Kids as Airborne Mission Scientists

What are airborne mission scientists and what do they do?

Overall problem: Where are there 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 complete a NASA Airborne Science Flight Request Form for conducting an aeronautics remote sensing mission for a given scenario. To do this, students must apply the basic knowledge they have constructed about remote sensing and aeronautics, figure out what airborne mission scientists are and how they can contribute to planning a mission, and interpret information on the science of the given mission and types of remote sensing instrumentation and aircraft available. They must then choose the best approach to complete their mission. Students will role play different types of airborne mission scientists, collaborating on the mission plan given information based on each of their roles. This activity will establish their work as airborne mission scientists throughout the remainder of KaAMS.

Estimated time required: 5 to 6 class periods

Student outcomes/objectives:

• Describe the types of airborne mission scientists and the activities in which they are involved.
• Describe how aeronautic, remote sensing, and earth scientists might work together to investigate environmental problems.
• Describe a process for investigating problems, i.e. scientific method, using aircraft and remote sensing instruments.
• Complete a NASA Airborne Science Flight Request Form. 

Prerequisite skills or knowledge:

• Working in teams
• Concept mapping (relationship mapping)
• Basic understanding of problem solving
• Basic reading skills
• Basic presentation preparation and skills

Teacher preparation:

• Print Student Journal / Activity sheets for these activities
• Print Problem scenarios and Remote sensing instrument descriptions
• Secure internet computers and projection equipment.
• Bookmark websites for initial presentation of NASA mission scientists at work.
• Bookmark student website on student machine (if not available, print and copy student problem scenario website)
• Order sets of the research aircraft lithographs from the nearest NASA Teacher Resource Center (http://spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov/Educational.Services/How.to.Access.Information/erc_state.html) – 1 set per  student group or print copies of aircraft fact sheets from urls given below.

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

Teacher activities

Student activities

Ask what images come to mind when you hear the term airborne mission scientist?

• Note: students will most likely not have a good definition of airborne mission scientists at this time. You may want to prompt them to first think about each of the words what they think about them separately and then together. 
• An option may be to have them draw pictures of airborne mission scientists, e.g.,  what they think they look like, what their work environment looks like, and tasks they complete during explorations.
  See Activity sheet: Describing an airborne mission scientist (AMS-1)

Teacher note: This lesson plan is intended to provide a basis for the students participating as airborne mission scientists throughout all of KaAMS. It is designed to be short, no more than a couple of class periods. The idea is to get the students thinking about what airborne mission scientists are and how they work together. Thus, the activity is simplified and provided as a primer to the unit.

Sample student responses:

• airborne – work in airplanes
• mission – secret, exploring
• scientist – chemicals, lab coats, etc. 

Optional student activity:

• Describe or draw your idea of what an airborne mission scientist might look like, what their work environment looks like, and tasks they complete during explorations. See Activity sheet: Describing an airborne mission scientist (AMS-1)

Explain to students that they will now participate in a short activity to explore problems that airborne mission scientists investigate. In this activity they will assume the role of one type of airborne mission scientist. During this process you will begin a mission in much the same way an actual NASA mission starts. You will develop a formal request for use of NASA resources to study a real problem. 

• For the purposes of this activity, groups of students will be asked to complete a simplified NASA form to request the resources to complete an airborne remote sensing mission. They will then present their request to a NASA panel (their peers and teacher).

Separate students into groups and refer each group to one of the following Problem scenarios describing actual NASA missions:

• Study the decrease in the amount of ozone in Earth's Atmosphere.
• Study effects of smoke and aerosols on climate.
• Study the effect of snow and ice on climate.
• Study moisture levels in hurricanes.

Teacher note: To simplify this activity you may choose to select only one scenario for the entire class and treat each group as a competing team. If your students are new to collaborative group work it may also be desirable for you to guide your students through this process by identifying specific questions to be addressed by each of the "expert" groups (see below).

Refer the students to the Activity sheet: NASA Airborne Science Flight Request Form (AMS-4) and Group activity instructions (AMS-2) in their Student Journal (or distribute copies if not using the journal.) 

