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NASA MINDS Technical Paper Review Quiz

This quiz is designed ensure that you and your NASA MINDS team understand how to best prepare a  Technical Paper

The quiz was designed based off of information found in:
the NASA MINDS guidebook - 2024 NASA MINDS Rules and Rubrics - NASA Minds
and the Tech Paper Tutorial Video.

PLEASE TAKE THIS QUIZ FAR IN ADVANCE OF THE MANDATORY MEETING SCHEDULED.  You will need to complete it prior to entering the meeting.  It will help your team avoid simple mistakes and develop the best Tech Paper possible.

It is also REQUIRED for at least ONE team member to PASS this quiz.

Instructions on Taking the Quiz
1) Take this 20 question quiz

2) Achieve a score of 18 or better.  If you achieve a score lower than this, you can retake it multiple times.

3) Once you achieve 18 or better, a certificate will appear at the end of the quiz.

4) Download and save this certificate.

5) Send the certificate to the person on your team responsible for uploading deliverables

6) At least ONE team member must PASS the quiz and have a certificate uploaded into submittable.

Your Name as you would like it to appear in the certificate
Email Address:
School Name:
Team Name:
Which of the following is the key factor in determining if a NASA MINDS team needs to submit a Tech Paper as opposed to a Systems Engineering Paper?
if the team has competed in NASA MINDS previously
If the team elected to enter the “Underclass” category
If the majority of team members are seniors
If none of the team members are seniors
When it comes to formatting your paper, what is the recommended approach?
Download a template from the links provided in the rubric, and use it as a starting point for your paper.
Search the internet for “Undergraduate Tech Papers”, review some of the top performing papers, and use the same formatting approach as these successful papers.
Search the internet for “NASA Tech Papers”, review these documents authored by NASA, and try and emulate the formatting NASA uses.
Allot one page for each major topic with the paper.
What is the maximum page count for the Tech Paper:
15 pages
15 pages + up to 5 pages of appendices
20 pages
20 pages + up to 5 pages of appendices
Projects are scored on Originality. Which of the following is the proper context of originality?
The style and format of the paper is unique and original.
The project focuses on leveraging the latest and most cutting edge technologies.
The approach to solving the problem is very unique and possibly inspired by something unexpected.
The approach to solving the problem might be well known, but is scaled to the scope of the budget and timeline in an original way.
Projects are scored on Relevance to:
the team’s school, and its capabilities and expertise relative to the technology.
other successful similar projects
practical skills acquired by students during the design and build phases.
NASA and its Artemis mission
If your team was building a mechanism for cleaning astronaut clothes an example of a well-conceived goal would be:
The mechanism shall use the least amount of water possible and require minimal work from the crew.
The mechanism shall minimize water use by requiring less than 100 milliliters of water to clean 1 kilogram of clothes.
The mechanism shall be safe for repeated used by astronauts.
The mechanism shall benefit not only space exploration, but could also help water conservation efforts here on earth.
Which of the following would NOT contribute to a solid Research Approach
Explaining any over-expenditures in your budget and how your team secured additional funds.
Explaining how your team did research on current solutions for the technical gap, and what those limitations might be.
Identifying the step by step approach your team took on building the project from the perspective of the project goals.
Explaining how your team completed multiple tests of the project and iterated refinements along the way.
When including your budget you should:
Have a column for “Budget” and a second column for “Actual”.
Have a column for “Budget”, and a second for “Ideal” so reviewers understand the financial constraints.
If your budget requires an unanticipated purchase, that was not part of your original plan, you should so which of the following?
Add a new line item for that purchase, reflect the original budget at $0 and the actual cost at $x.
Do not change the budget. Simply note the unanticipated purchase in the narrative next to your budget.
Alter your original budget so that it can accommodate the unanticipated purchase.
Which statement is true about the budget included in the paper.
Variances between “budgeted” and “actual” costs are OK and to be expected.
Variances between “budgeted” and “actual” costs will automatically result in a lower score, but need to be included.
Variances between “budgeted” and actual costs should only be identified if the variance exceeds 10%.
Data collection methods and assessments are most important when evaluating a project’s:
Results
Originality
Relevance
Budget
What is an ideal flow for the order of the content in your paper:
Budget-> Schedule-> Testing/Refining Project -> Goals -> Conclusion.
Problem -> Solution identified -> Building Project -> Testing/Refining Project -> Conclusion.
Conclusion -> Refinements to Project -> Building Project -> Solution Identified -> Problem.
A month-by-month account of the project identifying major milestones achieved.
Which is NOT true about conclusions in the paper:
They may contradict the data because even the best data collection methods are subject to error.
They should be understood by the layperson.
They should clearly identify what worked and what didn’t work.
They should discuss where this project might head in the future
They should be supported by the data generated during the project.
Which statement is true about graphs and charts in your paper?
Graphs and charts are strongly encouraged. They can be used to visually communicate complex concepts, assist with word conservation, but should not be used to replace text summaries.
Graphs and charts are strongly encouraged. They can be used to strengthen weak data, assist with conservation of repetitive points, but should only be used in appendices.
Graphs and charts are strongly encouraged. There should be at least one graph or chart in each major section on your paper.
Graphs and charts are discouraged as they tend to distract the reviewer. They may also cause confusion if the text summaries have very similar information already.
Which statement is true about charts or graphics.
They should never be tilted in a manner that is perpendicular to the flow of the rest of the document.
They may only be tilted in a manner that is perpendicular to the flow of the rest of the document, if space is limited.
Which statement is true about photos, illustrations, graphs, and charts in your paper?
Make sure that these items are very clear and readable at 100% zoom rate. Judges may review your paper through a PDF viewer, so some loss of clarity may occur.
Make sure that these items are very clear and readable at 200% zoom rate. Judges may review your paper through a PDF viewer, so some loss of clarity may occur.
If you your images are not completely clear and readable, an alternative option is to provide a hyperlink to such images.
If your team’s project does not turn out like you originally envisioned you should:
Go back and edit the concept so that the outcome fits your original plan.
Explain what your team learned, what your team uncovered that might be valuable to NASA, and what you might do if your team continued the project next year.
Provide a comprehensive list of problems that were out of your team’s control. Define how each item contributed to the project missing its expected outcome.
What is one recommended method your team can use to reduce typos, grammar mistakes, and incomplete sentences.
Select the most detailed and hypercritical person on your team to proofread the document.
Select the team member that has contributed the least amount of work and have them proofread the document.
Reduce the number of edit cycles to the concepts within the paper. The fewer edits a team makes, the less likely errors are to be created.
Reduce the variety of headers and point sizes used within the document. The simpler the format is, the less likely errors are to be created.
The Tech paper must be submitted:
Via Submittable and the same account holder that uploaded your PDR needs to upload your tech paper.
Via Email to support@nasaminds.org
Via Submittable by any person is an active team member.
Which of the following is true when it comes to graphs and charts?
They can be included in an appendix provided the appendix is within the 15 page count limit, and the location of the chart is referenced in the main body.
They can be included in an appendix which does not count toward the overall page limit.
They should only be found within the section of your paper which discusses conclusions.
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