on Earth to understand other solar system objects and plan a successful mission to the Moon?”.
Each lesson plan is organized around the “5E” instructional model and includes standards alignment information for middle and high school Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Units and Lessons (click the titles below to expand):
Unit 1: Understanding The Mission And The Moon
Unit Question: “How do we plan a successful mission to the Moon?”
Lesson 1: Introducing The Mission
First, students will explore NASA’s exploration goals and readings and videos about the Artemis missions. They will make connections between Artemis and NASA’s larger goals and describe the who, what, when, where, how, and why of Artemis. Then, they will look at examples of project documentation from the past in order to start planning their own documentation for this project.
“How does the mission we are planning fit into the solar system and NASA’s larger set of exploration questions and how will planning and documentation support our success?“
This lesson is aligned with Mission Objective 1, which focuses on creating a Mission Development Log to record your mission from beginning to end. Participants will document their planning discussions, plans, findings, failures, and successes.
| E | Time Estimate | Summary |
| Engage | 45 Minutes | Students will watch an introduction video to the Artemis missions and consider what questions they have about what NASA studies. |
| Explore | 45 Minutes | Students will explore several readings and videos about the Artemis mission in order to understand more about this project. |
| Explain | 30 Minutes | Students will create a timeline of the project. |
| Elaborate | 30 Minutes | Students will review examples of Mission Development Logs (MDLs) from previous student challenges to evaluate various approaches to their own MDLs. |
| Evaluate | 30 Minutes | Students teams will begin their Mission Development Logs for this project. |
| Extend | Optional | Students will explore notebooks that past and present scientists, engineers, and designers have made. |
Lesson 2: Building A Strong Project Team
First, students will consider how symbols can convey information and examine examples of mission patches. Then, they will work together to create their own mission patch for the project. Next, students will learn about many of the different people who contribute to the Artemis mission and consider what roles they are most interested in. Finally, they will record their mission patch and career information in their MDL.
“What is our vision for this mission and how will teamwork help us reach the Moon?“
This lesson is aligned with Mission Objective 2, which focuses on the importance of mission patches. These will reflect the team, the object of study, the spacecraft, the mission goals, or a combination! How will you represent your Artemis mission with imagery?
| E | Time Estimate | Summary |
| Engage | 15 Minutes | Students will consider how to convey information about themselves, their communities, and the project using only symbols. |
| Explore | 45 Minutes | Students will examine several mission patches from former NASA missions and try to understand what each mission was about based on the patch. Then, they will learn more about the patches and the missions they represent to help launch their own patch designs. |
| Explain | 60 Minutes | Students will choose a team name and design their mission patch. |
| Elaborate | 60 Minutes | Students will learn about the team behind NASA’s Artemis Missions and reflect on what NASA Artemis jobs interested them the most. |
| Evaluate | 20 Minutes | Students will include their mission patch, mission patch narrative, and role choices in their MDLs. |
| Extend | Optional | Option 1: Students will read the “First Woman” graphic novel. Option 2: Students will take a deeper look at NASA’s history of mission patches. |
Lesson 3: Looking at The Moon
First, students will share their prior knowledge of the Moon phases in their everyday experiences at home or school. Then, they will make direct and/ or indirect observations of the Moon phases and connect the Moon phases to the Sun/ Earth/ Moon relative positions using an orbit simulator, compare/contrast science and cultural explanations, create a group calendar, and predict the Moon phase on their next birthday. Finally, students will document their findings from this lesson.
“How do observations of the Moon contribute to explanations in both science and culture?“
| E | Time Estimate | Summary |
| Engage | 30 Minutes | Students will share their prior knowledge of the Moon phases in their everyday experiences at home or school. |
| Explore | 35 Minutes | Students will make direct and/ or indirect observations of the Moon to track the Moon phases and make predictions. |
| Explain | 45 Minutes | Students will use a Sun/Earth/Moon orbit simulation and/or model to explain the Moon phases and its orbit in a calendar month/year. |
| Elaborate | 100 Minutes | Students will use math to predict their next birthday Moon phase and investigate how cultures have different types of calendars based on the Moon phases. |
| Evaluate | 30 Minutes | Students will compare and contrast science and culture explanations that both contribute to the observations of the Moon. |
| Extend | (Optional) 60 Minutes | Students will create their own place-based or culturally-relevant lunar calendar. |
Lesson 4: Comparing the Earth and the Moon
Students will begin by activating prior knowledge of Earth’s four major spheres or systems (atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere), then closely examine examples of interactions between these systems. Then, students will apply these ideas to the Moon and compare Earth’s four systems to the Moon’s spheres.
