Up, Up & Away

Bio

This course has been a perennial favorite at CTD. Over more than three decades, hundreds of students in grades 4 through 6 have learned about physics, flight, and the evolving world of aerospace engineering by building and testing rockets, hot air balloons, and paper airplanes in this course.  Close your eyes and imagine yourself at Deering meadow on Northwestern's campus launching rockets and hot air balloons with your peers! This is what summer at CTD is all about. 

Course Description from 2015: The world’s heaviest aircraft weighs in at 640 tons and was built to transport a space shuttle. How do the fundamental forces of flight (lift, drag, thrust, and weight) work to get such a giant machine get off the ground? In this project-based STEAM class, apply the principles of aerodynamics to your own designs and constructions, including kites, hot air balloons, gliders, and rockets. Through readings, learn about the historical development of flight and through hands-on experiments, create hypotheses, observe your flying machines in the air, and compose lab reports to understand the physics and engineering principles behind the science. Apply the six steps of the engineering process as you learn the role of an aeronautical engineer.