Developing the Mission Flight Plan

Overall Problem: Where are the active lava flows on the Kilauea volcano?

Relationship of problem in this lesson to overall problem: In the previous lesson students developed and categorized a list of questions that need to be answered to select the best aircraft for their mission. Students will now find the answers to their questions and use the answers to 1) select the best aircraft for the mission and 2) create a flight plan given the mission parameters. Students begin by identifying the characteristics of the available NASA research aircraft. Then, they participate in a series of activities to gather information that will help them select the optimal NASA aircraft and prepare to create a flight plan. Students are split into three groups and assigned to investigate one of three mission planning parameters: 1) selecting aircraft based on remote sensing instrument parameters, 2) selecting aircraft based on mission planning factors, and 3) selecting aircraft based on flight planning parameters. Each group will decide which aircraft are best given what they learned, share their findings, and together as a class identify the optimal aircraft for the mission given all of the identified information. Students then use their new knowledge on mission planning parameters to create a flight plan. Finally, the students will compare their flight plan to one that was used to fly the mission over Kilauea.

Estimated Time Required:  to be determined

Student Outcomes/Objectives:

• The students will choose the best aircraft for the remote sensing mission by analyzing aircraft characteristics, remote sensing instrument characteristics, mission planning factors, and flight planning.
  • The students will identify the characteristics of available NASA research aircraft.  
  • The students will identify the characteristics of the remote sensing instrument.
  • The students will describe factors to be considered when planning an airborne remote sensing mission.
  • The students will describe factors to be considered when developing a flight plan.
• The students will create the flight plan for their mission. 
• The students will compare their flight plan to the actual NASA mission flight plan.

Prerequisite skills or knowledge:

• Ability to work in teams.
• Basic internet skills.
• Basic reading and writing skills.
• Basic understanding of problem solving.
• Basic presentation preparation skills.

Teacher Preparation:

• Print copies of the NASA Airborne Science Flight Request Form (also used in the What are Airborne Mission Scientists and What do they do? lesson plan)  
• Print Student Journal / Worksheet pages for these activities.
• Bookmark appropriate web-sites for students.

Student Reflection and Assessment: Reflection   |  Assessment

Education Standards supported by  this Lesson:

National Science Education Standards | Project 2061 Benchmarks

National Standards for School Mathematics | National Technology Standards | National Geography Standards

Extension Ideas to support National Education Standards for this Lesson:

Math | Technology | Geography

Ask What is the overall problem that we have been investigating? 

Ask What types of questions do we need to answer to identify which aircraft is best for this mission? 

State NASA has five research aircraft that we can choose from to conduct this mission. But before we choose the best one for our mission you need to find information about the characteristics of each aircraft. 

Prompt students to identify the characteristics of the available NASA research aircraft. Students should create or complete a table that shows important characteristics of each aircraft. 

Teacher note: There is no ONE correct table format for gathering data for this activity.  The table should be developed based on the questions that students think are most important about the aircraft. If they are unable to narrow their choices with the information they gather, then they may need to go back and add additional information to their table.  This exploration and decision making process is important in developing understanding of scientific process. The sample solution table we provide for the teacher, and in the student journal, contains the minimum amount of information categories required to select the appropriate aircraft for a mission. Based on your students needs for support in this type of an activity, you may choose to use the given table or not to give the table to the students, rather have them create their own.

Provide students with NASA research aircraft websites or lithographs and prompt them to identify and record important aircraft characteristics in their table.

• SR-71 | facts |
• ER-2   | facts |  mission information  
• DC-8  | facts |  mission information
• King-Air | facts |
• Pathfinder |  facts   | mission information

Ask Can you select the best aircraft for this mission based on what you now know?

• If they think they can, record their choice and ask for rationale. (Note: at this point they have not answered all of their questions and not have a complete rationale for their choice. They may know enough from the lessons to date, so inform them that we need to continue to answer their questions to see if their choice and rational hold up to the remaining mission parameters. 

Ask What else do we need to consider about the mission to select the best aircraft?

Discuss the next steps.... investigating important content for selecting suitable aircrafts for their mission. 

