Houston, We Have a Deadline: Advanced Physics Students Design Spaceships

PC’s Upper School students studying Modern and Classical Physics, an Advanced Studies course, design spaceships using concepts typically taught to students pursuing a college degree in physics. The yearlong project demonstrates their knowledge of relativity, particle physics, nuclear physics, electromagnetic waves and quantum communication.

“This spaceship project provides students an avenue to apply their knowledge in a creative, imaginative and rigorous manner while showing that these topics have concrete and tangible applications in our world,” teacher Jonathan Bacon said.

Bacon’s inspiration for the assignment came to him while reading a Star Wars book to his seven-year-old son. “The book provided cross-sectional views of some classic Star Wars vehicles and explained the technology behind these sci-fi creations,” he said. “It referenced ion blasters, nuclear power cores, focused lasers and solar arrays—all concepts that are part of modern physics. I thought that students could take what they are learning in class to research, create, design and refine their own spaceship.”

In their spaceship designs, students included descriptions of six different subsystems: artificial gravity, propulsion, navigation, communication, power and a system of their own choosing. Because the project was yearlong, students were able to apply to their designs what they were learning in each unit of the course. The final product included a 3D model, a diagram with design highlights, a document that expanded on their  ideas and cited research, and an “elevator pitch” for showcasing their designs in a final gallery walk presentation.

“We really enjoyed the ability to research our own options for every component,” wrote project partners Matt Dunn and Anay Lodhavia, both juniors. “The project was so independent—all we received were rubrics and due dates, which gave us a ton of flexibility in crafting each subsystem.”

Thomas Le, a junior, said the most challenging part of the project was “backing our sci-fi designs with legitimate physics. A lot of the concepts we wanted to include were so advanced and theoretical that finding credible sources was difficult. We could’ve taken the easy route and designed a boring spaceship to the moon, but why would you when you could be traveling at 671,081 miles per hour after five years of acceleration?”

Students were also given choices about how to share their designs with classmates and the community. “I learned a lot about myself and my research and presentation styles,” said junior Olive Donaghy. “Instead of writing papers for each subsystem, I made videos with slide decks. I found that I do much better talking through how something works rather than trying to write it all down.”

Junior Moyo Adewunmi learned how complex it can be to collaborate in a group setting. “Throughout the project,” he said, “we had difficulty scheduling and conflicting ideas on how to construct specific parts of the spaceship, but by communicating and compromising, we were able to work efficiently while also maintaining group cohesion and balance.”

“The people made this project what it was,” said Thomas, who partnered with fellow junior Henry Gelbach. “It's rare to have that kind of sustained collaboration where the creative process itself becomes just as valuable as the final product.”