Applied Academics

Will It Fly?

Aerospace Engineering
Technical and Professional Communications 12

Lesson Idea by: Heather Leask, John Mutter
School District #83(North Okanagan-Shuswap)
and Ron McMullen School District #23 (Central Okanagan)

Being an aerospace engineer is pretty exciting. You might design a rocket to send people and machines into space. Or, you might find ways to make airplanes fly faster.

Aerospace engineers may be experts in various disciplines: aerodynamics, propulsion, thermodynamics, structures, celestial mechanics, acoustics, or guidance and control systems. Since aerospace projects are so complex, engineers will often work together on teams. This way, each person can bring their own expertise to the challenges at hand.

Even though engineers have their own area of expertise, they're expected to have skills in various additional areas. Engineers call this a "multiple priority environment." In other words, no aerospace engineer gets to spend the whole day in the wind tunnel.

John Buskell is an aerospace engineer for Conair Aerospace in Abbotsford, B.C. He spends about 70 per cent of his time in a lab, at a computer, or assembling reports. That's typical for most people in this profession.

It's important for someone in this field to be skilled in both engineering and communication. That's because aerospace engineers must deal with various types of technical and professional documents. These include graphs and drawings, statistics and tables, and technical reports. These documents provide them with vital information.

For example, you're working on a design for a new engine. In order to get the job done, you have to interpret reports and sketches from other engineers on your team. You may also have to read reports about the performance of similar engines. You also have to make sketches of objects that exist only in your imagination.

Sometimes an important document is only one paragraph long. Sometimes it's a technical manual that's as thick as a phone book! Whatever format a document takes, you hope the information is accurate. That's because if it's wrong, your project could turn into a disaster. Likewise, any report you prepare had better be correct too.

You're an aerospace engineer working in NASA's hypersonic flight-test program. You've been given a document and asked to edit it for mechanical as well as grammatical correctness. The document will be used as part of a press release.

Using standard editing conventions, edit the Practice File below.

When you're finished editing the Practice File, get together with three or four of your classmates. Identify the errors you found. What kind are they? Most of them will be errors in spelling, sentence structure, grammar and punctuation. Others will be another kind of error entirely, and these have to do with errors of fact. The first type can be corrected by proofreading; the latter by editing.

Have a classroom discussion about the difference between proofreading and editing. Make sure to discuss the following aspects of editing. Can you find examples of this type of editing in other documents?

  • checking facts
  • checking for match between audience and article
  • checking for clarity and fallacies
  • checking for gender or other bias

Now that you know that there are different kinds of errors to be found, re-edit the Hyper-X Practice file. If you are editing electronically, indicate your changes directly on the article using a different type face, font or color. Provide an editing legend and indicate which of the changes are related to proofreading, and which are related to editing.

When you are finished, compare your work with the Edited Practice File (see below). Did you catch all the mistakes?

Sharpen your new proofreading and editing skills by trying these activities:

Select an article from a magazine that is at least two pages or 500 words long. Rewrite it for a different readership, audience or purpose. For example, rewrite:

  • a Maclean's news article for a children's audience
  • an article from a child's magazine for an adult audience
  • an article in Spin magazine for someone who likes classical music

Before you start rewriting the article, figure out who would be reading the original article and who would be reading your rewrite. Write a first draft of your new article.

Exchange the first draft with a partner. Edit each other's articles, being sure to check:

  • facts
  • for match between audience and article
  • for clarity and fallacies
  • for gender and other bias

Does the new article make sense for a new readership or audience? Discuss any other concerns you might have about the article with your partner.

Your assignment will be assessed on your ability to:

  • clearly identify the intended audience and your purpose in editing the article
  • use the writing process to draft, edit and revise the article
  • apply proofreading and editing conventions to your draft
  • accept and give constructive criticism
Course/Grade: Technical and Professional Communications 12
Curriculum Organizer:
Writing, Representing and Speaking
(revising and editing)
 Curriculum Sub-organizer:
revise and edit communications to eliminate false
ideas and unsupported claims and to ensure
the logical and organized presentation
of information.
Prerequisites:
English 11
 Resources:
· access to internet, computer
(word processing software)
· copy file on disk
· The Communications Book:
Writing for the Workplace or other standard reference
· magazines

Practice File

Hyper-X

Hypersonic Experimental Research Vehicle

For the first time since the 1994 cancellation of the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) program the National Aeronautic and Space Administraton (NASA) has re-embarked upon research into hypersonic aircraft.

Hypersonic speed is defined as being above Mach 5 (5 times the speed of light), or the equivalent of one 1.6 kilometers per second (57000 kilometers per hour) at sea level. The fastest aircraft currently in service any where in the world is the Lockhead SR-71 which can cruise at slightly above Mach 3, and the fastest passenger aircraft is still the Anglo-French Concorde which cruises at just over Mach 2. Previous research by NASA conducted during the 50's and 60's culminated with the X-15 project which, with rocket propulsion, reached a speed of Mach 6.7, the highest speed ever reached by a man carrying vehicle (in the earth's atmosphere).

