Discover and explore jobs and careers in space exploration that use art, design and crafting skills.

On Demand Activities

Introduction: Designing for Space       Spotlight Story: Sharon Caples McDougle      Story Time and Activity      Design Challenge Activity: Moon Boots      Videos and Activity: Job Mash-Ups      Craft Activity: Origami and Space

   

Introduction

Designing for Space

Space is a lot different from our home environment of Earth. 

The Earth's magnetic fields protects us from harmful radiation (high energy particles) from the Sun and other stars. The Earth's atmosphere protects us from the cold temperatures of space and provides us with air to breathe.

When people and spacecraft go into space, they have to be protected. This takes a lot of research and design.

Because of this, there are many important jobs that prepare astronauts and spacecraft for the harsh environment of space. Learn more about these jobs in the activities below!

This image shows how the Earth's magnetic fields protect us from radiation from the Sun. 

Spotlight Story

Spacesuit technician, Sharon Caples McDougle

  • Sharon Caples McDougle worked as a suit technician for the US Air Force, where she suited up SR-71 and U-2 pilots between 1982-1990. 
  • McDougle then went to work as a NASA contractor on twenty space missions between 1990-2004. 
  • McDougle was the first Black woman spacesuit technician, crew chief, and manager of the Space Shuttle Crew Escape Equipment Processing department at United Space Alliance. 
  • She suited up Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel into space, for Space Shuttle Mission STS-47. 
  • As a suit technician, McDougle had the important job of making sure Advanced Crew Escape suits that Space Shuttle astronauts wore during launch and landing were working correctly and worn correctly.
  • McDougle retired from her spacesuit technician job in 2012 when the Space Shuttle program ended. 
  • During the course of her career, McDougle was the recipient of numerous awards including NASA's "Silver Snoopy" Award in 2001. 

Story Time

Check out these books from your library to explore careers in air and space!

 

A young Black girl in a space suit graces the cover of this book, under the title "Suit up for Launch with Shay!"

Suit Up for Launch with Shay

 Written by Sharon Caples McDougle

Book Cover: Rosie Revere, Engineer

Rosie Revere, Engineer

Written by Andrea Beaty

Craft Activity

Make a paper bag astronaut helmet

Materials Needed:

  • paper bag that would fit over your head
  • scissors
  • crayons or markers

Let's Imagine: 

  • What special inventions would you want to have on your astronaut helmet? What about a snack dispenser? Or an emoji screen?
  • Which planet would you want to visit if you were to travel in space with your helmet?

A diagram showing the design process. An arrow for problem feeds into an arrow for brainstorm, which leads into a circle with parts labeled design, prototype, and test, which each feed into each other.
This diagram outlines the engineering design process. The problem leads to a brainstorm, which leads to a cyclical process of design, prototype, and test.

Activity

Moon Boot Redesign

The Engineering Design Process is a series of steps that are used when trying to create a solution to a problem. These steps are used by a lot of different jobs, not just engineers!

NASA is working with other organizations to send the next group of astronauts to the Moon with the hopes that we can go the next step and visit Mars. It has been 50 years since the last time people visited the Moon! New designs for spacesuits have been created to update the spacesuits of the past.

How would you redesign the boots worn when walking on the Moon? Use the Engineering Design Process to come up with ideas!

Materials Needed:

  • a piece of paper
  • pencil
  • colored pencils or crayons
  • your shoe or boot
Gene Cernan Boots

Step 1: Identify the problem

The boots in this picture are the actual shoes worn by Eugene Cernan, the commander of the Apollo 17 mission. As added protection for the astronaut, these boots slipped on over another set of boots that were connected to the spacesuit they wore when they did their space walks.

When these boots were designed, engineers didn't know what moon soil would be like. From our visits there, we now know that moon soil is much softer than expected. 

How would you redesign the moon boot for future exploration?

Step 2: Brainstorm and learn more to help with your design

To help jumpstart your brainstorm, think about these questions and talk to your grownup about it. 

  • Study the pictures of the Apollo moon boots. Compare them to your shoes. What is the same? What is different? 
  • What do you need to protect an astronaut from when walking on the Moon?
  • Do moon boots need to be waterproof? Dustproof?
  • What improvements would you want to make to the Apollo moon boot that would help astronauts?
A moon boot taken in profile facing left.

