AEROSPACE ENGINEERING Childrens Technology and Engineering 2010

Vol. 15 No. 2

Aerospace Engineer ing: Air and Space

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A Flight Adventure In

Every Classroom

the future: environment

Produced by the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association in conjunction with theChildren’s Council of ITEEA

CONTENTSdecember 2010vol. 15 no. 2

2 From the Editor aerospace engineering: air and space Charlie McLaughlin, DTE

3 Message From the Children’s Council President the “ripple effect” Cindy Jones

departments

7 Design Squad Nation touchdown hands-on challenge Design and build a spacecraft with a shock absorber. PBS’s Design Squad Nation

10 Books to Briefs floating above the crowd Laura J. Hummell

12 Teacher to Teacher building rocket launchers Allison C. Couillard

14 Resources rockets: from drinking straw to flying machine Paul Mathis and Jon T. Pieper

16 Career Connections aerospace engineering William Turner

19 Web Links aerospace engineering John D. Arango

20 Techno Tips ideas for integrating technology education into everyday learning Krista Jones

features

4 Article aerospace engineering: design

of spacecraft and aircraft Vincent Childress

8 Activity stem on a string with the aero

wing Mike Fitzgerald, DTE

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2 Children’s TeChnology and engineering deCember 2010

Publisher, Kendall N. Starkweather, DTEEditor-in-Chief, Kathleen B. de la PazField Editor, Charlie McLaughlin, DTEEditor/Layout, Kathie F. Cluff

ITEEA Board of DirectorsGary Wynn, DTE, PresidentEd Denton, DTE, Past PresidentThomas P. Bell, DTE, President-ElectJoanne Trombley, Director, Region IRandy McGriff, Director, Region II Mike Neden, DTE, Director, Region III Steven Shumway, Director, Region IVGreg Kane, Director, CSL Richard Seymour, Director, CTTEAndrew Klenke, Director, TECA Marlene Scott, Director, CC of ITEEA Kendall N. Starkweather, DTE, CAE, Executive Director

Editorial BoardCharlie McLaughlin, DTE, Chair, Rhode Island CollegeSharon A. Brusic, Millersville UniversityVincent Childress, North Carolina A&T State UniversityBob Claymier, District Technology CenterPatrick N. Foster, Central Connecticut State UniversityKrista Jones, Bellevue Elementary SchoolTodd Kelley, Purdue UniversityWendy Ku-Michitti, Simsbury High SchoolRoger Skophammer, Old Dominion UniversityMartha Smith, J. B. Watkins Elementary SchoolBill VanLoo, Honey Creek Community SchoolGinger Whiting, Virginia Children’s Engineering Council

CC of ITEEA OfficersCindy Jones, PresidentSharon Brusic, SecretaryWendy Ku-Michitti, TreasurerRoger Skophammer, Vice President - CommunicationBob Claymier, Vice President - Program

Children’s Technology and Engineering is published four times a year (September, December, March, and May) by the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association. Subscriptions are included in Children’s Council dues and all group membership dues. Student members may choose Children’s Technology and Engineering as part of their membership. Other ITEEA members may subscribe to the journal for $35.00 per year; $50.00 outside the U.S. Library and nonmember subscriptions are $45.00 per year; $60.00 outside the U.S. Single copies of back issues are available for $8.00 ($10.50 for nonmembers) plus shipping and handling. An electronic subscription is avaliable for $30.00.

Advertising SalesMaureen Wiley703-860-2100

Subscription ClaimsAll subscription claims must be made within 60 days of the first day of the month appearing on the cover of the journal. Because of repeated delivery problems outside the continental United States, journals will be shipped only at the customer’s risk. ITEEA will ship the subscription copy, but assumes no responsibility thereafter.

Address ChangesSend address changes to: Children’s Technology and Engineering Address ChangeITEEA, 1914 Association Drive, Suite 201Reston, VA 20191-1539

Email: [email protected]: www.iteea.org

All contributions for review should be sent to:Charlie McLaughlin, Field EditorChildren’s Technology and Engineering Rhode Island CollegeTechnology Education Program, HBS Room 222600 Mt. Pleasant AvenueProvidence, RI 02908Telephone: 401-456-8793Email: [email protected]

Submission guidelines can be found at: www.iteea.org/Publications/submissionguidelines.htm.

Contents copyright © 2010 by the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, 703-860-2100.

EDITORIALaerospace engineering: air and space

continued on page 13

Flight in all of its forms has been a marvel to most of us. Whether we are watching birds soar, feeling the rumble as the Space Shuttle launches into the atmosphere toward space, or simply looking up as aircraft pass overhead, we are captivated by

this miraculous fusion of nature, design, and physics. Early accounts of bird watching to discover the secrets of flight are filled with details of birds’ physiology and their abrupt movements as they sailed across invisible highways of air. Many of these accounts relate a sense of admiration for our feathered friends because of their ability to leave the earth and soar overhead. A Babylonian king once had his likeness minted on coinage; he was seated on the back of an eagle! Other people worshiped winged gods. Humans have also expressed a sense of longing to follow birds into a sort of freedom that no one would experience until gliders were flown in the 1800s. The many attempts to emulate birds in flight by lashing crude wings to our arms often ended with tragic results. The American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has developed a timeline that features the early history of efforts to achieve flight. Most of the early attempts ended with the “fliers” breaking bones or dying from contact with the ground after their winged systems yielded to gravity. Interestingly, the Chinese used kites to carry people aloft to view the countryside and to watch out for their enemies.

It seems that the 1400s were a time of great interest in flight. We know from the many codex developed by Maestro Leonardo da Vinci that he was a devout observer of birds and their behavior. So much so that he used the wings from birds he trapped to design mechanical wings that he envisioned would allow him to soar into the skies. da Vinci quickly realized the intricacies of flight, and so too, that he might not achieve it in his lifetime. Little did he know that it would take another 400 years before humans achieved controlled flight.

It is almost comical to review the number of times during those 400 years that people hurled themselves off of towers, castle walls, and nearby bridges, from cliffs, hillsides, and mountains with the same results. It seems that the reward outweighed the risk. However, with each unsuccessful leap, information was gathered to learn about the elusive nature of flight. The “science” of flight was slowly being born. It wasn’t until the early 1800s that nascent aeronautic scientists recognized that the forces of lift, propulsion, and control were required to achieve flight. Secondly, it was observed in 1807 by George Cayley that curved surfaces provided more lift than the flat surfaces that had been used in the past. Rather than strap on ungainly wings and send an oh-so-willing-to-please assistant over the wall, models were used to test new theories of flight. Cayley was at the forefront of these efforts. By 1853, he convinced a stable boy to ride one of his smaller gliders. He lived to tell the tale! Later, Cayley’s coachman, who was apparently an unwilling participant, rode a full-size glider to another successful landing.

3Children’s TeChnology and engineeringdeCember 2010

the “ripple effect”

by Cindy Jones

Cindy Jones teaches at Clover Hill Elementary

School in Virginia. She can be reached at cindy_

[email protected].

Children’s Council of ITEEAMessage From the Children’s Council President

Flat Stanley travels with CC President, Cindy Jones...

The “Ripple Effect” is in motion for Children’s Engineering and Technology. I am completing my seventh month as Children’s Council President. I have been challenged to lead a wonderful organization. This is an incredible team with

an accomplished staff. It is my good fortune to work in such a dynamic, productive group.

