MO-6: ROV-ing for Detailed Data
NASA instruments that reach the surface of Venus won’t survive long in the harsh conditions. In this MO, you will race your rover against the clock to collect as much color sensor data as you can. Your team will use a programmable robot with a color sensor to simulate the DAVINCI probe’s descent through Venus’s atmosphere. You will collect data and make conclusions about the surface composition through color sensor data collection.
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Lego SPIKE Robot or Lego Mindstorm robot
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Laptop or tablet with software installed
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Printed color samples
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Double layer corrugated cardboard, foam board, or similar material for ramps
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Books or other materials to prop up the ramps
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Data collection key
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Explain Section: Pseudo Code Matching Cards, Slides, and Videos to introduce building and programming LEGO SPIKE robots
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Elaborate Section: Instructions on building the rover course.
Venus is full of harsh conditions that currently prevent us from sending humans on a mission there. Instead, we plan on sending specially designed spacecraft to collect data during a short period of time before it is affected by the extreme surface temperatures.
To understand more about these types of data collection, check out the resources in the Getting up to Speed with ROADS from Earth to Venus document.
In this mission, teams will design and program a rover to simulate the quick descent and data collection of the DAVINCI probe. On its hour-long journey through the atmosphere, the real DAVINCI probe will take thousands of measurements and capture up-close images of the surface as soon as it passes below the clouds. Because the probe only has a short period of time to collect data before it lands, your rover mission also has a strict time limit to mirror this challenge.
The mission has two main goals. First, teams will program their rover and color sensor to collect as much data as possible from the course within a 5-minute time limit. Second, teams will analyze the RGB values collected and compare them to the provided key to identify different rock compositions.
The Earth-to-Venus robotics course should be built in a 150 cm x 150 cm area. It includes three ramps leading to a shared platform, three data collection areas, and a starting point. Ramp measurements and the position of all elements are included in the provided instructions. Color samples will be placed over the shaded regions on the course layout.
For Grades 3–5 or students new to robotics, we recommend using samples with only one color per area. For Grades 6–8, use samples with two colors per area. For Grades 9–12, use samples with three colors per area. Teams will use the rover’s color sensor to record accurate RGB values from the color samples in each data collection area.
Before beginning, teams should download the necessary software, review the rover parts and sensors, and practice programming basics. For those new to robotics, helpful tips can be found in the Explore section of Lesson 6 in the Companion Course.
Because the course includes both upward and downward ramps, rovers must adapt their movement to different slopes while navigating the terrain. Each team will have 5 minutes to run their rover and collect data, followed by another 5 minutes to match their results to the provided key. Remember, the rover must be programmed to move and make decisions independently—no remote control allowed.
As they work, teams should keep track of their results in their Science and Engineering Notebooks (SENs). At the end of the Challenge, teams will be asked to submit a Mission Development Log (MDL) to NESSP that shows how the students worked through the Mission Objective and summarizes their results. NESSP provides an MDL Template to help guide what teams should include in their MDL. Please see MO-1 for guidelines on the format and length of the MDL.
- A brief report on how much color data was collected and how many minutes it took.
- An export of the RGB data from the most successful run, shown in both plot form and table form.
- Conclusions about rock composition based on the comparison between the RGB plot and the provided key.