1/7/2019 3 STEM Students’ Trip to NASABy Sunny C. & Marla G. Did you know that the STEM Academy at Northwest High School offers Aerospace Engineering courses? Students are able to learn the fundamentals of atmospheric flight and space flight. Aerospace Engineering students explore aerodynamics, physics of flight, propulsion systems, and remotely operated robots and rockets. The STEM Academy offers two courses for students who are interested in aerospace: PLTW Aerospace 1 and Aerospace 2. Within Aerospace I, there are many skills students acquire that are able to help them in Aerospace 2. In the beginning, they learn how to build a rocket that is meant to reach One Mile with a 1 pound payload. This project gives them an insight to what is to come in Aero 2, since the rocket they plan to build is supposed to be able to break the sound barrier (Mach I) and stay under the curtain of 13000 ft. This year, students in Aerospace 2 have been learning about the flight of transonic rockets. They had to research the different factors that affect the flight and how they relate to each other. Each student had to create a Microsoft Excel Flight Profile that calculated the ascent and descent of a transonic rocket. In order to make a successful Flight Profile, students researched various physics equations and implemented them into the calculator. Along with calculating the velocity, acceleration, and altitude, some students calculated the drag force and varying mass to make their Flight Profile more accurate. Once completed, each student gave a short overview presentation of their Flight Profile in hope of getting chosen for the NASA Trip. The top 3 students chosen to go on the NASA Trip were Connor M., Sunny C., and Marla G. These students were selected based off of their knowledge of aerospace, how accurate their Flight Profile was, and their presentation skills. The main purpose of going to NASA was to present a Flight Profile for feedback from Systems Go and a NASA associate. These students spent two weeks combining their Flight Profiles and creating the presentation. The first day of the trip, the students had the opportunity to tour Space Center Houston and practice their presentation. The second day, the students presented their Flight Profile and were given an exclusive tour of Johnson Space Center by the NASA associate. These students received detailed information about what could make this year’s rocket meet the goals set by the students in the class. In the future, once there's been a definitive decision on their rocket design, parts will be ordered, and the rocket will be built and launched. The students’ main goal is to have it reach past Mach I and not over 13,000 ft where it is set to be launched at Jacksboro, Texas on Saturday April 27th, 2019. They invite you to learn more about their progress by following them on Twitter @STEMAcademyNHS and @STEMrockets. Want to explore more NISD CTE stories? Click here!
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