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ERAST is a tool for learning
X-Press Editor High-altitude, high endurance aircraft not only make it possible for a revolution in crop monitoring, natural disaster assessment and telecommunications, but also provide an inspiring way to teach math, science, geology and technology. That's how the Dryden's Education Office, which is a part of the Public Affairs, Commercialization and Education (PACE) Office, sees the Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) Program. As part of the ERAST Exclusive Preview Oct. 13, a group of about 65 students from Tehachapi High School physics classes was invited to have a look around the ERAST exhibits. The displayed aircraft included the AeroVironment Pathfinder-Plus and Helios Prototype, Scaled Composites' Proteus, Aurora Flight Sciences' Perseus B, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' Altus II. Students also saw the X-38, a prototype for an eventual Crew Return Vehicle that could return astronauts to Earth in an emergency and the X-34 rocket plane. The visit was part of a continuing effort to use Dryden missions to inspire young people through aeronautics in their studies of math, science, geography and technology. Students also learned what NASA programs they could apply for that would offer a chance to work at Dryden. Dr. Marianne McCarthy, Dryden's Education Programs Officer, explained how NASA's education program and education outreach support Dryden's ERAST flight research activities. Hundreds of teachers have been instructed on how to use NASA materials to help teach subjects. Videos, a Pathfinder-Plus paper airplane and other educational materials are part of an effort to extend NASA's aero missions to the classroom, she said. Michelle Davis, Dryden's aerospace education specialist, said the Pathfinder materials also are transferable to the latest solar-powered aircraft, the Helios Prototype. "It enables us to do workshops with materials wherever the aircraft is deployed and prepare the education community," Davis said. "The Pathfinder guide also segues into Centurion and the Helios Prototype." Educational activities using Pathfinder include designing a research mission for the classroom, building a model aircraft, learning about different sensors and col-lecting information on a wide array of topics ranging from ozone depletion and cloud radiative effects to sea level changes and the greenhouse effect. Educational activities also included a special series of outreach projects in Hawaii in 1997 focusing on the flights of Pathfinder and flights in 1998 of the Pathfinder-Plus, a larger and more advanced version of Pathfinder. Outreach activities in Hawaii also are expected this year. More than 200 teachers from the islands of Oahu, Maui and Kauai were trained using Pathfinder materials. A student Education Open House hosted by NASA, AeroVironment and the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands, Hawaii, followed the education outreach. More than 1,000 students participated. The outreach culminated in a dedication the Pathfinder record-breaking flights to Ellison Onizuka and the children of Hawaii. Onizuka, a NASA astronaut who was born in Hawaii, perished in the Challenger disaster. Pathfinder achieved a new world altitude record for propeller-driven aircraft of more than 71,000 feet July 7, 1997. It broke that record a year later, also in Hawaii, by obtaining an altitude of more than 80,000 feet Aug. 6, 1998, in the Pathfinder-Plus configuration |
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Responsible NASA Official: John Childress For questions, contact: Dryden Web Group Page Curator:WD-Team Modified: October 28, 1999 |
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