Airborne
remote sensing mission: What do we need to know?
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subject area: science, geography Overall problem: Where are the active lava flows on the Kilauea
volcano?
Relationship of
problem in this lesson to overall problem: The
problem in this lesson is for students to generate
important questions to be considered when choosing the
best aircraft for a mission. While developing this list
of questions the students will participate in a series of
activities to learn about the forces of flight and
factors that may affect the success of the mission such
as weather conditions, the remote sensing instrument
requirements, and flight planning.
Estimated time
required: 5 to 6 class periods
Student outcomes/objectives:
- Students will develop a list of important
questions that need to be answered when choosing
the appropriate aircraft for an airborne remote
sensing mission.
- Students will describe how four
forces (lift, drag, weight, and thrust) affect
flight.
- Students will describe the relationship
among aircraft characteristics, remote sensing
instrumentation characteristics, and mission
planning requirements.
- Students will identify weather and
atmospheric conditions as one factor that needs
to be considered during mission planning.
- Students will identify the
elements of a flight plan.
Prerequisite skills or knowledge:
- Ability to work in
teams
- Basic internet skills
- Basic reading and writing skills
- Basic
understanding of problem solving
- Basic presentation
preparation skills
Teacher preparation:
- Print Student
Journal / Activity sheets for these activities
- Bookmark appropriate websites for
students
Student reflection and assessment: Student reflection
activities |
Assessment
Education standards supported
by this lesson:
National
Science Education Standards | Project
2061 Benchmarks
National
Standards for School Mathematics | National
Technology Standards | National
Geography Standards
Cross-curricular connections
to National Education Standards for this lesson:
math | technology | geography
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Teacher activities
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Student activities
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| FRAME
the lesson. Ask
what is the overall problem that we are addressing?
Ask what types
of questions do you have about planning an airborne
remote sensing mission to investigate this problem?
(prompt for where, how, types of instruments, types of
aircraft, etc.)
Explain that we have received a message from
the head of airborne mission planning asking for your
help as airborne mission scientists to select the
appropriate aircraft for this mission.
Prompt students to read the
Mission planning letter (ARMS-1).
Ask do you have any questions about our goal?
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Sample student
responses:
- Where are the active lava flows on Kilauea?
- Where is Kilauea located?
- How do I locate the active lava flows on Kilauea?
- What airplane can I use?
Student activity:
Students read Mission
planning letter (ARMS-1)
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| INFORM
students that it is important to
understand the basic principles of aeronautics to develop
good questions that will help define our mission.
Students will participate in a series of burst activities
to learn about these principles.
Direct the students to participate in Ball and funnel challenge to investigate the principle underlying lift. Students can
specifically investigate Lift on an airplane wing. See explanation of Bernoulli's
principle.
Have the students participate in
paper airplane science activity. Teachers who want to
vary the activity may consider the following options:
- Make one group stand farther back
(models fight duration).
- Tape a stone on one group's plane
(models weight vs. lift).
- Blow a fan near hoop (models
weather).
- Raise and lower hoop (models
altitude).
- Require one group to propel their
plane with a rubber band (models thrust).
- Students should carefully observe
all of the flights, record what happens, and
begin to list the factors that need to be
addressed to assure a successful flight.
See Activity sheet: Observations of paper
airplane flights (ARSM-2)
Direct the
students to explore the four forces that may affect
flight, complete the Activity sheet: Four forces (ARSM-3), read the page from the
Student Journal entitled Understanding
the four forces that can affect flight (ARSM-4 and 4A), and prepare to share their
findings with the class.
Ask
- What did you find on the web site
that your team explored?
- What are the forces that act on
aircraft during flight?
- Do all of the forces act on
aircraft all of the time? To help kids understand
when and how the different forces act upon
aircraft, you may have to review the following page
from the Student Journal entitled Understanding the four
forces that can affect flight (ARSM-4 and 4A).
