I. General Information
1. Course Title:
Flight to Edge of Space: Electronic, Mechanical, and Navigational Systems
2. Course Prefix & Number:
PHYS 1480
3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:
Credits: 2
Lecture Hours: 1
Lab Hours: 2
4. Course Description:
In this course students will work as a team to plan and successfully conduct a stratospheric balloon flight that carries their scientific research projects to the near-space. Activities include hypothesis writing, experimental design, construction, execution, data collection, analysis, scientific report writing, and presentation. Content topics in this course include dynamics, atmospheric physics, geophysics, electric and electronic circuits, navigational and electronic control systems. Designing scientific instruments involves breadboarding electronic components, programming microcontroller, testing electronics and experiment module. A companion Earth science course is required which will involve topics in Earth atmospheric structure and dynamic processes, contemporary topics in atmospheric pollution, and societal issues involving the atmosphere. Successful execution of a stratospheric balloon flight requires extensive teamwork and collaboration. The balloon flight will involve at least one all-day field excursion, and is required for this course. This is one of two courses in a learning community. The other is
ESCI 1480 Flight to Edge of Space: Learning and Experimentation. Both courses must be taken concurrently. Expect extensive collaboration, communication, and transfer across the two courses.
5. Placement Tests Required:
| Accuplacer (specify test): |
Reading College Level CLC or Reading College Level |
Score: |
|
6. Prerequisite Courses:
PHYS 1480 - Flight to Edge of Space: Electronic, Mechanical, and Navigational Systems
There are no prerequisites for this course.
9. Co-requisite Courses:
PHYS 1480 - Flight to Edge of Space: Electronic, Mechanical, and Navigational Systems
All Course(s) from the following...
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| ESCI 1480 | Flight to Edge of Space: Learning and Experimentation | 2 cr. |
III. Course Purpose
MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:
Goal 3 – Natural Sciences
Other - If this course is not required in a program or is not part of the MN Transfer Curriculum, it may be used for the purpose(s) listed below:
Liberal Arts Elective
IV. Learning Outcomes
1. College-Wide Outcomes
| College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies |
Students will be able to: |
| Demonstrate written communication skills |
Demonstrate skills in writing scientific reports and reflections on scientific literature. |
| Demonstrate reading and listening skills |
Improve retention and understanding and demonstrate understanding of scientific theories. |
| Analyze and follow a sequence of operations |
Demonstrate the ability to follow sequentially organized operations in all phases of the near-space flight project. |
| Work as a team member to achieve shared goals |
Demonstrate a team-oriented approach to successful completion of a near-space flight project. |
2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of
the course:
- Demonstrate understanding of laws of physics and physical principles (MnTC Goal 3);
- Formulate and test hypotheses by designing and executing a stratospheric balloon flight (MnTC Goal 3);
- Do data collection, statistical and graphical data analysis, and calculate error and uncertainty of experimental data (MnTC Goal 3);
- Communicate experimental findings, analyses, and interpretations both orally and in writing (MnTC Goal 3);
- Present results and ideas with reasoned arguments supported by experimental evidence and utilizing appropriate and authentic written and verbal forms (MnTC Goal 3);
-
Become proficient using common test equipment in a range of standard laboratory measurements while being cognizant of device limitations (MnTC Goal 3);
-
Develop abstract representations of real systems, study them in the laboratory, seek to understand their limitations and uncertainties, and use their models to make predictions (MnTC Goal 3);
- Evaluate societal significance of experiments in atmospheric physics and science (MnTC Goal 3);
-
Analyze and display data using statistical methods and critically interpret the validity and limitations of these data and their uncertainties (MnTC Goal 3);
-
Collect, analyze, and interpret real data from personal observations of "the physical" world to develop a physical and geoscientific worldview (MnTC Goal 3); and
- Develop, engineer, and troubleshoot experiments constructed for testing models and hypotheses while working within specific constraints such as cost, time, safety, and available equipment(MnTC Goal 3).
V. Topical Outline
Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.
