Programs

Structural Design: Is the International Space Station rigid or does it flex (bend)?

Engineers on Earth design very long or tall structures (bridges and skyscrapers) to withstand environmental forces such as changes in temperature, high winds, and even earthquakes - in addition to bearing heavy loads. 

The International Space Station is a very long and wide structure traveling at 17,500 miles per hour in space (360 feet across by 290 feet long) designed by NASA engineers to be durable and flexible. The space station is carefully designed to withstand a variety of forces such as changes in temperature (as it enters day and night every 90 minutes it experiences extreme hot and cold), drag due to its orbital velocity and the position of the solar arrays, flexing during re-boosts which raise the stations' orbital altitude (which degrades over time due to drag), and vibrations caused by maneuvers to adjust attitude (or orientation) using spacecraft jets.

Richard Garriott will do an experiment that is planned to show how much the International Space Station structure flexes over time. He will use a video camera and graph paper to record the flexing over time. It should then be possible to measure the actual amount the ISS bends.

In the Garriott Engineering Design Challenge, students design a very long or tall structure that can withstand flexing.  Students should apply a force such as wind or shaking, and show the structure can survive! Videos of student designs should be submitted and will be posted on the Challenger YouTube site.

Student Challenge!

Design an Earth-based structure that can withstanding flexing due to environmental forces. Your structure can be either a bridge or a skyscraper. Then apply a force such as wind or shaking to ensure your structure can survive. Submit a video of your experiment for our YouTube Channel. Students may choose the materials from which to build their structure. Examples of building materials include: wood (toothpicks, dowels, popsicle sticks), metal (erector sets) or plastic (Lego bricks, K’NEX).

Essential Questions

Things to consider when building your structure:

• What forces act on structures here on Earth? (gravity, wind, earthquakes, vibrations, loads, etc.)
• What forces act on structures in space? (drag, flexing, temperature, etc.)
• How does the Space Station bend/flex?
• How can structures on Earth be built so they can withstand forces acting upon them (gravity, wind, load, earthquakes, expansion/contraction due to heating/cooling)?
• Do the number and type of joints in a structure affect how well it flexes to withstand forces?

Your video entry should include:

• A description of how you built your structure.
• A demonstration of 1-2 forces acting on your structure (ex. Use a fan to simulate wind, use weights to measure the load the structure can hold, shake your structure, etc.)
• An analysis of why your structure did or did not withstand the forces applied to it.
• How is the design of your structure related to the design of the International Space Station.

Bonus: If your structure breaks or falls apart, redesign it to withstand the forces.

Bonus: Using a mathematical formula show the flexing of your structure, and how if you keep adding length or height, how much more flexing would occur before it breaks or falls apart.

Classroom Activities

Elementary

• Challenger Lesson Plan: Build an Astronaut Base
• Lesson Plan: How Many Pennies Will Your Bridge Hold?

Middle/High School

• Lesson Plan: How Do Earthquakes Affect Buildings?
• Lesson Plan: Building a Bridge Can't Be All That Difficult, Can It? Uses K'NEX
• Lesson Plan: Building Bridges

Student Resources

Elementary

• Loads Lab (PBS)
  Learn why structures like skyscrapers stand up -- and keep them from falling down -- in this hands-on workshop.
• Forces Lab (PBS)
  Check out how forces affect structures like bridges.
• Discovery Channel ISS construction video
• Bridge Collapse Due to Wind Forces Video
• Skyscraper Oscillation Information (University of Queensland)
• How Skyscrapers Work (How Stuff Works.com)

Middle/High School

• Loads Lab (PBS)
  Learn why structures like skyscrapers stand up -- and keep them from falling down -- in this hands-on workshop.
• Forces Lab (PBS)
  Check out how forces affect structures like bridges.
• Discovery Channel ISS basics and video tour
• PBS Bridge Building Basics
• John's Hopkins Virtual Bridge Builder

Teacher Resources

• Plans for Building an Inexpensive Earthquake Shake Table
• NASA ISS Mission Webpage
• Building Structures in Space

Submit your video Design Challenge below

Please read carefully before submitting your video. Thanks.

• For video design challenge, please submit both video file and media release form as described below.
• Your video file must be QuickTime .mov or Windows Media .wmv format.
• Before submission, please zip your .mov or wmv video and attached as a zipped (.zip) file, no larger than 10MB.
• Videos can no longer than 2 minutes.
• You must also submit a SIGNED MEDIA RELEASE FORM by your parents or guardian with your video design challenge submission. Download the Media Release Form and submit it as a scanned file above or fax it to: 703.683.7546.
• Please do not press BACK or RELOAD button after you click Submit button. Please wait for your files to upload as it may take some time to upload your files depending on your Internet connection speed. For example a 15 MB file on a dialup connection can take up to 30 minutes to upload.
• If you're having difficulties sending your video design challenge via this upload form, you can send your video on a CD or DVD to the following address:
  
  Challenger Center for Space Science Education
  Attn: Richard Garriott Design Challenge
  1250 North Pitt St,
  Alexandria, VA 22314

Note: Your IP address is 38.103.63.16. We will capture this IP address with submission for security reasons.

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If you're having problems submitting your video, please contact us using Feedback Form. Thanks.