NASA Rocket Science 101

iPad

Teaches: problem solving, scientific vocabulary, Science

CTR Rating: 80%

CTR Review

Can you match the rocket, and all it's components, with the NASA space mission? If so, you can get your satellite (or Mars rover) into orbit. If not, your rocket will never leave the ground. That's the basic challenge of this free NASA App. You start by choosing one of eight missions; each requiring a different payload. You learn that the Curiosity is very heavy, for example, weighing as much as a loaded SUV. Getting all that weight to Mars requires a very powerful rocket, in this case the Altas V. You construct a rocket jigsaw-style by dragging and dropping parts onto a launchpad. As you do, you can study the facts on each part. There's also an auto-build mode that walks you through the assembly process. This portion of the app has some quirks. Sometimes the parts are so small your finger blocks the target location; in addition the menus are less-than-intuitive. But if you are able to get your rocket assembled, you are rewarded with an animated liftoff sequence. Note that there's a hidden treasure in the credits, in the form of links to videos of actual launches, from the real missions.