STEM Submarine Challenge
Grades 6-8: STEM Submarine Challenge: Teams or individuals will build submarines capable of completing a series of underwater tasks. Once complete, teams or individuals are encouraged to film their progress and send their video to education@navymemorial.org. If all requirements are met, teams or individuals may receive national recognition by the Navy Memorial and more.
Middle School Grades 6-8: STEM Submarine Challenge
Mission Brief: The year is 2030, and you are part of an elite marine exploration team tasked with a high-stakes underwater mission. Your challenge is to build a submarine capable of hovering at specific depths, moving forward using propulsion, and accurately dropping a vital “supply payload” onto a designated underwater target zone. Teams must carefully balance their submarines, devise a reliable propulsion system, and engineer a release mechanism for their payload.
Mission Goals:
● Achieve neutral buoyancy and hover at a set depth.
● Propel forward using a propulsion device such as rubber band powered props, water jet propulsion, etc.
● Execute a precise “supply drop” while in motion, dropping a small object onto a target zone at the bottom of a water tank.
● Have Fun, Be Creative, Think outside the Box.
Challenge Stages:
Stage 1: Buoyancy Test
· Objective: Adjust the ballast to make the submarine hover at a specific depth for at least 10 seconds without floating to the surface or sinking.
· Materials: Plastic bottles or containers for the hull, fishing weights or washers for ballast, small balloons or syringes with tubing for adjustable buoyancy.
· Instructions:
o Students start by building their submarine using a plastic bottle or other waterproof container as the main body.
o They will experiment by adding or removing weights until the submarine achieves neutral buoyancy, allowing it to “hover” at a designated depth in the tank.
o Once balanced, students can test how small adjustments (like inflating or deflating a balloon) affect the submarine’s stability and hovering ability.
Stage 2: Propulsion Test
· Objective: Move the submarine forward as far as possible using a rubber band-powered propeller, paddle system, or forced water propulsion. The submarine can be submerged or ride on top of the water for this test.
· Materials: Rubber bands, plastic paddles or propellers, skewers or small plastic rods for mounting.
· Instructions:
o Students attach a rubber band to the back of their submarine and wind it around a small propeller or paddle.
o By winding and releasing the rubber band, the submarine should be propelled forward. Students can experiment with the number of rubber band twists to optimize the propulsion distance.
o Teams are encouraged to make minor adjustments and test various setups to find the most effective design for forward movement.
Stage 3: Timed Precision Drop
· Objective: While moving forward, the submarine must drop a “supply payload” which will be a ping pong ball with a penny in it. The goal is to drop onto a target at the bottom of the tank using a pneumatic release mechanism.
· Materials: Small syringe, tubing, ping pong ball or small weighted object as the payload, tape or rubber bands for mounting.
· Instructions:
o Attach a small syringe to the top or side of the submarine. When the syringe is pushed or pulled, it will activate a simple release mechanism for the payload.
o Students place their “supply payload” (such as a ping-pong ball or a washer) into a small cup or compartment on the submarine.
As the submarine moves forward, the syringe is pressed (either by a teammate or with an extension) to release the payload at the right moment, aiming to drop it onto a target at the tank’s bottom.
Once complete, teams or individuals are encouraged to film their progress and send their video to education@navymemorial.org. If all requirements are met, teams or individuals may receive national recognition by the Navy Memorial and more.
To explore additional Sea Service Competitions, click each of the three seals below to learn the specific characteristics of the Sea Service Project, Engagement Challenge, and the Sea Service Video Challenge.
