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Multidisciplinary
Design, Analysis, and
Optimization Branch
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EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES: THE NASA AEROQUIZ
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Week of 1/13/97:
Q:
When a commercial airliner is cruising at 35000 feet, the temperature of
the air outside the aircraft is around minus 66 degrees Fahrenheit. However,
instead of heaters, air conditioners must be used to provide comfort for the
passengers and crew. Why?
A:
The pressure of the air at 35000 feet is too low to breathe.
The fuselages of commercial airliners are pressurized to comfortable
levels using "bleed" air extracted from the engines' compressors. The
compression stage of the jet cycle raises the air to high temperatures, so air
conditioners must be used to cool the cabin air.
Congratulations to Bill Baumgarten.
Week of 1/20/97:
Q:
What was the first sonic boom created by humans? Was it when Chuck
Yeager broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1? Or had people created sonic
booms before that?
A:
The first sonic booms attributed to humans were created
by very early supervisors (homo-sapien-bossius), who
developed the ability to "crack" a whip (much to the
dismay of workers (homo-sapien-dilbertius)).
Congratulations to Paul Giel.
Week of 1/27/97:
Q:
An explorer is hiking in the wilderness. He accidentally tears his pants
on a rock. In less than a minute, he is dead. What happened?
A:
The explorer is on the Moon or other such
hostile place so he is exposed to its atmosphere
(or lack of one) instead of his space suit's protection.
Congratulations to Bill Strack.
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