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NASA NTRS1993

Spaceship Earth: A partnership in curriculum writing

As the Apollo astronauts left Earth to venture onto the surface of another planetary body, they saw their home planet in a new global perspective. Unmanned NASA missions have given us a closer look at all the other planets in our solar system and emphasized the uniqueness of Earth as the only place in our solar system that can sustain life as we know it. Spaceship Earth is a new science curriculum which was developed to help students and teachers to explore the Earth, to see it in the global perspective, and to understand the relationships among life, the planet, and the sun. Astronaut photographs, especially shuttle pictures, are used as groundbased studies to help students to understand global Earth Science and integrate various aspects of physical, life, and social science. The Spaceship Earth curriculum was developed at by a team of JSC scientists working in collaboration with teachers from local school districts. This project was done under the auspices of Partner-In-Space, a local non-profit organization dedicated to improving science education and our general knowledge of space. The team met once a month for a year then assembled the curriculum during the summer. The project is now in the testing stage as the teachers try it out in their classrooms. It was supported by the Texas Education Agency and will be offered by the State of Texas as a supplemental curriculum for statewide use. Because the curriculum was developed by teachers, it is self contained and the lessons are easy to implement and give students concrete experiences. The three sub-units follow in a logical order, but may be used independently. If they are used separately, they may be tied together by the teacher returning to the basic theme of the global Earth as each unit is completed.

Lindstrom, Marilyn M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Tumuli and tubes: Teaching scientific techniques

Planetary and space science is the best way to teach basic chemistry, physics, and math. Einstein once said that 'man is drawn to the mysterious and it is from that that we achieve true art and science.' Planets and the processes that shape them are especially mysterious and fascinating to students, young and old, and because of this planetary geology kindles interest that draws them further into the world of science. At the very least, they are engaged enough to learn how science works, a key ingredient in scientific literacy. A project involving field measurements on Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, by a Geology 101 honors class is described. Hawaii is blessed with spectacular, active, accessible, and relatively safe basaltic eruptions. The study of volcanoes, the landforms they produce, and the processes that operate on and in volcanoes, combined with the study of volcanoes on the other planets, is an excellent way to link aspects of Hawaiian geology to the planets. During the past year we have taken advantage of our setting to organize a NASA field workshop for junior investigators and senior graduate students, made field trips and planetary volcanism the centerpieces of our annual Summer Workshop for Teachers, and led a field trip around Kilauea Volcano during the Challenger Center Faculty Development conference, held on the island of Hawaii last summer. An activity for the honors Geology 101 class (all undergraduates) at the University of Hawaii is presently being planned. Our goal is to give them some hands on experience working on a field project and applying what they have learned to planetary volcanoes. The work will include qualitative observations and quantitative measurements on volcanic lava flows. Follow-up activities will involve data analysis. The trip requires planning (at least 3 months before hand) everything from accommodations and insurance to the actual activities we will be doing. Our goal is to stimulate interest and awareness in the students' surroundings, in this case, volcanoes, and to include planetary applications and how studies of terrestrial geology greatly aids studies of the other planets. Two studies are planned both of which are active research projects being conducted by the authors. These projects, tumuli in pahoehoe flow fileds and lava tube cross-secational areas, are described.

Tatsumura, Michelle J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Roles, uses, and benefits of general aviation aircraft in aerospace engineering education

Many colleges and universities throughout the United States offer outstanding programs in aerospace engineering. In addition to the fundamentals of aerodynamics, propulsion, flight dynamics, and air vehicle design, many of the best programs have in the past provided students the opportunity to design and fly airborne experiments on board various types of aircraft. Sadly, however, the number of institutions offering such 'airborne laboratories' has dwindled in recent years. As a result, opportunities for students to apply their classroom knowledge, analytical skills, and engineering judgement to the development and management of flight experiments on an actual aircraft are indeed rare. One major reason for the elimination of flight programs by some institutions, particularly the smaller colleges, is the prohibitive cost of operating and maintaining an aircraft as a flying laboratory. The purpose of this paper is to discuss simple, low-cost, relevant flight experiments that can be performed using readily available general aviation aircraft. This paper examines flight experiments that have been successfully conducted on board the NASA Lewis Research Center's T-34B aircraft, as part of the NASA/AIAA/University Flight Experiment Program for Students (NAUFEPS) and discusses how similar experiments could be inexpensively performed on other general aviation aircraft.

