Baez

Facts We Need to Know in Mars to get a Rover to Mars

 * The temperature is very cold.
 * It is very rocky, hilly and hundreds of craters. Also the largest canyon in the solar __system__. Need a flat landing area.
 * The rocks are red because they are made out of iron then they rust.
 * There are big sand and dust storms that block the sun so may be difficult to use the __solar panels__ for energy production.
 * Has polar ice caps on every north and south pole.
 * Have enough fuel to get enough thrust to leave earth’s gravity.
 * At its closet, mars is 35 __million__miles from earth.
 * o It takes 7-8 months(214 days)
 * Mars gravity is 1/3 of earths.
 * Has strong seasons. Not being able to get energy during the winter.
 * -125 to 25 degrees c
 * Make rover sturdy to minimize need for repairs.
 * High traction wheels in order to move across the rocky and sandy terrain.
 * Mars had 2 moons so watch out to not hit them

// Ms. Mc: Good facts about Mars and its conditions. You needed to relate each fact to how it would impact either getting a rocket to Mars or having it operate there. Good additions from our class discussion. 9/10. //

History of Rockets
It started in China // (Greece) // with Hero. He made a engine that worked with steam. It worked by the water turned to steam from the fire. The steam travels through the pipes and makes the sphere turn. Another way they made rocket was by using gun powder. The gun powder was made out of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal dust. They also made flaming arrow with these.

Another man named Konstantin Tsiolkovsky discovered something about rocketry. He he use of liquid propellants for rockets in order to achieve greater range. Tsiolkovsky stated that the speed and range of a rocket were limited only by the exhaust velocity of escaping gases. Goddard made a rocket that worked propellant. He flew his first liquid- propellant rocket. The rocket flew for only two and a half seconds, climbed 12.5 meters, and landed 56 meters. Verein fur Raumschiffahrt developed it to use against London in ww2. NASA was formed in 1958. It was formed because they wanted to send up sputniks like Russia. NASA became a civilian agency with the goal of peaceful exploration of space for the benefit of all humankind. Soon after it was formed they started sending up rockets.

 //Ms. Mc: Good general summary but more details would have made it stronger (-1.5). Left out Sputnik (-1). Good drawings. Please refer to your diagrams in your writing (i.e, "as seen in Figure 1"). 7.5/10//

Scratch Project Flight Simulation
media type="custom" key="14045232"

Instruction to Run Simulation: 1. Turn on sound to 100%. 2. Click green flag to start. 3. If Simulation does not work click link that says to learn more about this video. 4. To stop video press the red stop circle.

Kelly- I really liked the backgrounds that you had with your simulation :). The only "constructive criticism" I can give you is to slow down the words and flight a little. I also liked your rocket :) It had a cool design.

Charlotte- I really liked the your background. But I thought that both your apogee and your landing could have been a little smoother. Overall, the project was great! I especially pictures!

=== The nose cone makes the rocket streamline or guides the airflow around the rocket. The body tube is used to hold everything in the rocket as the main structure. The recovery system is a device in the body tube. It consist of a parachute that is used to get the rocket back to the ground safely. Recovery wadding is used to protect the recovery system from the ejection charge. The launch lug keeps the straight path off the launch pad. The motor mount holds the motor in place. The fins keep the rocket in a straight line. The rocket motor thrusts the rocket up. It is a non-reusable device. ===

// Ms. Mc: Great diagram and definitions! Don't forget to add a caption when you upload files. 10/10 //

4/18/12

Log Entry #5

Atlas V 541 Rocket

The V 541 is made up of many different parts. The parts are the payload fairing, Centaur, Solid Rocket motor, and the Atlas v Rocket. The Atlas v rocket has the fuel and oxygen tanks that feed the engine. The engine makes the rocket leave the atmosphere. The solid rocket motor thrust the rocket up more. The Centaur is the fuel and oxidizer once it enters earth's orbit and mars orbit. The payload is a nose cone the protects the spacecraft during the liftoff. On the inside of this is the mars rover.

