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>> HI, I'M SYDNEY,
AND I'M COMING TO YOU FROM
THE FLIGHT RESEARCH BUILDING,
ALSO KNOWN AS THE HANGAR,
AT THE NASA GLENN
RESEARCH CENTER.
NASA HAS A CHALLENGE
TO SHARE WITH YOU,
AND WE WANT TO SEE
YOUR SOLUTIONS.
IT'S CALLED LET IT GLIDE.
IN 1958, THE NACA BECAME
NASA AS WE KNOW IT TODAY.
EVEN AFTER 100 YEARS
OF RESEARCH, NASA CONTINUES
TO STUDY AND IMPROVE FLIGHT.
TODAY, I'M HERE WITH
GLENN RESEARCH CENTER'S
CHEIF OF AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS,
JIM DEMERS.
JIM, CAN YOU TELL US
A BIT ABOUT THE RESEARCH DONE
ON NASA'S AIRCRAFT.
>> OF COURSE, SYDNEY.
WE LOAD SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT
INTO THESE PLANES AND STUDY
THE WORLD AROUND US,
FROM AS LOW AS A FEW
HUNDRED FEET ABOVE THE GROUND,
AND UP TO 40,000 FEET
IN THE AIR.
WE ARE CURRENTLY USING
OUR TWIN OTTER AIRCRAFT TO
STUDY THE HARMFUL ALGAE BLOOMS
IN LAKE ERIE, AND OUR T-34
IS BEING USED TO TEST
COMMUNICATIONS FOR AIRCRAFT.
WE ARE ALSO RESEARCHING
UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS
LIKE DRONES,
AND HOW THEY WILL WORK
ALONGSIDE PILOTED AIRCRAFT.
>> SO WHAT DETERMINES WHICH PLAN
YOU USE FOR WHICH RESEARCH?
>> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
WE MODIFY OUR AIRCRAFT FOR
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RESEARCH,
FOR EXAMPLE, THE TWIN OTTER
WAS DESIGNED TO FLY
AT LOWER ALTITUDES AND LAND
ON SHORT RUNWAYS.
WHILE THE S3 WAS MADE TO
FLY HIGH, FAST, AND LAND
ON AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.
OUR S-3 VIKING PERFORMS
WELL AT LOWER ALTITUDES CLOSE
TO THE GROUND, AS WELL AS
THE MID ALTITUDE RANGE.
YOU'LL NOTICE THE WING SHAPES
AND THICKNESS, FUSELAGE DESIGNS
AND ENGINES ARE DIFFERENT
DEPENDING ON THE AIRCRAFT'S
INTENDED MISSION OR USE.
BASED ON THESE FEATURES,
THE PLANES WILL
PERFORM DIFFERENTLY,
GIVING US THE ABILITY TO FLY
GREATER DISTANCES
AND HIGHER ALTITUDES,
AT FASTER SPEEDS
OR CARRY MORE WEIGHT.
WE THEN CHOOSE THE PLANE
THAT WILL DO THE BEST JOB
FOR THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
WE ARE WORKING ON.
NASA IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPING
AN EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT
DESIGNED AS A LOW BOOM VEHICLE.
TO REDUCE OR ALMOST ELIMINATE
THE THUNDER-LIKE SOUND
PRODUCED WHEN AN AIRCRAFT
FLIES FASTER THAN THE SPEED
OF SOUND.
THIS NOISE IS CALLED
THE SONIC BOOM.
THIS RESEARCH COULD ALLOW
SUPERSONIC FLIGHTS OVER
THE UNITED STATES AND MAKE
AIR TRAVEL FASTER
AND MORE EFFICIENT.
>> SO HERE'S WHERE YOU COME IN.
TO BETTER UNDERSTAND
THE AIRCRAFT FEATURES
THAT JIM MENTIONED, WE WANT
YOUR TEAM TO DESIGN AND BUILD
A GLIDER OUT OF A SHOEBOX
THAT COULD MODEL ONE OF
THESE TYPES OF AIRCRAFT.
TO COMPLETE THE CHALLENGE,
YOU AND YOUR TEAM WILL EXPLORE
THE FOUR COURSES OF FLIGHT.
AND WORK THROUGH
THE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS
TO COME UP WITH THE BEST
DESIGN POSSIBLE.
YOU WILL NEED TO DESIGN
AND BIULD A GLIDER
THAT MUST...
THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITIES
TO INTERACT WITH NASA SCIENTISTS
AND ENGINEERS LIKE US.
WHEN YOU'VE CREATED
YOUR FINAL SOLUTION,
YOUR TEAM WILL PRESENT IT
TO NASA.
AS FUTURE SCIENTISTS
AND ENGINEERS, NASA NEEDS
YOUR HELP IN SOLVING
THIS REAL WORLD PROBLEM.
>> GOOD LUCK! AND WE LOOK
FORWARD TO SEEING
YOUR SOLUTIONS.
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