1. Lecture Sessions
- Exploring Near Space
- Near-space balloon flights, research, physical constraints
- FAA restrictions to sending payloads to 20 miles
- Scientific inquiry and library research
- Effective collaboration and teamwork
- Dynamics of objects in Earth’s gravitational field
- Near-space hardware and software
- Flight and instrument platform
- Physics of gasses and liquids
- Electrical and electronic circuits
- Programming
- Navigational systems
- Electronic control systems
- Data collection, in-flight storage, and transfer
- Data processing and analysis
- Large data sets
- Spreadsheet, statistics, and computation
- Scientific analyses
- Scientific reporting
- Scientific report writing
- Formatting reports, texts, and visual elements
- References and citations
- Media for scientific communication
- Public speaking
2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions
- Earth's atmosphere
- Measurement and instruments
- Error and uncertainty in measurements
- Getting to know stratospheric balloon hardware, sensors, and software
- Designing a science experiment, Prototyping and testing
- Conducting a tethered low altitude balloon flight
- The Day: Launch and Recovery (8 hours required field work)
- Data processing and analysis
- Statistical analyses of data
- Formatted research writing
- Scientific presentation using various media
I. General Information
1. Course Title:
Flight to Edge of Space: Electronic, Mechanical, and Navigational Systems
2. Course Prefix & Number:
PHYS 1480
3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:
Credits: 2
Lecture Hours: 1
Lab Hours: 2
4. Course Description:
In this course students will work as a team to plan and successfully conduct a stratospheric balloon flight that carries their scientific research projects to the near-space. Activities include hypothesis writing, experimental design, construction, execution, data collection, analysis, scientific report writing, and presentation. Content topics in this course include dynamics, atmospheric physics, geophysics, electric and electronic circuits, navigational and electronic control systems. Designing scientific instruments involves breadboarding electronic components, programming microcontroller, testing electronics and experiment module. A companion Earth science course is required which will involve topics in Earth atmospheric structure and dynamic processes, contemporary topics in atmospheric pollution, and societal issues involving the atmosphere. Successful execution of a stratospheric balloon flight requires extensive teamwork and collaboration. The balloon flight will involve at least one all-day field excursion, and is required for this course. This is one of two courses in a learning community. The other is
ESCI 1480 Flight to Edge of Space: Learning and Experimentation. Both courses must be taken concurrently. Expect extensive collaboration, communication, and transfer across the two courses.
5. Placement Tests Required:
| Accuplacer (specify test): |
Reading College Level CLC or Reading College Level |
Score: |
|
6. Prerequisite Courses:
PHYS 1480 - Flight to Edge of Space: Electronic, Mechanical, and Navigational Systems
There are no prerequisites for this course.
9. Co-requisite Courses:
PHYS 1480 - Flight to Edge of Space: Electronic, Mechanical, and Navigational Systems
All Course(s) from the following...
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| ESCI 1480 | Flight to Edge of Space: Learning and Experimentation | 2 cr. |
II. Transfer and Articulation
III. Course Purpose
2. MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:
Goal 3 – Natural Sciences
3. Other - If this course does NOT meet criteria for #1 or #2 above, it may be used for the purpose(s) selected below:
Liberal Arts Elective
IV. Learning Outcomes
1. College-Wide Outcomes
| College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies |
Students will be able to: |
| Demonstrate written communication skills |
Demonstrate skills in writing scientific reports and reflections on scientific literature. |
| Demonstrate reading and listening skills |
Improve retention and understanding and demonstrate understanding of scientific theories. |
| Analyze and follow a sequence of operations |
Demonstrate the ability to follow sequentially organized operations in all phases of the near-space flight project. |
| Work as a team member to achieve shared goals |
Demonstrate a team-oriented approach to successful completion of a near-space flight project. |
2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of
the course:
- Demonstrate understanding of laws of physics and physical principles (MnTC Goal 3);
- Formulate and test hypotheses by designing and executing a stratospheric balloon flight (MnTC Goal 3);
- Do data collection, statistical and graphical data analysis, and calculate error and uncertainty of experimental data (MnTC Goal 3);
- Communicate experimental findings, analyses, and interpretations both orally and in writing (MnTC Goal 3);
- Present results and ideas with reasoned arguments supported by experimental evidence and utilizing appropriate and authentic written and verbal forms (MnTC Goal 3);
-
Become proficient using common test equipment in a range of standard laboratory measurements while being cognizant of device limitations (MnTC Goal 3);
-
Develop abstract representations of real systems, study them in the laboratory, seek to understand their limitations and uncertainties, and use their models to make predictions (MnTC Goal 3);
- Evaluate societal significance of experiments in atmospheric physics and science (MnTC Goal 3);
-
Analyze and display data using statistical methods and critically interpret the validity and limitations of these data and their uncertainties (MnTC Goal 3);
-
Collect, analyze, and interpret real data from personal observations of "the physical" world to develop a physical and geoscientific worldview (MnTC Goal 3); and
- Develop, engineer, and troubleshoot experiments constructed for testing models and hypotheses while working within specific constraints such as cost, time, safety, and available equipment(MnTC Goal 3).
V. Topical Outline
Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.
1. Lecture Sessions
- Exploring Near Space
- Near-space balloon flights, research, physical constraints
- FAA restrictions to sending payloads to 20 miles
- Scientific inquiry and library research
- Effective collaboration and teamwork
- Dynamics of objects in Earth’s gravitational field
- Near-space hardware and software
- Flight and instrument platform
- Physics of gasses and liquids
- Electrical and electronic circuits
- Programming
- Navigational systems
- Electronic control systems
- Data collection, in-flight storage, and transfer
- Data processing and analysis
- Large data sets
- Spreadsheet, statistics, and computation
- Scientific analyses
- Scientific reporting
- Scientific report writing
- Formatting reports, texts, and visual elements
- References and citations
- Media for scientific communication
- Public speaking
2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions
- Earth's atmosphere
- Measurement and instruments
- Error and uncertainty in measurements
- Getting to know stratospheric balloon hardware, sensors, and software
- Designing a science experiment, Prototyping and testing
- Conducting a tethered low altitude balloon flight
- The Day: Launch and Recovery (8 hours required field work)
- Data processing and analysis
- Statistical analyses of data
- Formatted research writing
- Scientific presentation using various media