As you enjoy the following pages of this journal, please consider how many benefit from our valuable work and join us in the movement. It is important to become part of the “Ripple Effect” because the ripples will only continue to grow. Please join Minnesota Minnow and Flat Stanley on March 24–26, 2011 at the ITEEA Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota where the Ripples will continue to resonate for the betterment of our students and schools. We have wonderful workshops planned—so invite a friend.

Flat Stanley and Minnesota Minnow have continued their journeys. They traveled to the “INSPIRE Institute for P-12 Engineering Research and Learning Conference,” hosted by Purdue University in Astoria, Oregon in August where Minnow was in all of his glory taking a plunge in the Pacific Ocean. We also traveled to Washington, DC, where Stanley and Minnow received their first ticket…they found out it is now against the law to talk on a hand-held phone while driving in Washington. They realized that sometimes technology can get you in trouble. They enjoyed the National Technology Summit with a focus on Children’s Engineering. They

learned about Digital Fabrication from Glen Bull of University of Virginia. It was exciting to meet Karen Cator, the director at the Office of Technology at the U.S. Department of Education Office of the Secretary.

We also attended the Air Force Birthday Party in Richmond, Virginia. We met some great folks, including Col. Jim White and Col. Al Pianalto. Also on the agenda was the Modeling and Simulation World Conference in October in Hampton, Virginia. While in Hampton we visited NASA Langley to collaborate with their wonderful engineers on a special project for Children’s Engineering.

Visiting NASA’s Langley facility in Hampton, Virginia.


by Vincent Childress

ARTICLEaerospace engineering: design of spacecraft and aircraft

Aerospace engineering is a specialized field that includes the design of spacecraft and aircraft. Aircraft navigate within earth’s atmosphere. Spacecraft operate primarily in outer space, beyond the earth’s atmosphere. Air and

spacecraft are technologies that extend human potential to transport people and goods. The aerospace engineer is the person who designs these vehicles, and he or she must meet criteria for designs that help the vehicles overcome obstacles presented by the environment.

It is the environment that presents the most basic challenges faced by the aerospace engineer when designing aircraft or spacecraft. To achieve successful atmospheric air travel, one must understand how a wing works.

how a wing works

Aircraft move through the air. Bernoulli’s Principle and Newton’s Third Law of Motion are the main scientific principles that explain the phenomena necessary to accomplish both atmospheric, wing/foil-based and outer space flight. Bernoulli explained that, where a fluid is moving at a high velocity, there will be low pressure. Where a fluid is still or moving at a relatively low velocity, pressure is

sizes are required for flight into space. Currently, rocket engines are the most common method of propulsion and control for vehicles traveling in space.

Here is how a rocket engine works: There is a tank or holding area for fuel and oxidizer. For solid fuel rocket engines, the two are mixed together to form the solid fuel. For liquid fuel rocket engines, a combustible fuel and liquid oxygen are stored in separate tanks. The fuel and oxygen are then mixed in a combustion chamber and ignited. Because of the way the chamber is designed, expanding hot gases move out the nozzle of the engine at a faster speed than do the gases at the other end of the chamber. The rocket engine then tends to move toward the area of high pressure from an area of lower pressure.

The aerospace engineer applies science and mathematics to optimize designs so that they are developed as efficiently as possible and perform as specified to meet mission requirements. The process tends to work like this: a goal or need is identified (for example, landing a human on Mars), then the theoretical process is analyzed.

define the problem

Obstacles that stand in the way are identified. Then a multidisciplinary team is assigned to begin to design ways to overcome the obstacles. For example, in order to travel to Mars, it is theorized that a station in outer space is needed

high. Airfoils, or wings, are designed to capitalize on Bernoulli’s Principle. The top of a wing is convex and more curved outward from the wing’s cross sectional horizontal center than is the bottom of the wing. The bottom of a wing is more flat than the top. As the wing moves through the air due to propulsion, air moves more rapidly across the top of the wing than it does across the bottom of the wing. Therefore, according to Bernoulli’s Principle, there is more pressure exerted on the bottom surface of the wing than on the top surface of the wing. Because the force is unbalanced, the wing moves upward from the area of low velocity and high pressure toward the area of higher velocity and low pressure. This is lift. Lift is based on Newton’s Third

Law of Motion: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

how a rocket engine works

Wings will not work in space in the same way that they work in earth’s atmosphere. Rockets of various

Figure 1. How a wing works.


ARTICLE

as a staging facility. The International Space Station is such a facility. Launching a mission to Mars from the Space Station will save fuel and ultimately improve the ability of a spacecraft to travel at adequate speed to Mars.

The aerospace engineer is a key member of the multidisciplinary team, but he or she needs team members from other disciplines because the problems that need to be solved require knowledge from more than one discipline. In other words, there is no way that one person or one profession knows all that is needed to create a workable solution. There might be multiple teams, and each team might focus on one smaller problem. What vehicular body shape is needed to efficiently and safely land on Mars? Mars’ atmosphere is thin, but it does have gases that make up its atmosphere. When a space vehicle moves rapidly through gases, the friction causes heat. How will equipment react in such an environment?

Requirements and specifications. Part of what is required in defining the problem is creating design requirements and specifications. Likely requirements for a Mars spacecraft are that the vehicle must be lightweight, structurally strong, and heat resistant. This is because it will need to travel an incredibly long distance

on limited or constrained quantities of fuel and/or alternative energy sources; have to withstand numerous forces acting on the vehicle’s body; and withstand the heat of friction upon entering Mars’ atmosphere.

develop designs

Next the team has to design the spacecraft. The aerospace engineers on the team will certainly lead the effort to design a vehicle body that meets the specifications required to land on

another planet. Perhaps they will decide that the design of the vehicle does not require extreme aerodynamics. Mars’ atmosphere is so thin that other factors can be accommodated by body shape. Perhaps the propulsion system

will be shaped in such a way that the vehicle’s body needs to have a large bulge in it where the propulsion system is housed. There will be materials engineers and scientists on the team who will help to identify, adapt, or create materials that are strong and heat resistant. The aerospace engineers will work with these team members to come up with a process for making the material into the shape of the vehicle.

During this part of the engineering design process, the engineers apply scientific principles and mathematics to optimize their design solutions. For example, if there is a specification that the Mars vehicle must be constrained in size to a specific volume, engineers can use calculus to determine the best height, width, and length to make the vehicle.

analyze design solutions

Next, the engineering team will analyze its proposed design solutions. Aerospace engineers will use computer simulations to analyze the performance of the

Figure 2. How a rocket engine works.

Figure 3. The International Space Station could provide a launch base or staging platform for missions to Mars. Photo courtesy of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.


ARTICLE

vehicle’s body shape. This analysis could result in a decision to redesign the shape. Proof of concept may also take the form of producing a sample section of the vehicle’s body and testing it in a wind tunnel. A computer simulation is a computer program that will help an engineer understand the way that something will behave without testing it in the real world. It saves money, time, and is safer than testing in real life. One cannot simply buy this software from a publisher. The development of the software requires that the engineers write codes and commands and enter large quantities of information so that the software will do a good job of predicting how something will perform. For the aerospace engineer, this requires a solid knowledge of physics and mathematics.

making decisions

Next, the engineering team must make decisions. These are typically done quantitatively by weighing certain factors. For example, the overall cost of the body

might be high because of the use of the most lightweight materials. If it is still predicted that the vehicle will perform within the mission requirements, even with 1,000 pounds more weight, then the team might decide to save money by going with the heavier and more durable material.

testing a prototype

With analyses completed and decisions made about which alternatives to pursue, a prototype might be produced and tested. This is to determine the extent to which the design meets the specifications and requirements of the mission. For this example, a working scale model or a full-size working prototype might be constructed. The prototype will then be operated under conditions that are as close as possible to those that the vehicle will encounter on the mission to Mars.

engineer profile

There have been many milestones in the long progression of advancement

in aerospace engineering. The Wright brothers certainly stand out as pioneers in the field of powered, controlled flight. The Apollo missions put humans on the Moon. The Space Shuttle program has done more space work than anyone could have imagined, and Mars may be the next frontier. Behind the scenes are thousands of other scientists, technicians, and engineers who make the smaller details of aerospace engineering succeed. After two previous failed attempts at Mars landings, the Mars Pathfinder Lander and robotic rover succeeded at landing safely on the surface of Mars and accomplishing the Pathfinder mission.

