STEM LEARNING:

X-57 Maxwell: 

Circuits Activity Guide

www.nasa.gov

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
2 | X-57: CIRCUITS ACTIVITY GUIDE

WHAT IS THE X-57?

NASA’s X-57 Maxwell is a small, experimental aircraft powered completely by batteries. It is NASA’s first full-sized 

all-electric experimental aircraft, or X-plane. Compared to standard fuel-powered airplanes, the X-57 is designed to 

have increased high-speed cruise efficiency, zero in-flight carbon emissions, and flight that is much quieter for the 

community on the ground.

One of the primary goals of the X-57 project is to develop all-electric technology that will make flying cleaner, quieter, 

and more sustainable. The technologies and verification and testing processes created for the X-57 will be an 

important part of future projects that work towards more sustainable aviation.

The X-57 requires banks of batteries to produce enough electricity to power its fourteen wing-mounted engines. There 

is an extensive electrical distribution system that distributes electricity to each motor.

Figure 1. This artist’s rendering shows the X-57 in flight. Credit: NASA
X-57: CIRCUITS ACTIVITY GUIDE | 3 

HOW DOES ELECTRICITY GET FROM THE 

BATTERIES TO THE MOTORS?

Electricity is the flow of electrons, one of the sub-atomic particles that make up atoms. Electrons flow through a 

material called a conductor. Conductors make up the wiring in the X-57 that carries electricity through electric circuits, 

to the different parts of the plane.

Batteries, like the ones in the X-57, need to be attached to an electric circuit for electricity to flow and do work. A 

simple electric circuit is a complete path that includes a power source, conductive material, and an item that requires 

energy, such as a light, a motor, or another instrument. In this activity, you will be creating an electric circuit powered 

by a battery that will light an LED or LEDs.

In the activity below, you will build a light-up paper helicopter by creating a “paper circuit” that uses copper foil tape, 

at least one LED, and a battery. If you are including more than one LED, you need to make sure that electricity passes 

through each one. There are two different ways that a circuit can pass electricity through both LEDs (or any other loads 

connected to a circuit)—a series or a parallel circuit.

In a series circuit as shown in Figure 2, electricity flows out of the battery, through 

the first LED, through the second LED, then back to the battery to complete the 

circuit, following one pathway. In this type of circuit, if one of the LEDs breaks or 

becomes disconnected, or if the circuit is broken, both LEDs will not light.

In a parallel circuit as shown in 

Figure 3, electricity flows out of 

the battery then flows through 

each of the LEDs separately. In 

other words, there are now two 

different pathways electricity can 

take to get back to the battery. In 

this type of circuit, if one of the 

LEDs stops working, electricity 

can still flow through the second 

LED, meaning the second LED 

will still light.

What are the parallel and series circuits?

Figure 2. The arrows show the 

only path through which electricity can flow in a series circuit.

Figure 3. The arrows show both paths through 

which electricity can flow in a parallel circuit.
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STUDENT ACTIVITY

In this activity, you will be making a paper helicopter that lights up.

Each student or group needs:

• Helicopter template

• 16.25” (or longer) strip of double-sided conductive copper foil tape (1/4” width)

Note: You can also use single-sided conductive copper foil tape but will need to add an extra step if using this kind 

of tape and will need a slightly longer piece. Double-sided copper foil tape is conductive on both sides—singlesided copper tape does not have conductive adhesive, so it is only conductive on one side.

• (2) 5 mm LEDs (you can add 1 or 2 LEDs to the helicopter)

• CR2032 battery

• Ruler

• Scissors

• Paperclip or small binder clip

Each group will:

1. Cut around the outer rectangle of the helicopter.

2. Cut along each of the 3 solid lines. Do NOT cut along 

the dashed lines!

3. Cut the piece of copper tape into pieces of the 

following lengths (if using single-sided tape, you will 

have two longer pieces of tape. One piece should be 

7” and the second should be 8.75”):

• One (1) 3.25” piece (A)

• Two (2) 2.75” pieces (B)

• One (1) 2.5” piece (C)

• One (1) 1.25” piece (D)

• One (1) 1” piece (E)

• One (1) 0.75” piece (F)

• Four (4) 0.5” pieces (These will be used to 

connect the LEDs in step 9. You need 4 pieces 

if you are adding 2 LEDs, but only 2 pieces for 

1 LED.)

4. For each piece of copper tape (except for the four 

0.5” pieces), peel off the adhesive backing and place 

it on the helicopter template as shown in Figure 4. 

Make sure the copper tape is securely affixed to the 

Figure 4. The locations for the pieces of copper tape 

are shown.
X-57: CIRCUITS ACTIVITY GUIDE | 5 

paper and that each piece of tape covers the other 

piece of tape. If using single-sided copper tape, you 

will need to fold the tape at circuit corners to ensure 

the sticky side faces down.

5. Fold the flaps labelled X and Y towards the back as 

shown in Figure 5. The fold should be on the dashed 

lines. Run your finger down the fold to make sure the 

crease is tight.

6. Look at the LEDs. You can add one or both to the 

helicopter. See Figure 6 for placement. The LED wires 

will connect the two copper tape strips, completing 

the circuit. Note that each color LED needs a different 

amount of electricity, so it is best to have both LEDs 

the same color. It is possible to use two different 

colors, but you will have to experiment with color 

combinations to see which colors work best.

