A freshman-level project-based learning module by Prof. Dava Newman, MIT, captured as part of the North American CDIO in Aerospace Engineering Education Project with support from NASA.
As a team, students design and construct a lighter-than-air (LTA) vehicle, often referred to as a "blimp". This project is used as a microcosm to represent many aspects of real world project: design, construction, test and operation in the real world. The project is the final experience in a freshman-level class that introduces the students to aeronautics. It also provides preparation in communication for their future classes: The preliminary and critical design reviews give the students experience in oral presentations, and the students also prepare two written reports.
NASA-PBL
Conceive
Design
Implement
Operate