• Identifying active lava flows on Kilauea

• Students refer to the list of questions they created in the previous lesson (if that lesson was not conducted, use this time to have students brainstorm a list of questions and rationalize why they are important to the selecting aircraft for a mission - See "Defining the Parameters of a Airborne Remote Sensing Mission" lesson plan.

Student activity

• Students work in groups to search given aircraft websites and record information in answer to their questions. They will use the data they collect in their table for comparison and decision making throughout the remainder of the unit.

• Students build a table and begin to enter data based on their review of the different aircraft websites. 

(Note: You may want to assign groups of students to investigate one of the aircraft and enter the information for their assigned aircraft on their table. Then, bring the class together to share each groups'  findings on their specific aircraft and have the class generate a table with all of the data for each aircraft.)

Sample responses:

• All of the aircraft are possible at this point, unless the students do understand that the SR-71 is not used for these types of missions, rather is primarily used on aerodynamics research. 

Sample responses:

• Characteristics of the remote sensing instrument (AViRIS)
• Outside factors such as weather
• Factors that affect flight planning

Break students into small groups and assign each group to the title of one of the following activity to select the optimal aircrafts for their group's mission.

1. Activity: Selecting aircraft based on remote sensing instrument parameters (To develop an understanding of AVIRIS and prompt students to think about the relationship between aircraft and remote sensing instrument)
2. Activity: Selecting aircraft based on mission planning factors (To develop an understanding of factors, such as weather, that affect mission planning and prompt students to think about why identifying such factors is critical to the aeronautics)
3. Activity: Selecting aircraft based on flight planning parameters (To develop an understanding of factors that affect fight planning and prompt students to think about their flight plan) 

Circulate around to the groups  and ask the following questions:

• Which aircrafts are appropriate for your mission?
• Why do you think that your chosen aircrafts are appropriate for your group's mission?
• Why do you think that other aircrafts are not appropriate for your group's mission?

Teacher note:

Optional activities: Include a in-depth series of activities and explorations on  meteorology and weather related to flight. Some engaging activities include:

• Weather experiments:

  • Experiment 9 (Temperature) 
  • Experiment 10 (Wind speed) 
  • Experiment 13 (Wind direction)
  • Experiment 15 (Moisture in the air)
  • Experiment 16 (Dew and frost)

   

• Weather exploration websites:

  • Weather map 
  • Interactive Weather Information

Student activity:

• Group1: Complete the activity sheet while exploring the characteristics of the AVIRIS and select the optimal aircraft based on information provided.
• Group 2: Complete the activity sheet while exploring factors that affect mission planning such as preparation and weather and select the optimal aircraft based on the information provided.
• Group 3:  Complete the activity sheet while exploring the following websites: Map of NASA Dryden , Hawaii airports, Airport information, and Airport data (runaway, map, and etc), and select the optimal aircraft based on the information provided. 

Prompt each group, one at a time, to present their selected aircraft and their rationale as to why it/they is/are best given their information.

• Three groups present their selecting aircrafts to the class.

Discuss each groups' selection and determine the best aircraft for the the groups' given mission parameters. 

• Each group provides feedback about other groups' selection (s).

• Be sure to point out the given parameters for each group and how the introduction of additional parameters from different perspectives helps to make the ultimate selection possible.

• During these presentations the students construct an overall table with all key information necessary to select the best aircraft. (note: Students may record notes on the provided worksheet or perhaps create a combined table on the chalk board or poster paper.) 

Ask Which aircraft is best aircraft for this mission? why?  

Ask How does this choice compare to your initial selection after identifying the characteristics of each of the aircraft?

Discuss next step---- develop flight plan for the mission.

Student responses:

• Group 1: ER-2, DC-8, King Air (based on information on the remotes sensing instruments)

• Group 2: SR-71, ER-2, DC-8, Pathfinder (based on information about mission and weather requirements)

• Group 3: SR-71, ER-2, pathfinder (based on information about flight plan parameters)

(Note: Students may have already removed the SR-71 from the list of viable choices based on fact that the research purpose of the SR-71 altitude and speed research and not remote sensing missions, however, students may find references to historical used of the SR-71 for aerial reconnaissance - taking pictures.)

