Alex+Q

4/9/2012 Log entry #1 Facts we need to know before heading to Mars.


 * Mars has large sand/ dust storms that can block the sun.
 * Rocky surface- wheels must be able to withstand this.
 * Large mountains and canyons, mountains used for solar power.
 * A few rockets on the side of the rovers so you can actually get to Mars.
 * Need enough fuel to get enough thrust to leave Earth's gravity.
 * At its closest, Mars is 35 million miles from Earth.
 * Mars has strong seasons due to its tilt.
 * Launch window occurs every 2 years.
 * Temperature is cold (-125 to 25 degrees c) so rover would need to withstand these temperatures.
 * Make rovers sturdy to minimize need for repairs.
 * Mars has polar caps made out of frozen carbon dioxide and water so need to land away from these.

// Ms. Mc: Good facts about Mars and its conditions, however, they all came from our class discussion. Where is your original work? (-3). 7/10. //

4/9/2012 Log entry #2 History of Rocketry

One of the first rocket designs was the Hero Engine, invented by a Greek inventor. It was a mounted sphere on top of a water kettle. The burning water produced steam, which was let out by the two tubes on either side of the sphere, causing the sphere to spin. Rockets also started way back in China, when the Chinese had used them as fireworks. They then used it on arrows to power // (guide) // them, which started the rocket history. In 1898, a Russian schoolteacher, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, proposed the idea of space exploration by rocket. In a report he published in 1903, Tsiolkovsky suggested the use of liquid propellants for rockets in order to achieve greater range. Tsiolkovsky stated that the speed and range of a were limited only by the exhaust velocity of escaping gases. For his ideas, careful research, and great vision, Tsiolkovsky has been called the Father of Modern Astronautics.

Later the Germans had started inventing and using rockets along with the Americans. Goddard, an American scientist did experiments with liquid propelled rockets. He was also the one who invented parachutes to be attached to the rockets. Because of this, he’s been called the father of modern rocketry. In the current days, the United States had started a space program used not for warfare, but the benefit of all mankind.

//Ms. Mc: Very good summary through Goddard's contributions but what happened after that? (-1) Good drawings. You don't need to incude "above" in your captions. Please refer to your diagrams in your text (i.e., "as seen in"). 9/10//

media type="custom" key="14045198"

Instructions to run simulation:
 * 1) Turn on sound
 * 2) Click green flag
 * 3) Enjoy

I liked the way you chose to land your rover. You could have added a few more sound affects to your simulation. I also thought that you did a great job making your rocket move smoothly.

John P

Q Train

I think your rocket's color was different, I like how it is different. I think your rocket should have taken off faster. I think your parachute looked realistic.

William AF

4/16/2012 Log entry #4 Rocket Parts



The nose cone is used to guide the air around the rocket, also known as a streamline. The body tube is used to hold all the internal parts together, and is also the main part of the rocket. The recovery system is used so the rocket can land safely, and be able to use the same rocket over and over. The launch lug is used to help lift the rocket off the pad during lift off. The recovery wadding's function is to protect the recovery system from the burning ejection charge gases. The motor mount is the piece that holds the motor in the right place. The rocket motor is the non-reusable device that needs to be replaced each flight. It provides the energy for the rocket to lift-off. Lastly, the fins are used to keep the rocket traveling in a straight line.

//Ms. Mc: good labels and definitions! The launch lug doesn't help liftoff the rocket but rather guides it so it starts flying straight up once launched (-1/2). Don't forget to add a caption when you upload your files and refer to the figure # in your text. 9.5/10//