Provide an activity overview:

• In groups, examine the Activity sheet: NASA Airborne Science Flight Request Form (AMS-4) and develop a list of questions which need to be answered to complete the request form, e.g., what aircraft do I want to use?
  See Activity sheet: Question categorization chart (AMS-3)
• Each group should identify a person to assume the role of an expert in each of the following: 

• aeronautics – shares ideas on aircraft available
• remote sensing – shares ideas on remote sensing instruments
• science expert – shares ideas on problem being investigated 

• Tell students to categorize using the provided Activity sheet: Question categorization chart (AMS-3) the questions they create according to their perception of which expert is most likely to have knowledge in that area, e.g., science objectives - science expert, remote sensing instrument - remote sensing expert.

Allow students time to general categorize their list of questions to complete the flight request form. 

Prompt students to break up into groups of experts, e.g., the science experts, aeronautics experts, and remote sensing experts get together.

Student activity:

• Carefully listen to instructions.

Student activities:

• Develop a list of questions that need to be answered to complete the flight request form. See Activity sheet: Question categorization chart (AMS-3)

• Choose/assign roles as either environmental science expert, aeronautics expert, or remote sensing expert within each team.

• Decide which questions should be answered by each "expert."

Sample student responses:

• aeronautics expert - type of aircraft, characteristics of the aircraft
• remote sensing expert - characteristics and purposes of available remote sensing instruments
• science expert - objectives of mission, type of data to collect

Student activity:

Categorize list of questions using the provided Activity sheet: Question categorization chart (AMS-3)

Provide students, separated into their "expert" groups, with information related to their area of expertise. The teacher should decide what method of obtaining the information is appropriate. Suggestions may include:

• Provide the science experts with a description of the Problem scenarios, aeronautics experts with copies of  NASA Dryden aircraft lithographs (pictures with descriptions, websites, etc.), remote sensing experts with descriptions of the RS instruments.
• Bookmark aircraft websites and send aeronautics experts to the website to find necessary information

Refer students to their journals for the following or Distribute information to groups:

• Group activity instructions (AMS-2)
• Problem scenarios
• Remote sensing instrument descriptions
• Lithographs of aircraft, spotter cards or fact sheet websites
• Activity sheet: NASA Airborne Science Flight Request Form (AMS-4) 

Teacher resources:

• Actual NASA missions – Information for students and teachers information and links to mission websites

Remote sensing resources:

• General overview of remote sensing from aircraft
• Remote sensing instrument descriptions

Aircraft resources:

• ER 2
• DC 8
• P-3B Orion *
• King Air *
• Pathfinder/Centurion
• SR-71 Blackbird

* Lithographs not available for these aircraft

Student activity:

• Aeronautics experts answer aeronautics questions. 
• Remote sensing experts answer remote sensing questions. 
• Science experts answer science questions. 

Prompt students to return to their original groups to:

• Complete the Activity sheet: NASA Airborne Science Flight Request Form (AMS-4). 
• Prepare a formal presentation to state their request to a mock NASA review panel (their peers and teacher). 

Teacher note: Activity sheet: NASA Airborne Science Flight Request Presentation/Scoring Rubric(AMS-5) is provided for this activity to guide the students in preparing their presentations and aid the panel in evaluating the request. The following are recommended criteria:

• Did the group make a strong case for the importance of the environmental issue being studied?
• Did the group provide evidence supporting their choice of aircraft?
• Did the group provide evidence supporting their choice of remote sensing device?
• Did the group show evidence of working together as a team?

Prompt groups to make their presentations.

Debrief presentations by prompting discussion on the way that airborne mission scientist work together to plan missions, e.g., pool their expertise.

Engage students in a reflection activity either writing a new description or drawing a new picture of an airborne mission scientist at work. See Activity sheet: Describing an airborne mission scientist (AMS-6)

Prompt students to complete the reflection page in their journals. See Activity sheet: Reflection page(AMS-7)

Introduce the next lesson.

Student activities:

• Complete the Activity sheet: NASA Airborne Science Flight Request Form (AMS-4). 

• Review the Activity sheet: NASA Airborne Science Flight Request Presentation/Scoring Rubric(AMS-5). 
  

• Prepare to present group's request to the mock NASA review panel.

Student activities:

• Complete the scoring rubrics for each group's presentation.

• Write a new description or draw a new picture of an airborne mission scientist at work. See Activity sheet: Describing an airborne mission scientist (AMS-6)
  

• Respond to the questions in the Activity sheet: Reflection page (AMS-7).

