Explore the science
Learn how load, motion, buoyancy, air pressure, engineered guideways and power constraints shape mobility.
Build the Aurora Mk-I Drone or Mk-H HOPE
Step through the component sequence, compare lightweight structural metals and polymers, assemble the eight-wheel/four-track research chassis, or explore HOPE accessibility and cabin design. This is an educational digital mock-up, not manufacturing instructions.
Open the Aurora Assembly Workshop ↗STAGE 00 / ORIENTATION
Welcome to the Aurora Laboratory.
A concept becomes research when the question can be tested, the evidence can be recorded, and the result can be challenged. This course adds a new inquiry track to the existing AHF Exploration STEM Academy programs.
Test a model
Change assumptions in idealized classroom calculators. Observe why there is no single magic hover mechanism.
Make the call
Choose the appropriate operating system across four environmental scenarios and earn research XP.
MISSION STATEMENT
The question we can actually test
Can a small, unmanned educational platform demonstrate distinct mechanisms of magnetic guideway levitation, water buoyancy, and near-surface air-cushion support—and document which transitions remain unresolved?
Six phases · Twelve weeks
W1-2Forces & method
W3-4Magnetic guideway
W5-6Buoyancy & stability
W7-8Air cushion
W9-10Integration & sensors
W11-12Review & publish
Concept attribution: Leah Paige assisted with Aurora concept development and research. Academy activities are independent STEM curriculum, not university credit, NASA endorsement, vehicle certification or an actual prototype test.
STAGE 01 / CURRICULUM
Your 12-week research journey.
Select a mission to examine its scientific claim, lesson objective, evidence assignment and a short knowledge check. Mark a mission complete after reviewing and attempting the check.
STAGE 02 / PHYSICS LAB
What would actually hold it up?
Three simplified classroom calculators illustrate *different* mechanisms. They are not a simulation of an engineered vehicle, flight performance or certified safety margin.
STAGE 03 / GAME MODE
Aurora Mission Control.
Choose a support mechanism that fits the environment. Incorrect choices are part of the scientific process: Merlin will explain the forces and let you try again.
✦✦
STATION 1 / COASTAL ROAD
Scenario 1 of 4Score: 0 / 4
STAGE 04 / KNOWLEDGE CHECK
The research readiness assessment.
A 12-question self-check draws from the classroom missions. At 9 out of 12 or better you earn the on-device Research Ready badge. It is *not* an academic certificate or professional qualification.
STAGE 05 / SCIENTIFIC RECORD
Your research notebook.
Record your own hypothesis, controlled conditions, numerical measurements and what might explain an unexpected result. This stays in your current browser until you export or clear it; do not enter personal or health information.
STAGE 06 / SCIENTIFIC THESIS
Hybrid mobility: a testable thesis.
This proposed research unifies the questions, not the proven hardware. The engineering mechanisms stay separate until repeatable experiments justify integration.
Research thesis
Primary question: Can an educational unmanned scale platform demonstrate near-surface air-cushion support, hydrostatic buoyancy and engineered-guideway magnetic levitation in separate bounded tests, and use traceable data to assess future integration requirements?
Working hypothesis: Each mechanism can be demonstrated within its established domain. Reconfiguration interfaces, control continuity, energy usage and safe mode transitions are unknown until measured. There is no evidence that magnetism alone enables unrestricted free hovering over ordinary water.
Scientific mechanisms
BuoyancyFb = rhowater g VdisplacedEstablished law; stability requires further assessment
Air-cushion supportPideal = mg / AcushionStatic teaching estimate only, excludes fan losses
Inductive magnetic guidewayCompatible track + motion + field geometryDocumented mechanism; no free hover on ordinary water
Fixed-wing liftL = CL x 0.5 rhoair V2 ANASA equation; not a hover formula at rest
Independent variables and controls
Water: model mass, immersed volume, salinity; control water temperature, external geometry and measurement method. Air cushion: effective support area, leakage and supply; control model mass and ground surface. Guideway: magnet array, track composition, speed; keep clearance and orientation recorded. Measure repeatability, not appearance.
Evidence gates
- Specify mass, geometry, interfaces, energy boundary and hazards.
- Demonstrate a small guideway model with measured lift/drag behavior and safe wheel fallback.
- Verify a separate float/ballast article with stable, recoverable behavior.
- Demonstrate a low-energy air cushion and record its operating limits.
- Publish cross-mode controls and an integration risk register; do not authorize full-scale fabrication from these classroom results.
Falsification and limitations
The integrated concept fails its stated claim if any module cannot generate sufficient support, cannot transition safely, exceeds available energy, or cannot recover from faults under the predeclared conditions. A classroom simulation is not a prototype measurement. No human-rated aircraft, underwater craft, orbital or lunar vehicle is demonstrated here.
Education, governance and recognition
The educational goal is to build safe, accessible, source-linked STEM experiences for youth, families and veterans. Leah Paige is recognized for contributions to concept research. Schools, universities and medical institutions listed on AHF's community hub are potential connections or independent giving recipients, not assumed research partners.
Open questions
How much power is required per mode? What failures force an immediate stop? Which modes have incompatible structural demands? How can sensor metadata remain comparable across trials? What evidence would justify an engineering gate review?
STAGE 07 / EDUCATOR TOOLS
Download. Teach. Cite.
A structured classroom outline, instructor field notes and source-linked material. Resources are independent and do not imply sponsorship by the agencies that host public educational content.
Instructor research thesis + 12-week guidePDF, printable lesson and experiment framework ↗AHF Public Sponsor & Thesis PresentationPreviously published expanded presentation ↗Document access and download helpAlternate PDF viewing page ↗Community giving directoryProspective research and sponsor contacts ↗
Independent teaching references
- NASA JPL - Make a Hovercraft (air cushion classroom demonstration)
- NASA Glenn - Lift equation (airfoil physics)
- NOAA Education - Build a boat (Archimedes and displacement)
- NASA NTRS - Inductrack model research (engineered magnetic guideway)
- WVU aerospace education (independent academic reference, not an AHF partnership)
Teacher safety and privacy: Classroom examples should be supervised, use very low-energy materials, and avoid building powered high-speed rotors, hydrogen gas systems, ionizing-radiation equipment, large magnetic arrays or pressure vessels. Learner progress is local to the device. This version does not collect identities or create accredited certificates.