The Engineering Design Challenges website is a collaborative project among NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Education Programs Department, Dryden Flight Research Center Education Programs Office, Ames Research Center, and TERC. The program is intended to connect students with "the challenges faced by NASA engineers as they design the next generation of aerospace vehicles." The carefully selected design challenges include: Thermal Protection Systems, Spacecraft Design Structures, Electrodynamic Propulsion Systems, Centennial of Flight: Propeller, and Personal Satellite Assistant. By designing, building, testing, re-designing, and re-building models that meet specified design criteria, middle and high school students learn science, mathematics, and thinking skills. The project culminates with classroom poster presentations in which students describe the process and results of their work. An educator guide includes handouts for parents so they can keep informed of their child's work and try some activities at home. A section for teachers provides testimonials from teachers, videos of other classrooms that "took the Challenge," resource links, planning materials, and other tips for using the challenge.
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