Power / Thermal / Budgets
Mass / Volume / Resource Trade-off
Allocate finite mass/volume/power budget points across subsystems; pick a strategy and accept an explicit trade-off.
- Time estimate
- 25–35 min
- Complexity
- developing
- Maturity
- pilot ready
- Simulator readiness
- implemented
- Software available now
- Implemented — resource allocation + strategy summary at `/twin/learn/activities/budget_mass_builder`. Not CAD or certified mass accounting.
Student path
- Spend the fixed point budget across payload, battery, structure, radio, ADCS, thermal, and margin.
- Select a design strategy that matches your Track 2 mission language.
- Read warnings — engineering margin is not “wasted space.”
- Copy evidence with your accepted trade-off statement.
Learning outcomes
Student can allocate limited resources, interpret warnings, and justify a chosen strategy with evidence (teaching exercise).
- Translate subsystem choices into resource usage and warnings.
- Explain one forced trade-off using a warning or remaining budget as evidence.
- Connect the chosen strategy to mission objective language from Track 2.
Concept primer
Allocate finite mass/volume/power budget points across subsystems; pick a strategy and accept an explicit trade-off.
Open the Mass / Volume / Resource Trade-off lab at `/twin/learn/activities/budget_mass_builder` — deterministic teaching allocator (not CAD, not mass properties solver).
Redraw your allocation as a bar chart; circle the subsystem you starved and explain why.
Interactive lab
Teaching-grade software activity slot — not a flight simulator or certified propagator.
Interactive lab
Finite mass / volume / budget points
Spend 28 points across subsystems (max 10 each). This is a classroom abstraction — not CAD.
Budget meter
Used 28 / 28 · Remaining 0
Trade-off warnings
No warnings — still debate whether the balance matches your mission story.
Balanced strategy spreads risk — no single subsystem maxed; good classroom default.
Local self-check
Assessment (practice only)
Use this as a self-check and discussion starter. It is local-only and not a grade.
Optional: attaches a local summary (completed / quick checks / checklist count).
Quick check
Multiple choice self-check
This is a local self-check to support discussion. It is not a grade.
Quick check: Why can’t payload, battery, radio, and margin all be maxed simultaneously?
Quick check: A “maximize reliability / margin” strategy usually implies…
Discussion prompt
Short answer (local only)
Write notes for yourself or your group. Nothing is submitted.
Short answer: Which warning did your allocation trigger, and what trade-off did you accept in your chosen strategy?
Checklist
Local checklist self-check
Use this to verify you covered key ideas. Nothing is submitted.
Checklist: Resource trade-off readiness (self-check)
0 / 4 checked
Local summary
Assessment summary (practice only)
Completion
0 / 4 sections complete
Quick checks
0 / 2 correct
Shown only to support self-check.
Checklist
0 / 4 items checked
Reminder
Local-only practice summary. Not a grade and not submitted anywhere.
What this preview is / is not
Assessment engine v0 boundary note
- Student view (local practice): use this as a self-check and discussion starter.
- Local-only preview/practice: your answers are not submitted.
- No backend, no accounts, no roster, and no LMS integration.
- Not a grade. No credential or official scoring is implied.
- Teacher visibility into student answers is not implemented in MVPF8.
- Evidence runtime engine arrives in Phase 9 (not in this preview).
Capture
Evidence capture (local-only)
Capture what you did, what changed, what you observed, and how you explain it. This stays in your browser unless you copy/share it manually.
Selected inputs
- Allocation · payload: 5 pts
- Allocation · battery: 5 pts
- Allocation · structure: 4 pts
- Allocation · radio: 4 pts
- Allocation · adcs: 4 pts
- Allocation · thermal: 3 pts
- Allocation · margin: 3 pts
- Chosen strategy: balance
Generated outputs
- Points used / remaining: 28 / 0
- Warnings: None
- Strategy summary: Balanced strategy spreads risk — no single subsystem maxed; good classroom default.
Checklist
Evidence checklist
0/4 checked
Evidence artifact (local-only)
Mass / Volume / Resource Trade-off
Captured: 2026-05-16T07:38:33.052Z · Level: high_school · Track: budgets_resources
Summary
Copyable class summary
Copy a readable summary for class notes, or copy JSON for a structured record. Local-only: nothing is submitted.
Evidence artifact (v1) Activity: Mass / Volume / Resource Trade-off Track: budgets_resources Learner level: high_school Captured: 2026-05-16T07:38:33.052Z Mission brief: Point allocation exercise — not CAD mass properties or certified resource accounting. Selected inputs: - Allocation · payload: 5 pts - Allocation · battery: 5 pts - Allocation · structure: 4 pts - Allocation · radio: 4 pts - Allocation · adcs: 4 pts - Allocation · thermal: 3 pts - Allocation · margin: 3 pts - Chosen strategy: balance Generated outputs: - Points used / remaining: 28 / 0 - Warnings: None - Strategy summary: Balanced strategy spreads risk — no single subsystem maxed; good classroom default. Checklist: - [ ] Allocated full budget intentionally - [ ] Read warnings and accepted a trade-off - [ ] Linked strategy to Track 2 mission language - [ ] Copied evidence with boundary note Observations: (not provided) Reflection: Trade-off I accepted and why it is defensible. Model boundary note: Local-only teaching model — not flight-grade EPS, thermal, or mass analysis; no battery certification claims; evidence is not submitted anywhere and is not a grade. Policy reminder: - Local-only capture. Not submitted anywhere. Not a grade.
Evidence capture
Expected outputs learners should be able to show after the lab (Phase 9 evidence engine preview available).
- Allocation table and remaining budget
- Warnings triggered and accepted trade-off
- Selected strategy and one-sentence justification
- Local self-check summary and copied evidence text
Reflection
Spend a fixed budget across payload, battery, structure, radio, ADCS, thermal, and margin; choose a design strategy; capture warnings and evidence.
Responses are not persisted in this preview unless a specific activity component adds storage later.
Assessment / quick check
Why can’t payload, battery, radio, and engineering margin all be maximized at once?
Teacher notes
Make “margin is not waste” explicit: margin buys resilience against unknowns.
Teacher use
Run a “design review” circle: each team defends one warning they chose to live with. Reinforce honest boundaries — not CAD, not certified mass accounting.
Next activity
Suggested progression from the mission learning path. Links avoid missing activity routes.
Track 3 mini-course ends here — continue into the Communication / Ground Link mini-course (Track 4).