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IED Unit 0 • Lesson 0.9

Launch Pad Prototype Build Day

Focus Question: How do teams turn a design plan into a physical prototype?

View Lesson Plan What You Submit Back to Unit 0
Mission Briefing

Today’s Plan

Use most of the period for careful construction, with required checkpoints and evidence capture.

Design Brief

Rocket Launch Pad Design Challenge Brief

Review the challenge background, problem statement, criteria, constraints, required evidence, and evaluation expectations for the launch pad project.

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Learning Targets

  • Build a first prototype from the approved plan.
  • Check rocket fit and stability during construction.
  • Document changes, problems, and solutions as they happen.

Success Looks Like…

The prototype stands on its own, supports the rocket, and includes a clear record of changes made during construction.

Core habit: Pause and document when the physical build differs from the plan.
Safety launch
Plan check
Prototype build
Fit + stability
Document changes
Cleanup
Exit
Opening Prompt

What should be built first?

Build order affects stability, access, fit, and the amount of rework required later.

Quick class share: Why might decoration be a poor first priority for a prototype?

Reveal the build priority

Build function before decoration.

Establish the base, support the rocket, and verify fit before adding research-informed details.

Aerospace Build Context

Complex systems are assembled in planned stages

Use the photo to notice temporary supports, work access, alignment, and controlled work zones.

Technicians assembling the Mariner 8 spacecraft in a cleanroom
Large aerospace systems are assembled in deliberate sequences, with access, support, alignment, and documentation considered throughout the build. Image: NASA Kennedy Space Center, public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Build Priorities

Base → support → features

Do not advance to the next layer until the current one performs its job.

1

Base First

The launch pad must stand on its own.

2

Support Next

The rocket must sit securely without tipping or collapsing.

3

Features Last

Add realistic details after the main structure works.

Build Day Protocol

Construct carefully and document changes

The plan guides the work, but the notebook records what actually happened.

During construction

  • Gather only approved materials.
  • Compare the build to the plan regularly.
  • Pause for fit and stability checks.
  • Do not force parts or ignore unsafe conditions.
  • Keep the work area organized.

Evidence to capture

  • Photo or sketch of work in progress
  • Materials actually used
  • Changes from the plan
  • One problem encountered
  • How the team solved or plans to solve it
Scenario Response

The support bends during a fit check

Choose the strongest next step before opening the answer.

  1. AIgnore it until the final test.
  2. BAdd decoration to hide the weak area.
  3. CPause, record the problem, reinforce the support, and document the change.
  4. DForce the rocket into place.
Reveal the engineering response

Best answer: C

Continuing would create unreliable evidence and could damage the prototype. Pause, document, revise, and check the result.

Mid-Build Checkpoint

Stop before the final minutes

A quick checkpoint prevents a finished-looking prototype that cannot perform.

Mission Debrief

What You Submit

Document the prototype as it exists at the end of build day.

Prototype Build Record

  • One progress photo or labeled sketch with a brief note describing a build change or unresolved problem.
Resources

Lesson 0.9 Resources

Use only the files and references that support today’s work.

Optional Template

Engineering Notebook Entry Template

Use this structure to organize build photos, changes, problems, and next steps.

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Course Hub

Introduction to Engineering Design

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