What Students Learn

Students learn the importance of teamwork and precision by dividing complex tasks between manual pilot and autonomous coder teams to achieve a shared mission goal. They explore NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) concepts, specifically how geofencing technology creates virtual barriers around restricted airspace to keep the skies safe. Additionally, students develop adaptive problem-solving skills as they use chance cards to adjust their code and flight paths in response to real-world interruptions like weather alerts, low battery warnings, or propeller damage.

What Students Do

After an energetic full-body icebreaker, students begin the Mars Base Builder challenge where one partner manually flies Hopper to deliver supply modules while the other codes a second drone to simulate base construction through tiered loops. For the Urban Geofencing mission, teams design a city delivery course by placing landing pads to represent interference zones and towers as rooftop signal relays. Students then program Hopper to autonomously navigate this route in the most efficient sequence possible to reach a central delivery hub. Throughout the mission, teams roll dice to determine the number of surprise challenges they must overcome, forcing them to modify their code and strategy on the fly.