“How do the Earth and the Moon compare?“
| E | Time Estimate | Summary |
| Engage | 45 Minutes | Students will create models (diagrams) to demonstrate what they think they know about the four major Earth systems (biosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere). |
| Explore | 45 Minutes | Students will work in small groups to examine various ways that Earth systems interact, sorting them based on which systems are interacting. Then, they will focus on interactions that involve their two assigned systems. |
| Explain | 60 Minutes | Each group will share out about the interactions that involve their two spheres. The teacher will moderate a whole class discussion about any areas of confusion or disagreement. |
| Elaborate | 60 Minutes | Students will investigate the target body for this year’s challenge and create a model (diagram) of the major systems present on this diagram. |
| Evaluate | 30 Minutes | Students will compare and contrast the Moon and the Earth. |
| Extend | (Optional) | Students will expand on the interaction list from the “Engage” portion of the lesson. |
Unit 2: Preparing For Launch
Unit Question: “How do we prepare for launch and reach the moon?”
Lesson 1: Packing Your Moon Kit
Students will read about the items that NASA astronauts bring with them to support their overall wellness and then develop a list of items they would bring with them on their own journeys based on a week-long journal of items they want and use. They will assess what is feasible to bring with them using a series of constraints, including personalized criteria for success, size and mass limitations, and any other considerations developed by the class. They will also have an opportunity to consider what their families and communities have brought with them on journeys in relation to the nature of forced or chosen journeys.
“Once your basic needs are met, what else do you need to take with you to support your health and wellness on the Moon?“
| E | Time Estimate | Summary |
| Engage | 30 Minutes | Students will consider prompts about which possessions they choose to bring on trips or to class, and why. |
| Explore | 60 Minutes | Students will keep an individual journal for a week to consider what items they might want to take and make initial measurements (size and mass) for potential items. |
| Explain | 45 Minutes | Students will decide on and document their individual kits, then share their plans with others. |
| Elaborate | 30 Minutes | Students will explore what others, including their family members or ancestors, have taken with them on long journeys. |
| Evaluate | 45 Minutes | Students will consider feedback from the Explain section as well as information from the Elaborate section to revise their kits as needed. |
| Extend | (Optional) | Students will consider alternative constraints and considerations for the personal preference kits. |
Lesson 2: Getting to the Moon
Students will first learn why tests are important in the Engineering Design Process by learning about the various tests that NASA conducted before the Artemis I mission. Next students will complete a set of three hands-on activities to learn about concepts that are relevant to rocket flight, including the center of mass and rotation, the center of pressure and stability, and the forces of gravity, thrust, and drag. Finally, students will use the Engineering Design Process to improve on their water bottle rocket design. Students will be asked to build several designs (changing a single variable) and then analyze flight data to determine the most successful design.
“How can the engineering design process help us create a rocket safe and powerful enough to take astronauts to the Moon?“
This lesson is aligned with Mission Objective 3, which focuses on designing and building a rocket to fly to and from the Moon.
| E | Time Estimate | Summary |
| Engage | 20 Minutes | Students will discuss how they have learned a new activity or improved their ability to do an activity through an iterative process. Then they will relate this to the process that NASA used to test the SLS rocket before, during, and after its successful Artemis I mission. |
| Explore | 40 – 180 Minutes | Students will complete three hands-on activities to discover the physical science concepts that are relevant to designing a successful model rocket: center of mass, center of pressure, thrust, drag, and mass. |
| Explain | 80 Minutes | Students will use what they learned about the physics of rocket flight during the Explore portion to design and construct an initial water bottle rocket. |
| Elaborate | 40 – 80 Minutes | Students will use the Engineering Design Process to adjust their design while also taking careful measurements during flight to evaluate how their changes to the rocket’s design affected its flight. |
| Evaluate | 40 Minutes | Students will analyze the test using the test data from their flights to determine the most effective design of their rocket. |
| Extend | (Optional) | Students will produce safety procedures for the launch of their water bottle rockets and/or use online simulations to further analyze how design changes affect the flight of a rocket. |
Unit 3: Living And Working On The Moon
Unit Question: “What will it be like to live and work on the Moon?”
