AEROSPACE TEAM ONLINE
ATO #116 - August 22, 2000
PART 1: Upcoming Chats
PART 2: New Projects for Fall
PART 3: The Role of a Research Engineer
UPCOMING CHATS
Beat the Heat: Thermal Protection Chats!
We will be chatting and with researchers from the Space
Technology Division at NASA Ames Research Center. I think you will find
this fascinating and a worthwhile topic. This will introduce you to the
topic of materials for thermal protection and the use of computer models
for predicting the heat generated by vehicles entering different
planetary atmospheres. This is a very important topic for those of you
who plan to travel in space in the near future.
Tuesday, August 22, 2000, 10-11 AM Pacific
Aerospace Team Online QuestChat with Susan Fehres
Susan Fehres works with spacecraft insulation. She develops materials
that protect astronauts and equipment from extreme heat and cold
experienced by spacecraft during spaceflight and entry into Earth's
atmosphere. Read her bio at http://quest.nasa.gov/women/bios/sf.html
Exploring the Extreme
The F-15 ACTIVE, an aircraft used by NASA to explore the extreme limits of
aerospace technology, is featured in this NASA Educational poster. The
poster also contains activities for measuring the angles of wings and
tails of different aircraft. Download the PDF at:
http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/Curriculum.Support/
Physical.Science/Aeronautics.and.Aerospace/Exploring.the.Extreme/.index.html
NEW PROJECTS FOR FALL
Virtual Skies is an air traffic management project for students and
teachers in Grades 9-12. It will be a "project based learning
activity" with hands on multimedia to enhance student decision making
and problem solving skills. Topics to be covered include
Aviation Navigation, Aviation Weather, Communication Air Traffic
Management, Airport Design, and Air Traffic Research. Materials will be
tied to the National Standards in Mathematics, Science, Technology,
Geography and Language Arts. Stay tuned for more news as we crank up over
the summer!
Planetary Flight is an aerospace project for Grades 4-8. We know how to
fly on Earth but what will it take to fly on Mars. This will be an
inquiry based learning project to design an airplane to fly on Mars. The
stuff dreams are made of!! We will also be keeping you posted on this one
this summer.
[Editor's Note: Susan Fehres is an engineer in the Thermal Protection
Materials Branch Read her bio at
http://quest.nasa.gov/women/bios/sf.html
]
THE ROLE A OF RESEARCH ENGINEER
by Susan Feheres
My job title is research engineer. I am a mechanical engineer. Engineers
are people who apply science (and math, which is a tool of science) to
solve people's physical or medical problems.
I work on spacecraft insulation - developing materials to protect
astronauts and equipment from the extreme heat and cold experienced by
spacecraft during spaceflight and return to the planet Earth.
This work involves analyzing how our insulation materials
function under new conditions, and improving existing insulation
strategies with new configurations or new inventions.
In my field each day is different from the next. It is great to be part of
of the future-oriented mission of space exploration, even though one
person can only contribute her one small piece to the whole project.
|