Odonoghue, Dennis P.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A mission to Mercury and a mission to the moons of Mars

Two Advanced Design Projects were completed this academic year at Penn State - a mission to the planet Mercury and a mission to the moons of Mars (Phobos and Deimos). At the beginning of the fall semester the students were organized into six groups and given their choice of missions. Once a mission was chosen, the students developed conceptual designs. These designs were then evaluated at the end of the fall semester and combined into two separate mission scenarios. To facilitate the work required for each mission, the class was reorganized in the spring semester by combining groups to form two mission teams. An integration team consisting of two members from each group was formed for each mission team so that communication and exchange of information would be easier among the groups. The types of projects designed by the students evolved from numerous discussions with Penn State faculty and mission planners at the Lewis Research Center Advanced Projects Office. Robotic planetary missions throughout the solar system can be considered valuable precursors to human visits and test beds for innovative technology. For example, by studying the composition of the Martian moons, scientists may be able to determine if their resources may be used or synthesized for consumption during a first human visit.

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NASA NTRS1992

Hardware design of a grappling/docking device accommodating large lateral and angular misalignments

In this hardware project, continued from last year, the students developed ideas for a new grappling and docking mechanism that would be able to accommodate a very large initial misalignment (up to one half of the spacecraft radius) and simultaneously a large angular misalignment (up to 20 degrees) between space tug and space vehicle. The students were made familiar with the project by visiting TRW, where they could study the prototype of the NASA Orbiting Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV, since canceled). The students' objective was to design a model, built in the University machine shop, that would demonstrate the potential for much larger misalignments than was possible with the OMV.

Baker, Myles↗
NASA NTRS1992

Hardware design of a spherical mini-rover

In this hardware project the students designed the prototype of a novel mini-rover for the exploration of a planetary surface. In an actual application, a large number of such miniature roving devices would be released from a landing craft. Each rover would be equipped with a Cd 109 radio-isotope source (a gamma ray emitter) irradiating the planetary surface below the rover, and an x-ray fluorescence detector for a quantitative assay of high atomic weight elements in the planet's surface. (Similar, miniaturized, hand-held devices have recently been developed for use in gold mines). The device developed by the students was limited to demonstrating the mechanical and electrical drive. The geometric external shape is a sphere; hence there is no danger of the rover being turned on its back and stopped. Propulsion is by means of an interior mass, eccentric to the sphere and driven by an electric motor. In an inter-disciplinary effort in mechanical and electrical engineering, the students designed the mechanical parts, built the transistorized circuit board, and tested the device.

Tarlton, John↗
NASA NTRS1994

NASA-UVA light aerospace alloy and structures technology program (LA2ST)

The NASA-UVA Light Aerospace Alloy and Structures Technology (LA2ST) Program was initiated in 1986, and continues a high level of activity, with projects being conducted by graduate students and faculty advisors in the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Virginia. This work is funded by the NASA-Langley Research Center under Grant NAG-1-745. Here, we report on progress achieved between July 1 and December 31, 1993. The objective of the LA2ST Program is to conduct interdisciplinary graduate student research on the performance of next generation, light weight aerospace alloys, composites and thermal gradient structures in collaboration with NASA-Langley researchers. Specific technical objectives are presented for each research project. We generally aim to produce relevant data and basic understanding of material mechanical response, environmental/corrosion behavior, and microstructure; new monolithic and composite alloys; advanced processing methods; new solid and fluid mechanics analyses; measurement and modeling advances; and critically, a pool of educated graduate students for aerospace technologies.

Gangloff, Richard P.↗
NASA NTRS1994

An Interactive Educational Tool for Compressible Aerodynamics

A workstation-based interactive educational tool was developed to aid in the teaching of undergraduate compressible aerodynamics. The tool solves for the supersonic flow past a wedge using the equations found in NACA 1135. The student varies the geometry or flow conditions through a graphical user interface and the new conditions are calculated immediately. Various graphical formats present the variation of flow results to the student. One such format leads the student to the generation of some of the graphs found in NACA-1135. The tool includes interactive questions and answers to aid in both the use of the tool and to develop an understanding of some of the complexities of compressible aerodynamics. A series of help screens make the simulator easy to learn and use. This paper will detail the numerical methods used in the tool and describe how it can be used and modified.

Benson, Thomas J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Marsville: the Cosmic Village

This video describes an educational student activity sponsored by the Challenger Center for Space Science Education and the Educational Information and Resource Center, which was held at the Lewis Research Center. Marsville was held in May 1992, involving students from schools in three counties around Cleveland. In commemoration of the International Space Year, students worked together to plan a simulated colony on Mars, which culminated in the erection of a balloon tent 'city' at the Lewis Research Center.

