Crew Assembly Training

Your Mission: Assemble a puzzle quickly and correctly to understand the importance of dexterity and hand-eye coordination.

When working with objects in space, astronauts must have good dexterity and hand-eye coordination and work as a team. They must also be able to manipulate tools and objects while wearing a pressurized spacesuit that includes gloves over their hands. These gloves, worn to protect astronauts from the space environment, can be thick and bulky. Astronauts must have strong muscles and endurance to overcome the bulk and pressure inside the suit.

Skills

Teamwork, Communication, Problem-solving, Dexterity, Hand-eye coordination, Endurance

Learning Objectives

Assemble a puzzle quickly and correctly to demonstrate the importance of dexterity and hand eye coordination while also improving communication and problem-solving skills
Record observations about improvements in dexterity and hand-eye coordination during this skill based experience in the Mission Journal

Equipment

Containers large enough to hold at least 25 labeled pieces of one floor puzzle
Two pairs of gloves per team member: tight fitting children’s gloves and adult size working gloves. Note: gloves can also be shared.
Two pieces of cardboard large enough to cover the completed puzzles
Marker
Watch or stopwatch for each team, or a clock viewable in the room
For students: Mission Journal and pencil

Time

15-30 minutes per class

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