Dr. Christine Hailey is an aerospace engineer who served as Principal Investigator for the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education. Her research interests are in the broad areas of fluid mechanics and engineering education. She is a member of the Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Technical Committee for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and was Chair of the Rocky Mountain Section of American Society of Engineering Education for the 2005-06 academic year. While at Sandia National Laboratories, Hailey led design changes in the Parachute Technology and Unsteady Aerodynamics Department from Cold War capabilities in nuclear weapons technology to post-cold war capabilities in numerous fluid/structure interactions technologies, including automotive airbags and proof-of-concept of the Mars Pathfinder airbag system, a system that worked and made the Pathfinder mission a success (see Figure 4).

Figure 4. Mars Pathfinder/Mars Sojourner deployed from its airbag landing system and at the end of the off-loading ramp. Notice the airbag and ramp in the foreground. Photo courtesy of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Vincent Childress is an associate professor

of Technology Education at North Carolina A&T

State University in Greensboro, North Carolina.

His email address is [email protected].


MATERIALS (per spacecraft)

• 1 piece of stiff paper or cardboard (approximately 4 x 5 inches)

• 1 small paper cup

• 6 index cards (3 x 5 inches)

• 2 regular marshmallows

• 10 miniature marshmallows

• 3 rubber bands

• 8 plastic straws

• Scissors

• Clear tape

For more totally awesome activities, games, and videos, go to pbskids.org/designsquadnation.

TOUCHDOWNYOUR CHALLENGEThink like a NASA engineer! Design and build a spacecraft with a shock absorber that will protect marshmallow astronauts when they land.

BRAINSTORM How can you build a spacecraft that makes a soft, safe landing?

• Which materials might work well to absorb shock?

• How will you make sure the spacecraft doesn’t tip over as it falls?

DESIGN AND BUILDSketch your ideas on paper. Choose your best design and start building!

1. Construct a shock-absorbing system.

2. Attach the shock absorber to the cardboard platform.

3. Add a cabin by taping the cup to the platform, then put your marshmallows inside.

NOTE: The marshmallows should sit comfortably in an open cup—no cramming, smushing, or lids allowed!

TEST AND REDESIGN Drop your spacecraft from a height of one foot. What happens?

• Do the astronauts bounce out? What changes can you make to the shock absorber?

• Does the spacecraft tip over? What can you do to keep it upright?

Keep testing and making improvements until you’re happy with your design. Then, take it higher! Can your spacecraft land safely from two feet? Four feet?

SHAREPost sketches and photos of your spacecraft at pbskids.org/designsquadnation.

This NASA/Design Squad Nation challenge was originally produced through the support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Design Squad Nation is produced by WGBH Boston. Major funding is provided by the National Science Foundation. Series funding is provided by the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA), Northrop Grumman Foundation, and the Lemelson Foundation. Additional funding is provided by Noyce Foundation, United Engineering Foundation (ASCE, ASME, AIChE, IEEE, AIME), Motorola Foundation, and the IEEE. This Design Squad Nation material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0917495. Any opinions, fi ndings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily refl ect the views of the National Science Foundation. © 2010 WGBH Educational Foundation. Design Squad Nation, AS BUILT ON TV, and associated logos are trademarks of WGBH. All rights reserved. All third party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Used with permission.

Major funding Series funding Additional funding

Hands-On Challenge | Reproducible Sheet


ACTIVITYstem on a string with the aero wing

by Mike Fitzgerald, DTEintroduction

If you are looking for a quick way to teach your students the basics of flight, this lesson and test rig is for you! The “wing on a string” activity is a simple teacher-made frame that consists of PVC pipe, fishing line, and rubber bands—all readily available and cheap! The only other materials/tools involved are a sheet of paper, some pieces of a soda straw, a paper hole punch, some tape, a stapler, and a fan.

In this activity students will learn the basics of flight. Begin the lesson by introducing students to Bernoulli’s Principle. Bernoulli’s Principle states that a decrease in pressure occurs as the speed of a fluid increases. For example, when air moves over the top of an airfoil, the curved top surface of the airfoil causes air to move faster over the top surface than the bottom surface. When this occurs, the faster-moving air above the wing has less pressure than the air beneath the wing. The difference in pressure on the wing (higher pressure below the wing, lower pressure above

the wing) creates lift. The amount of lift that an airfoil gains is also affected by the angle of attack in relationship to the speed of the air as it moves over an airfoil.

vocabulary development

• Bernoulli’s Principle

• Drag

• Gravity

• Air speed • Angle of attack

• Air pressure • Airfoil

• Thrust

tools and materials

• Clamp (to hold the PVC frame at various vertical angles)

• PVC pipe • Tape

• PVC elbows • Tape measure

• String • Protractor

• Scissors • Box fan

teacher procedure

1. Construct the wing-on-a-string frame.2. Construct a sample airfoil.3. Construct a sample airfoil to attach

to the device. Refer to the “Making a Paper Airfoil” section.

4. Teach students the vocabulary and concepts related to flight such as lift, thrust, force, drag, gravity, and angle of attack.

5. Discuss Bernoulli’s Principle.6. Demonstrate Bernoulli’s Principle

with this link: http://adamone.rchomepage.com/foil_sim.htm and share through the animation how the air pressure, thrust, drag, gravity, and angle of attack affect the amount of lift on an airfoil.

7. Use the “wing on a string” as an instructional tool to demonstrate the concepts related to Bernoulli’s Principle.

8. Set up a box fan at a specified distance away from the wing-on-a-string frame. The author suggests two feet. Adjust as necessary.

9. Allow students to experiment with the “wing on a string” to get a feel for how lift occurs. Change the angle of attack so that the students may


ACTIVITY

see how lift can be gained (or lost) by simply changing the angle of attack (yet keeping the airspeed and the distance between the fan and the wing-on-a-string frame as constants).

procedure for making a paper airfoil

1. Fold a small sheet of paper in half.2. Using a 3-hole punch, have the

students punch the paper along the folded (leading edge) of the paper airfoil.

3. Form the folded sheet of paper into an airfoil shape by simply adjusting the trailing edge slightly (the author suggests 1/8” to start) and then taping the seam carefully so that it will hold the airfoil shape.

4. Push two small pieces of soda straw through the holes and carefully (and neatly) tape the straws to the wing.

5. Disassemble the wing-on-a-string frame and run the strings through the straws.

6. Reassemble the frame. 7. Test the airfoil with a box fan that

is set approximately two feet away from the wing-on-a-string frame.

activity

1. The teacher will need to construct enough wing-on-a-string frames for the class prior to presenting the lessons.

2. Present the vocabulary development and a lesson on flight (such as suggested in the teacher procedure).

3. Ask teams of three students to

construct (one each) a slightly different airfoil shape.

