Abstract:

The teaching of the aerospace transportation environment is often difficult to present in practical situations where the student can discern between theory and practical validity. This aspect is particularly evident in the last stages of the Aerospace Engineering Degree, where the technological nature of the courses complicates, even more, the acquisition of practical knowledge by the student. Moreover, there are currently no laboratory tools in most of the universities for the entire aerospace subject matter due to the demands, difficulty and safety aspects. Therefore, it is not often feasible to involve the student in realistic situations where the studied theoretical concepts are directly applied. In this study, a teaching methodology is proposed for promoting the acquisition of practical aspects observed in rocket engine performance. To this end, different available educational software models of space launchers and rockets will be used. The methodology is based on introducing the student to the field of rocket engines simulation, learning to handle different numerical tools and participating in their own development. While some of these tools take into account many of the key aspects in the rocket engine operation (i.e. simulated atmosphere, solid or liquid fuels, nozzle design, payload to be transported, orbit to be reached, etc.), others have certain limitations that students can improve with the knowledge acquired theoretically. Results demonstrate the potential of the proposed methodology for improving the understanding of the most practical aspects difficult to replicate in the educational environment. In addition, the methodology is also well received by the students, which contributes to their interest in the learning procedure and their own motivation.

Keywords:

Educational simulators, Autonomous learning, Active learning, Aerospace Engineering.