The Atlas V 541 was chosen because it had the right liftoff capability. This is good for the heavy weight requirements. The rocket weighs 1.17 million pounds. It is also about the size of a 19 story building. //Ms. Mc - good overview and diagram. The Centaur engine only is used to get the cruise vehicle with the rover in it out of Earth's atmosphere (not into Mars' atmosphere) -1/2. Please capitalize Earth and Mars as they are proper nouns. You were to specifically refer to your figure in your text (i.e., "as seen in Fig. 4 . . ."). - 1/2. 9/10//

==

Summary
= = The Purpose of the experiment was to see if the mass affected the height of apogee. In the different stages of the rocket leaving the earth the rocket has a lot of different forces working on it. When the rocket is sitting on the launch pad, the force of gravity is pulling it up and the force of the ground is holding it up. When it is lifting off or when the rocket is flying in the sky, the force of gravity is pulling it up and the force of gravity is pulling it down, but it still goes up. During the powered flight when the rocket is still flying through the sky when the engine is still pushing it up, there is the force of thrust, the force of gravity slowing it down and the force of air pulling it down. When it is coasting the only forces working on the rocket are the force of air and the force of gravity. When is at the peak of flight were the rocket stops for a split second or apogee there is only one force working on it. That force is the force of gravity. The last stage is descent where the rocket is coming back to the earth. The forces the are applying on it are the force of air resistance which is pushing it up and the force of gravity which is pulling it down. It was hypothesized that the rocket with more weight will fly lower than the rocket with less this is because when there is more weight more thrust is needed. When all the rockets have the same engine the one with less weight will fly lower than the one with more. = = = = = There were 8 rockets that had a mass and height. This is seen in graph #1.The mass on the first rocket is 44.4 g. the mass of the second rocket is 44.8 g. The third rocket is 46.2 g. The fourth rocket is 44.8 g. The fifth rocket is 42.9 g. The sixth rocket is 44.3 g. The seventh is 43.6 g. The eighth is 44.6 g.They also had a height too. The first one is 62.5 m. The second is 78.1 m. The third is 62.5 m. The fourth is 38.4 m. The fifth is 67.5 m. The sixth is 57.5 m. The seventh is 67.5 m. The eighth is 62.5 m. =

= The relationship between the heights vs. apogee is not relationship. One Way you know this is because the line is almost flat. Another reason is that the mass was a lot different and the height that they flew did not vary. The hypothesis that the heavier mass made the rocket fly lower was false. This is true because in the hypostasis is was stated that there would be an inverse relationship. The problems with the experiment was that the wind. It pushed on of the rockets on the roof. Another problem was when people were making them. This would change the distant that the rocket flew up. = = =

4/26/12 Log #7 Summary of Fin Redesign



The rocket with smaller fins will have less drag or air resistance. It will also have less weight. It will have less glue for weight and drag reasons.

The mass when the rocket was first made was 46.2 g. The rocket when it was redesigned was 43.8 g. The rockets first apogee was 62.5 m high. The second round went 58.9 m high. The smaller fins as seen in figure 1 made the rocket go higher. This is because the fins are lighter which will make the rocket go higher. Also there is less drag. The drag would pull the rocket lower.

//Ms. Mc - good initial thoughts and diagram but your conclusions are incorrect as the rocket flew higher the first time. (-1). Also, you were to discuss how CP and CG affect stability. (-1/2) 3.5/5//

Log Entry #8 May 3 2012 Robot History

In 1977, Star Wars was released. It was the first way that people could see robots from the future. Also in 1977 the deep space explorers Voyagers 1 and 2 were launched from the Kennedy Space Center. You can see the space center in figure 1. In 1979, the robotics institute at Carnegie Mellon was established. In 1980, Seymour Papert published Mindstorms. This is Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas where the advocates of constructionism, or learning through doing. A year later, Takeo Kanade built the direct drive arm. This was the first arm to have motors installed directly in the joints.

In 1986 Honda begins a robot research program. In 1989 a robot named Genghis is unveiled by the Robotics group and MIT. This robot is seen in figure 2. In 1992 Marc Thorpe comes up with the idea of a combat robot. 1 year later Dante an 8 legged walking robot it developed at MIT. The next year the second Dante was put in an Alaskan volcano. The mission was considered a success. In 1998 Tiger Electronics introduced the Furby. It was a toy that could communicated and reacted in its informant. In 200 the Battlebots event was held in Las vegas. In 2003 on June 10th - NASA launched the MER-A "Spirit" rover destined for Mars. The next year on Jan. 4 Spirit lands on mars. That brings us up to were we are know today.

