NASA
The X-1 Paper Glider Kit
After reading an interesting account of how the X-1 aircraft was designed, built, and utilized, young engineers try their hand at constructing a paper glider version of the airplane. They cut out the plane out of a nicely designed...
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Trimmed Aircraft
Students, after reading an explanation from a NASA Web-based textbook, demonstrate an understanding of the text by applying it to the calculations involving the motion of an airplane.
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Aircraft Motion
Students, after reading an explanation from a NASA Web-based textbook, demonstrate an understanding of the text by applying it to the calculations involving the motion of an airplane.
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Aircraft Motion
Students, after reading an explanation from a NASA Web-based textbook, demonstrate an understanding of the text by applying it to the calculations involving the motion of an airplane.
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Stories of the Wrights' Flights
Young scholars examine primary sources to understand the work of Wright Brothers. In this aviation history lesson, students study how primary documents and images are analyzed and write essays about the signifcance of primary soures in...
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Lifting Bodies: Designing Your Own Spacecraft
Students work cooperatively with classmates to design a wingless vehicle that can fly back to Earth from space, landing like an aircraft. Students plan and describe their models. Also, they will research facts about the lifting body...
NASA
The Wright Quest
A very impressive lesson plan on the Wright brothers and their place in aviation history. Learners discover many fascinating facts about the Wright brothers and their trials and errors regarding flight. Best of all, they get to build a...
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Aviation Pioneers
Students research the Wright Brothers historic first flight and design a travel poster asking for volunteers to participate. Write a newspaper account of the first flight and include how the local people may have felt about the Wright...
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The Shapes of Flight
Students explore interaction between mathematics, science, and technology as they look at process of researching, developing, testing, and evaluating airplane design. They calculate glide ratio for model paper airplane by using data...
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A Clasroom Study of the Life of an Airplane
Students participate in an experiment to discover the properties of lift. They work together to complete calculations and collect data. They share their results with the class.
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Air Temperature and Kinetic Energy
Learners use a NASA website do activities which help them better explain how air temperature and kinetic energy are related to aircraft propulsion.
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Forces in a Climb
Students use a NASA website to use a given formula to find acceleration and distance after a specific time and how it relates to engine propulsion.
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Inside the KAO
Students construct a 1/80th scale model of the interior of the KAO aircraft, or lay out a full-scale mock-up in their classroom or auditorium. they calculate the sizes of various sections of the cabin.
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The Aspect Ratio of Wings
Junior engineers examine aspect ration in airplane wings. Using the length and width of two differetn wings, they calculate the aspect ratios and compare drag rankings. An engineering or space science class would benefit from this...
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Airplane Parts/Functions Problem Sets
Students label and describe the functions of the parts of an airplane. They access a NASA Web-based textbook and read a series of lessons before labeling the parts of an airplane.
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Paper Airplane Activity
Ninth graders select and build one of five different paper airplane designs and test them for distance and for time aloft. Part of this activity is designed to explore NASA developed software, FoilSim, with respect to the lift of an...
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Aircraft Trajectory Problem Set
Learners, after reading an explanation from a NASA Web-based textbook, demonstrate an understanding of the text by applying it to the calculation of speed, distance, acceleration, and time in simple aircraft motion.
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Aircraft Trajectory Problem Set
Learners read text from a NASA Web-based textbook then demonstrate an understanding of the text by using it to complete an activity on aircraft trajectories.
NASA
Introduction to Real Air Traffic Control—Problem Set A
Understand what it takes to control planes safely. The first lesson in a series of six introduces the class to the air traffic control situation. The pupils develop their understanding of units used in air travel, then learn how to read...
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Newton's Third Law and Aircraft Propulsion
Learners research propulsion, graph data, and interpret the results.
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Upside-Down Wings
Students use FoilSim to demonstrate that the graphic analysis of the airflow around one object can be used to hypothesize airflow graphs for objects as they are elongated from a sphere to an airfoil shape.
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From Future Flight to Past Flight
Students complete a set of CD-ROM's to introduce them to the flight program at NASA. In groups, they research a topic related to flight and put their information on a CD-ROM. To end the instructional activity, they share their material...
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Angle Measurement of Aircraft Wings and Tails
Young scholars measure the angles of wings and tails of various aircraft using a protractor. They estimate and check their measurements. They investigate aircraft being developed and tested at NASA Dryden.
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Temperature and Pressure on Airplane Surfaces
Young scholars use the Internet to delve into the relationship between fores and motion on a sizable object. They predict where they think the temperature and pressure be the greatest, and where the pressure be the lowest.