Lesson 1: Building Habitats on the Moon
Students will start by considering how and why structures on Earth are built, and then consider the needs of astronauts living and working on the Moon. They will experiment with simulated Moon regolith as a building material, then design and build a scale model of a habitat to meet the astronauts’ needs. Finally, they will document what they did in this lesson.
“How can we design and build a functional habitat using resources available on the Moon?“
This lesson is aligned with Mission Objective 4, which focuses on researching different habitat designs in order to build and test their own scale model structures that could possibly protect the astronauts from the harsh conditions at the south pole of the Moon.
| E | Time Estimate | Summary |
| Engage | 30 Minutes | Students will compare and contrast various structures used for human habitation from a materials and purpose standpoint. |
| Explore | 120 Minutes | Students will explore two articles about how NASA designs, builds, and tests scale model habitats and then test the properties of regolith as a building material. |
| Explain | 90 Minutes | Students will create design plans for their habitats. |
| Elaborate | 90 Minutes | Students will build their scale model habitats. |
| Evaluate | 30 Minutes | Students will document their efforts during this lesson. |
| Extend | (Optional) | Option 1: Understanding Floor Plans Option 2: Analog Tests |
Lesson 2: Gardening on the Moon
First, students will consider what plants they have eaten in the past week and then they will explore a simulated lunar regolith sample and information about some of NASA’s investigations about growing plants on the Moon. Then, students will plan and carry out their own investigations to learn more about growing plants in space. Finally, they will discuss their results and document their findings in their MDLs.
“How will growing plants on the Moon compare to growing plants on Earth?“
This lesson is aligned with Mission Objective 5, which focuses on designing and carrying out an investigation and experiment regarding the growing conditions that plants will need on the moon.
| E | Time Estimate | Summary |
| Engage | 30 Minutes | Students will consider all of the plants that they have eaten over the past week, including locally or culturally important plant foods. Then, they will consider some less obvious plants that provide most of the calories we eat. |
| Explore | 120 Minutes | Students will explore simulated Moon regolith and information about NASA’s plant experiments before planning their own investigations. |
| Explain | 30 Minutes | Students will explain their plan for their investigation and receive feedback. |
| Elaborate | 90 Minutes | Students will carry out their investigation, collect their data, and report on the results. |
| Evaluate | 30 Minutes | Students will discuss the meaning of their results and document the result of this lesson in their MDLs. |
| Extend | (Optional) | Students will examine food packages and consider the sources of the foods they eat. |
Lesson 3: Studying the Earth from the Moon
First, students will consider images of the Earth from space and what evidence of Earth systems and changes they can see. Then, they will choose one change to the Earth that they could observe or measure from Earth, perform research, and share ideas about monitoring that change. Next, students will consider the Sun/Earth/Moon system as observed from the Moon, including a cultural storytelling component. Finally, they will record their findings in their MDLs.
“What will it be like to study the Earth from the Moon?“
This lesson is aligned with Mission Objective 6, which focuses on What Earth features and changes would be able to be observed from the Moon.
