MOULTRIE — It had nothing to do with which came first, the chicken or the egg? Nor did it seek to solve the mystery of why the chicken crossed the road. But it was serious science, and it had to do with problem solving and the fragility of an egg.

On a day hot enough to cook an omelet on the sidewalk and with the help of the Moultrie Fire Department, none of the students in Virginia Wood’s science class at Willie J. Williams Middle School ended the class project with egg on their face.

The students took part in the school’s Operation Egg Drop Community Project on Wednesday. They were asked to design a container no larger than a shoebox to protect a raw egg from a fall of 50 to 60 feet onto a hard surface, such as cement. Students could use any material inside the box, but the egg could not be altered in any way.

The eggs were dropped onto the pavement outside of Willie J. Williams Middle School courtesy of the Moultrie Fire Department. Firefighters took all of the containers to the top of the department’s ladder truck and dropped them from about 60 feet above the pavement. The students can also choose to take part in a flyby drop at the air field Saturday, offered by Irvan NeSmith.

The egg drop was part of the Characteristics of Science mandated by the Georgia Performance Standards. The students should be able to write clear, step-by-step instructions for conducting scientific investigations and follow procedures.

This activity allowed students to follow the steps of the scientific method to create a prototype for air travel. They were required to write up the egg drop model as an experiment listing the steps gone through to assemble the design.

After each group of student scientist collected their models, the class will check to see if the “egg-stronaut” made the journey in one piece. Students will then be asked to evaluate what made their drop a success or failure.