4. Provide the small groups of students a wing-on-a-string frame.

5. Provide each group of students an electric box fan.

6. Have the students set the fan at an appropriate distance away from the frame (the author suggests two feet) and adjust the distance as necessary. Keep the distance between the fan and the frame constant for the remainder of the testing.

7. Explain to the students how and why test conditions are important when data is intended to be collected. Share with them how variables can affect results and that the only variable that they want in this activity is to test the various airfoil shapes they have constructed at three different angles of attack.

8. Allow the students to test their airfoils, collect data, and report the results for each of the three airfoils. Supply each small group with a protractor and a tape measure.

9. Have the students test each airfoil repeatedly and collect the results on a data table like the one below.

10. Have the students share why one shape worked best and why they believe that airfoil was best, based solely on the data they collected.

Data Collection Table

Draw the Airfoil(side view)

Amount of Lift90 degrees



Airfoil #1 2” 8” 24”

Airfoil #2 – – –

Airfoil #3 – – –

follow-up and assessment

1. Ask the students to explain the results from the data tables that they created.

2. Ask the students to draw and label the parts of an airfoil.

3. Have the students explain in their own words (and with a diagram) how Bernoulli’s Principle helps create lift on an airfoil.

4. Have the students explain what they think might happen should the airspeed be increased (or decreased).

continued on page 11


Laura J. Hummell teaches at California

University of Pennsylvania. Her email is

[email protected].

BOOKS to BRIEFSfloating above the crowd

by Laura J. Hummell

Priceman, M. (2005). Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-689-82642-7.

summary

Hot-air balloons are considered one of the oldest successful types of lighter-than-air flight technology, dating back to the Montgolfier Brothers’ invention in France in 1783. Marjorie Priceman is the illustrator of numerous Caldecott Honor books, including Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss and this month’s “Books to Briefs” feature, Hot Air. In the book, Hot Air, we go back in time with the animals that experienced the first hot-air balloon ride in the Montgolfier Brothers’ magnificent invention. This wonderfully illustrated story demonstrates the amazing history of lighter-than-air flight through the eyes of the duck, sheep, and rooster passengers as they soar through the sky. Using entertaining and fantastic descriptions, the animals’ adventures are detailed so that even the youngest readers can learn and be amused during this telling of the evolution of flight technology. In addition to following

the animals on their fantastic adventure, readers can learn more about the hot-air balloons that transformed lighter-than-air transportation. On this amazing journey, learn more about the brothers, their balloons, the history, and their search for and success in finding new ways to travel through the air!

student introduction

Join a duck, sheep, rooster, and the Montgolfier Brothers on an amazing adventure exploring lighter-than-air flight transportation! Create your own version of a hot-air balloon.

design brief

Suggested Grade Levels: K-2

Research hot-air balloons on the computer and create your own hot-air balloon.• Using a computer with access to the

World Wide Web, research different types of hot-air balloons.

• Choose a theme for your hot-air balloon that represents you or your interests.

• Create your own hot-air balloon design on paper. Carefully draw your hot-air balloon using symbols that represent you, and color it in accordingly.

• In small groups, build a hot-air balloon using the materials your teacher provides.

• Launch your balloon using a hair dryer or other hot-air source that is safe for use in the classroom.

teacher hints

Research: Although you want your students to discover information about hot-air balloons and lighter-than-air flight transportation on their own, they may need guidance to sites that fit their reading and interest levels. There are also many sites dedicated to thematic units focused on hot-air balloons, crafts, and more.

suggested sites

• How Hot-Air Balloons Work – http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/flight/modern/hot-air-balloon.htm

• Zoom! Activities from PBS: Hot Air Balloon – http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/hotairballoon.html

• Hot-Air Balloon Facts – www.hotairballoons.com/hot_air_balloon_facts.asp

• Hot-Air Balloon Crafts for Kids (various age levels) – www.hotairballoons.com/hot_air_balloon_crafts.asp

• 42 Explore: Balloons – http://42explore.com/balloon.htm

• Build A Hot-Air Balloon – www.kbears.com/sciences/science-fair/sfhotairballoon.html

• Fiddler’s Green Paper Models – https://www.fiddlersgreen.net/models/Aircraft/Montgolfier-Balloon.html


BOOKS to BRIEFS

hot-air balloon personal designs

Materials:• Construction paper• Markers• Colored pencils• Rulers• Felt• Cotton cloth• Fabric markers• Fabric glue• Yarn• Milk cartons (cleaned thoroughly)

or small cereal boxes

Students can create a paper drawing of a hot-air balloon with symbols that represent any important aspect of their lives, using just paper, colored pencils, crayons, and/or markers. They may also get more elaborate and make their designs using felt or fabric with yarn for shroud lines and a small cardboard box to represent the passenger basket in order

to resemble a more realistic hot-air balloon.

enrichment ideas

Students who are engaged and would like further activities could design and build a scaled-down replica of the Montgolfier Brothers’ hot-air balloon using various materials, such as plastic grocery bags, crepe paper, paint, markers, yarn, milk cartons, shoe boxes, or other cardboard boxes.

Research and Reading ExtensionsStudents who would like more information or adventure stories about hot-air ballooning can find it in the following books:• Belville, C. W. (1993). Flying in a hot

air balloon. Carolrhoda Photo Books. ISBN-13: 978-0876147504.

• Rey, H.A. (1998). Curious George and the hot air balloon. Perfection

Learning. ISBN-13: 978-0756921071.• Calhoun, M. (1984). Hot air Henry.

HarperCollins. ISBN-13: 978-0688040680.

Students also can learn more by accessing and reading books and encyclopedias in the school library.

reference

Edwards, Claire. (1999). Hot air balloon (Make your own). Parragon Plus. ISBN-10: 0752530623, ISBN-13: 978-0752530628.

Activity Continued from page 9

Mike Fitzgerald, DTE is the Education Associate for Engineering and

Technology Education in the Delaware Department of Education in Dover,

Delaware. He can be reached at: [email protected].

next-step activity

Allow the students to apply what they have learned! Have the students construct their own model airplanes. Choose a model that is more complex than a simple paper airplane (using a model kit such as Whitewings or a free online model like the one that can be downloaded from http://patsplanes.com/linkedpages/glued.html).

Then conduct a classroom competition where the students build and test the airplanes for distance flown in a straight line (and/or time aloft) as part of a classroom competition!


by Allison C. Couillard

TEACHER to TEACHERbuilding rocket launchers

My teammate, Beth, had that familiar frightened look in her eyes. It’s the expression that she gets when she knows I’ve got a new project for us to do. The only greeting she gave me was, “What?”

