NASA Glenn Research Center

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• Presented by
• NASA Glenn Research Center
• LTP Team

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Development Team

• 2 Software Programmers developers of 5 NASA
  simulations for grades 5-12 audience
• 2 Educators Masters in Physics, Masters in
  Education
• 1 Flash/Web Developer, User Interface Designer
• 3 Editors (grammar, scientific accuracy,
  technical content)

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Development and In-kind Partners

• Glenn Research and Technology Directorate
• Glenn Engineering and Technical Services
  Directorate
• Glenn Space Directorate
• Glenn Summer Student Internship Program
• Center of Science and Industry (COSI) Toledo
• Science Olympiad Coaches
• RSIS/NCI Information Systems, Inc.

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2003 Proposal Immersive Interactive Wind Tunnel
Simulator

• Remote connection from a small user-controlled
  wind tunnel running on the Web to an immersive
  RAVE environment.
• Project accepted and funded for FY03.

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Immersive Interactive Wind Tunnel Simulator
Alignment with LTP Objectives

• One user system.
• Not portable to schools.
• Web-based only not compatible with ExP.

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2003 Proposal ReworkNovember December 2002

• Consulted with partners, educators, LT Project
  Office representative, and NASA scientists and
  engineers.
• Simulations considered 3D BaseballSim, 3D
  Kites, and 3D Rockets.

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2003 Proposal Rework (cont.)Recommendation

• Virtual Aeronautics Exploration with new Water
  Rocket package (student activities and simulator)
  was recommended by educators and Science Olympiad
  coaches as the most usable learning package.

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2003 Proposal Rework (cont.)Increased Use of
Bottle Rockets

• In the past, Estes model rockets, as well as
  bottle rockets, were used extensively to teach
  principles such as acceleration, thrust, and
  drag.
• Recent Federal legislation regulating transport
  of explosive materials has made obtaining the
  small solid-fuel engines for such rockets
  problematic.
• Therefore, educators are using bottle rockets
  more and more in their classrooms/laboratories.
• Bottle rockets are safer, cheaper, and more
  available than model rockets.

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2003 Proposal Rework (cont.)Potential Immediate
Audience

• Grades 5-8 students from NASA Explorer Schools
  (NES).
• The Science, Engineering, Mathematics and
  Aerospace Academy (SEMAA) sites via the
  Aeronautics Education Laboratory (AEL)
  Curriculum.
• NASA Student Involvement Program (NSIP),
  Aerospace Technology Engineering Challenge
  participants.
• Dropping in a Microgravity Environment (DIME)
  Aerospace Technology Engineering Challenge
  participants.
• Science Olympiad participants.
• Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
• Aerospace Clubs.

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2003 Proposal Rework (cont.)Physical Science
Teaching Tool

• Educators say, Two-liter pop bottle rockets may
  well be the greatest physical science teaching
  tool ever created!!
• Middle grades students can manipulate and control
  variables, see their hypotheses verified or
  refuted, and graph their findings.
• High school students experience the nature of
  science at its best. They can document their
  abilities with the following concepts inertia,
  gravity, air resistance, Newton's laws of motion,
  acceleration, relationships between work and
  energy or impulse and momentum, projectile
  motion, freefall calculations, internal and
  external ballistics, and the practice of true
  engineering.

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2003 Proposal Rework (cont.)December 2002

• Recommendation presented to LT Project Office.
• Product Data Sheet written and approved.

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Virtual Aeronautics Exploration Alignment with
LT Objectives

• Multi user.
• Not solely Web-based available on CD, but can
  also reside on Web for greater distribution.
• Self running with educator and learner
  materials.
• Uses Java 3D technology - 3D graphics easily
  integrated with 2D Java functionality.
• Meets National Science, Mathematics, and
  Technology Standards.
• In support of the No Child Left Behind Act,
  provides educator guidelines for developing
  inquiry-based lessons incorporating 3D
  simulations.

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Development Timeline
November - February Water rocket research and info gathering. Science Olympiad Coachs Handbook for Bottle Rockets and thrust and flight equations from Brigham Young University Web site. Comments and ideas collected. Lesson plans and outlines started.
March May Application specs and requirements developed. Application GUI designs created.
June August Student activities (including Flash animations) developed, reviewed, and edited. Educator guidelines developed and edited. 3D simulator developed.
September 3D simulator alpha tested and edited. Prepared for LT review and Phase 2 Proposal.
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Objectives
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1. Develop a 3D application that helps students
   visualize and internalize aeronautics concepts,
   with hook in place to scale to immersive CAVE
   hardware/software equipment.
2. Develop three to five comprehensive and
   high-quality lesson plans that lead the user
   through a basic understanding of selected
   aeronautics principles through interaction with
   3D visualization.
3. Provide guidance and principles for incorporating
   a 3D application in inquiry-based
   science/mathematics lesson plans.

