Support -- Developing the mission flightl plan

SUPPORT

Student reflection activities:

Prompt students to think about the following:

Why do you need to consider aircraft characteristics, remote sensing instruments, outside factors, and the flight planning parameters when planning a mission?
What was their original thought on the best aircraft for the mission given only the aircraft characteristics and how did it change after considering other factors and mission parameters?
What role does questioning play in scientific inquiry?
Why does understanding the principles of flight help you develop a mission plan?

Assessment:

Check the information collected by the students on their worksheets for accuracy.
Check students rationale for selecting aircraft given the information they gathered.
Review flight plans for accuracy.

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Ideas for math lesson connections:

Given the flight duration and distance to be traveled, fuel efficiency of aircraft, and fuel cost, students estimate the fuel costs for the mission.
Students create a scale map of the flight path, using units appropriate for NASA missions. Students can also practice metric to British and British to metric system conversions.
Students examine flight path from Dryden Flight Research Center in California to Hickam AFB in Honolulu, Hawaii and identify the relationship between arc length and radius around a circle. This could be a convenient time to introduce different angle measures.

Related National Education Math Standards:

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Ideas for geography lesson connections:

Students study the weather conditions for each location, Southern California and Hawaii for different times of the year and use this information to determine when the best time of year is for conducting this mission based upon mission requirements.
Students develop relief maps of the target location and plot the coral reefs on their map/model using latitude and longitude measures.

Related National Education Geography Standards:

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Ideas for technology lesson connections:

Students use the Internet to locate information regarding the development of various methods for navigation including inventors and inventions. Emphasis could be placed on air navigation to reduce the scope.
Students use email to contact air traffic controllers and/or aircraft navigators to learn about the systems and methods employed to make sure aircraft safely reach their destinations.

Related National Education Science Technology Standard:

The Designed World (#17) Information and Communication
Technology and society (#7) The influence of technology on history
The Designed World (#18) Transportation technologies

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Activity sheet: Aircraft characteristics (DMFP-1) - answer key

The blue bolded text represents the information that students identify from the given websites

		SR-71	ER-2	DC-8	King-Air	Pathfinder
Aircraft characteristics	Purpose	high altitude / high speed research	flying laboratory, environmental research	flying laboratory, environmental research	environmental research, people transport	environmental research
	Maximum equipment weight	2,000 lbs.	2600 lbs.	30,000 lbs.	4400 lbs.	100 lbs.
	Maximum equipment power	some available	high capacity 28 volts DC	high capacity AC/DC 125 KW 400 Hz& 60 Hz	some available AC/DC 60 amps DC	2 kW
	Altitude	85,000 ft	65,000 - 70,000 ft	41,000 ft	35,000 ft usually 26,000 ft.	80,200+ ft
	Maximum cruise speed	2,200 mph	470 mph	570 mph	300 mph	21 mph
	Maximum cruise range	2,000 miles	3,000 miles	4,500 miles	2,000 miles	14-15 hours (315 miles)
	Crew	1-2	1	4 to 50	2 to 4	0
	Weather requirements	clear, stable	takeoff in up to 15 knot cross winds	takeoff in up to 35 knot cross winds	anything but icy weather	maximum 12 mph wind at take off, limited or no clouds
	Needed Runway Length	.	500 to 1500 ft.	6,000 ft	1900 ft.	200 ft.
	Expense	very high	moderate	moderate	low	low

Can you select the best aircraft for KaAMS mission based on what you know?
Which aircraft is the best aircraft? Why?

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Group activity reference sites

Groups	Student Activities
Group 1- Selecting aircraft based on remote sensing instrument parameters	Students are encouraged to think through the process of selecting the most appropriate research aircraft given specific remote sensing instrument parameters. Students will use an Activity sheet: Selecting aircraft based on remote sensing instrument parameters (DMFP-2) and accompanying table (DMFP-2A) to compare important features of AVIRIS with those of NASA research aircraft. AVIRIS
Group 2- Selecting aircraft based on mission planning factors	Students are encouraged to explore various factors that affect flight and propose which aircraft would be best suitable for the overall mission. Students will use an Activity sheet: Selecting aircraft based on mission planning factors (DMFP-3) and accompanying table (DMFP-3A) to investigate the factors that may affect mission planning.
Group 3- Selecting aircraft based on flight planning parameters	Students are encouraged to identify the appropriate airports, available airport runway length, flight distance, and time to help them identify flight planning parameters that are important in mission planning. Students will use an Activity sheet: Selecting aircraft based on flight planning parametersand accompanying table (DMFP-4A) to help them select the best aircraft based on flight planning parameters. Map of NASA Dryden Hawaii airports Airport information

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Activity Sheet: Selecting aircraft based on remote sensing instrument parameters (DMFP-2) - answer key

There are many different kinds of remote sensing instruments. They come in a wide variety of sizes and weights based on their purpose and the methods they use for data communication and storage. Some remote sensing instruments work best at certain altitudes or below certain speeds. Others may be limited to the certain weather conditions. All of these factors must be considered when choosing the most appropriate aircraft for the mission.