 

Left lunar overshoe with Chromel R sides and uppers, beta cloth tongue and lining, and blue silicone-rubber / polymer soles; has snap and buckle adjustment closure over top.

A diagram showing the different parts of moon boots.

This diagram shows different part of moon boots. Starting at the heel of the boot, there's a donning strap that runs vertically out boot. The rear back is the shell assembly. In the front, there's a snap fastener the helps close the front of the boot. Below that is a strap assembly, running horizontally across the boot. At the end of that strap is a latch. Inside the boot is liner and insulation assemble. At the bottom is sola assembly. The diagram is labeled "lunar overshoe."

A lunar overshoe as seen from behind. It's made of a greige material with a grey rubber bottom.

This boot is part of the pair that was made for and worn by Eugene Cernan, commander of the Apollo 17 mission that landed on the moon on December 10, 1972.

The International Latex Corporation made the boots which were part of Cernan's extra-vehicular (EV) equipment. The EV boots were worn over the boots that were integrated into the spacesuit and which included the pressure bladder and thermal coverings. The boots were made with a silicone sole, woven stainless steel uppers (Chromel-R), and included additional layers of thermal protection and beta felt in the soles as protection against extreme temperatures and sharp rocks on the lunar surface.

Transferred to the National Air and Space Museum from NASA in 1974

The bottom of a lunar overshoe. There's horizontal track marks.

This boot is part of the pair that was made for and worn by Eugene Cernan, commander of the Apollo 17 mission that landed on the moon on December 10, 1972.

The International Latex Corporation made the boots which were part of Cernan's extra-vehicular (EV) equipment. The EV boots were worn over the boots that were integrated into the spacesuit and which included the pressure bladder and thermal coverings. The boots were made with a silicone sole, woven stainless steel uppers (Chromel-R), and included additional layers of thermal protection and beta felt in the soles as protection against extreme temperatures and sharp rocks on the lunar surface.

Transferred to the National Air and Space Museum from NASA in 1974

Step 3: Sketch out your design.

Choose your favorite idea and sketch it out! Make notes and point out your new additions. 

Step 4: Share your design with someone. 

Describe to a family member or friend how you would redesign the moon boot and why. 

Videos and Activity

Job Mash-Ups

Meet Celena Dopart, an engineer with SpaceX, and Joe Wilding, an engineer with Cosmic Aerospace. 

Engineers are people who imagine, design and build things.

Watch these videos to learn more about how Celena and Joe have combined the things they loved as children into a career!

Think About It!

1. Think of two of your favorite things to do.

2. Mash them together to get a possible future career in air and space!

  • Tip: Talk to your family members for ideas.
  • Example: If you like solving puzzles and cooking, perhaps you could be a food chemist who figures out how to make delicious food for astronauts in space. 

3. Draw a picture of you doing the job you thought of.

4. Share your picture with someone in your family. 

Activity

Origami and Spacecraft

Best for ages 10 and up

Origami is a form of art from Japan that involves folding a flat square piece of paper into different shapes. Engineers at NASA and other space companies have used origami to figure out future spacecraft designs!

Here is one example of how origami is used to solve an engineering problem: 

A circular planet with cloud like structures evident.

Problem: NASA wants to take pictures of exoplanets (planets outside of our solar system) so they could study them in more detail. However, light from stars makes it difficult for space telescopes to get clear images.

This image of exoplanet Kepler-22b was created by an artist.

A man holds a paper model of an unfurling circle. Behind him are metal structures.

Engineers at NASA and universities working with NASA turned to the art of origami to figure out a way to create a large starshade that would block starlight so space telescopes can take direct images of planets.

This image shows NASA Jet Propulsion Lab intern Chris Esquer-Rosas with a prototype of the starshade in paper form.

An artist's rendering of a large sun-shaped starshade in space, near it is a small spacecraft.

This image shows what the starshade would look like in action. Engineers are still working on this project with the hopes for use of this technology in the near future.

For this activity, we'll show you how to make a moveable origami piece that can change shape.

Materials Needed

  • You will need 8 sheets of square paper for this activity.

How to make square paper from printer paper:

  • Fold the top left corner of the paper towards the lower right side of the paper. 
  • The paper will now look like a triangle sitting on a skinny rectangle.
  • Cut the skinny rectangle on the bottom off with a scissor.

Soar Together at Air and Space is made possible by the generous support of Northrop Grumman.

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