I let it all out in one quick sentence. “Youdon’thavetoworryWilliamwillhelpusanditwillbegreatforreviewingforcesandenergy.” Again, “What?” I slowed down and explained that our technology integrator, William, and I had recently won a grant from our local chapter of the Air Force Association, and we wanted to use it to build rocket launchers for our fifth grade students to use. As Beth’s eyebrows inched up, I quickly added that the rockets would be launched with compressed air...no fire of any kind involved. I grinned as her face relaxed. I knew she was in. After an entertaining trip to Home Depot, William and I had the components necessary to make two rocket launchers. “What if we had the students build the launchers?” he asked. I was a little

hesitant to have 28 students wielding PVC pipe cutters and strong adhesives, so we decided on constructing the launchers with a volunteer group of students and their parents after school. About eight students and five parents worked together to build the rocket launchers. The parents did an amazing job of teaching their sons and daughters how to safely use the tools and build the launchers as William and I gave directions and facilitated. I thought that the parents would be extremely nervous letting their children use the sharp pipe cutters, but they were both relaxed and patient. I was also concerned that the parents would try to do everything themselves, but at no

point did any of the parents take over and do it for the children. As for the students, there was no bickering over who got to use the cutters, glue, or other tools. They took turns with all of the measuring, cutting, and assembly of the launchers. It was a teacher’s dream to watch them all working together so harmoniously. The following week, Beth and I had approximately 150 fifth graders working in pairs to build rockets. Their mission was to design and build two rockets from card stock that were identical in all ways except one: the fins. They could choose whether to test the effect of fin size or number of fins on the height of their rockets’ flight. In order to determine the altitude of each flight, the students used a tool called an Altitrak to find the angle of the rocket at apogee (its highest point during flight) relative to the ground. Finally, we taught the students how to use a trig table to determine the maximum altitude, and they completed their design packets that included questions about their conclusions as well as different types of forces and energy used during the launch and flight. We turned our launch into a school-wide event. Other classes, Pre-K through fourth grade, along with school and county administrators and the local media, came out to watch the launch spectacle and help the groups shout their countdowns.


TEACHER to TEACHER

The fifth graders had an absolute blast, all while using key scientific terms related to scientific investigation and forces, motion, and energy. They also reviewed math skills involving geometry and measurement, and were thrilled to find out they actually did a little bit of high school trigonometry. Between the skills practiced, the fun they had, and the eagerness of the upcoming class to try this themselves, our first annual rocket launch was out of this world.

Editorial Continued from page 2

Charlie McLaughlin, DTE is Coordinator for the Technology Education Program at Rhode Island College and the Field Editor for CTE. He can be reached at [email protected].

These were heady times for those seeking to understand the complexities of flight. The community of fliers was small, and they all seemed to be able to share information without problems. But, the achievement of successful and consistent unpowered flight would not happen until the arrival of the Lilienthal Brothers, Otto and Gustav. The brothers made the most significant contributions to flight, pre-Wright Brothers, because they were superbly trained and made copious observations of every detail of their gliders. Otto Lilienthal was trained as a mathematician and engineer, which led to his precise designs of the wings he used to glide from hills around Berlin. He called his activities “ManFlight.” His scientific approach to flight was the model for others who followed. It also helped that he was an aerial “rock star” of the day. His exploits were featured in magazines around the world. He was almost as well known in the United States as he was in Europe. But within the community of those who sought to achieve powered flight, he was regarded as the first aviator.

His methods of observation and careful calculation were used by the Wright Brothers and are noted as the beginnings of wing aerodynamics. Unfortunately, Lilienthal was killed in a freak accident when a gust of wind collapsed his glider and he crashed to the ground.

In America, two brothers in Dayton, Ohio were also hard at work trying to crack the code of powered flight.

“…The spark of interest had begun to smolder three years before [1896], however, when, as Wilbur noted, “...the death of Lilienthal ... brought the subject to our attention and led us to make some inquiry for books relating to flight.” (www.centennialofflight.gov/wbh/1899_kite2.htm)

History attributes the first powered, controlled flight to the Wright Brothers on December 17, 1903. But, it was their dedication to invention and innovation that should be recognized as being as significant as the actual achievement of

“first flight.” The Wright Brothers were able to assemble the missing pieces that were necessary to achieve “first flight.” They used information about what was known, then tested it to insure that it would reliably meet their needs. The Wright Brothers assiduously created models and instruments to test theories they had about the phenomena that they needed to overcome to achieve their ultimate goal.

In this issue, you will discover the importance of aerospace engineering. The articles and activities presented here are among the best we’ve written to help you and your students learn about various forms of flight. We hope you will contact us about ideas and materials that will support these efforts.

Allison C. Couillard is a 5th grade teacher

at Watkins Elementary School in Midlothian,

VA. She can be reached at Allison_Couillard@

ccpsnet.net.


by Paul Mathisand Jon T. Pieper

RESOURCESrockets: from drinking straw to flying machine

rationale

Rockets are commonly found in fireworks, ejection seats, launch vehicles for artificial satellites, human spaceflight, aircraft, and other vehicles that obtain thrust from a rocket engine. The basic model-rocket fad really “took off” during the 1960’s space race, so the typical model-rocket science fair project has been implemented in classrooms across America for over five decades. What could possibly be new to explore from this project-based activity? How about engineering concepts? Well, there are resources available today to utilize common household artifacts to build simple model rockets that can be used to explore important science and engineering concepts. In this column,

we will explore how you can introduce Newton’s laws of motion, build a model straw rocket using the resources featured here, and how to test engineering design with the construction of the rocket.

background

During the later part of the 17th century, the foundation for modern space travel was laid out by the great English scientist Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727). Newton stated three important scientific principles that govern the motion of all objects, whether on Earth or in space. Knowing these principles, now called Newton’s Laws of Motion, rocketeers have been able to construct the modern rockets of the 20th century such as the

a launch pad and to change speed or direction (Newton’s first law). In the case of the straw model rocket, a drop-rod weight is used to provide the pneumatic force that generates the push to move the rocket. The amount of thrust or force produced by the drop rod will be determined by the mass of the rod. The greater the mass, the larger the amount of force created (Newton’s second law). The force required to get the rocket off the ground is determined by the thrust generated (Newton’s third law). These principles apply to any rocket, from a toy water rocket to the launch of the space shuttle. One of the interesting facts about the history of rockets is that, while rockets and rocket-powered devices have been in use for more than two thousand years, it has been only in the last three hundred years that scientists have had a scientific basis for understanding how they work.

the resource

Although not propelled by fuel, the Straw Rocket Package created by Pitsco provides a simple way to address the basic concepts of aeronautics and rocketry. The package includes the Dr. Zoon Straw Rocket Video as well as all the materials needed to build the straw rockets and straw rocket launcher that will put student-designed rockets into the air.

The Dr. Zoon Straw Rocket DVD is the ideal introduction to get kids excited

Saturn V and the Space Shuttle. The shortened versions of Newton’s Laws of Motion are:• Objects at rest will

stay at rest, and objects in motion will stay in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

• Force is equal to mass times acceleration. F=MA

• For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction.

An unbalanced force must be exerted for a rocket to lift off from

Setting the launch angle.

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RESOURCES

Paul Mathis is a Ph.D. Graduate Student in

Technology Engineering Teacher Education at

Purdue University. Prior to that, he was a Science

and Engineering teacher for five years. He can be

reached at [email protected].

Jon T. Pieper is an Engineering Technology

Teacher Education Graduate Student at Purdue

University. He can be reached at jpieper@

purdue.edu.

about simple concepts of flight. With his red polka dot bow tie and blue lab coat, Dr. Zoon talks about projectile motion, the effects of changing forces, and other key concepts to create a fun learning experience for students. The video also includes the step-by-step process for the construction of the rockets and the steps it takes to make the rocket airborne. The Straw Rocket Class Pack includes all the materials needed for students to create their own rockets. The pack includes precision straws for the body of the rocket, clay to create a nose cone that also doubles as plug for the end straw, and card-stock-like material for the creation of the fins. The Straw Rocket Launcher uses pneumatic force that is created by releasing a weighted drop rod in a cylinder. The drop rod pushes the air through the cylinder and out an adjustable metal nozzle. The drop rod can be dropped from different heights within the clear cylinder to create different amounts of force. With the combination of the adjustable angle of the launch nozzle, students can adjust these two variables to maximize their flight time and accuracy.

application activity

Students will first need to figure out what they are going to test on their design. Students can engineer their rockets by varying each design by straw length, nose cone shape, weight, or fin construction. Once the students have completed design and construction of the rocket, it is time to launch and see how the different forces and angles can create varying flight paths. Have students record their data in a Microsoft Excel document for the 30-, 45-, and 60-degree angles, mass of the drop rod, and the distance the rocket travels. First, have the students launch from a 30-, 45-, and 60-degree angle and the same drop-rod height to show how

angles affect the distance of the overall flight path. Next, have the students repeat the process but instead of a constant drop rod height, keep the angle constant. This will allow students to judge how different forces and angles affect the flight of their rockets and just maybe make a connection to the design of the rocket and the results of the flight.