The remote sensing instrument for this mission is the AVIRIS. Characteristics of the AVIRIS include:
- Weight: 720+ pounds
- Power requirements: 28 volts DC, 400 Hz
- Best altitudes for data collection: 35,000 to 65,000 feet
- Best speed for collecting data: 450 mph

Consider the following questions as you consider the optimal aircraft for flying a mission using the AVIRIS:

How much power does the remote sensing instrument need to operate? Is it available on the aircraft?
At what altitude can the aircraft fly? What is the optimal altitude for operating AVIRIS?
How fast does the aircraft fly? What is the optimal speed for collecting data using the AVIRIS?

Activity sheet: Aircraft selection table based on remote sensing instrument (DMFP-2A) - answer key

			SR-71	ER-2	DC-8	King-Air	Pathfinder
Remote sensing instrument	Equipment weight	720 lbs.
	Necessary equipment power	28 volts DC, 400 HZ
	Aircraft altitude	30,000 to 65,000 ft.
	Aircraft speed	300-470 mph
	Select the best aircraft		.	X	X	X	.
	Why or why not?		too fast, lacks equipment power	altitude, payload, speed	altitude, payload, speed	altitude, payload	too much payload

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Activity Sheet: Selecting aircraft based on mission planning factors (DMFP-3) - answer key

Suppose that you are preparing to take a vacation. Generally you think about where you are going, when you will leave and arrive, and what you will do while away. You might also think about other possibilities that might affect your journey such as car trouble, weather, and money. Like planning a vacation, mission planners think about factors that might affect a mission. What factors do you think need to be considered when developing a mission plan?

When to fly, flight distance and duration, target locations, weather, number of flight passes (duration), time of day for data collection, people involved in flight operations, ground crew

Weather and cloud cover, day or night

Here is information provided by a mission planner that needs to be considered for this mission.

Mission planning factors

Maximum cruise range	3000 miles
How often will data need to be collected?	1 time
What time of day will data need to be collected	daylight
What are the weather requirements for the mission?	clear skies, less than 15% clouds

Select the optimal aircraft while thinking about the following questions:

What is/are the best aircraft considering the range of the flight?
What is/are the best aircraft considering time of day for data collection?
What is/are the best aircraft considering the required weather conditions?

Activity sheet: Aircraft selection table based on mission planning factors (DMFP-3A) - answer key

			SR-71	ER-2	DC-8	King-Air	Pathfinder
Mission possibilities	How far do I need to be able to fly the aircraft to collect data?	over 2600 miles
	How many passes are needed for data collection?	1 time
	When do I need to sense data?	day
	Weather requirements	clear skies
	Select the best aircraft		.	X	X	.	X
	Why and why not?		too fast to collect data, flight time	flight time	flight time	flight time	flight time

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Activity sheet: Selecting aircraft based on the important questions for flight planning (DMFP-4) - answer key

When a mission planner develops a flight plan, many different parameters are defined that help select the aircraft and plan the mission. The following questions are commonly researched: What aircraft is available to fly the mission? What is the necessary runway length for the available aircraft? Where will the aircraft need to fly, how long will it fly? What airports are near the target site? Do we have access to those airports? Do the available airports have the necessary equipment to support the aircraft?

For this mission, consider the available airports between the aircrafts' home base and the target remote sensing location. Where are the airports that can be used to support this mission? Edwards AFB - home of the NASA Dryden research aircraft- and airport in Hawaii is Honolulu

Where is NASA Dryden located? NASA Dryden is on Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California

Where is the remote sensing target location? Coral reefs at Kailua Bay on the island of Oahu.

How far is it from the home base to the target? Approximately 2600 miles between Dryden and Kailua Bay

Here is additional information provided by mission planning:

One pilot is available who is prepared to fly the mission, no other pilots are available, ground and support crews are available to support any type of aircraft at all airports.

Data needs to be gathered from an altitude of 65,000 ft.

Airport runway lengths are between 5,600 and 12,000 ft.

Consider the following questions while selecting the optimal aircraft for this mission.

What aircraft is best given the availability of crew?

Which aircraft is best given the altitude requirement?

Which aircraft is best given the runway length of the available airports?

Activity sheet: Aircraft properties table for mission possibilities for flight plan (DMFP-4A) - answer key

			SR-71	ER-2	DC-8	King-Air	Pathfinder
Flight plan	Airport runway	5,600 - 12,000 ft.
	Crew available	1
	Altitude of image	65,000 ft
	Select the best aircraft		X	X	.	.	.X
	Why and why not?	.	altitude, crew	altitude, crew	altitude, not enough crew	altitude, not enough crew	altitude, runway

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Activity: Creating a flight plan

Activity sheet: Flight planning table (DMFP-6)

Name:

Material/information required:

Map on takeoff, mission target, and landing sites
Type of aircraft for the mission
Ruler and unit conversion information
Sample flight plan form