4/18/2012 Log entry #5 Atlas V 541 Parts

The Atlas V 541 is made up of 4 main parts. The Atlas V Rocket, Solid Rocket Motors, the Centaur, and the Payload Fairing. The Atlas V Rocket is the main part that fuels the engines for the ascent. The Solid Rocket Motors are used to increase the engine thrust. There is a total of 4 Solid Rocket Motors on this rocket. Next the Centaur is the fuel and oxidizer, and can be known as the “brain” of the vehicle. It is fired twice, first to place the vehicle-spacecraft stack into low Earth orbit, then to speed up and leave Earth’s orbit. Lastly, the Payload Fairing is the top of the rocket which is used to protect the spacecraft during the ascent through Earth’s atmosphere. This particular rocket was chosen due to the right amount of liftoff capability for heavy weight requirements, while also being in a family that have lifted off earlier rockets successfully. The height of this rocket with payload is 191 feet, and the mass of this rocket with a spacecraft and fully fueled is about 1.17 million pounds. As seen in figure 1, the four main parts are located everywhere throughout the rocket, all performing a different and important job.

//Ms. Mc: Great overview and diagram! 10/10//

4/25/2012 Log Entry #5 Apogee Results and Discussion

The purpose of this experiment was to see if the mass of the rocket affected how high the apogee would be. Many forces acted upon the rocket during its courses, which also affected the height of the apogee. For example gravity acts as an opposing force to the rockets powered flight, as well as air resistance which both lessen the height of the apogee. It was hypothesized that if the rocket was more massive, then its height would be lower because the same amount of rocket fuel is being used to lift off a more massive rocket, which makes the gravity pull stronger, making its apogee lower than the lighter rocket would have reached.

From the lightest to the heaviest, the rocket masses are 42.9 grams, 43.6 grams, 44.1 grams, 44.3 grams, 44.6 grams, 44.8 grams, 44.8 grams, and 46.2 grams. From the highest to the lowest apogee, it is the following: 78.1 meters, 67.5 meters, 67.5 meters, 62.5 meters, 62.5 meters, 62.5 meters, 57.7 meters, and 38.4 meters. These results are very interesting. This graph shows us that it can be both inverse relationship and no relationship. This is because one can argue that there is a slight trend going down as the rockets gets heavier. But on the other hand, one can argue that the highest apogee is not in fact the lightest rocket, and that there is barely any difference in height between the heaviest and the lightest. Graph #1 show that the slight trend starts at 67.5 meters, then a 62.5 meters, and lastly a 57.7 meters.

In conclusion, the hypothesis can be both correct and incorrect depending on how one sees it. It can be correct due to the small trend going from the highest to the lowest apogee, the higher apogee coming from the results of the lighter rockets, excluding the few other rockets that doesn’t follow this trend. It can also be incorrect because the highest apogee which is 78.1 meters did not come from the lightest rocket, yet from one of the medium sized rockets. The heaviest rocket as a matter of fact, does not hold the title as the lowest apogee, but also from one of the medium sized rockets. There is also barely any difference in height between the lightest and the heaviest rockets. Some flaws from this experiment can be from the amount of wind blowing at the time, as some rockets might have been blown on harder, causing a difference to the apogee. Another flaw can be from the different angle measurers, as one person might measure it one way and the other measuring it a different way, also causing an inaccurate measurement.



4/30/2012 Log Entry #7 Rocket Fin Re-Design



- The extra fin would help it stabilize better while maintaining just a little bit more mass, making it fly higher due to the lack of an arc.

In the first launch, the rocket mass was 43.6 grams and the apogee was 67.5 meters. In the second launch, the rocket mass was 46.8 grams and the apogee was 53.2 meters high. The first launch flew higher most likely because of the mass and the stability. Even though a second fin was added, the positions of the fins may not be exact, causing an unstable flight.

