NASA Aeronautics Essay Competition
Published on Nov 27, 2007 at 7:36 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under aeronautics, college teaching.
NASA is America’s space agency, but that is not all. A lot of people forget that the first A in NASA stands for Aeronautics. NASA is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. They do more than just launch rockets. NASA is also involved in aeronautical research. They work to develop new, better aircraft technologies to meet the future’s needs. They work to make aviation safer and more efficient. Yes, the bulk of NASA’s budget goes to space, but there are entire divisions devoted to aeronautical research. But, every NASA endeavor also includes an educational component. So, NASA’s Aeronautics Research Directorate has announced an essay competition for high school and college students.
The theme of the competition is this century’s DC-3. The DC-3 is a legendary aircraft. It revolutionized aviation. The DC-3 was the first airliner able to make a profit as a passenger liner. It also had cargo variants that made air cargo operations a reality. The DC-3 was an amazingly safe and reliable aircraft. Over 13,000 of them were built, and hundreds are still in service, decades after the last one was built. The US military used close to 10,000 of them as transports, with the designation C-47. After World War II, a great many of these were converted to civilian use and became the mainstay of most airlines for many years. Some major airlines operated some DC-3 airliners into the 1960s. The DC-3 is truly a legend in aviation. So, this year’s essay competition challenges students to consider what kind of aircraft could have the impact of a DC-3 in this century.
Any student who is a US citizen at an accredited institution is eligible to submit an essay to the competition. Each entry must be sponsored (by an adult such as a teacher or parent for high school students, and by a faculty member for college students). The high school deadline is March 15, 2008, with a letter of intent requested by December 15, 2007. The college student deadline is April 30, 2008, with a letter of intent requested by January 19, 2008.
Both high school and college essays are to address the nature of an aircraft that would have the impact in the 21st Century that the DC-3 did in the 20th Century. Students should show thoughtful consideration of issues such as fuel economy, environmental impact, operating costs, passenger loads, runway requirements, etc. The essays should show clear evidence of careful research into the issues involved in commercial aviation, with a literature review and careful documentation. The essay should also describe various scenarios where the proposed aircraft would be used. The high school paper is limited to 12 pages. That sounds like a lot to most high school students, but I can assure you that 12 pages is not really all that much to write if you really do a lot of work and research on the topic. The college student essay is more involved. The college students address the same issues as the high school students, but with more detailed cost analysis. They should also address materials and structural considerations and how these impact design and operations. Specific runway lengths, payload capacities, and cruising speeds are noted in the essay requirements. Students submitting essays should also create a design for the aircraft. The college student essay is much more extensive than the high school essay, but it is limited to only 25 pages (however, that excludes ancillary materials, so perhaps design drawings and such could be appended).
Winners are eligible for a variety of awards, including scholarships or offers of internships at a NASA research facility. This sounds like a really interesting opportunity, and if I were a student, I’d jump at the opportunity of something like this. I suppose that competitions like this were around when I was in school, but somehow I never heard about them. Hopefully someone will read this and be motivated to apply. After all, it can’t hurt!
-Astroprof
(aircraft prototype images courtesy of NASA)
(DC-3 photograph by Astroprof)
Richard Treggor on April 30, 2008 at 5:03 am: 1
I would love to write an essay about DC-3. I didn’t know that aviation is also an interesting topic for essays. I still remember when I was still in high school, and I used to join our essay writing contests and was chosen as one of the top finalists. I just love essay writing.
aeronautics today on June 20, 2008 at 3:41 am: 2
Yup, aviation technology is an very interesting topic. At my school, i have a dream to an aviation technology designer or a engineeer in aviation technology