Optional activity: Four forces
of flight
- Rotor Motor
– download the .pdf file for Aeronautics
- An Educator's Guide and follow the instructions
on pp. 72-78.
Teacher resources:
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Student activities:
- Paper airplane activity:
- Hang a 1-foot diameter
needlepoint hoop from the ceiling in your
classroom. Allow for the ability to raise
or lower it quickly.
- Separate the students into
groups of two or three and have them
construct a paper airplane.
- Each group should be a
given a turn to attempt to throw their
paper airplane through the hoop.
- Students should carefully
observe all of the flights, record what
happens, and begin to list the factors
that need to be addressed to assure a
successful flight.
See Activity sheet: Observations of paper
airplane flights (ARSM-2)
- After each group takes its
initial turn, begin to change the
factors. You will be modeling various
factors that real aviators and
aeronautics scientists must consider.
- Four forces and flight activity:
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| EXPLORE
three key components for creating a mission plan
including: variables that affect selection of the
aircraft, outside factors that affect mission planning,
and the components of a flight plan. Break
the students into groups and provide them with the title
of one of the following activities to investigate that
will help plan the mission, e.g., each group will
investigate one area and eventually share their findings
with the rest of the class.
Teacher notes:
- Teaching time for each activity: Dedicate one
class period for the groups to complete their
exploration. The "Plan to fly there"
activity may take a little longer than the other
two activities, so you will want to plan
accordingly.
- The information from all of the above activities
is directly related to the knowledge students
need to develop in order to select the
appropriate aircraft for their mission. If you
have time, you may want to schedule these
activities so that all of the students
participate in all of the activities, e.g., run
an activity a day for three days.
- Another option: If you don't have enough time to conduct all of the activities, select only one
activity for the entire class and then use a
discussion to prompt student thinking about the
concepts presented in the other two activities
Circulate around to the groups and ask
questions about why it is important
to know the information in this activity to plan an
airborne remote sensing mission.
Prompt each group
to present the result of their investigation to the
class. Develop a strategy where the observing students
assess and provide feedback about each group's
presentation.
Debrief
presentations making sure that all students can address
each type of question explored during this activity.
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Student activities:
- Split students into three groups and assign each
group one of the activities.
- Each group explores their assigned web site and
records their findings on the appropriate
worksheet:
Student activity:
- Present responses to activity and
participate in discussion.
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| TRY
using new knowledge about the types of questions needing
to be answered to select the best aircraft for a mission
to solve the KaAMS problem. Break students
into several groups, assign at least one member from each
of the activities completed above into each of these
groups, and prompt students to generate a complete
list of questions that need to be addressed in order to
choose the best aircraft for this mission over Kilauea.
Prompt students to think about
important questions needing exploration to select the
best aircraft for locating the active lava flows on
Kilauea. Note: provide the students with a copy of the
Activity
sheet: Presentation rubric (ARSM-9) to help them prepare their list.
- Which questions are the most
important to consider when selecting an aircraft
for this mission? Why?
- What other questions do you think
are important?
Ask each group to present their question lists
and the reasons why they generated those questions. Students
should refer to the Activity sheet: Mission defining questions
(ARSM-8).
Ask each group to assess and provide feedback
about other groups' presentation using the provided Activity
sheet: Presentation rubric (ARSM-9).
Teacher note:
- Students may have various responses. Prompt
students to clarify the reason why they think
their questions are valid.
- The provided Activity sheet: Mission
defining questions (ARSM-8) can be used to help the kids
develop a good list of different types of questions.
Remind students to complete the Activity
sheet: Reflection page(ARSM-10) in their journal.
Discuss next steps. Now you will
look for the answers to your questions and select the
best aircraft for this mission.
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Sample
student responses:
- Questions on selecting the
appropriate aircraft given the remote sensing
requirements.
- Questions on outside factors such
as weather.
- Questions on flight planning
information. (In line with what they just
studied).
Student activity:
- Generate lists of questions. Students should record their
questions on Activity sheet: Mission defining questions
(ARSM-8).