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Deliverables

• WaterRocketSim Prototype completed and alpha
  tested.
• Three lessons, Rocket Research 101, 102, and 103,
  developed and alpha tested.
• Educator Section includes
• Alignment with National Science, Mathematics, and
  Technology Standards.
• Explanation of inquiry-based, problem-based, and
  project based learning.
• Chart outlining alignment with 5Es instructional
  model for inquiry-based learning.
• Online form for submittal of additional
  inquiry-based lesson plans using WaterRocketSim.

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Milestones for Phase 1 - 100 Complete
When What Confidence
1 Feb 03 Lesson plan topics and outlines Complete
1 Mar 03 3D application specs and requirements Complete
1 Jul 03 3D aeronautics visualization application Complete
1 Aug 03 Final lesson plans Complete
1 Sep 03 Lesson plan guidelines Complete
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Phase 2

• October 03 December 03
• Add scientist voice-overs and movie clips to key
  points in lessons to improve accessibility to
  handicapped.
• Enhance launch background graphic.
• Enhance launch graphic by rotating bottle rocket
  image to fall nose down.
• Add certificate of completion for each lesson.
• December 03 January 04
• Add bottle burst animation for excessive
  pressure/water.
• Add wobble to the bottle flight to show the
  effects of drag and a more realistic launch.
• Add wind component to launch.

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Phase 2 (cont.)

• January 04 September 04
• Beta test Virtual Aeronautics Exploration through
  COSI Toledo educator focus group, 5 Glenn-served
  NASA Explorer Schools, and 13 SEMAA sites via the
  AEL Curriculum.
• Modify simulation.
• Add input box for user to input drag data from
  their own testing.
• Add atmospheric pressure input box so user can
  input their locations data.
• Add temperature input box so user can input their
  locations daily temperature.
• Add environment presets Mt. Everest, Cleveland,
  Denver, Mars, the Moon.
• Show Center of Gravity and Center of Pressure
  points in launch graphic.

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Phase 2 (cont.)

• January 04 September 04
• Add 3-5 lessons with student activities.
• Add Drag hands-on activity Drop 2 liter bottle
  from fixed height and record times.
• Possibly add extension activity Collaborate with
  DIME Competition so that students can test their
  experiments in the GRC Drop Tower.
• Add ability to graph two flights and incorporate
  the JSC Math Description Engine, which allows
  accessibility to handicapped by generating
  descriptive text, visual graphics, and/or
  sonification of mathematical graphs.

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Phase 2 (cont.)

• FY05
• Add 3-5 lessons with student activities.
• Collaborate with Tom Gaskins of the LT Project
  Office to port Virtual Aeronautics Exploration to
  handheld PCs.
• Transport data into CAVE to allow users to become
  the center of gravity on the rocket and
  experience the launch in an immersive environment
  through videoconferencing and 3D goggles/glasses.

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Phase 1 Funding
FY03
Educational and Technology Coordinators Civil Servants Support 173.5K
Travel and Training 5.0K
¼ x Java 3D Developer 7.5K
1/8 x Instructional Specialist In-kind Contribution from Space Directorate
2.5 ODIN Seats 5.0K
TOTAL 191.0K
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Phase 2 Funding Requested
FY04 FY05
Educational and Technology Coordinators Civil Servant Support 178.6K 183.9K
Travel and Training 20.0K 20.0K
¼ x Java 3D Developer Instructional Specialist 25.5K 25.5K
¼ x Application Programmer for RAVE 18.2K 18.2K
2.5 ODIN Seats 5.0K 5.0K
TOTAL 247.3K 252.6K
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Code N Education Review Process

• We evaluated the Virtual Aeronautics Exploration
  using the exemplary NASA educational product
  criteria created by Dr. Adena Loston, and the
  following slides show how we rated by category.

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Review Process (cont.)

• Customer Focused Designed to respond to a need
  identified by the education community.
• Educator Section supports the No Child Left
  Behind Act through alignment with National
  standards, an explanation of inquiry-based and
  project based learning, and an online form for
  educators to submit inquiry-based lesson plans.
• Helps teachers integrate technology into the
  subjects they teach.
• Age and grade-level appropriate educational
  content was developed by a high school Physics
  teacher (former aerospace senior research
  scientist) and reviewed by a NASA aeronautical
  engineer for scientific accuracy.
• Helps students develop essential mathematics and
  science skills using technology in a challenging,
  motivating way.