Student reflection activities:

• Prompt students to create a visual model of the process of scientific inquiry for investigating their problem including the steps taken, people and resources involved, decision points, etc. 
• Direct students to draw a new picture of their conception of airborne mission scientists and write a list of at least 5 tasks in which they are involved. Collect drawings and use to compare initial drawings to final drawings as a way to assess student understanding.

Assessment:

• Check for key characteristics of problem scenarios, including:
  • problem definition
  • key question to investigate
  • type of aircraft and remote sensing instrumentation that is most appropriate
  • plan for the investigation (following the scientific method)

• Check the list of questions generated by further investigation. It should include:
  • Aeronautics science (e.g., how planes fly, how they can be used for remote sensing, different types of aircraft, how does weather affect remote sensing flights, etc.)
  • Remote sensing science (e.g., how do they work, what do the instruments sense)
  • Natural disaster investigations, based on their scenario (e.g., how do you measure ozone? where is the best place to investigate the effects of smoke on climate? etc.)
• Check visual representation of the relationship between people and resources involved in complex scientific investigations of natural disasters. Model should reflect use of aeronautics and remote sensing.

• Compare initial and final drawings of airborne mission scientists.

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• Students create a diagram labeling the various layers of the atmosphere and showing their relative thickness.
• Students create a pie chart showing the components of air and their relative abundance.
• Students calculate the circumference, surface area, and volume of the earth when given the radius.

Related National Education Math Standards:

• number and operations
• geometry
• measurement
• representation

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Ideas for geography lesson connections:

• Students identify the latitude and longitude of the natural disaster locations in sample scenarios.
• Students identify geographic locations that may be impacted by the natural disaster and create a profile based on population, potential animal endangerment, etc. in sample scenarios

Related National Education Geography Standards:

• The World in Spatial Terms (#1)
• The World in Spatial Terms (#2)
• The Uses of Geography (#18)

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Ideas for technology lesson connections:

• Students learn to use presentation software while creating a presentation on their problem scenario .
• Students learn to use concept mapping, flow charting, or graphic software to create a visual representation of the decision-making process they used in completing their flight request form.
• Students learn to use html or web page development software to create a website with links to web pages containing information about their problem scenario .

Related National Education Science Technology Standards:

• The Designed World (#17) Information and Communication

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Actual NASA missions – Information for teachers and students

Background information: You may want to provide web sites to students after the activity begins to help prompt their thinking or after completing their flight request form to check their answers against the actual project. Sites are technical but are rich in pictures and explanations.

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General overview of remote sensing from aircraft

What is remote sensing?

"Remote sensing" is the observation of the Earth from distant vantage points, usually by/from satellites or aircraft. Cameras mounted on these platforms capture detailed pictures of the Earth that reveal features not apparent to the naked eye. Once captured, the images are passed on to analysts who interpret the data, extract information, and use it to answer questions. This information may be used to map forests, detect pollution, measure elevation, locate a diseased crop, and answer a variety of other questions.

There are many reasons why remote sensing is used to study the environmental and climatic problems of the Earth. As previously discussed, remote sensing can be used on either aircraft or satellites. This activity will focus on the use of airplanes to collect data from remote sensing.

Remote sensing from aircraft has three primary uses: monitoring, diagnosing and understanding.

• Monitoring involves collecting data over a period of time during which the conditions affecting the problem may change. This will give the scientists an idea of what may be causing the problem, which leads into the second use.
• Diagnosis. The data collected can be analyzed to determine what is causing the problem.
• Once this is known, the data will be used in further understanding the problem, which is the third primary use. Once scientists understand the problem, they can better treat it in the future.

There are many different kinds of remote sensors ranging from simple cameras to sophisticated digital equipment that sense different levels of heat, light, and gases. Consequently these sensors have a wide range of sizes and weights and utilize numerous methods of data communication and storage. Some remote sensors work best at certain altitudes or below certain speeds. Others may be limited to the best weather possible, and some can see through even the worst clouds and rain. All of these factors must be considered when choosing the most appropriate sensor.

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Group activity instructions (AMS-2)

Your goal is to create a flight request for your given problem statement. You will need to determine what questions need to be answered to complete the request form. Then, working with your team, you will need to complete the flight request form. Your goal is not to "solve" the stated problem, it is to develop a plan on how to investigate this problem using aircraft and remote sensing.

