Building a human-powered flying craft can be much more complicated than one would first imagine. There are no "premade" plans available for this type of craft. In addition, the crafts needed to be built with some "style," or in other words, they should represent something other than a flying machine. The concept of launching a…

In November 2008, a mass email sent by the department chairman arrived in the inboxes of the imaging and photographic technology students at the Rochester Institute of Technology. A great opportunity was in store for four lucky students. The department had received a request for proposals (RFP) sent by NASA to colleges around the United States…

Study of aeronautics is an interesting and motivating subject for students and educators alike. The activity described in this article--appropriate for upper elementary or middle school students--provides an excellent introduction to airplane design and the science of aerodynamics. It also gives students good experience applying knowledge from a…

The people at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are passionate about their work. NASA's missions are exciting to learners of all ages. Since its creation in 1958, NASA's people have been passionate about sharing their inspiring discoveries, research and exploration with students and educators. When retired Marine Corps General…

Two problems in projectiles are discussed which generate interesting loci.

We develop a two-dimensional flight simulator for lightweight (less than 10 g) indoor planes. The simulator consists of four coupled time differential equations describing the plane CG, plane pitch and motor. The equations are integrated numerically with appropriate parameters and initial conditions for two planes: (1) Science Olympiad and (2)…

"The 2006 Winter Meeting of the AAPT Was Over..."and the flight home from Anchorage to Cleveland was just about to end--eight hours in the air, only two complimentary beverages, no meals, a jump across four time zones, a one-year-old baby daughter, and a wife whose motto for the week was, "Why did they choose to have a winter meeting in Alaska?"…

The challenge was given to transform aviation-related programs to keep them from being eliminated. These programs were to be discontinued due to enrollment declines, costs, legislative mandates, lack of administrative support, and drastic state budget reductions. The New Rule was a paradigm shift of focus to the global market for program…

Through a new working group, tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are playing a critical leadership role in addressing some of the most difficult climate-related problems now facing the planet. Because of their unique cultural character, TCUs have an important voice. The American Indian and Alaska Native Climate Change Working Group was formed…

This paper describes our flight aboard NASA's C9 "Weightless Wonder," an aircraft that creates multiple periods of microgravity by conducting a series of parabolic maneuvers over the Gulf of Mexico. Because passengers often develop motion sickness during these parabolic maneuvers, the C9 is more affectionately known as the "Vomit Comet." To…

Describes a scheme for the mechanization of fixed-wing, lateral/directional dynamics as demonstrated on the EAI 580 analog/hybrid system. A review of the complete six degrees of freedom program is included, along with useful guidelines of aircraft simulation in the engineering laboratory. (Author/JN)

This article features NASA's FlyBy Math, a series of six standards-based distance-rate-time investigations in air traffic control. Sixth-grade students--acting as pilots, air traffic controllers, and NASA scientists--conduct an experiment and then use multiple mathematical representations to analyze and solve a problem involving two planes flying…

Friedman profiles Margy Natalie, 47, who has been a certified pilot for as long as she's been teaching. She owns her own airplane--a blue 1950 Ryan Navion B, has attended space camp and lists four airports as her favorite places in the world. She is one of the two public school teachers on full-time loan at the Smithsonian National Air and Space…

This report documents the training effectiveness of a map interpretation and terrain analysis course (MITAC) developed to enhance the ability of helicopter pilots to navigate accurately during low altitude terrain following flight. A study comparing student aviators taught by the MITAC technique with a control group of students taught by…

"Adult Language Learners: Context and Innovation" presents instructional practices that are particularly successful with adults. Adult language learners are goal oriented and direct their learning to fulfill particular needs or demands: to advance their studies, to progress up the career ladder, to follow business opportunities, to pass…