Heat shield

Evaluating materials for a heat shield to prevent a piece of chocolate from melting

The Solar Orbiter has to get very close to the Sun’s surface to observe how it works. It needs a heat shield, so its systems do not get too hot and melt.

This fun activity make use of the theme of the future of flight to design, make and test a heat shield to prevent a piece of chocolate from melting. Test different materials to see which protects the chocolate the best and discuss their results.

You will need:

Polystyrene cups
Scissors
Materials for heat shields (e.g. milk bottle plastic, cardboard, metal foil, metal mesh)
Chocolate pieces
Hairdryer
Stopwatch or timer

Additional equipment that could be used:

Thermometer
Ruler
Heat mats to place polystyrene cups on
Oven gloves/cloths/tongs

All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs.

The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation