Engineer Susan holding folderHi! I'm Engineer Susan. It's great that you're going to be working with me on an engineering design project. I'm an aerospace engineer, and I specialize in designing satellites.

Today you're going to be the engineer, so I'd better tell you a little bit about what exactly engineers are. Engineers apply science to solve practical problems. They design products to meet people's needs or wants. There are lots of different kinds of engineering: aerospace, electrical, chemical, civil, mechanical, environmental, computer, and industrial are a few kinds.

But back to our project. I'm going to be really busy today, so I'm going to leave the designing mostly up to you, but I will be around if you need any help. I know that you've probably never designed a satellite before, so I've prepared some items to help you out.

If you look at the left of your screen, you'll see your virtual notebook. You're going to use it to record any design decisions you make. Try typing something in it now (you'll have to click on it with your mouse first).

[Design
Process button]I've written out the Engineering Design Process for satellites. No matter what you're designing (whether it's a boat, a jar opener, or a satellite) you need to follow this design process. Every time you see the Design Process button you can click on it to see how many steps in the process you've finished. After you complete a step, you can check it off by clicking in the little boxes next to the description. Try clicking on it now.

Well, it's about time to get started. In the file folder at the bottom of your screen, I've left a copy of some of my assignments for you. Click on the file folder to choose a satellite design assignment.

File Folder