Once the primary testing is completed, a competition could be held. Create a target on the ground approximately three feet in diameter using a jump rope or string (anything that looks like a circle will do). Set the target 20 to 40 feet away from the launcher. Using the data the students collected earlier, have them attempt to set the proper angle and drop-rod height to get their rocket to land on the target. Allow the students several practice attempts before the final competition. Due to the fact that each student’s fin and nose cone are unique to his/her design, the flight path of rockets will differ, making it a challenge for the students to use the proper angles and drop height to land their rockets on the target.

resource information

Straw Rocket – Getting Started PackageProduct ID: W35783Included: Straw Rocket Launcher, Dr. Zoon Straw Rocket Video (DVD), and Straw Rocket Class Pack (straws, modeling clay, and fin material). Each can be purchased individually or as a package. Individual information located below.Price: $199.00

Straw Rocket LauncherProduct ID: W20426Price: $169.00

Dr. Zoon Straw Rocket Video (DVD)Product ID: W35784Price: $19.95

Straw Rocket Class PackProduct ID: W35784Price: $19.95

Extra Precision Straws (120-count)Product ID: W35782Price: $12.50

All of the above can be purchased from shop.pitsco.com or other science teacher supply companies found on the Internet.

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by William Turner

CAREER CONNECTIONS aerospace engineering

Captain James T. Kirk, the central character in the popular TV show, Star Trek, opened the program with these often-repeated words, “Space, The Final Frontier! These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission:

to explore strange new worlds...to seek out new life, and new civilizations...to boldly go where no man has gone before!”

Science fiction and fictional space stories are common themes whether you are reading books, watching TV, enjoying movies, or playing video games. This is a time in history when the whole world’s population knows about flight, so we can almost forecast what the next big achievement to reach another final frontier will be. Aerospace engineers will make these new achievements a reality. Aerospace engineers create flying vehicles of all kinds, using design principles, production processes, and engineering oversight. It takes teams of engineers who use their knowledge of physics and mathematics to make safe flight possible—which is very different from the dangers that its innovators had to overcome alone. Today there are specialized engineers for each of the subsystems that comprise flight: propulsion systems, guidance systems, control systems, suspension systems, structural systems, and support systems. Adding passengers to aircraft introduced the need for onboard environmental systems and healthcare. The earliest passenger flights were very rough by any standard. Cabins were not pressurized, and the cabins were not always heated. To make matters worse, the airplane could not fly over storms. They pitched and bucked in turbulence, and passengers were very airsick.

each of the subsystems intrinsic to their specialized form of flight.

aeronautical engineering

Aeronautical Engineers design vehicles that operate in the air and within the Earth’s atmosphere. These engineers must have a solid background in aerodynamics. “Aerodynamics is the study of the motion of air and how it reacts to objects passing through it,” (Brown, R. & Litowitz, L., 2007). More advanced aircraft can travel to a height of several hundred miles above the Earth’s surface. This technology is a planet-sensitive field, where the designs that work here on Earth cannot be expected to work on other planets. Aeronautical engineering practices couldn’t be used on the International Space Station (ISS) or the fictional Starship Enterprise, but they allow us to fly across the country in a matter of hours. Airplanes use the Earth’s air to fly, and without it they could not lift themselves off the ground. Therefore, aeronautical engineers concentrate on gases, especially air, flowing around solid objects of various shapes. They use mathematics, classical mechanics—Newtonian physics—to solve for calculations determining gas dynamics and external fluid mechanics in addition to position, mass, and applied forces. Flying in air is an awful lot like moving through water; however, only lighter-than-air vessels can control their density to float in the air. The heavier-than-air vessels must

Teamwork and systems specialists work to make aircraft and spacecraft airborne, flying them in a controlled way, and bringing them back to Earth as planned. These engineers, collectively known as aerospace engineers, study the parameters of flying within the Earth’s air-filled atmosphere and flying in the vacuum of space. You can usually tell the intended use of an airplane or spacecraft by the direction it follows when leaving the ground and whether there are rockets attached to the structure of the vehicle. Airplanes usually take off in a horizontal trajectory, have big wings, and don’t need rockets. Spacecraft take off with a vertical trajectory, have rockets attached to them, and have small wings, if any. There are other flying vessels that are quite different in nature, such as the International Space Station and hot-air balloons. Each and every form of flight requires human support.

Aerospace engineering is divided into two basic engineering disciplines: aeronautical engineers and astronautical engineers. To some extent, both of the flight fields study, design, develop, build, test, operate, and maintain vehicles that can fly. These two engineering fields appear to be so closely related that they can be used interchangeably. However, these two fields demand different knowledge, mathematics, and physics to master


CAREER CONNECTIONS

generate their own propulsion and lift in order to fly. Small airplanes can fly up to the troposphere; airliners can fly up in the stratosphere; and some military jets have even flown in the mesosphere. This mastery of forces and physical science is essential to designing airplanes. The beginning salary of an aeronautical engineer with a four-year degree starts at about $55,000 per year. (www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Aeronautical_Engineer/Salary)

Materials Scientists use their knowledge, skill, and imagination to test the parts of aircraft. Their job is to test the limits of the individual pieces of a plane. They electrify, heat, drill, explode, and energize all of the many substances that are used in airplane construction. They are always in search of a better building material. They allow aerospace engineers to design airplanes with the strongest and toughest materials known to man. These materials experts have studied the elements in subatomic, atomic, and molecular forms. They have strong backgrounds in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and aerospace. A career in materials science may be right for you if you enjoy testing the limits of your surroundings and have a passion for knowing how things work. A materials scientist with a Doctorate degree enters the field at about $80,000 per year. (www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Materials_Scientist/Salary)

Airline Pilots operate the airliners that transport passengers and products safely and reliably throughout the world. The pilot is busy working in the cockpit, flying the plane, as everyone is relaxing in his or her seats in the cabin during a commercial flight. New airline pilots usually start as officers or flight engineers. Most have earned a college degree prior to becoming a pilot, and

all must be licensed to fly the specific type of plane they operate. Airline pilots get their pilot’s license from the FAA. Candidates must pass a written exam on the principles of safe flight, navigation, and FAA regulations. Then they are tested on their ability to fly the type of airplane for the specific type of license they are requesting. There is a salary difference among the different types of airline pilots because of the different sizes of commercial airliners and the types of cargo they transport. Airline pilots can earn anywhere from $32,000 to $130,000 per year. (www.bls.gov/oco/ocos107.htm#training)