Key activity	Questions for flight plan	Answers for flight plan	Why is it important?
Identify mission	What is your mission?	To find and evaluate the state of coral reefs	I need to identify the problem in order to find solutions for KaAMS mission.
	What aircraft have you chosen?	ER-2	I must choose appropriate aircraft for investigating the mission.
	Where is the mission site?	Kailua Bay on the island of Oahu	I must identify where the aircraft will fly for the mission.
Gather airport information	What is the departure airport?	NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California	Because we will use NASA aircraft, departure airport should be a NASA airport base and near Hawaii.
	When will the aircraft take off?	Early morning, 8:00 a.m. western standard time	Because we need to collect data about coral reefs during daytime, the aircraft must takeoff early morning.
	What will be the cruise speed of ER-2 aircraft?	470 mph	Since it will take a long time to fly over Kailua Bay, we need to check the cruise speed of ER-2 to estimate the total flight time
	What weather is required for take off?	Light winds, less than 15 % cloud coverage	We need to check the conditions of airport to take off safely.
	Where is the landing site for this mission?	Honolulu Airport	It is recommended that we use an Air Force base for a landing site because it is easier to route the flights through the military and 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 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 (the closest civilian airport) as a landing site for this exercise instead of Hickam airport.
Identifying the airport code	NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base	edw	X
Identifying the airport code	Honolulu Airport	hnl	X
Creating flight plan	Write your overall flight path	Dryden - Honolulu - the mission site (Kailua Bay )- Honolulu - Dryden	Since it will take a long time from NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base to Honolulu Airport, the ER-2 airplane will need to land and refuel at the Honolulu Airport before collecting the data and before returning to the home base at Dryden.
	Calculate the distance from takeoff to data collection pattern	About 2600 mile	X
	Calculate the flight time from Dryden to Honolulu airport	About 5.5 hours	2600 miles (Total distance) / 470 mph (ER-2 maximum cruise speed)
	Calculate the time for data collection	About 3 hours	We need to know the time for data collection to calculate total flight time as well as the time it will take to climb and descend to/from an altitude of 65,000 ft.

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Activity sheet: Map of airborne remote sensing mission flight path (DMFP-7)

MAP–1

Draw the flight path from NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base to Honolulu Airport.

MAP–2

Draw the flight path to and from Honolulu Airport and Kailua Bay.

Latitude/Longitude for our mission:

Upper left coordinate:
21° 25' 35" N

157° 44' 5" W

Lower left coordinate:
21° 24' 44" N

151° 42' 36" W

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Actual flight path

1) To and from Dryden and Honolulu

2)To and from Honolulu and Kailua Bay

Latitude/Longitude for our mission:

Upper left coordinate:
21° 25' 35" N

157° 44' 5" W

Lower left coordinate:
21° 24' 44" N

151° 42' 36" W

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Activity sheet: My flight plan for the KaAMS mission (DMFP-8)

Based on the flight planning table, flight path maps, and all information about flight planning, briefly write an essay about your own flight plan for KaAMS mission.

Description of flight plan

The ER-2 aircraft is located at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California. This is where the airplane will take off to begin the flight. Takeoff will be at 8:00 AM western standard time under clear skies with less than 15% cloud coverage, and less than 15 knot (17.3 mph) cross winds. The ER-2 will then fly to a cruise altitude of approximately 65,000 feet for about 5.5 hours on its way to Hawaii. The landing destination is Honolulu airport located on the island of Oahu. Hickam Air Force Base is located near the Honolulu airport. The aircraft will land at approximately 11:30 AM Hawaii time. After landing in Honolulu, the ER-2 will be refueled, and the pilot will rest before beginning the data collection. From Honolulu, the aircraft will fly for approximately one and a half hours to and from the coral reef site on the Island of Oahu for data collection. The remote sensing equipment will be turned on for data collection over the Kailua Bay, then turned off to return to Honolulu Airport. The total duration of the data collection leg of the flight will occupy approximately one and a half hours including the climb and decent to/from an altitude of 65,000 feet. Again refueling and rest for the pilot is needed before flying back to California. The final portion of the trip is returning the ER-2 to its home base at NASA Dryden. The aircraft will take off from Honolulu airport, fly for 5.5 hours, and land at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California.

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Activity sheet: Airborne science flight request form (DMFP-5) - answer key

AIRBORNE SCIENCE FLIGHT REQUEST FORM

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Investigation title: Should acitivies be restricted around coral reefs?

Reason for requesting use of NASA facilities: Use of AVIRIS sensors and the ER-2 aircraft are essential for collecting data about coral reefs at Kailua Bay.

Investigator(s): Kids as Airborne Mission Scientists participants

Background and primary science objectives:

To study the coral reefs at Kailua Bay.

Aircraft required: ER-2 DC-8 P-3B Orion

(circle) King Air Pathfinder SR-71 Blackbird

Data requirements and aircraft sensor:

TYPE OF DATA BEING COLLECTED: Airborne images of Kailua Bay showing the coral reef features. The images will show characteristics that we may not be able to see with our eyes.

SENSORS (circle):

MODIS AVIRIS MAMS MACAWS Harvard Co2