7. LEDs are polar, meaning they have a positive and 

negative side. To figure out which side is positive and 

negative, each LED has two wires: a long wire and a 

short wire. The long wire must be connected to the 

positively charged copper tape strip while the shorter 

wire must be connected to the negatively charged 

copper tape to allow electricity to flow.

8. Bend the wires outward so that each wire overlaps 

one of the copper tape lines on the helicopter blade. 

See Figure 6 for an illustration. The circuit shown is 

a parallel circuit so that electricity can flow through 

each LED independently.

9. Place the LED with the long wire to the left and the 

short wire to the right. Use 0.5” pieces of copper 

tape to connect each wire to the appropriate strip of 

copper tape (see Figure 6).

• If you are unable

to identify the

long and short

wires of the LED, a

quick internet

search can show

you other ways to

identify the positive

and negative ends

of the LED. 

Similarly, this

can be tested 

before taping 

the LED(s) to the 

paper; if the LED

does not light up 

when connected 

to the battery, flip 

it around and it 

should work.

Figure 5. Fold flaps X and Y back.

Figure 6. Use the 0.5” 

pieces of copper tape over 

the LED leads to connect 

the LEDs to the circuit.
6 | X-57: CIRCUITS ACTIVITY GUIDE

10. If attaching two LEDs, repeat steps 8 and 9 with the 

second LED.

11. Place the CR2032 battery on the circle on the 

helicopter template. It is important that the positive 

side of the battery is down (touching the paper and 

tape). To determine which side of the battery is 

positive, look closely at the face of the battery to see 

which side is marked as positive with a +.

12. Fold the bottom of the helicopter towards the front 

along the dotted line, creating a pocket for the 

battery, so that the circuit is completed. The LED(s) 

should light up as long as both pieces of copper tape 

are touching the battery.

13. Put a paperclip or small binder clip on the bottom of the 

helicopter to help keep the circuit intact. Figure 7 shows 

what your helicopter should look like for steps 4-13.

14. Fold the two blades in opposite directions along 

the dashed lines. For the blade that has copper 

tape on it, make sure the tape is facing upward. 

The blades should look like the ones shown in 

Figure 8.

Figure 7. The different steps of making the paper helicopter are shown.

Figure 8. The completed helicopter is shown.
X-57: CIRCUITS ACTIVITY GUIDE | 7 

If your LEDs do not light up once you have completed 

the circuit, use the following suggestions to find the 

problem:

• Check all connections - around the LED leads, 

alignment with the battery, any broken places in 

the copper tape – and use more tape to reinforce 

connection if necessary. Push down on the tape to 

make sure it is properly adhered to both paper and 

to other pieces of tape. There should be plenty of 

overlap with pieces of tape to ensure a solid circuit, 

but the positive side should not touch the negative 

side as that would create a short circuit.

• Make sure you have a complete, proper circuit. The 

positive end of the LED(s) must match up with the 

positive end of the battery. One piece of copper 

tape should make solid contact with one side of the 

button battery and the second piece of copper tape 

should make solid contact with the other side of the 

battery once folded.

o Flip the battery over. If the LED was put in 

backwards, it means the positive and negative 

parts of the circuit are reversed. If using two 

LEDs, make sure both LEDs are oriented the 

same (both negative sides are touching the 

same piece of copper).

• Sometimes an LED or battery might not be working 

correctly, so try a different battery and/or a different 

LED.

• Directions provided are for double-sided conductive 

copper foil tape, which can be purchased from a 

number of online retailers. Because this type of tape 

is conductive on both sides, sticking one piece on 

top of another creates an electrical connection. 

If you get copper foil tape that is only conductive on one 

side, you will need to have one piece of tape that goes all 

the way from the battery to the LED. To do this, you will 

need to create folds where the tape changes direction. 

An internet search will provide you with directions on 

how to do this.

TROUBLESHOOTING
8 | X-57: CIRCUITS ACTIVITY GUIDE

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER 

EXPERIMENTATION

• You can try adjusting the circuit by using different numbers, colors, or sizes of LEDs. You can also use different 

sizes of button batteries. LEDs are commonly found in 3 mm, 5 mm, and 10 mm sizes. The smaller sizes will have 

less mass, and the larger ones will have more mass.

• There are different types of LEDs available that you can also use. They are made as wearable “lilypad”-type LEDS, 

stickers, and more. You can even use LEDs from strings of lights.

• You can also adjust the helicopter itself to change the speed with which it rotates and falls. Try folding or cutting 

the blades to change their shapes. You can also try folding the blades at different angles.

• Using different paper can change your helicopter as well. You can use larger paper to change the overall size of the 

helicopter. Or you can print it on heavier paper like cardstock.

• Try adding more weight to your helicopter. This can easily be done by adding additional paperclips to the bottom 

of it.

• Can you use other conductive material to make a circuit? Lots of materials are conductive, so try to create a 

different type of circuit. You could try electrically conductive paint or a conductive pen.

• Can you connect two LEDs in a series circuit so that they both light up?

• Can you think of anything else that you could change? Have fun experimenting with different aspects of the 

helicopter and/or circuit. The possibilities are limitless!
X-57: CIRCUITS ACTIVITY GUIDE | 9 

PAPER CIRCUIT HELICOPTER TEMPLATE

Cut on the solid lines and fold on the dashed lines.
EP-2021-07-535-HQ

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Headquarters

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Washington, DC 20546