Introducing Aerospace Design: Enhancement via differentiation and condensation, and their connection to a 'Learning Curve'

摘要

For over a dozen years, at the University of Michigan, there has been a first-year introductory Aerospace Engineering course that has involved the design, fabrication, testing, and flight of airships. The course has evolved to have significantly greater content. This increase has occurred both because of significant student engagement, and due to better instruction: Notably, some content is condensed to be more precise and time efficient, while other notions are introduced in differentiated stages and scaffolded into more complex ideas. This cascade of content is also self-reinforcing. Here, some details of how dimensional invariance and model environments (for Venus, Earth, Mars, Titan), are introduced. These feed into the instruction of estimation, uncertainty, and mass budgets. In particular, it is very important to introduce uncertainties early, so subsequent tools (e.g. margining, ballast) are more immediately appreciated and placed into proper context. Even though the contact hours for the course have remained constant, the content has significantly increased.