- Factors relating to the
aircraft and remote sensing
instrument(s).
- Outside factors such as
weather.
- Factors relating to flight
planning.
- Students to complete the Activity sheet:
Reflection page(ARSM-10) in their journal
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| Student reflection
activities: Prompt
students to think about the following:
- What questions do they need to
answer to determine the best aircraft for this
mission?
- Why are the four forces of flight
important in the studying of aeronautics?
- Why is an understanding of
aeronautics important to solving the overall
mission problem?
- Why is generating questions about
the aircraft and forces involved in mission
planning important?
Assessment:
- Check the validity on the type of questions
generated by students.
- Check to see that students' final list included
questions in each category.
- Use the provided presentation rubric to assess
students final performance.
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Ideas for math lesson
connections:
- Students
use protractors and rulers to draw right
triangles. The students measure the lengths of
the sides and with teacher guidance discover the
relationship among the lengths of the sides of a
right triangle, the Pythagorean Theorem.
- Students
create charts which rank the available
Dryden Flight Research Center aircraft based on
criteria that they select such as cruising speed,
cruising altitude, maximum range, payload, etc.
- Students
make a graph of speed as a function of
time for an aircraft flying a remote sensing
mission.
Related National
Education Math Standards:
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Ideas for geography lesson
connections:
- Students
investigate local airport regulations
regarding noise restrictions and other
environmental concerns resulting from the
construction and operation of an airport.
- Students
search the NASA web-site for policies
regarding the environment in and around NASA
facilities.
Related National
Education Geography Standards Standard:
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Ideas for technology lesson
connections:
- Students
read about and create a timeline showing
the design and development process used by the
Wright brothers while inventing and testing the
first airplane.
- Students
research commercial air travel and its
impacts on society.
Related National
Education Science Technology Standards:
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Mission planning letter (ARSM-1)
Dear
airborne mission scientist:
Planning
an airborne remote sensing mission requires the
consideration of many factors that may affect the success
of the mission. The first step in selecting the best
research aircraft for this mission is to identify the
right questions to ask about the mission. The answers to
these questions will guide us in selecting the most
appropriate aircraft. Then, it is important to explore
the characteristics of each available research aircraft.
Finally we will analyze the information about the mission
and the characteristics of the available aircraft to
select the best one for the mission.
As
airborne mission scientists, we would like to request
your help in selecting the best aircraft for flying this
mission. Specifically, we would like your recommendation
on: Which is the best aircraft for
our mission and why?
We
look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
M. McCarthy
Director of
Airborne Mission Science Division for
KaAMS
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Understanding the four forces that can affect
flight (ARSM-4 and 4A)
The four forces
How many forces act on an airplane?
4? 3? 2? 1 ? Any of these could be correct!
What
happens when you stick your hand out the car window while
the car is moving? When
you raise your hand at an angle
to the airflow, it acts exactly like a flat plate.
The aerodynamic
force it
feels pushes it diagonally backward.
This force
can be broken up into a system that is easier to work
with.
The lift and
drag are the horizontal and vertical components of the
force acting on the plate. The lift is always taken
to be perpendicular to the wind, and the drag is parallel
to the wind.
Four forces and Flight (ARSM-4A)
This is the
same way we can describe the forces acting on an
aircraft.
In a
glider thrust is not provided from an engine, but comes
from the component of gravity in the direction of flight.
(Note: If the forces are all in balance (equilibrium),
the aircraft will not change its direction of flight.
If the forces are NOT in balance, see the explanation for four forces
websites for
further explanation.)
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Activity
sheet: Four forces of flight (ARSM-3) - answer key
Name:
________________________________________
1.
What are the four forces of flight? Define each
then draw and label arrows around the airplane below
showing how each force acts on airplanes during
flight.
| Force |
Definition |
| 1.
lift 2.
weight
3. thrust
4.
drag
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Lift is the force that is
generally upward. It is the force that holds the
airplane up. Weight
is a force caused by gravity. Gravity is what
pulls you and everything else back down to the
ground.
