PLTW Gateway Flight and Space

FS Summative Assessment
1. During the Instant Design Challenge, your team used the Design Process to create a paper airplane. Identify the
step of the Design Process that matches the following task:

After flying a plane prototype and taking measurements on its performance, the team decided how well the plane
met design requirements.
a. Define a Problem
b. Generate Concepts
c. Design a Solution
d. Build and Test
e. Evaluate Solution
f. Present Solution

2. During the Instant Design Challenge, your team used the Design Process to create a paper airplane.

Identify the step of the Design Process that matches the following task: The team brainstormed a wide range of
ideas for the plane. No ideas were rejected. All team members were encouraged to suggest creative solutions.
a. Define a Problem
b. Generate Concepts
c. Design a Solution
d. Build and Test
e. Evaluate Solution
f. Present Solution

3. A startup company forms with a goal of designing, manufacturing, and selling a new invention—personal
airplanes. Their design team comes up with several options to present to investors. The company CEO wants to
pitch a product that is reliable and safe, but also affordable.

From the decision matrix shown, which product should they pitch?

© 2021 Project Lead The Way, Inc. 1

PLTW Gateway Flight and Space

Design Fast to Make Cheap to Make Great Quality

a. Design A
b. Design B
c. Design C
d. Design D

4. Label each of the following forces on the airplane diagram:

a. Lift
b. Thrust
c. Drag
d. Weight

5. Describe what happens to an airplane in flight when weight is greater than lift.
a. Plane rises
b. Plane descends
c. Plane accelerates
d. Plane slows

6. Which of Newton’s Laws of Motion explains what is happening in this statement—the jet engines produce hot
exhaust gases, which flow out the back of the engines. In reaction, the force of thrust is produced in the opposite
direction.
a. Newton’s First Law
b. Newton’s Second Law
c. Newton’s Third Law

© 2021 Project Lead The Way, Inc. 2

PLTW Gateway Flight and Space

7. The cruise speed of the Embraer Phenom 100 is 405 kts, and flight times between cities are based on this speed.
a. If the pilot flies at cruising speed, then the plane will land early.
b. If the pilot flies at cruising speed, then the plane will land on time.
c. If the pilot flies at cruising speed, then the plane will land late.
d. The pilot will cancel the flight.

8. Name the motion illustrated by the aircraft image.

a. Pitch
b. Yaw
c. Roll
d. Bend

9. Aeronautical charts contain the information pilots need to navigate an aircraft.

What information is shown on these charts? Select all that apply.

a. Weather conditions
b. Large landmarks visible from the air
c. Natural topography
d. Airspace and airports

10. Examine the data in the chart. The flight distance from Austin, Texas to Shreveport, Louisiana is 245 NM.

Plane Range Cruising Speed

Cessna 440 NM 118 kts

Skycatcher
Eclipse 550 1125 NM 375 kts

Pilatus PC-12 1560 NM 280 kts

NG
King Air 200 1870 NM 265 kts

© 2021 Project Lead The Way, Inc. 3

PLTW Gateway Flight and Space

Order the planes from the shortest trip time to the longest trip time between the two cities.

________________ < ________________ < ________________ < ________________

Shortest trip time Longest trip time

11. Which of the following pieces of information does a crew scheduler use to assemble a flight crew? Select all that
apply.
a. Whether a crew member has requested days off during the planned flight time
b. The seniority of a crew member
c. Whether a crew member has had rest/sleep time
d. Which crew members like flying to certain locations/layover cities
e. Whether a crew member has exceeded his or her allowed flight hours

12. How much time will the plane stay in Phoenix (PHX) before heading back to Las Vegas (LAS)?

a. 55 minutes
b. 1 hour 5 minutes
c. 1 hour 15 minutes
d. 3 hours 15 minutes

© 2021 Project Lead The Way, Inc. 4

PLTW Gateway Flight and Space

13. Boeing aircraft can operate in temperatures up to 126 degrees, and Airbus can fly in 127 degrees. During a hot
August, the weather forecast predicts the temperature will be 126 degrees. As an executive at the airline, you must
advise your team about what to do:
 Keep planes flying as planned
 Delay flights
 Cancel flights

Write a recommendation, explain your reasoning, and give one pro and one con for your decision.

14. The International Space Station (ISS) is important to space exploration because:
a. It can hold a very large crew of 20 or more people.
b. It can be launched fully assembled from a launch pad on Earth.
c. It is good for learning about the effects of microgravity and living in space.
d. No energy is needed to power the equipment on the International Space Station.

