NASA Aerodynamics resources - good for all classes!
Posted in Labels: aerospace engineering, free resources, NASA
NASA's Glenn Research Center has a huge amount of resources for teachers to use in class. The Aerodynamics section is truly amazing.
They have Science Fundamentals (Newton's Laws, Equilibrium, Torques, Phases of Matter), Math Fundamentals (Area, volume, vectors, trigonometry...), Airplane parts, Aerodynamics, Model Rockets, and much more.
Many of the topics are set up in a lesson type format. Students can just click "next" to proceed through the section. There are even interactive demos and simulations available. And all of it is for free.
They also have the Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics (BGA) which was created as a Web-based "textbook." The creation of the BGA is a research project to explore the use of the personal computer and the Internet to present educational materials to students, teachers, and lifelong learners in a more interactive way than a printed, bound textbook.
The material is good for Middle and High School students, but teachers can use parts of it for any level of class.
I use it as a great primer on Newton's Laws, and also use it for our Rocket's lesson at the end of the year. The nice thing is that when you apply all of these topics to aerospace topics, the students are more engaged than they would be by the topic itself.
Some more NASA Education Sites:
Share your NASA resources with us!
