Teacher note
Enter the teacher password to see the answers and testing tools.
How it runs
- Teams of 2 to 4 share one Chromebook. Teams pick a team name with the word arrows (no student names are typed, so any group can pick up a progress code later, even with new partners). The game reminds the team to pass the mouse after every lock.
- Plan on 45 to 60 minutes (it can be split over two class periods with progress codes). The class is on a field trip to SpaceX on launch day, and the engineer Theo lost the launch laptop. Teams explore Mission Control, the Dragon Factory, the Cargo Bay and the Launch Pad. Each place opens when a clue points there.
- Built for grades 3 to 5: a third grade team can finish with some hints and a little help, and a fifth grade team should be able to do it on their own. "Stuck? Get a Hint" on the side always gives a hint for the next thing to do (3 hints per lock, one every 45 seconds).
- Skills: elapsed time, reading for information (the parts of Dragon), reading a scaled bar graph and comparing it to a list, number patterns, adding to split a total into two equal parts, and comparing numbers to rules (less than, more than) in a real style go or no go poll.
- Wrong answers lock that puzzle for a short wait (15 seconds, then 30, 45, 60).
- Bonus: 8 golden bolts are hidden around the site. The count prints on the award.
- Progress codes: after every lock the team gets a 10 letter code (like
KDHTM-7XQMP), also shown on the side. Have one student write the newest code on paper. If a browser resets or the team moves to another Chromebook, they type the code on the start screen. It brings back the team name, every lock opened, hints and time. Made up codes do not work, and codes from the other escape rooms do not work here. - The "Left this page" counter on the side goes up every time someone switches to another tab or window. It does not stop the game. A high number can mean someone went looking for answers, so it is worth a quick check in.
- SpaceX, Falcon 9 and Dragon are real, and the rocket facts on the clickable spots are real (9 engines on the first stage, 4 grid fins, the booster landing on a ship, water at the pad to soak up the sound). The people (Dana and Theo), the laptop and the launch rules in the poll are made up for the game. No logos are used.
Timer
Minutes until the launch window closes: (teams can keep playing in overtime; the award says "Solved in overtime")
Answers, in order
- Factory door (Mission Control): 8:25 + 25 minutes = 8:50, + 10 minutes = 9:00, + 7 minutes = 9:07. Code 0907.
- Dragon labels (factory): top to bottom: nose cone, parachutes, capsule, heat shield, trunk. The letters only show when every label is right: CARGO (the Cargo Bay opens).
- Cargo bags: the scanner graph (lines every 2 kg) shows A 8, B 14, C 4, D 12, E 11, F 6. The list says D is 9 kg, so the 3 kg laptop is in bag D.
- Laptop password: the countdown board at the Launch Pad shows 60, 52, 44, 36 (8 less each time). Password 28, 20, 12.
- Cargo rack: the 6 bags weigh 52 kg, so each side needs 26 kg: 14 + 8 + 4 on one side and 11 + 9 + 6 on the other (either side works).
- Go or no go poll (Mission Control big screen): round 1: only the gusts (34 km/h, must be less than 30) are NO GO, so the launch holds for 10 minutes. Round 2: every line is GO (gusts 28, lightning 18 km away). Then liftoff!