Preliminary Research Plan

 

 

 

1.  What specific areas within the field will be investigated, researched, and/or studied?

 

 

            I will be studying the specific designs of space shuttles NASA has launched and/or is launching. I will also be studying the history of previous space shuttles to determine what caused them to fly further distances than other shuttles and discuss why these shuttles have traveled the distance that they did. Once I have researched as much evidence that I need, I will come up with my own idea on traveling further distances.

 

 

 

2.  How will knowledge or ability in the field be acquired, developed, and demonstrated though the year?

 

            I will develop my knowlege in Aerospace Engineering throughout the year by using primary and secondary sources. These sources include previous videotapes of space shuttle launchings, articles, maps, and more. Then, I will develop a problem and write a research paper that may answer my problem. I will discuss my issue with my classmates and talk about it with classes around my school and Howard County. I also have an advisor, Kush Patel, who is going to help me if I get into any problems throughout the year.

 

Kush Patel (contacted in October)

NASA Human Space Flight

Goddard Space Flight Center

Greenbelt, MD 20771

(301)-335-0491

 

3.  What will be the product(s) and/or outcome(s) of the year of study?

 

The product will be an answer to my problem of traveling further distances in space.

 

4.  What proven need will be addressed by the project? What real problem will be solved? What question will be researched?

 

            There is a reason why space shuttles have only traveled a certain distance, and that is because we have not made a shuttle that can do that. Therefore, I will try to construct a model that may be able to travel a farther distance. Through my project, I plan to better educate myself and others about space shuttles and hopefully get them interested.

 

5.  Who is the intended audience of the project? Who, other than the student, will learn or benefit as a result of the work? To whom will the outcomes be communicated? For whom is the product or result intended?

 

            The intended audience of the project is for high school/college students because we are the future. Hopefully, they will learn and benefit from my research because I know that I am not the only person who wants to become an Engineer. The outcomes will be communicated with my peers. The product is intended for anyone who has an interest in the field.

 

6.  Will the audience be local, state or national?

 

The audience will be local (around Howard County).

 

7.  How will the product and outcomes be communicated to or performed for the selected audience? What will be the outlet vehicle?

 

The product will be communicated with a presentation in classes. Also, the information will be presented in Space Clubs around the school and county.

 

8.  What resources will be required for the project (human, print, organizations, media)?

 

There will be many types of resources that will be required for my project. This includes Internet, electronic databases, maps, human resources, and others.

 

9.  What are special considerations of the project?

 

            This project is made from a student, meaning that the space shuttle at the end may be sucessful or it may not work at all. Also, it is going to take a lot of time and effort for this project. I will need as much time as possible to complete this project.

 

 

 

 

Part II

 

By the end of November I will have:

 

A list of previous space shuttles and designs from NASA.

A list of Aerospace Engineers from NASA.

 

By the end of December I will have:

 

Researched as many space shuttles and designs as possible.

Constructed a hypothesis for my research problem.

Written a research paper on my topic.

 

By the end of January I will have:

 

Found a correlation between some designs and their ability to travel.

Contacted my advisor to verify my interpretation.

Researched parts of space shuttles and their abilities.

 

By the end of February I will have:

 

A sketch of a space shuttle(s) that I made.

Talked to my advisor on those sketches.

 

By the end of March I will have:

 

Successfully found a solution to the problem.

Talked to my advisor on my solution.

 

By the end of April I will have:

 

Discussed my project with a display board at the G/T Fair.

Started on my Final Revisions of my work.

 

By the end of May I will have:

 

Made final revisions of my work.