Bread Bag Parachute STEAM Activity
Over 200 years ago and 3,000 feet above Paris, Andre-Jacques Garnerin jumped from a hydrogen balloon. He was the first skydiver and inventor of the parachute. Since his historic jump, humans have used parachutes for various purposes and have been innovating them for even more purposes. From landing exploratory rovers on Mars to recreationally testing the laws of gravity, parachutes are and will be a useful and exciting human innovation. Using 90% reused materials, RAFT’s Bread Bag Parachute STEAM Project Kit engages students in this exciting innovative history.
Click here for the STEAM activity project guide
The Maker Brief
Lucky you! You were selected to participate in a space dive. You will be jumping from a balloon at 128,000 meters above the Earth. You will need to engineer a parachute that will ensure your safety from a high altitude.
The Challenge
Create an avatar and parachute that has at least three seconds of hangtime. A Package for SurvivorsExpand
The Maker Brief
An airplane crashed in the mountains with hundreds of survivors. They need food and water as quickly as possible. The fastest way to send some relief is to parachute a container of supplies onto the crash site.
The Challenge
Create a parachute that can gently land a capsule with 5 beans in it to the ground.