| E | Time Estimate | Summary |
| Engage | 15 Minutes | Students will view images, videos, and animations of the Earth from space and consider the Earth systems and changes that they are seeing. |
| Explore | 90 – 135 Minutes | Students will choose an Earth System change that might be observed from the Moon and research their topic. |
| Explain | 45 Minutes | Students will share the results of their research and understanding of the Earth systems they will observe from space, give and receive feedback, and discuss how all of the changes studied impact the four Earth systems. |
| Elaborate | 60 – 120 Minutes | Students will “zoom out” from thinking about the Earth to consider the Sun/Earth/Moon system and how this system impacts what people on the Moon will see and the scientific and possible cultural explanations of these phenomena. |
| Evaluate | 30 Minutes | Students will reflect on the lesson and record their ideas in their MDL. |
| Extend | (Optional) | INSERT POSSIBLE EXTENSION HERE |
Lesson 4: ROV-ing on the Moon
First, students will consider the role of robots in their everyday life, including the challenges related to building and programming them. Next, they will consider what tasks robots might assist humans with on the Moon before learning about an example robot being designed for the Artemis mission right now. Then students will learn about pseudo code and write instructions for a robot driving along a provided path. Students will then translate the list of instructions and attempt to drive the course with a programmable robot. Finally students will demonstrate that they can correctly program a rover to drive the Artemis ROADS II Rover Challenge Map. Students can extend their learning by modifying their rover to precisely drop off the payload and/or to use flowcharts to describe how their program functions.
“How can we successfully design, build, and program robots to perform work on the Moon?“
This lesson is aligned with Mission Objective 7, which focuses on designing and building a rover to traverse the terrain of the Moon.
| E | Time Estimate | Summary |
| Engage | 30 Minutes | Students will consider the role of robots in their everyday life, including the challenges related to building and programming them. Next, they will consider what tasks robots might assist humans with on the Moon before learning about an example robot being designed for the Artemis mission right now. |
| Explore | 30 Minutes | Students will produce instructions for a robot driving along a provided path. Next, a matching game will help students understand how to translate their instructions to code and, for middle and high school students, MyBlocks. |
| Explain | 100 Minutes | Students will translate the list of instructions they wrote in the Explore section into block code and attempt to drive the course. |
| Elaborate | 180 Minutes | Students will be shown the Artemis ROADS II Challenge course and will be asked to write a different list of instructions for each of the stations that the robot might need to travel to. To prepare, students will learn how to use the color sensor of their robot and how to program conditional case or if-then statements. |
| Evaluate | 60 Minutes | Students will demonstrate that they correctly programmed their rover to drive the challenge map. |
| Extend | (Optional) | Students will improve their rover by designing and programming a mechanism to precisely drop off the payload at each of the stations. Middle and high school students will learn how to use flowcharts to describe how their program functions. |
Unit 4: Bringing the Mission Together
Unit Question: “How successful have we been in planning our mission to the Moon, and what happens next?”
Lesson 1: Presenting and Reflecting on the Mission
First, students will consider how successful they have been with this project as well as how successful NASA has been with the Artemis missions so far. Then, students will prepare, rehearse, and deliver final presentations. Finally, students will reflect on the project, including ways that the project could have been more like the actual Artemis missions.
“How successful have we been in planning our mission to the Moon, and what happens next?“
This lesson is aligned with Mission Objective 8, which focuses on participants presenting their MDLs for evaluation, and using what they learned to complete their mission live on the hub’s challenge course.
| E | Time Estimate | Summary |
| Engage | 45 Minutes | Students will review Artemis and challenge materials from earlier in the unit and check in on where the Artemis mission progress is right now. |
| Explore | 135 Minutes | Students will plan and rehearse their final presentations and receive feedback from peers. |
| Explain | 60 Minutes | Students will present their final projects to their audience. |
| Elaborate | 60 Minutes | Students will consider feedback that they received from the presentation and make any last minute additions or adjustments to their presentation and MDL. |
| Evaluate | 30 Minutes | Students will submit their final presentation and MDL, including an entry reflecting on the project over all. |
| Extend | (Optional) | Students will explore resources related to NASA’s own mission rehearsals. |
Alignment with NESSP’s Artemis ROADS II Challenge
Most lessons from the Companion Course are aligned with the Mission Objectives (MOs) of the Artemis ROADS II Challenge.
Challenge participants are not required to complete these lessons but can use them to extend or supplement the associated Mission Objectives.
Educators not registered for the challenge are welcome to use these lessons. However, only registered educators are eligible for additional supplies, technical support, and interactions with NASA scientists and engineers.
Let us know how you are using the Companion Course!
Do you plan to use the Companion Course? Please fill out this short form to us know how and where the ROADS Companion Course is being used! Signing up makes you eligible for Artemis-themed NASA Expert talks and NESSP Office Hours (help session).