Thrust is produced by the
aircraft's engines. It is the force that moves
the airplane forward.
Drag is the force that tries to
slow down a moving object. To lessen the drag
that an aircraft feels, most aircraft are
designed to be as aerodynamically efficient
(streamlined) as possible.
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2. Why
do airplanes fly? Draw a picture to illustrate your
answer. Hint: air and wings
The air above a wing tends to
move faster than the air below it. According to
Bernoulli's Principle, slower moving air has higher
pressure than faster moving air. That means that the air
pressure pushing up on the bottom of the wing is greater
than the pressure pushing down, so the wing goes up.
3. What
factors can affect flight? For example, weight of cargo.
Weight of payload, weather,
altitude, flight duration, 4-forces
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Group activity reference sites
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Activity sheet - Kite selection (ARSM-5) -
answer key
Team
member
names:__________________________________________________________
Name:
_______________________________
1.
What factors do you need to consider when selecting a
kite for a remote sensing mission?
- Cost – a factor in
selecting the kite
- Wing span – the
larger the kite, the more weight it can carry
aloft.
- Wind range – wind
velocities vary with the seasons and geographical
location.
- Skill level – is
the kite for a novice, intermediate, or expert
kite flier?
- Stability – the
degree of maneuverability of the kite.
2. As in kite selection, we must select
the optimal aircraft to house the remote sensing
instrument for a mission. What characteristics of the
aircraft and remote sensing instrument do you need to
know about to select the best aircraft for a mission?
Size of remote sensing
instrument, weight of remote sensing instrument, ideal
altitude for using remote sensing instrument, weather
conditions for use of remote sensing instrument.
Aircraft cargo size and weight capabilities,
aircraft maximum altitude, aircraft speed, aircraft flight
duration and range.
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Activity sheet: Weather and flight (ARSM-6) -
answer key
Team member
names:__________________________________________________________
Name:
_______________________________
1. About weather at Hawaii and Dryden Flight
Research Center
2. About weather and aircraft
- What are the most critical weather
elements that influence flying a mission?
- Ice, lighting, low
visibility, and turbulence are generally
considered the most critical elements of
weather that influence flight.
- Why is it important to examine weather for an
airborne remote sensing mission?
- The atmosphere is
composed of air, air can freeze, lift and
drop aircraft, become saturated with water,
form clouds, and become electrically charged
(lightening). More than 30% of aircraft
disasters are related to weather.
3. Why is weather important in
planning the KaAMS missions?
- Where is the target location for
data collection?
- What weather phenomenon may cause
problems for an airborne remote sensing
mission?
- Hurricanes,
turbulence, volcanic ash
- Why can flying airborne remote
sensing missions around volcanoes be
hazardous?
- Ash can
get caught in the engines and cause the
engines to quit, winds can be strong and
turbulent.
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Activity
sheet: Plan to fly there (ARSM-7) - answer key
Team member
names:__________________________________________________________
Name:
_______________________________
Departure time: What
time will we
leave? (hint: day or night, morning or
afternoon?)
Early morning, 8:00 am western standard
time
Departure airport:
From what airport
will we leave? (hint: what is the home base of the
aircraft?)
NASA Dryden Flight
Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base,
Edwards California
Route of fight: How will we get
there? (hint: what is the best path between the
takeoff point and data collection target?)
Dryden (Start) – to
– Honolulu( land for service/rest) – to
– Kilauea
Kilauea – to –
Honolulu – to – Dryden
Weather and flight: What are the
acceptable weather conditions for this flight?
Light winds, less than
15% cloud coverage
Arrival airport: Where
will we land?
(hint: will you need to stop somewhere else before
returning to your original airport?)
Honolulu Airport
Teacher note:
It is recommended that we will
use an Air Force base for a landing site because
a NASA mission has close ties to the military.
