Problem-based Multidisciplinary Participation in Aerospace Design

Abstract

This work explores the knowledge development of a diverse team of undergraduate students in pursuit of a RASC-AL engineering challenge by NASA to develop a 1-G deep space station. This habitat would need to be fully self-sufficient within five years of its initial launch and have a 20-30 year operational time span. The breadth of considerations is well-suited for a large team with a broad range of skills. Factors considered include potential fuel sources, location in space, materials, radiation hazards, purpose of construction, physiological and psychological concerns, sustainable agriculture methods, as well as an efficient rotation and docking system. Teams then collectively collaborated to present and successfully justify the most unique, practical, and cost-effective 1G space station design. Self-run by a student organization open to all majors, this design activity builds upon a multi-year history of aerospace project work. Student leadership developed a framework within which each participant can find a useful task and feel part of a larger whole. The aim of the study is to assess effective means for attracting and retaining a large, diverse team in ways which are sustainable during leadership turnover, and to reach for ever more-challenging goals. Past successes within the organization helped to attract and retain a range of interested and motivated students. Student educational outcomes were assessed both before and after the design project. Multiple choice and ranking questions with on-line surveys allow for tracking of perceptions and motivation, and identifying factors contributing to sustained involvement. Individual passions were woven into the overall design approach to provide a sense of ownership and a feeling of contribution which are hypothesized to be strongly correlated with overall success of the team. In this work the extent to which each student’s degree program is utilized is characterized, as well as their particular area(s) of interest, and compared with measures of output and contribution to the final result.