Page 134 - Design Thinking C11

IV. Long answer type questions.
1. List five communication channels.
2. What do you understand by encoding and decoding in the context of communication?
3. What is the purpose of hierarchy of information?
4. What is meant by publication design?
5. Draw the interactive model of communication.
21 st #Communication
V. Competency-based questions. Century #Critical Thinking
Skills
1. We must be careful of the messages we transmit and how they may be interpreted by others. We must also be
prepared to hear and respond to the messages we receive.
(i) What are ‘we’ called in context of communication?
(ii) Which model of communication is represented in the above paragraph?

2. Study the following and answer the questions that follow:

Case Study: Miscommunication on Mars - The Case of the Beagle 2 Lander
Case Study
The Beagle 2 lander was part of the European Space Agency’s Mars Express mission in 2003.
This ambitious project aimed to search for signs of life on the Martian surface. However, upon landing,
communication with Beagle 2 was lost, and the mission was ultimately deemed a failure.

What Went Wrong?
Several communication breakdowns played a role in the Beagle 2 failure:
• Unclear Objectives: There was ambiguity regarding the lander’s primary function. Was it solely for scientific
exploration, or was there a secondary objective of deploying a robotic arm? This lack of clarity led to engineering
decisions that impacted the lander’s communication capabilities.

• Technical Miscommunication: Engineers designing the lander’s antenna system reportedly weren’t fully informed
about the deployment constraints on the Martian surface. This resulted in an antenna design that may not have
been able to properly transmit data.
• Delayed Feedback: Testing of the lander’s communication system was reportedly rushed due to schedule constraints.
This limited opportunities to identify and rectify potential issues before launch.
• Communication Breakdown Between Teams: There seemed to be a lack of clear communication channels between
the engineering teams responsible for the lander and the mission control team tasked with receiving signals.

The Impact
The loss of communication with Beagle 2 meant the scientific goals of the lander were never achieved. The mission’s
failure also damaged public and international confidence in European space exploration efforts.

Sources
• European Space Agency (ESA): https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_
Express/Possible_evidence_found_for_Beagle_2_location
• NASA Solar System Exploration: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/internal_resources/1034/
• Space.com: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beagle_2

1. How could clearer communication between different teams have prevented the Beagle 2 failure?
2. What communication strategies could have ensured proper testing and a more robust
communication system for the lander?

Design Thinking and Innovation XI
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