23 research outputs found

    Science overview of the Europa Clipper mission

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    The goal of NASA’s Europa Clipper mission is to assess the habitability of Jupiter’s moon Europa. After entering Jupiter orbit in 2030, the flight system will collect science data while flying past Europa 49 times at typical closest approach distances of 25–100 km. The mission’s objectives are to investigate Europa’s interior (ice shell and ocean), composition, and geology; the mission will also search for and characterize any current activity including possible plumes. The science objectives will be accomplished with a payload consisting of remote sensing and in-situ instruments. Remote sensing investigations cover the ultraviolet, visible, near infrared, and thermal infrared wavelength ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as an ice-penetrating radar. In-situ investigations measure the magnetic field, dust grains, neutral gas, and plasma surrounding Europa. Gravity science will be achieved using the telecommunication system, and a radiation monitoring engineering subsystem will provide complementary science data. The flight system is designed to enable all science instruments to operate and gather data simultaneously. Mission planning and operations are guided by scientific requirements and observation strategies, while appropriate updates to the plan will be made tactically as the instruments and Europa are characterized and discoveries emerge. Following collection and validation, all science data will be archived in NASA’s Planetary Data System. Communication, data sharing, and publication policies promote visibility, collaboration, and mutual interdependence across the full Europa Clipper science team, to best achieve the interdisciplinary science necessary to understand Europa

    Confronting the Challenges of Computational Design Instruction

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    Many architects understand that learning to program can be a challenge, but assume that time and practice are the only barriers to performing well enough at it. However, research from computer science education does not support this assumption. Multinational studies of undergraduate computer science programs reveal that a significant number of students in their first and second year of fulltime instruction still have serious misconceptions about how computer programs work and an inability to design programs of their own. If computer science students have trouble learning to think and express themselves computationally, what does this say about architects' chances of learning to program well? Moreover, if common problems have been identified, can architectural educators learn anything from findings in computer science education research? In order to determine if this research is relevant to architecture, the author conducted a pilot study of architecture students consisting of program analysis and conceptual knowledge tests. The study found that student performance was poor in ways similar to those revealed in the computer science education research. Because architects face similar challenges as computer science majors, this suggests that the discipline could benefit from more investment in educational collaborations. In addition, empirical research – from architecture as well as other fields – must play a more substantial role in helping architects learn computational thinking and expression

    Digital Minds, Materials, and Ethics: Linking Computational Thinking and Digital Craft

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    This paper describes the connections between computational thinking and digital craft, and proposes several ways that architectural education can cultivate better digital craft, specifically: motivating the use of computational strategies, encouraging a conceptual understanding of computing as a medium, teaching computer programming, and discussing digital ethics. For the most part, these subjects are not widely taught in architecture schools. However, moving forward, if the profession values good design, it must also value good digital craft, and ought to instil a way of working in the next generation of architects that makes the most of both the computer and the designer. Computational thinking provides a common foundation for defining and instilling this critical mindset and, therefore, deserves greater consideration within architectural pedagogy

    Design and Preliminary Results From a Computational Thinking Course

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