//Ms. Mc - good overveiw of modern robotics but no discussoin of early robotics (-1). What do we primarily use robots for today? (-1/2). When you pick figures to include, chose one's that go with the main points of your discussion. I like how you included the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity but what about Curiosity? 8.5/10//

Log Entry #9
Rover Information

The rover's assigment was too investigate whether conditions have been favorable for microbial life and for preserving clues in the rocks about possible past life. The similarities between the rovers are the spacecraft slows its descent with a parachute, then uses retro rockets mounted around the rim of an upper stage. The dissimilarities are they changed the way the rover lands and the rocket it flies up in. The power will be supplied by a U.S. Department of Energy radioisotope power generator. They will communicate with the rocket by using radio relays via Mars orbiters.

Here are somethings that are on the rover and what they do:
 * Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM)- will analyze samples of material collected and delivered by the rover’s arm
 * CheMin- will also analyze samples from the rovers arm.
 * Mars Hand Lens Imager- will take extremely close up photos of rock and ice and other things like that
 * Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer- will determine the relative abundances of different elements in rocks and soils
 * Mast Camera- will take imagines of the surroundings
 * ChemCam- will use laser pulses to vaporize thin layers of material
 * Radiation Assessment Detector- will characterize the radiation environment at the surface of Mars
 * Rover Environment Monitoring System
 * Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN)- instrument to measure subsurface hydrogen up to one meter
 * Sample Acquisition/Sample Preparation and Handling System- includes tools to remove dust from rock surfaces, scoop up soil, drill into rocks and collect powdered samples from rocks’ interiors



//Ms. Mc - good overview of Curiosity's instruments. You were to have 2 figures and remember to refer to your figures in your writing. 9/10//

5/15/12 Log # 10 Video of on the edge!

First the rocket drives forward when you say go. Then it uses the light sensor to find the the line of tape. When it finds the line of tape it stops and says watch out.

media type="file" key="sbs_rovervid.AVI" width="300" height="300"

Caption? -1/2



Block 1 represents a waiting block which is waiting for the sound sensor to be activated. When it detects the word go or a clap the rover will start moving. The sound sensor is deployed in port 2. (What volume of sound needs to be detected? -1/2)

Block 2 is a motion block. This block is being activated in ports C and B. It is also telling the rover to move for any amount of time. It also tells the how fast or slow to go. (How fast did you tell it to go? -1/2)

Block 3 is another waiting block which this time is waiting for the light sensor to be activated. When the light sensor senses a light that is less than 40%. It is at forty because that is the light the line of tape. it activates the next block. The light sensor is in port 3.

Block 4 is another motion block that stops the robot. When activated from ports C and B, this motion blocks stops the robot.

The Fifth and Final Block is a sound block which is used to play a tone or a sound file on the robot. This block is set to play the robot saying: "Watch Out!".

// Ms. Mc - good job! 18.5/20 //

2) The current mission to Mars, MSL, will look for signs of microbial fossil life and perhaps even, living microbes or micro-organisms. What is a microbe or micro-organism? See [] up to “Pre-microbiology. Describe how you would classify if a sample from Mars containing microbes was alive, dead, non-living or dormant. Be sure to define each of the 8 characteristics of life.

If you would like to read more about the possibility of life on Mars, check out this interview with a planetary scientist at NASA Ames Research Center:[].

6/4/12 Log # 11 Title?

====The mystery that there is life on mars could be true or false. The exploration of mars started in 1972 and stills goes on today. The Viking rover came back with negative results that there was life on mars because of the experiments it tried. In1966, a meteorite from mars. This is shown in the figure 1. The meteorite showed signs of life like bacteria-like objects, detection of hydrocarbons, mineral assemblages that were not produced in chemical equilibrium, and magnetic particles. But unfortunately the life signs were proven wrong. After this, scientist started to find signs of liquid water on mars. (Such as? -1/2)  They are also trying to find fossil remains from Mars' earlier periods when everything was similar to earth. ====



====A microbe is a microscopic organismic that is either unicellular (made of one cell) or multicellular (made of several cells) or a cell cluster. To help classify if a organism we have 8 characteristics of life . They are i t is made of cells, homeostatic, needs materials, responds to stimuli, reproduces, grows, adapts, and has respiration. A dormant organism has all 8 characteristics but some are not working. A dead organism has had all 8 characteristics but does not have them anymore. A non-living organism has none of these characteristics. An organism is shown in figure 2. ====