Space Origami: Make Your Own Starshade

In this activity, learners cut out and fold their own collapsible origami starshade, an invention that shields a telescope's camera lens from the light of a distant star so that NASA scientists can examine exoplanets trillions of miles away. By folding their own model starshade, learners will understand how this oversized invention can be packed aboard a rocket. Includes a guide with step-by-step instructions and pictures, a video that explains the purpose and engineering of a starshade, and extensions to build a model space telescope to represent how the whole system works.