15. Traveling into space has been a positive experience. Which example best shows the positive relationship between
space exploration and impact on society?
Space Exploration Impact Society Impact
a. Discovery of life elsewhere Power struggles arise for resources

b. Ability to work in space increases Increase in Earth unemployment

c. Innovation in products Economic success

d. Decrease in length of time it Demand for space traffic control like air traffic
takes for deep space travel control in airports

16. This rocket launched but did not orbit.

© 2021 Project Lead The Way, Inc. 5

PLTW Gateway Flight and Space

Which statement most accurately describes what happened to this rocket?

a. The thrust was greater than the weight.
b. The thrust was so great that the rocket went into orbit.
c. The thrust was less than the weight.
d. The thrust was great enough for launch, but not enough for orbit.

17. Astronauts on the International Space Station sprouted lettuce seeds. They soon realized that the plants were going
to grow too large for their containers. The crew is instructed to save the harvest.

“Let’s replant all of the lettuce. We could use the empty food containers we have left over from our meals for the
plants,” suggests one of the astronauts.

“That could work, but do you think the unexpected size of all these big plants will impact our air and water use?”
says another.

“Let’s just restart them from seed. We can still use our empty food containers as planters, but we’ll only plant half
as many seeds. We have 60 days on our mission, which is exactly how long it takes for lettuce to mature for
harvest,” says a third.

The astronaut who suggested, “That could work, but do you think the unexpected size of all these big plants will
impact our air and water use?” was demonstrating what part of working effectively in a team?
a. Behavior that will negatively impact the solution.
b. Disrespectfully interrupting other team members.

© 2021 Project Lead The Way, Inc. 6

PLTW Gateway Flight and Space

c. Assigning tasks to specific team members.

d. Providing effective communication and feedback.

18. Review the oxygen-recovery system specifications and daily oxygen and water needs.

Oxygen-Water Recovery System (Resources Recycled Every 24 hours)

Substance Amount

Oxygen 4 kg
Carbon Dioxide 1 kg expelled from each
crew member daily
Water 12 Liters

Daily Oxygen and Water Needs:

Item On Earth In Space
(Per person per day)
Oxygen 0.8 kg 0.8 kg
Drinking water 10 liters 1.63 liters
Water for food 4 liters 0.8 liters
© 2021 Project Lead The Way, Inc. 7
PLTW Gateway Flight and Space

In addition to supporting human life, would this oxygen-recovery system be able to support any onboard crop
gardens? Provide evidence from the data tables to support your claim.

19. Increasing Vitamin C in astronauts’ diets may prove beneficial because it might help them to better process
oxygen. In addition, scientists have discovered that eating fresh ingredients and new flavors provides positive
feelings in astronauts.

They devise a plan to grow small amounts of plants that contain vitamin C with the water from the oxygen and
water recovery prototype. Each plant requires similar amounts of space to grow if harvested while young, so space
is not a consideration.
Plant Days to reach Vitamin C in 5 Liquid required
maturity for harvest grams per day per plant
(liters)
Basil 42 0.9 .02

Green onion 30 2.7 .03

Leaf lettuce 50 0.9 .01

What is the maximum number of green onion plants you could grow with only 2.25 liters of water?

© 2021 Project Lead The Way, Inc. 8

PLTW Gateway Flight and Space

a. 10 plants
b. 50 plants
c. 75 plants
d. 100 plants

20. Use the data to support this claim—Astronauts lose bone mass at different rates while in space.
Astronaut 1 Astronaut 2 Astronaut 3

Month Bone mass g/cm3

January 2.90 3.88 3.60

February 2.82 3.72 3.56

March 2.77 3.65 3.52

April 2.71 3.56 3.48

May 2.66 3.49 3.45

June 2.61 3.42 3.42

© 2021 Project Lead The Way, Inc. 9

PLTW Gateway Flight and Space

21. Before sending the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) to the ISS, scientists tested it on volunteers. Here
is what the volunteers experienced:
 Each completed a bed rest study which simulated the effect of microgravity on muscles.
 Each exercised with the ARED for 16 weeks on Earth.
 Each had their muscle mass measured before, during and after the 16-week period.

When scientists analyzed the data from the 16-week study on Earth, which part of the design process was this?
a. Define a Problem
b. Generate Concepts
c. Design a Solution
d. Build and Test
e. Evaluate Solution

© 2021 Project Lead The Way, Inc. 10