Lonnie Johnson's Inventions and Challenges

The video introduces Dr. Gillette and the story of Lonnie Johnson, an inventor known for creating the Super Soaker. It covers his early life, challenges, and educational journey, highlighting his perseverance and creativity. Lonnie's career at NASA and his development of the Super Soaker are discussed, along with the challenges he faced in the toy industry. The video concludes with a hands-on activity to build a straw rocket, encouraging viewers to experiment and innovate.

What was one of the early challenges Lonnie Johnson faced as a child?

• Finding space for his inventions

• Lack of interest in science

• No access to education

• Disinterest in engineering

What did Lonnie Johnson build inspired by a TV show?

• A rocket

• A toy airplane

• A robot named Linex

• A sound system

What was Lonnie Johnson's significant contribution at NASA?

• Inventing a new type of fuel

• Designing a new rocket

• Building a space station

• Creating a backup power system for Galileo

What inspired Lonnie Johnson to invent the Super Soaker?

• A childhood toy

• A powerful water stream in his bathroom

• A need for a new cooling system

• A failed rocket experiment

What was a major obstacle Lonnie faced in marketing the Super Soaker?

• Technical issues with the design

• Rejection from multiple toy companies

• Lack of funding

• Patent problems

How did Lonnie Johnson finally succeed in getting the Super Soaker produced?

• By improving the design

• By reducing production costs

• By finding a supportive toy company

• By changing the target market

What did Lonnie Johnson do after the success of the Super Soaker?

• Retired from inventing

• Stopped working on new inventions

• Opened a new workshop

• Started a new career

What is the first step in the straw rocket activity?

• Taping the fins onto the rocket

• Cutting the paper into triangles

• Folding the paper into squares

• Rolling the paper around a pencil

What can be adjusted to make the straw rocket fly further?

• The number of fins

• The length of the straw

• The weight of the nose cone

• All of the above

What is the purpose of the straw rocket activity?

• To encourage creativity and experimentation

• To learn about aerodynamics

• To test different materials

• To build a real rocket