Egg Drop From Space

The video begins with the narrator's ambitious plan to achieve the world's highest egg drop by taking an egg to space and dropping it back to Earth. The goal is to protect a raw egg in a contraption to prevent it from breaking during the fall. The initial plan involves dropping the egg from the world's tallest building, but the narrator decides to go to outer space to future-proof the record. The plan is to attach an egg to a rocket, which will be lifted by a weather balloon. The rocket will then autonomously steer itself to a target location and release the egg onto a mattress at 300 feet above the ground. The narrator explains the concept of terminal velocity and the protective measures taken to ensure the egg's safety during the experiment.

The paragraph details the challenges faced during the initial tests of the egg drop contraption. The narrator and his team conduct a low-altitude test at 10,000 feet to ensure the rocket can steer itself using tail fins. However, they encounter issues with the GPS unit and the metallic streamer interfering with the signal, leading to a premature launch and a failed test. Despite the setback, the team learns valuable lessons and makes necessary modifications to the design, including switching to a plastic tracking streamer and addressing the colder temperatures affecting their mattresses.

After multiple failed attempts and realizing the complexity of their initial plan, the team decides to pivot their strategy. They consult with Adam Steltzner, a PhD from Caltech and Chief Engineer for Perseverance and Mars sample return, who points out the flaws in their original plan. The team then redesigns their system, drawing inspiration from NASA's Mars rover landing techniques. They create a new system with a static fin design, a heavier and longer rocket for supersonic speeds, and a two-stage separation to reduce speed and deploy a parachute and airbags for a safe landing.

The team faces a critical issue when integrating the redesigned systems, discovering a potential failure point due to the rocket's length and weight. They address this by redesigning the connection point and adding redundancy with a custom beach ball containing a second egg. They also conduct vacuum and temperature tests to protect the egg from the harsh conditions of space and ensure the rocket's landing configuration is viable. Despite a launch scrub due to issues with the zero-pressure weather balloon, the team remains optimistic and prepares for a final attempt.

The final launch is a success. The rocket and beach ball autonomously eject from the tangled mess of the balloon at 20,000 feet, and the redundant systems work as intended. The team finds the wreckage and confirms that both the primary payload and the backup beach ball have landed safely, with the eggs unbroken. The narrator reflects on the journey, emphasizing the importance of learning from failures and the resilience of the human spirit in achieving incredible feats.

The narrator introduces CrunchLabs Build Box, a monthly subscription toy service designed to teach children engineering principles and problem-solving skills. The service offers a hands-on learning experience where children build toys alongside the narrator, who teaches the physics behind each creation. The narrator emphasizes the value of real-world learning and the development of resilience and critical thinking skills, offering a year-long journey of engineering discovery.