Sun, Feb 12, 2012
iOS Software Available Now, Android Coming In The Next Few
Months
NASA has released a new educational game with an air traffic
control theme for Apple iPhone and iPad devices. The Sector 33
application is designed to challenge students in middle school and
above to use basic math and problem-solving skills. An Android
version of the app is in development and will be made available in
the Android Marketplace in the coming months.
In the game the player acts as an air traffic controller guiding
airplanes through a sector of airspace spanning Nevada and
California. The player can adjust the planes' path and speed to
safely reach certain spots in the sky in the fastest time possible
while keeping the planes a specific distance from each other. "Our
hope is that Sector 33 will give students a sense of the importance
of math in managing our nation's air traffic and, at the same time,
interest them in pursuing a career in aeronautics," said Jaiwon
Shin, NASA's associate administrator for aeronautics research in
Washington.
The math-focused game also aligns with the NASA Office of
Education's mission to engage students in activities related to
science, technology, engineering and mathematics. "Today's students
respond positively to experiential learning," said Leland Melvin,
NASA's associate administrator for education. "Using an interactive
game to spark their interest, while at the same time teaching them
fundamental math concepts, is a win-win scenario. It is a perfect
way to help cultivate the next generation of engineers and
technologists."
Sector 33 is based on Smart Skies Line Up With Math, an
educational software title developed under the direction of NASA's
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and distributed in
cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration and National
Air Traffic Controllers Association. Smart Skies has been used in
middle school classrooms across the United States since 2005.
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