The multi-year flight test program recently announced by NASA calls for the fabrication of 4 Hypersonic Flight Experimental Vehicles, or Hyper-X, unpiloted research aircraft that it is hoped will fly at speeds up to Mach 10.

MicroCraft, Inc. of Tullahoma, Tenn was chosen by NASA to build the Hyper-X vehicles, and Orbital Sciences Corporations Launch Vehicles Division in Chandler, Ariz will prepare the launch vehicles. The aircraft will be 5 meters long with a wing span of 2 meters (12 feet and 5 feet respectively).

One of NASA's primary goals are to develop the technologies for air breathing hypersonic flight (the X-15 being jet powered), and the Hyper-X program will flight validate key propulsion and related technologies toward this aim. Heading the list for concept demonstration is the ramjet/scramjet engine. Ramjets are commonly used as power plants for guided missiles. They function only when there is sufficient forward speed to allow compression of incoming air within the engine inlet. To get a missile off the ground and up to a sped at which the ramjet can function. Booster rockets are used. Air entering the ramjet engine is slowed to subsonic speed and compressed by shockwaves set up by the geometry of the engine inlet duct. Combustion of fuel then takes place in a subsonic airstream. This can be a very efficient process at moderate supersonic speeds. At hypersonic speeds, however, the air passes right through the engine at speeds greater than Mach 1, and so combustion of fuel in a supersonic airstream is required. Hence, the Scramjet--Supersonic Combustion ramjet--was developed.

Whereas rocket powered craft such as the X-15 require a source of oxygen to be carried on board, the ramjet/scramjet takes it oxygen from the atmosphere, like a gas turbine. The ramjet/scramjet craft should, therefore be able to carry more payload because of not having to carry oxygen.

The first aircraft due to fly in this program, billed as "Better, Faster, Cheaper", will do so in 1998, launched from a converted B52. It is scheduled to reach a speed of Mach 7.

Edited Practice File

(The words, punctuation marks, and numbers displayed in bold type indicate where edits have been made.)

Hyper-X

Hypersonic Experimental Research Vehicle

For the first time since the 1994 cancellation of the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) program, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) has begun research into hypersonic aircraft.

Hypersonic speed is defined as being above Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound), or the equivalent of one 1.6 kilometers per second (5,760 kilometers per hour) at sea level. The fastest aircraft currently in service anywhere in the world is the Lockheed SR-71 which can cruise at slightly above Mach 3. The fastest passenger aircraft is still the Anglo-French Concorde which cruises at just over Mach 2. Previous research by NASA conducted during the 1950s and 1960s culminated with the X-15 project which, with rocket propulsion, reached a speed of Mach 6.7. That's the highest speed ever reached by a vehicle carrying a human passenger (in the earth's atmosphere).

The multi-year flight test program recently announced by NASA calls for the fabrication of four Hypersonic Flight Experimental Vehicles, or Hyper-X. They are unpiloted research aircraft that, it is hoped, will fly at speeds up to Mach 10.

MicroCraft, Inc. of Tullahoma, Tenn., was chosen by NASA to build the Hyper-X vehicles. Orbital Sciences Corporation's Launch Vehicles Division in Chandler, Ariz., will prepare the launch vehicles. The aircraft will be 3.66 metres long with a wing-span of 1.525 metres (12 feet and 5 feet respectively).

One of NASA's primary goals is to develop the technologies for air-breathing hypersonic flight (the X-15 being rocket powered). The Hyper-X program will flight validate key propulsion and related technologies toward this aim. Heading the list for concept demonstration is the ramjet/scramjet engine.

Ramjets are commonly used as power plants for guided missiles. They function only when there is sufficient forward speed to allow compression of incoming air within the engine inlet. To get a missile off the ground and up to a speed at which the ramjet can function, booster rockets are used. Air entering the ramjet engine is slowed to subsonic speed and compressed by shock waves set up by the geometry of the engine inlet duct. Combustion of fuel then takes place in a subsonic airstream. This can be a very efficient process at moderate supersonic speeds.

At hypersonic speeds, however, the air passes right through the engine at speeds greater than Mach 1, and so combustion of fuel in a supersonic airstream is required. Hence, the Scramjet -- Supersonic Combustion ramjet -- was developed.

Whereas rocket-powered craft such as the X-15 requires a source of oxygen to be carried on board, the ramjet/scramjet takes its oxygen from the atmosphere, like a gas turbine. The ramjet/scramjet craft should, therefore, be able to carry more payload because of not having to carry oxygen.

The first aircraft due to fly in this program, billed as "Better, Faster, Cheaper," will do so in 1998, launched from a converted B52. It is scheduled to reach a speed of Mach 7.