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NASA NTRS1994

Virtual reality in medical education and assessment

The NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC)/LinCom Corporation, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB), and the Galveston Independent School District (GISD) have teamed up to develop a virtual visual environment display (VIVED) that provides a unique educational experience using virtual reality (VR) technologies. The VIVED end product will be a self-contained educational experience allowing students a new method of learning as they interact with the subject matter through VR. This type of interface is intuitive and utilizes spatial and psychomotor abilities which are now constrained or reduced by the current two dimensional terminals and keyboards. The perpetual challenge to educators remains the identification and development of methodologies which conform the learners abilities and preferences. The unique aspects of VR provide an opportunity to explore a new educational experience. Endowing medical students with an understanding of the human body poses some difficulty challenges. One of the most difficult is to convey the three dimensional nature of anatomical structures. The ideal environment for addressing this problem would be one that allows students to become small enough to enter the body and travel through it - much like a person walks through a building. By using VR technology, this effect can be achieved; when VR is combined with multimedia technologies, the effect can be spectacular.

Sprague, Laurie A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Mechanical properties of crosslinked polymer coatings

The objectives of this experiment are to: fabricate and test thin films to explore relations between a polymer's structure and its mechanical properties; expose students to testing methods for hardness and impact energy that are simple to perform and which have results that are easy to comprehend; show importance of polymer properties in materials that students frequently encounter; illustrate a system which displays a tradeoff between strength and impact resistance, the combination of which would need to be optimized for a particular application; and to expose students to coatings technology and testing.

Csernica, Jeffrey↗
NASA NTRS1994

NASA-UVA Light Aerospace Alloy and Structures Technology Program (LA2ST)

The NASA-UVA Light Aerospace Alloy and Structures Technology (LA2ST) Program was initiated in 1986 and continues with a high level of activity. Projects are being conducted by graduate students and faculty advisors in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, as well as in the Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics, at the University of Virginia. This work is funded by the NASA-Langley Research Center under Grant NAG-1-745. Here, we report on progress achieved between January 1 and June 30, 1994. These results were presented at the Fifth Annual NASA LA2ST Grant Review Meeting held at the Langley Research Center in July of 1994. The objective of the LA2ST Program is to conduct interdisciplinary graduate student research on the performance of next generation, lightweight aerospace alloys, composites, and thermal gradient structures in collaboration with NASA-Langley researchers. Specific technical objectives are presented for each research project. We generally aim to produce relevant data and basic understanding of material mechanical response, environmental/corrosion behavior, and microstructure; new monolithic and composite alloys; advanced processing methods; new solid and fluid mechanics analyses; measurement and modeling advances; and a pool of educated graduate students for aerospace technologies.

Gangloff, Richard P.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Parallel Architectures for Planetary Exploration Requirements (PAPER)

The project's main contributions have been in the area of student support. Throughout the project, at least one, in some cases two, undergraduate students have been supported. By working with the project, these students gained valuable knowledge involving the scientific research project, including the not-so-pleasant reporting requirements to the funding agencies. The other important contribution was towards the establishment of a graduate program in computer science at Hampton University. Primarily, the PAPER project has served as the main research basis in seeking funds from other agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, for establishing a research infrastructure in the department. In technical areas, especially in the first phase, we believe the trip to Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and gathering together all the pertinent information involving experimental computer architectures aimed for planetary explorations was very helpful. Indeed, if this effort is to be revived in the future due to congressional funding for planetary explorations, say an unmanned mission to Mars, our interim report will be an important starting point. In other technical areas, our simulator has pinpointed and highlighted several important performance issues related to the design of operating system kernels for MIMD machines. In particular, the critical issue of how the kernel itself will run in parallel on a multiple-processor system has been addressed through the various ready list organization and access policies. In the area of neural computing, our main contribution was an introductory tutorial package to familiarize the researchers at NASA with this new and promising field zone axes (20). Finally, we have introduced the notion of reversibility in programming systems which may find applications in various areas of space research.