Flight Engineers operate and monitor all of the aircraft systems during prefight, in-flight, and postflight operations. Today’s technologically advanced airplanes are very intricate and complicated marvels of engineering. Consequently, due to the enormous amount of technology on an airplane, a second set of eyes and ears is needed to fly modern airplanes. The flight engineer rides in the cockpit and conveys all of the parameters in and around the airplane to the pilot. They monitor all of the aircraft’s control systems and make adjustments as needed to keep the airplane flying safely. They watch all of the instruments monitoring the airplane’s internal, external, and environmental conditions to help navigate the vessel to its destination. Most flight engineers have earned a four-year degree, but there are some exceptional flight engineers with two-year degrees working in the industry. Flight engineers earn between $54,000 and $78,000 dollars on average. (www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Flight_Engineer/Salary)

Flight Test Engineers create detailed reports of how airplanes fly, hover, climb, and land in all types of environmental

conditions. Flight engineers generate these technical reports for airplane designers, manufacturers, and pilots. They make sure that their counterparts in the industry are “in the know” with their knowledge of an airplane’s performance and capabilities. These types of engineers also ensure that modern airplane designs meet or exceed the industry’s standards. Flight engineers usually earn degrees in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or aerospace engineering in order to be qualified for the job. Flight engineers can start their career with a Bachelor’s degree; however, at some point they will need to upgrade to a Master’s degree. The average salary for a flight engineer is between $63,000 and $75,000 dollars. (www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Boeing-Commercial-Airplanes-Flight-Test-Engineer-Salaries-E15904_D_KO28,48.htm)

astronautical engineering

Astronautical Engineers design, create, and build vehicles that fly in outer space. Astronautical engineering, also called rocket science, uses the


CAREER CONNECTIONS

William Turner is a Technology Education

Candidate at Rhode Island College. He can be

reached at [email protected].

mathematical axioms of astrophysics and orbital mechanics when designing spacecraft for the thermosphere and beyond. Another great distinction between airplanes and spacecraft is the amount of vertical thrust each requires. In order for a spacecraft to fly, the designer must first figure out how to generate enough thrust to reach the escape velocity—overcoming the Earth’s atmospheric resistance and gravitational pull—so that the vehicle can reach space. Only then can they apply their knowledge of orbital mechanics to the spacecraft. Therefore, astronautical engineers also have to use classical mechanics, thermal dynamics, and chemistry to get the spacecraft into outer space. Then, once they get the spacecraft into space, they must devise methods of propulsion and control in the vacuum of space. Traditional internal combustion engines don’t work in space, and wings are of no use because there aren’t any gases. Aeronautical engineers earn, on average, anywhere between $60,000 and $90,000 a year. (www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Aeronautical_Engineer/Salary)

Flight Control Chief Engineering Officers are responsible for the systems integration of spacecraft missions. They operate from the Mission Control Center along with the other flight control engineers and scientists. The information they gather is used to make crucial decisions about the space mission. The chief engineer must check with all of the individual systems scientists and engineers that the spacecraft mission uses during ground operations, ascension, orbit, dock, space walks, and reentry. Qualifications for this position are former employment at a director of operations level and a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in one of the many scientific or technical specialties used in space flight. This position has a salary range between

$120,000 and $165,000 annually. (http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=88262187&JobTitle=Chief%2c+Chief+Engineer+Officer/).

Astronauts are involved in all aspects of assembly and in-orbit operations of the International Space Station. They need to have studied and learned all of the International Space Station’s Systems. Applicants for the Astronaut Candidate Program must meet the basic education requirements for NASA engineering and scientific positions. Candidates must have at least a Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate field of engineering, biological science, physical science, or mathematics. In addition, the successful candidate’s education is followed by three years of related professional experience; however, advanced degrees can be substituted for the professional experience. Once someone is chosen to start NASA’s astronaut training, they must remain with NASA for at least five years. Therefore, this is not a decision that a candidate can take lightly—there is a huge amount of commitment required. Astronauts can expect a starting salary of $50,000 a year, and if they are successful, they can earn up to $110,000 a year. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Schedule#Base_Salary)

Senior Mission Managers manage the aspects of a spacecraft and its launch vehicle to ensure the seamless integration, processing, and performance of the overall system. These managers concentrate their efforts on the atmospheric systems of the spacecraft as well as its orbiting systems. Mission managers manage the teams that are responsible for the perfect execution of ascent, orbiting, docking, and reentry of spacecraft along with the specific details of their mission. This is a senior position and requires a minimum of a Bachelor’s

degree in a related engineering field as well as practical experience. If you are the type of person who thrives on responsibility, this is a career to aspire to. A senior mission manager with past practical experience and at least a Bachelor’s degree in engineering can earn between $97,000 and $125,000 dollars per year. (http://jobview.usajobs.gov)

Flight Controllers are specialized engineers and scientists who monitor and control space flight from the ground, in the Mission Control Center. Unlike Star Trek, this is where you could expect to find the Chief Medical Doctor, Chief Communications Officer, and the Chief Scientific Officer; they are all in the Mission Control Center. Flight controllers work at computer consoles monitoring their focused specialty. They use telemetry to check on the health of the astronauts, condition of the spacecraft, and its navigation. If you like playing video games and are motivated to learn about one of the required engineering or scientific fields like biology, physics, electronics, astronomy, and mechanics, then this would be a rewarding career. Flight controllers earn between $70,000 and $90,000 annually. (www.simplyhired.com/a/salary/search/q-nasa+scientist)

works cited

Brown, R. & Litowitz, L. (2007). Energy, power, and transportation technology. Tinley Park, IL: The Goodheart-Willcox Company, Inc.

Bryan, C. D. B . (1979). The National Air and Space Museum. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.


WEB LINKSby John D. Arango

John Arango is an assistant professor at the

Henry Barnard Laboratory School on the Rhode

Island College campus. He can be contacted at

[email protected].

aerospace engineering

Aerospace engineering is one of the most fascinating careers in the engineering discipline. The success of new forms of flight is due to developments in the field that require imagination and a willingness to think outside the box. Without

creative individuals who design and build unique flying machines, most forms of flight would not exist. The extraordinary evolution of flight can be counted as one of humanity’s crowning achievements. The following websites will assist your students with developing an understanding of: the concepts of flight, design parameters to achieve flight, and significant historical events that have marked over a century of flight.

http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/ is filled with web-based educational activities designed primarily for use in a classroom but still appropriate for the self-guided ‘Net surfer. With a wide range of ideas that are classroom-friendly and visually appealing, the website offers: classroom activities, graphic organizers, and online explorations resources with educator guides, among many others.

www.seeds2learn.com/airIndex.html has helpful information on the science of flying. Students learn about the force of lift, an upward-acting force; drag, a retarding force of the resistance to lift and to the friction of the aircraft moving through the air; weight, the downward effect that gravity has on the aircraft; and thrust, the forward-acting force provided by the propulsion system. The website also encourages students to build an age-level-appropriate aerodynamic, high-performance paper airplane to test the four forces on an airplane.

www.desktop.aero/adw/html/index.html is an interactive website that allows students to explore the tools for aircraft design. “The ADW program was developed as an interactive museum exhibit that allows the user to investigate the trade-offs involved in the design of a commercial transport aircraft.” By clicking on one of the images, the user can change the wing design, tail design, engines, fuselage cross-section,

her daughter, Robin, to spend the day at work with her and learn what is like to be a rotorcraft test pilot. In addition, the website has a timeline, coloring pages, and other activities that make for a fun learning experience.

www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html – NASA KIDS CLUB is a flash-based website that showcases fun and interactive educational materials. Kids play games such as Buzz Lightyear Returns From Space to “combine their interest in science with math skills as they complete the Load the Shuttle activity.” The interactive games will encourage students to use problem-solving skills to analyze mathematical situations such as visualization and geometric modeling “on the grid using directional words and number of spaces or ordered pairs of numbers” to solve problems such as the Flight Path Activity.