Hickam airport is the only Air Force base in the
islands of Hawaii. Therefore it is considered to
be the ideal destination airport for the
mission. However the map builder for great
circle flight path display does not recognize
military airports and we will use Honolulu
Airport (the closest civilian airport) as a
landing site for this exercise instead of Hickam
airport.
Estimated time en
route: How many
hours will it take to get to each destination? (hint:
rate x time = distance)
1. From Dryden to
Honolulu
From Dryden to
Honolulu: (2600 mile/ 470 mph) = Time (5.5
hours)
Total flying time:
5.5 hours
2. From Honolulu to
Kilauea to Honolulu: ( approximately 400 miles)
From Honolulu to
Kilauea to Honolulu: 3 hours (data collection
time, including time to climb and descend
to/from 65,000 ft.)
Total flying time: 3
hours
3. From Honolulu to
Dryden
From Honolulu
to Dryden: (2600 mile/ 470 mph) = Time( 5.5
hours)
Total flying
time: 5.5 hours
Grand total:
5.5 hours + 3 hours + 5.5 hours = 14 hours
Arrival time: What
time will we land
at each destination? (hint: what time did you take
off and how long is your flight?)
Departure time +
Estimated en route hours, e.g., 8:00 am + X hours
and adjust for time change
What else do you need to
include in your
flight plan?
Adjustments for changes
in time.
________________________________________________________________________
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Activity sheet: Mission defining questions
(ARSM-8) - answer key
What would you need to know in order to
select the best aircraft for your remote sensing
mission? Generate a list of important mission
defining questions using this worksheet. Add
additional ideas for questions that may not fall into the
categories of questions in the space at the bottom of the
worksheet. Be prepared to share your list of questions
and rationale why the question is important.
| Categories of
questions |
Specific
questions |
| Factors related to
the aircraft and remote sensing instruments. |
How
much cargo (weight and size) can the aircraft
hold? |
| How
much power does the aircraft have available for
remote sensing instruments? |
| What
is the maximum altitude, speed, and flight
duration of the aircraft ? |
| What
are the weather conditions under which the
aircraft can fly? |
| How
many crew members are needed to fly the aircraft? |
| What
is the length of runway needed to takeoff and
land? |
| How
expensive is the aircraft to operate? |
| How
much does the remote sensing equipment weigh?
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| What
is the best altitude and aircraft speed for using
the remote sensing instrument to collect data?
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| How
much onboard power does the remote sensing
instrument require? |
| What
weather conditions are necessary for the best
data collection for the remote sensing
instrument? |
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| Factors other than
the aircraft and remote sensing instruments. |
What
are the weather conditions necessary for the
mission and what conditions are common at the
target site? |
| How
long will the data collection be? |
| What
time of year, or day, does the data need to be
collected? |
| What
hazards might interfere with the flight?
(volcanic ash) |
| Who
are the people involved in planning and flying
the mission? |
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| Factors involved in
the actual flight planning process. |
Where
does the aircraft have to fly? |
| How
long is the mission? |
| At
what altitude are the remote sensing images to be
gathered? |
| Who
are the available crew for flying the mission,
when are they available? |
| What
airports are suitable for the takeoff and
landings and in case of emergencies? |
| What is the
runway length at the available airports? |
| When is the
flight to take place? |
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Kids as Airborne Mission Scientists
Activity sheet:
Presentation rubric (ARSM-9)
Defining the parameters
of the airborne remote sensing mission
Presenters:
Reviewers:
Date of review:
Presentation
elements
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Rating |
| Strong |
Good |
Needs more work |
| Assess the questions that
addressed issues related to the type of aircraft
and remote sensing instruments. |
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| Assess the questions that
addressed factors other than aircraft and remote
sensing instruments. |
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| Assess the questions that
addressed factors involved in planning a flight. |
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| In general, the questions
presented were clearly stated. |
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| In general, the types of
questions listed were important to the to overall
mission. |
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| Evidence was presented that
justified each of the questions. |
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| The presenters provided evidence
of working effectively as a team. |
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Specific comments:
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rev 04 APR 01
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