February 13, 2025
At City Academy, the 5th and 6th Grade Capstone Project challenges students to think like engineers, combining rocketry, landers, and rovers into a multi-phase, hands-on experience. Students design, build, and test paper rockets using an air compression launcher, construct landers from recycled materials to protect a payload, and program LEGO EV3 robotic rovers to simulate planetary exploration. The project immerses students in real-world engineering concepts, requiring them to problem-solve, iterate on their designs, and work both independently and in teams.
“The big ideas that we’re focused on are the engineering design process, teamwork, and space exploration,” said Erik Taylor, 5th and 6th Grade Science Teacher and STEAM Coordinator. “We want students to understand the scientific process of exploration and how scientists and engineers routinely communicate and collaborate.”
Each phase of the capstone builds on iteration and experimentation with students constantly improving upon their designs. Students launch their paper rockets using an air compression launcher, testing how design choices affect flight distance and stability. Through multiple rounds of trial and error, they analyze their results and refine their rockets to improve performance, mirroring the iterative process used by real aerospace engineers.
A key part of the project is learning how to fail productively, something Taylor says the class calls “glorious failures.” He encourages students to see failure as part of the learning process. “Critical thinking students have to be allowed to fail,” he said. “They have to see their failure as data for the next iteration.” To reinforce this, Taylor shares a NASA video of failed rocket launches, showing that even top engineers experience setbacks. “NASA has this video of all of their glorious failures,” he said. “Some of the smartest people on Earth failed over and over again. And they never stopped trying.”
Students once used eggs in the lander drop challenge, but now they must design a lander that protects a LEGO-built rover from breaking upon impact after being dropped from a second-floor balcony. Years ago, one student hollowed out a large jar of peanut butter, placed an egg inside, and dropped it — successfully keeping the egg intact but creating a massive mess. After that, Taylor set limits on acceptable building materials, ensuring future landers remained innovative without becoming a cleanup nightmare.
While the rockets are individual projects, the landers and rovers are team-based, reinforcing collaboration and problem-solving. “They need to know how to work together,” Taylor said. “They need to know how to work through differing opinions and be okay that another human being is going to think differently than they are.”
For the rover component, students program their LEGO EV3 rovers to simulate real-world planetary exploration. They must consider mobility, sensor use, and adaptability to complete assigned challenges. This step ties together engineering, coding, and robotics, ensuring that students leave the project with a deeper appreciation for STEAM disciplines.
Through trial and error, students refine their designs, learning critical engineering constraints like aerodynamics, structural integrity, and programming logic. In the end, the capstone project fosters creativity, perseverance, and resilience, skills that will serve students well in secondary school and beyond.