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Review Process (cont.)

• Content Tied to and makes direct use of NASA
  content. Makes comparison of bottle rocket to
  NASA rocket.
• Links to NASAs contributions to the history of
  rocketry, rocket educational materials, and
  rocket propulsion research.
• Informative learning in support of student
  proficiency in Science, Technology, Engineering,
  and Mathematics. (Laws of Motion Thrust
  Acceleration Center of Gravity Stability Drag
  Area Calculations Prediction Center of
  Pressure).
• Promotes careers by providing a true engineering
  experience and encourages participation in the
  NSIP Aerospace Technology Engineering Challenge.
• To be added to the Aeronautics Education
  Laboratory (AEL).
• To be promoted to the Educator Astronaut Earth
  Crews.

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Review Process (cont.)

• Pipeline Designed to attract a diverse
  population to careers in science, mathematics,
  engineering, and technology by providing a true
  engineering experience.
• Allows NES, SEMAA, and EA students and others to
  design an experiment, test it through a 3D
  computer application, and compare their online
  results with an actual test in the field.
• In collaboration with the National Center for
  Microgravity Research DIME Competition, Phase 2
  will provide an opportunity for conducting a
  student-designed experiment on measuring drag in
  the GRC drop tower.
• Users are encouraged to extend their learning by
  participating in the NSIP Aerospace Technology
  Engineering Challenge.
• Utilized Glenn Summer Student Internship Program
  to obtain Java 3D programmer.

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Review Process (cont.)

• Diversity Designed to reach underrepresented
  minorities and/or people with disabilities.
• Supports closing the gap in science and
  mathematics proficiency among diverse populations
  through NASA Explorer Schools and the Science,
  Mathematics, Engineering and Aerospace Academies
  (SEMAA).
• Will target in-service populations through NASA
  Explorer Schools professional development
  opportunities.
• Additional voice-overs will improve accessibility
  to handicapped.
• To incorporate the JSC Math Description Engine,
  which generates descriptive text, visual
  graphics, and/or sonification of mathematical
  graphs.

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Review Process (cont.)

• Evaluation Positive evaluations will be
  collected from at least 25 of the users
  indicating that the learning objectives were met.
• Product to be evaluated continually via
  NEEIS/EDCATS and email feedback and appropriately
  adjusted.
• Product is tied to Beginners Guide to
  Aeronautics, GRCs most viewed Website, receiving
  an average of 1.8 million hits per month.
• Student learning will be assessed via a
  comparison of pre- and post-test results.
• Students work will be evaluated through a
  comparison of computer simulation results and
  actual field results.

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Review Process (cont.)

• Partnerships/Sustainability Product will be
  introduced to NASA centers, NASA Explorer
  Schools, and educators at two annual
  conferences/seminars after beta testing and
  revisions. Product is replicable for use in a
  majority of all geographic and economic locations
  via the Web and CD.
• External partners are Science Olympiad coaches
  and COSI Toledo.
• External partnerships to be developed in Phase 2
  are For3D (stereographic displays to online and
  videoconference users) and Fakespace (immersive
  visualization through lower end, cost effective
  equipment).
• Internal partnerships include the Ames LT Project
  Office GRC Information Systems Division and GRC
  Research and Technology, Engineering and
  Technical Services, and Space Directorates.
• Internal partnerships to be developed in Phase 2
  are JSC LT Project, GRC GRUVE Lab, National
  Microgravity Center for Research, Glenn NES
  schools, SEMMA sites, EA Earth Crews, and LaRC
  RAVE facility.

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Review Process (cont.) Total Score

• 92 of a possible 96 points

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Reviewers Feedback

• Kids need to know about problem
  solvingresearching a problem, proposing an
  answer, testing the answer, and analyzing the
  data produced by the test to figure out if they
  have the answer or not. When students have the
  tools, including math, science, and history, then
  they can attack a problem. Thats what engineers
  do!
• Tom Benson, NASA Aeronautical Engineer

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Reviewers Feedback

• From my vantage point, these types of
  interactive tools are definitely the key to
  improving education. I am excited about the
  final product and the continued development of
  WaterRocketSim.

Scott Carson, Science Olympiad Coach
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Unique Bottle Rocket Simulator

• Students can view the rocket during its design.
• 3D graphics provide a view of the rocket from all
  angles.
• The launch screen shows the final design as it
  ascendsnot just a graph of the rockets
  trajectory.
• The user interface was developed to appeal to
  middle grades students rather than to working
  engineers.

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Now, on with the show!