1. In your group, review the Activity sheet: NASA Airborne Science Flight Request Form (AMS-4) and:

• develop a list the questions or information needed to complete the form
• separate the questions by expertise, who is most likely able to answer the question?
  • a science expert
  • an aeronautics expert
  • a remote sensing instrumentation expert

2. Assign each member of your team a different role:

• Science expert – becomes familiar with information about the problem scenario 
• Aeronautics expert – becomes familiar with information about the aircraft 
• Remote sensing expert– becomes familiar with information about remote sensing instruments 

3. When directed by the teacher, separate into expert groups, each member of your group will now meet with the team of aeronautics, remote sensing, or science experts.

4. In expert groups, review the provided expert information and work together to answer your assigned question.

5. When directed by your teacher, return to your original group.

6. In your original group, each member should share the information learned during the expert group meeting and together, complete the Activity sheet: NASA Airborne Science Flight Request Form (AMS-4). Your group should develop a short presentation that explains your request to use NASA resources. Presentations should meet the following criteria:

• Did we make a strong case for the importance of the environmental issue being studied?
• Did we provide evidence supporting the choice of aircraft?
• Did we provide evidence supporting the choice of remote sensing instrument?
• Did we show evidence of working together as a team?

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Activity sheet: Airborne science flight request form (AMS-4)

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Problem scenarios (AMS-2 & AMS-2A)

Problem scenario 1: Study the decrease in the amount of ozone in the Earth's atmosphere

Why is it important? How can we measure the amount of ozone in the atmosphere? How can we study ozone loss and the gain we hope occurs in the future?

Ozone is a gas found in Earth/s atmosphere that screens the harmful form of radiation from the sun, ultraviolet radiation, that is responsible for sunburn and skin cancer. Most of the ozone in Earth/s atmosphere is found in a part of the atmosphere known as the stratosphere. The stratosphere is the region from about 30,000 feet to 180,000 feet above the Earth/s surface. Within the stratosphere, the amount of ozone is greatest between 50,000 feet and 100,000 feet. Even though we say greatest, it/s not very much. Only one or two molecules of ozone for every one million air molecules found there! Remember, air is about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other elements.

Problem scenario 2: Study effects of smoke and aerosols on climate

Why is it important and how can we study the effects on the clouds and the climate due to smoke from burning biomass and aerosols? (Biomass is vegetation and wastes from animals, which includes wood, grass, algae, garbage, and plant products. It can be used as an energy source like gasoline or coal.)

Scientists are interested in things that man does on the earth that affect the atmosphere. When someone burns leaves in their backyard or uses an aerosol hairspray for instance, it can actually affect the weather. One or two people doing those things might not have any effect, but when you multiply one or two by the millions of people in cities and include industrial companies who do those things on a much larger scale, the weather and climate can actually be changed, Man can have a serious effect on his environment. A series of experiments to help scientists better understand the effects on the clouds and the climate due to smoke from burning biomass and aerosols are called The Smoke/Sulfate Clouds and Radiation experiments. In the experiments scientists carefully examined gases and clouds in the atmosphere containing chemicals from aerosols and biomass burning as well as those found on the Earth's surface.

Problem scenario 3: Study the effect of snow and ice on climate

Why is it important and how can we study the effect of snow and ice on climate?

Snow covers about 40% of the entire surface of the Earth during winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Because it is white, snow reflects a lot of light and therefore it has an effect on the amount of radiation falling on and being reflected from the Earth. The balance of radiation has an effect on biological (life processes), chemical (chemical processes), and geological processes (processes associated with the earth itself). Many areas of the earth depend on the melting of snow to water crops and for drinking water. It is necessary to carefully watch snow packs throughout the winter and spring to keep track of the water supply and the possibility of flooding.

Problem scenario 4: Study moisture levels in hurricanes

Why is it important and how can we study the amount of moisture in hurricanes?

NASA uses remote sensing instruments to learn about the way hurricanes are formed, how they move, and how they change. Knowledge of this kind can help hurricane forecasters make better predictions. If they have a better idea where a hurricane will make landfall, less people may have to evacuate their homes. Better predictions could also improve the early warning times for areas that might be affected. This could potentially save lives.

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Remote sensing instrument descriptions

for Students

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Kids as Airborne Mission Scientist

  NASA Airborne science flight request presentation scoring rubric (AMS-5)

 

q Recommend to accept request                            q Recommend to deny request

Why? Support your decision: