Core Values Activity: How hard is it to be an astronaut?

Objectives:

• Picking a team member for a task and then supporting them through the activity

Materials:

• Hersey’s Kisses or other small wrapped candy
• Oversized, heavy clothing (ski jacket, ski pants, goggles/ski mask or motorcycle helmet, boots). Basically, anything bulky and awkward and ressembling a spacesuit (with some imagination).
• Pair of oven mitts or oversized ski gloves
• Pair of chopsticks
• Some cotton balls

Setup:

• Leave all clothing items on the floor
• Leave the chopsticks, cotton balls and candy on a table

Instructions to Team:

Pick one team member to be the astronaut. Help this team member get dressed. You must put on all the items given. The Oven mitts go on each hand. After this point, no one but the astronaut may complete the missions, but the rest of the team may give verbal assistance. You may not take off the clothing during the missions.

• Mission 1: Transport cotton balls across the room using chopsticks
• Mission 2: Unwrap a Hersey’s Kiss (or any other small candy)

Notes: Did the team follow the rules given? Did the team members not in a suit help the astronaut? How did the team pick who will be the astronaut?

This activity was shared by Pennsylvania’s Finest Robotics Team. Click here to learn some facts about space suits.