Sample responses:

• ER-2 - purpose, altitude, crew, airport runways lengths available, flight distance and time, AViRIS requirements.

• Students reflect back on their original choice and how their original selection was supported with the new information and needed to change based on what they learned.

TRY using new knowledge about the aircraft and mission planning to develop a flight plan for the mission.

Brainstorm ideas for creating the mission flight plan, what do we need to know and do to create our flight plan?

Refer students to the NASA Airborne Sciences Flight Request Form in their journal. Remind them that they completed one like this in a previous lesson "What are airborne mission scientists?"

Ask What else do we need to develop to plan this flight, e.g., we know the type of aircraft and remote sensing instrument, the purpose for the flight, the location and time for data collection ... what is missing?  (Prompt for creating a map of the flight)

Ask Where is the aircraft stationed? 

Prompt students to think about the mission: Where are the  take-off and landing locations? How far is it between these locations? What are the capabilities of the aircraft? What other conditions need to be accounted for in the mission plan?

Project examples of flight paths for other types of missions. This will give students an idea of how mission planners create different patterns to collect different types of data. 

Prompt student to think about: 

• Why are there different types of path ways to fly?

State these are complex flight plans and should give you an idea about specific plans the mission planner provides to a pilot who flies a mission. Our flight path will be much simpler, basically we will fly from Dryden (home of the ER-2) to the mission target (Kilauea) and eventually back to Dryden. Your job is to think about the  mission parameters and develop a  flight plan to go with the NASA Airborne Sciences Flight Request Form. 

Remind students to consider the information they gathered on their worksheet, e.g., aircraft characteristics, remote sensing instrument requirements, weather, etc.

Direct students to work in groups to complete the NASA Airborne Sciences Flight Request Form and create a flight plan for their mission.

*** INCORPORATE FLIGHT PLAN ACTIVITY FROM MARK AND SHELLEY HERE ***

Debrief activity by having students share their flight plans.

• Students present their plans to the class.

• Student provide feedback on each other's plans.

Prompt students to compare their flight plans to the actual mission flight plan and discuss:

• What are there differences between your plans and the actual mission plan?

• Why?

Summarize lesson and introduce next steps ... collecting and analyzing the data!

Teacher Resource:

• ER-2 Typical Flight Operations 

• ER-2 operating bases

Other sample flight paths for remote sensing missions:

• Atmospheric circulation research and flight path

• Pacific mapping research flight paths

Student activity:

• participate in brainstorming

• review NASA Airborne Science Flight Request Form.

Sample responses:

• Where will the mission start?
• Where will the mission end?
• What is the best flight path for the mission?

Sample response:

• NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California.

*** INCORPORATE FLIGHT PLAN ACTIVITY FROM MARK AND SHELLEY HERE ***

In their journals, have the students respond to the following:

• Why do you need to consider aircraft characteristics, remote sensing instrument, outside factors, and the flight planning parameters when planning a mission?
• What was their original thought on the best aircraft for the mission given only the aircraft characteristics and how did it change after considering other factors and mission parameters?
• What role does questioning play in scientific inquiry?
• Why does understanding the principles of flight help you develop a mission plan? 

Assessment

• Check the information collected by the students on their worksheets for accuracy.
• Check students rationale for selecting aircraft given the information they gathered.
• Review flight plans for accuracy. 

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Ideas for Math lesson enhancements:

• Measurement: Student make measurements between take-off and landing locations and convert between metrics and U.S. measures. 
• Ratios: Student draw a scale map of the flight path, calculating the miles equivalents in inches and converting them to metrics.
• Calculation: Student use the R*T=D formula to calculate different either rate, time, or distance to compare different flight plans during the flight plan activity

Related National Education Math Standards Standard:

• to be determined

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Ideas for Geography lesson enhancements:

• Regional climate: Students study the weather conditions for each location, Southern California and Hawaii for different times of the year and use this information to determine when the best time of year is for conducting this mission. 
• Geography / latitude and longitude: Students develop relief maps of the target location and plot the old and new lava flows on their map/model using latitude and longitude measures.

