POE Unit 3 • Lesson 3.15

Mission Planning and System Architecture

Create a system architecture showing how mission steps, rover behavior, support equipment, sensors, and test data connect.

Lesson Snapshot

Student Objective

I can plan an integrated rover and ground-support system before building or coding.

Main Activity

Create a system architecture showing how mission steps, rover behavior, support equipment, sensors, and test data connect.

Deliverable

System architecture diagram and mission flowchart

Tools / Materials

Notebook, whiteboard, VEX parts, rover/coding device, planning templates

1ProblemUnderstand the challenge and why it matters.

Integrated systems fail when teams build parts separately without checking how they interact. A system architecture helps teams coordinate hardware, code, timing, and test evidence.

2ConceptLearn the engineering idea or skill.

System architecture shows subsystems and how they communicate or depend on one another. It can include inputs, outputs, commands, sensors, actuators, and data.

3ApplyUse the skill in a guided task.

Plan the final mission sequence and identify where the rover and VEX or fluid-power support system interact.

4DocumentRecord your evidence and decisions.

Create a mission flowchart and system architecture diagram with subsystem labels, timing, decisions, and testing checkpoints.

5ReviewCheck quality and identify your next step.

Your plan should be detailed enough that the build and code work can begin with minimal confusion.

Lesson Resources

Use these files and shared website resources when they support today’s work.

Engineering Graph Paper

Use for flowcharts, system diagrams, calculations, mission layouts, and design sketches.

Open Resource

Measurement Data Sheet

Use for rover trials, actuator tests, timing data, accuracy measurements, and observations.

Open Resource

Engineering Resource Library

Templates, reference sheets, sketch paper, and course support files.

Open Resource