SolarNauts

Event Year: 2024
Event Location: Cocoa-FL
Competition: Junior Solar Sprint
Division: 4-6 (JSS Green)
School: Buck Lake Elementary
Team Name: SolarNauts
Project Name: The Solar Ship
Team Size: 2

We are the SolarNauts! Our team consists of two girls, Barbara and Georgia. We are part of the gifted group at Buck Lake Elementary School. Barbara likes gaming, sushi, and math. Georgia likes soccer, bread, and reading. The way we came together as partners is we are friends and we have been wanting to work together for a while. The way we got the name for our solar car is we first thought the name should be a name that goes with our theme so we picked out the name Lego ship but then we where thinking that it should have something to do with the sun so we picked the name Solar ship.

This is us!

The engineering design process

In the engineering design process you first need to ask a question. Then you think big and consider the many possibilities. Next you plan and think about the steps ahead following the question. After that you follow your plan and create a model. Then you observe the model and then improve it. Lastly, you communicate and share your ideas with others.

The flow of energy

The flow of energy starts with the sun, The suns rays travel through the atmosphere and are absorbed through PV sells in the panel. This energy then creates electrical charges that flow after getting signals from an internal, electrical field in the cell. The three ways energy transfers is from radiation, conduction, and convection.

SOLARSHIP Photos:

Here is a video of the SOLARSHIP blasting off:

Here are the sketches of our solar car

This is the SOLARSHIP dimensions:

Weight	219.5 Grams / g
Height	11 Centimeters / cm
Length	34 Centimeters / cm
Width	21 Centimeters / cm
Rear Wheel Diameter	2 Inches / in
Front Wheel Diameter	1.5 Inches / in
Rear Wheel Circumference	3.14 Inches / in (1 x pi / 3.14)
Front Wheel Circumference	2.355 Inches / in ( 0.75 x pi / 3.14)
Gear Ratio	20 teeth to 60 teeth ratio | large gear diameter: 1.75 Inches | small gear diameter: 1.5 mm

Width	4.5 Inches
Length	13 Inches

Solar time trials:

Trial	Distance / Time = Speed	Conditions	Comments
Our	Car	Got	Recycled
wow	how cool	it got	compressed
no	more	solarship	rip

Battery pack time trials:

Trial	Distance / Time = Speed	Conditions	Comments
1	10m / 14.03 seconds = 0.71275837491m / second	Cloudy	First trial
2	10m / 10.23 seconds = 0.97751710654m / second	Cloudy	Changed the eyelet
3	10m / 10.05 seconds = 0.99502487562m / second	Cloudy	Eyelet fell off then had to re glue before test (FASTEST)

Our reflections and bloopers

4/02/24: We accidentally recycled our solar when our gifted teacher was sick for 1 day.

Special thanks to…our gifted teacher Mrs. Perez for providing the materials we needed and