Related National Education Geography Standards Standard:

• to be determined

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Ideas for Technology lesson enhancements:

• Presentation software: Students learn to use presentation software while creating a presentations on their information and selected aircraft
• Spreadsheets: Student use spreadsheet to help calculate distances for their flight plan.
• Databases: Students capture weather data and patterns on the flight locations overtime. 
• Graphics software: Student create their flight plans using graphics software.
• Web site development: Students create a web site describing the mission parameters and flight plan. 

Related National Education Science Technology Standard:

• to be determined

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Aircraft Characteristics

The blue bolded text represents the information that students identify from the given websites

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Group Activity Reference Sites

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Activity Sheet: Selecting aircraft based on remote sensing instrument parameters

 Aircraft Selection Table based on Remote Sensing Instrument

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Activity Sheet: Selecting aircraft based on mission planning factors

  Aircraft Selection Table based on Mission Planning Factors

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Activity Sheet: Selecting aircraft based on flight planning parameters

 

When a mission planner develops a flight plan, many different parameters are defined that help select the aircraft and plan the mission. The following questions are commonly researched:  What aircraft is available to fly the mission? What is the necessary runway length for the available aircraft? Where will the aircraft need to fly, how long will it fly? What airports are near the target site? Do we have access to those airports? Do the available airports have the necessary equipment to support the aircraft? For this mission, consider the available airports between the aircrafts' home base and the target remote sensing location. Where are the airports that can be used to support this mission? Edwards AFB -home of the NASA Dryden research aircraft- and airport in Hawaii, e.g., Honolulu, Hilo, Hikkum Where is NASA Dryden located? NASA Dryden is on Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California Where is the remote sensing target location?  Kilauea Volcano is on the Big Island of Hawaii How far is it from the home base to the target? Approximately 2550 miles between Dryden and the Kilauea Here is additional information provided by mission planning. One pilot is available who is prepared to fly the mission, no other pilots are available, ground and support crews are available to support any type of aircraft at all airports. Data need to be gathered from an altitude of 65,000 ft. Airport runway lengths are between 5,600 and 12,000 ft. Consider the following questions while selecting the optimal aircraft for this mission. 1.      What aircraft is best given the availability of crew? 2.      Which aircraft is best given the altitude requirement? 3.      Which aircraft is best given the runway length of the available airports?

Aircraft Properties Table for Mission Possibilities for Flight Plan

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  Student Activity Sheet for Flight Plan

*** See Shelley's documents as a replacement or for changes ***

*** Add sample solution flight plan with Flight Request Form ***

Name:

Material/information required:

• Map on take-off, mission target, and landing sites

• Type of Aircraft for the mission

• Ruler and unit conversion information

• Sample flight plan form 

 Activity: Develop a flight plan for the mission considering the following questions...

Step 1: To identify flight path 

• What' your chosen aircraft?

• Where is the volcano?

• Where is your NASA aircraft?

Step 2: Gather airport information on place of take off

• What is the departure airport?

• When with the aircraft take off?

• What will be the cruise speed of the aircraft?

• What weather is required for take off?

  Step 3: Gather landing location information. 

• What is the destination airport?

• What time will landing occur?

• What  weather is required for landing?

Step 4: Gather information on flying mission.

• What time will the aircraft take-off?

• What direction and how far will the aircraft fly to get to the data collection location? 

• At what speed will you fly to get to the data collection area and how long will it take to get to the pattern location? 

• What flight speed is required for collecting data with remote sensing instrument?

• What kind of a pattern will you fly during data collection?

• Calculate the flight plan distance and map:

  • Distance from take-off to data collection pattern

  • Distance for data gathering pattern

  • Distance from data gathering location to landing.

• Calculate time for collecting data during mission 

  • What is the take-off time?

  • What time should the R/S instrument be turned on?

  • What time should the RS instrument be turn off ?

  • What will the aircraft land?

Reflection about my flight plan: Write a one page essay answering the questions below ...

• How will this flight plan help me to conduct this mission?

• Is this flight plan adequate for the mission?  why or why not?

• What else do you need to know to have a successful mission?

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  Airborne Remote Sensing Mission - Flight Plan

*** Add sample solution flight plan ***

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2/24/01(ver. beta)