Cezzar, Ruknet↗
NASA NTRS1994

Various advanced design projects promoting engineering education

The Universities Space Research Association (USRA) Advanced Design Program (ADP) program promotes engineering education in the field of design by presenting students with challenging design projects drawn from actual NASA interests. In doing so, the program yields two very positive results. Firstly, the students gain a valuable experience that will prepare them for design problems with which they will be faced in their professional careers. Secondly, NASA is able to use the work done by students as an additional resource in meeting its own design objectives. The 1994 projects include: Universal Test Facility; Automated Protein Crystal Growth Facility; Stiffening of the ACES Deployable Space Boom; Launch System Design for Access to Space; LH2 Fuel Tank Design for SSTO Vehicle; and Feed System Design for a Reduced Pressure Tank.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1994

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 43: The role of information resource training in aerospace education. Expanded version

Information resource instruction for undergraduate aerospace engineering students has traditionally been limited to an occasional part of the education process--a written paper required in the capstone design course or a library tour. Efforts to encourage the use of aerospace literature and information resources have been made in the past decade, with a recent push from information and, especially, networking technology. This paper presents data from a survey of U.S. aerospace engineering students regarding their instruction in the use of information resources. We find that more than 25 percent of the students surveyed had no instruction in technical communications skills or the use of information resources. We consider the need for instruction in the use of information resources and technical communications skills and the opportunities presented for improvement.

Lawrence, Barbara↗
NASA NTRS1994

Preparation of course materials: Elementary mathematics of powered flight

Non-science students at William and Mary will soon be required to take a mathematics course in order to earn a bachelor's degree. A standard menu of technique courses is the usual way in which universities provide for this requirement: Trigonometry, probability, geometry for teachers, and the like. In this work, we attempt to break away from these largely unsuccessful choices. Our intent is to prepare material that sets a variety of simple mathematical procedures in the context of a commonly experienced part of students' lives: riding in commercial airplanes. The work, begun last summer at Langley, is now close to completion and trial in upcoming fall term at William and Mary. As of this writing, the narrative is complete for 12 to 14 projected sections. We have prepared material on wind triangles, wind roses, navigation maps, drag induced loss of velocity for unpowered missiles (tennis balls), luggage and its effect on center of gravity, localized magnetic declination and VOR orientation, geometry of great circles, terminal velocity for falling bodies, pressure vessels: tires and balloons and blimps, global structure of declination lines, map projections (mercator, azimuthal equidistant, Lambert), ears and their reaction to altitude change. The next section will treat lift, drag and thrust. The last will treat control surfaces. The entire approach avoids any effort to investigate mathematical topics that arise in the solution of problems. And by the same token, we avoid any organized attempt to explain aeronautical engineering, even on an elementary level. We look only at enough mathematics to do a problem and we select only engineering topics that permit some kind of (elementary) mathematical analysis. In the end, we will think of the material as successful if two things happen: Students must come away with some confidence that even lay people can quantify parts of their surroundings. Other potential instructors must be willing to gain enough familiarity with the physical content of the material so that it can be used at other universities.

Rublein, George T.↗
NASA NTRS1995

NASA-UVA light aerospace alloy and structures technology program (LA2ST)

The NASA-UVa Light Aerospace Alloy and Structures Technology (LA2ST) Program was initiated in 1986 and continues with a high level of activity. Projects are being conducted by graduate students and faculty advisors in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, as well as in the Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics, at the University of Virginia. Here, we report on progress achieved between July 1 and December 31, 1994. The objective of the LA2ST Program is to conduct interdisciplinary graduate student research on the performance of next generation, light-weight aerospace alloys, composites and thermal gradient structures in collaboration with NASA-Langley researchers. Specific technical objectives are presented for each research project. We generally aim to produce relevant data and basic understanding of material mechanical response, environmental/corrosion behavior, and microstructure; new monolithic and composite alloys; advanced processing methods; new solid and fluid mechanics analyses; measurement and modeling advances; and a pool of educated graduate students for aerospace technologies.

Starke, Edgar A., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1994

NASA's Space Life Sciences Training Program

The Space Life Sciences Training Program (SLSTP) is an intensive, six-week training program held every summer since 1985 at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). A major goal of the SLSTP is to develop a cadre of qualified scientists and engineers to support future space life sciences and engineering challenges. Hand-picked, undergraduate college students participate in lectures, laboratory sessions, facility tours, and special projects: including work on actual Space Shuttle flight experiments and baseline data collection. At NASA Headquarters (HQ), the SLSTP is jointly sponsored by the Life Sciences Division and the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs: it has been very successful in attracting minority students and women to the fields of space science and engineering. In honor of the International Space Year (ISY), 17 international students participated in this summer's program. An SLSTP Symposium was held in Washington D. C., just prior to the World Space Congress. The Symposium attracted over 150 SLSTP graduates for a day of scientific discussions and briefings concerning educational and employment opportunities within NASA and the aerospace community. Future plans for the SLSTP include expansion to the Johnson Space Center in 1995.

Coulter, G.↗