Mission upload and execution in Drone Programming - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

What is the output of this mission upload status code?

Consider this code snippet that uploads a mission to a drone and prints the status. What will it print?

Drone Programming

mission = ['takeoff', 'fly_to:10,20,30', 'land']
status = upload_mission(mission)
print(status)

A "Mission empty"

B "Upload failed: connection lost"

C "Upload successful"

D "Error: invalid command"

💡 Hint

Assume the upload_mission function returns "Upload successful" if the mission list is valid and non-empty.

The mission list contains valid commands, so upload_mission returns "Upload successful".

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

What does this mission execution code print?

This code executes a mission and prints the result. What is printed?

Drone Programming

mission = ['takeoff', 'fly_to:5,5,5', 'hover:10', 'land']
result = execute_mission(mission)
print(result)

A "Mission completed successfully"

B "Mission aborted: low battery"

C "Error: unknown command hover"

D "Mission paused"

💡 Hint

The execute_mission function completes the mission if all commands are valid.

All commands are valid and the drone completes the mission, so the output is "Mission completed successfully".

❓ Predict Output

advanced

What error does this mission upload code raise?

What error will this code raise when trying to upload the mission?

Drone Programming

mission = ['takeoff', 'fly_to:10,20', 'land']
status = upload_mission(mission)
print(status)

A No error, prints "Upload successful"

B ValueError: Invalid coordinates format

C KeyError: 'fly_to' command missing parameters

D TypeError: mission must be a list

💡 Hint

The fly_to command expects three coordinates separated by commas.

The command 'fly_to:10,20' has only two coordinates instead of three, causing a ValueError.

🧠 Conceptual

advanced

Which option will cause the mission execution to pause?

Given the mission commands below, which option will cause the drone to pause execution?

Drone Programming

mission = ['takeoff', 'fly_to:0,0,10', 'pause', 'land']

A The 'pause' command causes a runtime error stopping execution

B The 'pause' command is ignored and mission continues without pause

C The 'pause' command causes the drone to land immediately

D The 'pause' command is recognized and causes the drone to pause

💡 Hint

Some drones support a 'pause' command to temporarily stop mission execution.

The 'pause' command is designed to pause the mission, so option D is correct.

🔧 Debug

expert

Why does this mission execution code raise a runtime error?

Analyze the code below. Why does it raise a runtime error during mission execution?

Drone Programming

mission = ['takeoff', 'fly_to:10,20,30', 'hover:-5', 'land']
execute_mission(mission)

A Negative hover time is invalid and causes a runtime error

B The 'fly_to' command has invalid coordinates causing the error

C The mission list is empty causing an error

D The 'land' command is missing parameters causing the error

💡 Hint

Hover time must be a positive number.

The 'hover:-5' command tries to hover for negative time, which is invalid and causes a runtime error.

Practice

1. What does uploading a mission to a drone usually do?

easy

A. It immediately starts the drone's engines.

B. It charges the drone's battery.

C. It returns the drone to its home location.

D. It sends the flight plan to the drone for automatic flying.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand mission upload meaning

   Uploading a mission means sending the flight plan to the drone's system.

2. Step 2: Identify what happens after upload

   The drone receives the plan but does not start flying until commanded.

3. Final Answer:

   It sends the flight plan to the drone for automatic flying. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Uploading mission = send flight plan [OK]

Hint: Uploading means sending the flight plan, not starting flight [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing upload with starting the drone
• Thinking upload charges the battery
• Assuming upload returns drone home

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to start a mission after uploading it in drone programming?

easy

A. drone.startMission()

B. drone.uploadMission()

C. drone.beginFlight()

D. drone.executePlan()

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify method to start mission

   The method to start flying the uploaded mission is usually named startMission().

2. Step 2: Differentiate from upload method

   uploadMission() uploads the plan but does not start flight.

3. Final Answer:

   drone.startMission() -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Start mission method = startMission() [OK]

Hint: Start mission uses startMission(), not uploadMission() [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using uploadMission() to start flight
• Confusing method names like beginFlight() which is invalid
• Assuming executePlan() is standard method

3. Given this code snippet:

drone.uploadMission(missionPlan)
drone.startMission()
print(drone.status())

What is the expected output if the mission starts successfully?

medium

A. "Mission started"

B. "Mission uploaded"

C. "Mission completed"

D. "Error: No mission uploaded"

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze code sequence

   The mission is uploaded first, then started, so the drone should be flying.

2. Step 2: Check status output meaning

   Calling drone.status() after startMission() should return "Mission started" indicating flight began.

3. Final Answer:

   "Mission started" -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Status after startMission() = "Mission started" [OK]

Hint: Status after startMission() shows "Mission started" [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing upload status with start status
• Expecting "Mission completed" immediately
• Assuming error without upload

4. Identify the error in this code snippet:

drone.startMission()
drone.uploadMission(missionPlan)

medium

A. Missing drone initialization causes failure.

B. Uploading mission twice is not allowed.

C. Starting mission before uploading causes an error.

D. No error; code runs fine.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check order of operations

   Mission must be uploaded before starting; here startMission() is called first.

2. Step 2: Understand consequence

   Starting mission without upload means no flight plan, causing an error.

3. Final Answer:

   Starting mission before uploading causes an error. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Upload before startMission() [OK]

Hint: Upload mission before starting flight to avoid errors [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Calling startMission() before uploadMission()
• Assuming no initialization error
• Thinking multiple uploads cause error here

5. You want to upload a mission and monitor its progress until completion. Which code sequence correctly achieves this?

1. drone.uploadMission(plan)
2. drone.startMission()
3. while not drone.isMissionComplete():
       print(drone.getProgress())
4. print("Mission complete!")

hard

A. Mission cannot be monitored programmatically after upload.

B. This sequence correctly uploads, starts, monitors, and confirms mission completion.

C. The loop should check drone.status() == "started" instead of isMissionComplete().

D. You must call drone.monitorMission() before startMission().

Solution

1. Step 1: Verify mission upload and start

   Uploading the plan then starting the mission is the correct order.

2. Step 2: Confirm monitoring loop logic

   The loop checks if mission is complete and prints progress until done, then confirms completion.

3. Final Answer:

   This sequence correctly uploads, starts, monitors, and confirms mission completion. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Upload -> start -> monitor -> complete [OK]

Hint: Upload first, then start, then monitor until complete [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to monitor before starting mission
• Checking wrong status in loop
• Assuming mission can't be monitored