Lunar Lander

Topics

• Lunar Landing
• Moon
• Mass
• Thrust
• Fuel Consumption
• Gravity

Description

Can you avoid the boulder field and land safely, just before your fuel runs out, as Neil Armstrong did in 1969? Our version of this classic video game accurately simulates the real motion of the lunar lander with the correct mass, thrust, fuel consumption rate, and lunar gravity. The real lunar lander is very hard to control.

Sample Learning Goals

• Explore how the lunar lander behaves on the moon.
• Can you measure the value of the moon's gravitational pull?
• Explore the relation between the force vectors on the lunar lander and the amount of thrust you apply to it.
• Challenge: how many times can you successfully land the lunar lander in different locations before running out of fuel?