Featured Experiment

Our featured experiment is "Crater Creation Lab". Here is a picture-procedure for how we did our experiment.

First, you need to gather all of your materials. The dish of "moon sand," a cup of chocolate powder, 3 marbles, a meter-measuring tape, a ruler, a group data sheet, and a diameter-marker.

 Next, spread the chocolate powder over the "moon sand," making sure to cover up as much of the white part as you can.

For the first 3 trials, use the measuring tape to find a drop-height of 30 cm. Hold the "meteorite" (marble) as close to 30 cm as you can.

Drop the meteorite into the "moon sand."

Look at what happens when you first drop the meteorite. Does it bounce? Stay in the same place? What happens to the "moon sand"?

Carefully remove the meteorite from the lunar surface (try not to make the crater bigger!!). Make some observation notes about what you see. What happened to the chocolate powder? What does the crater look like?

Use the diameter marker to find out how big the crater is. Adjust it until it marks the widest part of the crater.

Put the diameter marker against a ruler to find out what the diameter of your crater is without trying to put a ruler into the container. Record the diameter.

Repeat the above steps 2 more times at 30cm. And then 3 times at a drop height of 60 cm, and 3 more times at a drop height of 90 cm.

When you are done, get a picture of your lunar surface after it gets hit by 9 meteorites!! What do you notice? Do you see any patterns in the craters? What happened to the chocolate?