David C Cook COVID-19 Response

Building Brethren

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Materials Needed:

  • Internet access
  • Whiteboard and marker

Who here has ever thought about going to another planet? Right now, we don’t yet have the technology to send people to other worlds, but we still learn a lot about other planets because of robotic probes and rovers we send. You might have seen pictures taken recently on the surface of Mars or other places.

  • If you could send a robot to check out another part of our solar system, where would you send it? What interests you about that part in particular? (Answers will vary.)

Let’s imagine, for a moment, that our class was put in charge of sending a robotic probe to land on another planet. Let’s try to think of all the things our robot would need in order to explore. Write ideas on the board or invite a volunteer up to the front of the class to write for you.

  • How would our spacecraft get to the other planet? How would we communicate with it? (A robotic probe would need any number of the following: a radio, a camera, a heat shield, a parachute, rocket thrusters, batteries, solar panels, or more.)

In November, NASA successfully landed a special robotic probe called InSight on the planet Mars. To get a better idea of all the things a probe like this needed, let’s watch the following video about the process of getting InSight onto the surface of Mars.

Play the following video for your students [1:52].
NASA InSight landing on Mars explained

  • What different things did InSight need in order to land successfully? (Possible answers might include: a transfer stage, a heat shield, a protective shell, a parachute, legs, radar, and retro-rocket thrusters.)

It’s a lot of fun to think of all the things that a robot might need if we were sending it to another planet. But today we’re going to talk about Someone who came to this planet, to give us what we need. Let’s learn more.

Looking for Steps 2 & 3?

You can find Steps 2 and 3 in your teacher’s guide. To purchase a teacher’s guide, please visit: Bible-in-Life or Echoes.

Materials Needed:

  • Internet access
  • Information on charitable opportunities at your church, or on local charities your church supports
  • Whiteboard and marker
  • Paper
  • Pens/pencils, markers, art supplies

Spread the word

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