www.pbskids.org/wayback/flight/ by PBS Kids, is a website that discusses the history of aviation and air travel and how it has had a profound impact, both material and social, on American life. The website will help kids learn about the stories behind how the Wright brothers “got their ideas off the ground.” “The site also highlights other firsts, like the first U.S. Air Mail pilots and early stunt pilots or barnstormers like Bessie Coleman, who was also the first African American woman pilot.” Other Features are: buzz, joke space, and people to know.

cruise settings, and the destination airport. The final button computes the results and determines whether or not the mission will be successful.

www.virtualskies.arc.nasa.gov is an interactive and educational website that promotes students’ exploration of the exciting worlds of aviation technology and air traffic management. Students learn to solve real-life air traffic management problems. The virtual skies site is composed of different modules such as: aeronautics, navigation, weather, air-traffic management, communications, etc. Students will acquire and employ decision-making and collaborative skills while applying math and science principles.

www.futureflight.arc.nasa.gov/ promotes students’ involvement in solving the air transportation challenges of the future. With this challenge, students will become NASA researchers and will design the air transportation system that will meet the needs of future generations. The website is user-friendly and full of information both for the student and the teacher—guaranteed to be fun, educational, and enlightening.

www.rotored.arc.nasa.gov/storyIndex.html is an interactive storybook website about Robin Whirlybird and her Rotorcraft Adventures. Robin’s mother is a rotorcraft test pilot who works for NASA and takes


TECHNO TIPSideas for integrating technology education into everyday learning

by Krista JonesUnlike Superman, we mere mortals are not endowed with the power of flight—but that hasn’t stopped us yet! From Kitty Hawk to the Space Shuttles and beyond, our ever-evolving advances in aeronautic engineering have expanded

our horizons and allowed us to fly! Now, it’s time to give your students their wings. Try the aerodynamic activities below and take them . . . Up, up, and away!

language arts

• Read the book Magic School Bus Takes Flight by Gail Herman and Joanna Cole or watch the video online at www.gamequarium.org/cgi-bin/search/linfo.cgi?id=16163. This exciting animated story introduces your students to the basics of flight. After the story, brainstorm the different factors involved in flight—size, shape, weight, speed, gravity, drag (friction with the air). Then give your students a sheet of paper with the mission of engineering and testing a shape that can fly. Discuss observations. Eventually, you can introduce a simple paper

science

• Learn more about How Things Fly and Aerodynamic Design: • Flight – www.brainpop.com/

technology/transportation/flight/preview.weml and www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal109/NEWHTF/HTF050.HTM

• Aerodynamic Design – http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/flight/wright/build.htm; http://library.thinkquest.org/J002313F/ (paper airplane designs); and www.flightgear.org (flight simulator).

• Prove that Sir Isaac was right—become a rocket scientist—for real! Design, build, and launch solid fuel rockets, seltzer, and pop-bottle/water rockets. Experiment with

airplane design. Encourage more testing and modifications in shape, size, and weight (paper clips). You can even set up a distance or target competition – http://library.thinkquest.org/J002313F/ (paper airplane designs).

math

• Design and build straw rockets. Use plastic drinking straws, modeling clay for the nose cone, and card stock for fins. Design variables can be: size of straw (rocket body), weight (nose cone size), fin size, shape, quantity (rocket control). *Teacher Only Note: The straw rockets actually fly

Name:

Engineering Tech Notes

Straw Rocket Test Data

Rocket Test 1 Flight Notes

How many meters did your rocket fly? _______ M

Launch Angle ________Degrees Launch Air Pressure ______PSI



Launch Angle ________Degrees Launch Air Pressure _____PSI



Launch Angle ________Degrees Launch Air Pressure ______PSI

What was your average distance?

3 =MetersTh

Distance 1 _______ M

Distance 2 _______ M

Distance 3 + _______ M

Meters

Draw your Rocket Design Here.

better without any fins; however, experimenting with the fins is crucial to understanding the effects of drag and aerodynamic design.

• Track and record distance and launch angle data for each test. Record at least three tests and average the results. Graph all test results and discuss. Calculate the class’s average distance. Analyze the results. Can they find connections between launch angles and distances?

variables such as fin size and shape, nose cones, rocket weight, amounts of “propellant” (H2O and air pressure, H2O and seltzer)

• Review Newton’s Laws of Motion with LegosTM – www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWE_aGqfUDs

How a pop-bottle rocket works


TECHNO TIPS

Krista Jones is a teacher of elementary technology education, Grades P-5, at Bellevue

Elementary School, Bellevue, Idaho. She can be reached via email at [email protected].

• How did Columbus use aerodynamics to reach the New World—in a boat? Have your students engineer sails using card stock paper, foil, fabric, plastic, etc. You can also refine your focus to design shape, size, and position by limiting your material to only card stock. Tape your sails to a drinking straw—your mast. Your ships can be flat-bottomed card-stock skimmers, or shaped blocks of Styrofoam. Using fans, “sail” your skimmers on a table. OR…attach two straws to the underside of a tag board “hull” with a paperclip vertically secured to the middle of the “hull” for the mast mount. String fishing line through each straw, stretch across the room, and tie tight so that the hull easily glides when blown by the fan. Make two if you want a sail race!

social studies

• Explore the history of flight using a timeline – www.ueet.nasa.gov/StudentSite/historyofflight.html; www.vacations.com/history-of-flight-a-visual-timeline and www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/wb-timeline.html

• Brainstorm how flight technology has changed our world—socially and environmentally. Students can then

create new future-flight designs and discuss the impacts that their designs could make.

• What’s next? The era of the space shuttle is coming to an end. Explore the new, reusable spacecraft designs currently in the works, and have your students design their own! www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/flyout/ and www.spacefuture.com/vehicles/designs.shtml

Solid fuel rockets

Pop-bottle rocket

Testing sail designs

* All activities can be modified according to grade level.

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Experimental Wind Turbine Standing over 45” high, the KELVIN® gearedThree Blade Experimental Wind Turbineprovides students the opportunity to testrotor and blade designs. Varying the rotorsweep, blade size and blade shape willchange the electrical output of the generator. Test the rotors output with themultimeter included or see how many LED’sthe turbine will light. Students will also folda cardstock model house and create thereown LED circuit to plug into the wind turbinegenerator. A box fan or similar fan on a standis required but not included. Wind Turbine House Bulk Pack Comes with cardstock, LEDs, LED holder,resistor, wire, clips, and connectors. Requiressoldering and circuit wiring.652613 Bulk Pack for 10 ..................$32.95Wind Turbine Corrugated BoardsComes with corrugated plastic board (designyour own shape) and dowel rods. 283726 10/pk (3 Sets of Blades/Pk) ....$24.95

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Cardstock Hovercraft Racer 1 KELVIN®’s Cardstock Hovercrafts are idealfor middle school students. Choose from 1,2 or 3 motor designs. The more motors - themore you can do. Two motors allow thehovercraft to hover and move forward faster.These hovercrafts are also amphibious andcan hover over water or land. 842198 Kit .............$9.95 or $9.45 ea./10+842199 Bulk Pack for 20......................$150

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EDUCATIONAL

NEW!

AEROSPACE ENGINEERING Childrens Technology and Engineering 2010

Documents

editor aerospace engineering

international technology

childrens council president

technology education

childrens council dues

design of spacecraft

iteea members

challenge design