//Ms. Mc: Good initial thoughts and conclusions. You also were to discuss the importance of CP and CG to flight stability (-1/2). You don't need to include the word "picture" in your caption title as "figure" implies this. 4.5/5//

5/4/2012 Log entry #8 History of Robotics

Robots began very early in the times of ancient myths and legends. The first “accomplished” robot began way back in Ancient China, where a mechanical engineer called Yan Shi, presented his king a life-size human shaped object. The figure was impressive and could move with rapid strides, and could very well have taken it for a human being. By touching parts of the robot, it was able to perform different things such as singing, winking its eye, and posturing. Another robot from the Sui Dynasty in China was a wooden figure with a machine on his belly. This made him able to stand, sit, and worship the king just like everyone else in the palace. Currently, there is the newest generation of astronaut helpers, called Robonaut 2. It is the first humanoid robot to venture into space. Scientists hope that with advanced technology and further improvements, one day robots may leave the station and help make repairs or perform other tasks instead of having humans going out there.

//Ms. Mc: good start but more details and dates needed (-1). What do we mostly use robots for today? I like how you included the Robonaut. Don't forget to direct your reader to the specific figure in your text (-1/2). 8.5/10//

5/18/2012 Log Entry #9 Robot Command

The challenge was to drive forward when the robot hears a sound, and stop when it was at the edge of the table, saying “watch out”! For our group, we used both the sound sensor and the ultrasonic sensor.

media type="file" key="AQ_Video.AVI" width="300" height="300" Video 1: Robot Challenge



The first block tells the robot to wait for 2 seconds before the challenge starts. The second block tells the robot to wait for a sound that is greater than 50. The block also shows that the sound sensor is plugged into the first port. The third block tells the robot to move forward infinitely at the power of 42.It uses the motor which is plugged into port B and C. The fourth block tells the robot to sense the ground level. When the sensor detects the ground level is greater than 50 centimeters, then it would tell the robot to do the next block. The block also tells us that the ultrasonic sensor is plugged into port 3. The fifth block tells the robot to stop and then brake after the fourth block is completed. This block also uses the motor which is plugged into port B C. The sixth block tells the robot to play the sound file “watch out!” at the volume of 75.

//Ms. Mc - great job! 20/20//

6/4/2012 Log Entry #11 Life on Mars?

Meteorites from outside of Earth have proven some evidence of possible life. For example, scientists had found bacteria like objects, found hydrocarbons, mineral assemblages that were not produced in chemical equilibrium and also magnetic particles similar to those produced by some terrestrial bacteria as seen in figure 1. (This is disputed now though.) In the past few missions to mars, there has been evidence for possible life. In 2004, Spirit and Opportunity both landed on Mars, and Opportunity had found gypsum that were most likely put down by ancient bodies of water as seen in figure 2, which is a key ingredient to sustain life.



A microbe or micro-organism is something that comprises amongst a single cell, cell clusters, or multicellular organisms. I could tell if something is alive because it has all eight characteristics of a living thing. I can tell if something is dead because it had all eight, but currently it doesn’t. Something is dormant when it has all eight, but some might not be fully functioning or temporarily suspended. And lastly, non-living things don’t have all eight but may have a couple. The eight characteristics of life are made of cells, needs materials, homeostatic, responds to stimuli, reproduce, growth and development, adaptation, and respiration. Here are the definitions for each: Made of cells- Fundamental units of living things

Needs materials- Needs raw materials such as water, minerals, air (oxygen) and takes what they need from the environment

Homeostatic- Internally living things stay about the same internally despite enviromental changes.

Responds to stimuli- stimulus- anything that causes living things to react.

Response- the reaction to a stimulus

2 types of responses

- Positive- move towards

- Negative- move away.

Reproduce- The process by which organisms produce offspring of their own kind

Plants and animals reproduce in a variety of ways

Sexual reproduction two parents

Asexual reproduction one parent.

Growth and development- All things develop from a lower or simpler to a higher or more simpler to a higher or more complex formEmbryo- newborn- child- obsolesent

Adaptation- Modifications that make an organism suited to its way of life

Respiration- Releasing energy stored in the chemical bonds of sugars (food)

//Ms. Mc - great summary of the spacecraft explorations and discussion of the 8 characteristics of life and how you would classify a Mars' specimen. 10/10//

 The extra fin would help it stabilize better while still maintaining less mass, making it fly higher and less of an arc.