Student reflection activity:

Prompt students to think about the following:

• Final project: How will they prepare information along the way?
• Types of questions they would need to answer to address the overall problem.
• Kinds of approaches they might use to answer their questions.

Assessment:

• Review the definitions developed by the students.

Ideas for math lesson connections

• Students create a chart which shows the relative altitude (to scale) of sea level, Kilauea, typical prop plane cruising altitude, commercial jet cruising altitude, satellite orbital radius

Related National Education Math Standards

• number and operations 
• geometry 
• measurement
• representation 

Ideas for geography lesson connections

• Students investigate the Hawaiian Islands. For example, the students might create a report describing the location, climate, history, culture, and geography of the island.

Related National Education Geography Standards

• Places and Regions (#4)

Ideas for technology lesson connections

• Word processing: Students create their own electronic journal for keeping notes on KaAMS project.
• Database: Students create a database of vocabulary words and terms they will learn throughout KaAMS.
• Graphics: Students create pictures of Hawaiian Islands, remote sensing missions, aeronautics.
• Presentation software: Students create a short presentation on their understanding of airborne remote sensing.
• Web development: Students begin to develop a web-site to report their progress and what they learn during the KaAMS project.

Related National Education Science Technology Standards

• The Designed World (#17) - Information and Communication

Mission request letter (ARS-1)

NASA Airborne Mission Science Division

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

Edwards, California 93536

 Dear airborne mission scientist,

      Our agency studies many types of natural hazards in the Pacific region including tsunamis, landslides, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. Kilauea, an erupting basaltic shield volcano on the island of Hawaii, has been continuously active since January, 1983. Since the beginning of the eruption, over 180 homes in many communities have been destroyed. In addition, the eruption has affected the island's road network. The main Chain of Craters Road linking the area near the top of Kilauea with the community of Kalepana has been covered by lava causing problems for the residents. Our agency constantly monitors Kilauea in a number of ways. We often utilize airborne image data to map the locations of recent lava flow deposits and, more importantly, the areas of the volcano where lava flows are currently active.

     We would like to request your help in locating active lava flows on Kilauea. The knowledge of their location will aid the Agency in providing information concerning the location and extent of lava flow activity and support the Agency's on-going effort to re-examine our emergency evacuation plans in the event of substantial eruptions.

     Thank you for your time and cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your report after completing your study and data analysis.

General information on remote sensing

remote sensing – the acquisition of information about an object, without being in physical contact with that object. 

aeronautics – the science (or action) dealing with the operation of aircraft and flight vehicles that fly within a planet's atmosphere.
astronautics – the science dealing with the operation of vehicles outside of a planet's atmosphere.   aerospace – a newer term that combines the disciplines of astronautics and aeronautics.

airborne remote sensing – the use of aircraft to house remote sensing instruments during data collection missions as opposed to housing remote sensing instruments on spacecraft or satellites.There are many reasons why remote sensing is used to study the environmental and climatic problems on the Earth.

• Remote sensing can be used on either aircraft or satellites. KaAMS focuses on the use of airplanes to collect data using 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.
• The data being used in the KaAMS project are airborne (as opposed to space borne) remote sensing data. With this in mind, it will be useful to understand the terms "aeronautics" and "remote sensing."