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Kids Use Internet to Learn about Airplane Design

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington, DC                      March 4, 1998
(Phone:  202/358-1726)

John Bluck
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
(Phone:  650/604-5026)

RELEASE: 98-36

KIDS USE INTERNET TO LEARN ABOUT AIRPLANE DESIGN

     A NASA project called Aero Design Team Online is using the 
Internet to help students learn about airplane design.

     Students and the general public can visit a website 
(http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/aero/) to find out how aeronautical 
engineers use airplane models, wind tunnels, supercomputers, 
simulators and other tools during the airplane design cycle.  The 
project continues through May, although plans are underway to 
extend it into the summer.

     "We're teaching about airplane design through the lives of 
people who are doing the work," said Susan Lee of NASA's Ames 
Research Center, Moffett Field, CA.  "For example, we're following 
a wind tunnel test of a model of a future supersonic airliner."

     In addition, kids ask questions via e-mail; learn how an 
airplane flies; see pictures of aircraft; and participate in 
Internet chats with people from teams that design and test 
airplanes.  During Internet chats, youngsters use computers to 
converse with mentors by typing questions and reading responses 
and dialogue via the World Wide Web.

     Teachers can visit the teachers' "lounge" on the website.  
Various educational materials including aeronautics lesson plans 
are in the lounge.  The plans list creative ways to bring the Aero 
Design Team Online project into the classroom.  Educators also 
have Internet chats with other teachers, describing classroom 
problems and solutions.

     "NASA is providing the website because the agency has a 
mandate to help teachers and students understand NASA research in 
aeronautics.  The website gives knowledge to students that they 
can apply to their studies," said Ames Educational Group Leader 
Garth Hull. 

     "The Internet gives our engineers an effective tool to 
interact with audiences we normally would not reach.  We hope by 
using this resource these students will be better prepared to see 
vocational opportunities and become better informed citizens," he added.

     Another segment of the on-line project will follow the 
progress of astronauts training in the largest vertical motion 
simulator in the world, located at Ames, Lee said.  "They are 
practicing their Shuttle landings with a new simulator program 
that includes global positioning."

     The project is one in a suite of online offerings from NASA's 
Quest Project at URL  http://quest.arc.nasa.gov.  These 
interactive projects connect students with NASA employees to 
inspire them to pursue high-tech careers.

                         -end-