Christof

4/9/12

Facts about Mars You Need to Know in Order to Successfully Get a Rover to Mars

 * Mars is the 4th planet from the sun within our solar system
 * Cold, ranging from -125 to 25 degrees Celsius
 * Numerous volcanos and craters are on Mars
 * Has oxygen within water that could oxidize the water
 * Smooth landing site required
 * Orbit needs to be lined up
 * Mars has large amounts of dust storms
 * Mars has seasons, the rover must be able to point at the sun to obtain solar power and store it for winter
 * 214 day journey
 * Mars has 2 moons
 * Rover needs to be able to move on rocky and sandy terrain
 * Launch window is every two years

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

History of Rocketry
The road to the modern rocket was a long one that dates back to 100 B.C. In those times, it was discovered that steam could be used as a propulsive gas. A sphere with two L-shaped tubes on it was placed and attached to a water kettle. Below the kettle would be fire, which would turn the water into steam and cause the sphere to thrust resulting in the spin. A bit of time later, the Chinese created rockets to be used for celebrations and war. They experimented with propulsion and what could cause it by filling tubes with gunpowder. These tubes were then used as fireworks, as well as flaming weapons of destruction. In 1232, these weapons were tested against the Mongols. The amount of destruction caused is unknown, however it would almost certainly deal a major psychological blow to their enemies. The advances of rocketry slowed after this advancement until 1898, in which Konstantin Tsiolkovsky introduced the idea of using rockets to enter and explore space.

In 1903, Tsiolkosky published a report suggesting liquid propellants to achieve the goal of space exploration. Shortly thereafter, an American entered the field and tested this theory. Robert H. Goddard would go on to, on March 26th, 1926, successfully launch a liquid propelled rocket and allow it to have a short flight. This would be the catalyst to numerous advancements regarding liquid propelled rocketry. Over time, many others would use and create rockets. In WW2, the Germans created the V-2 rocket and used it for war purposes. It would be able to devastate several city blocks and they had planned to fire it towards the USA. Following Germany’s fall, both the United States of America and Russia had realized the potential of rocketry being used for war purposes. They began testing their rockets and then had a space race in which Russia successfully got the Sputnik satellite in the air. In October of 1958, the USA would create NASA, a civilian institute dedicated to the safe and peaceful exploration of space to benefit all of humankind, something that is rather different from the war-fueled rocketry the USA and Russia had gotten caught up in.

//Ms. Mc: Great summary of the history of rocketry! Good drawings too. Please refer to your figures in your writing (i.e., "as seen in Figure 1, . . . ). 10/10//

Scratch Rocket Flight Simulator
media type="custom" key="14055544" Instructions to Run Simulation: 1) Make sure your monitor, speakers, keyboard, and mouse are all fully functioning. Make sure all software is up to date. 2) Make sure any other connected peripherals you would like to use for a full experience are connected. 3) Have your sound at a respectable volume. 4) Have your brightness at a respectable level. 5) Click on the green flag to begin the animation. In the event that the green flag is absent, click on the "Learn More About This Project" link seen above. 6) Watch the animation. 7) Following the animation, do as you please.

Drake - I loved the sound, good job on that. Although the airbag thing with the rover was incredibly small and I couldn't even see it land on mars. But besides that, great job! Oh, and Papa John's is better.

Andrew- I like the star trek theme, it's hard to understand you at some points and the speech bubbles went by very fast, overall great project.

Rocket Parts
Every part on the rocket is essential. If a part wasn't essential, it would be merely extra weight. This extra weight would hinder the performance of the rocket. At the top of the rocket is the nose cone. The nose cone guides the rocket and enables proper aerodynamics. If the cone was a mere box the rocket's fltight quality would suffer. Below that is the body tube. The body tube contains the majority of the rocket parts and protects the rocket. The recovery system is what allows the rocket to be recovered following a flight by deploying a parachute. Below that is the recovery wadding. The wadding prevents the recovery system from catching fire as a result of the gasses created by the motor. The launch lug is what guides the rocket into the air from the launch pad. Without it, the rocket could injure someone as a result of it turning towards an unknown direction. The lug allows the rocket to go straight upwards. The fins guide the rocket, much like the nose cone, and allow it to be aerodynamic and able to move in a straight pattern. The motor mount is what keeps the motor in place. The motor itself is non-reusable and emits gasses that thrust the rocket upwards and into the air, allowing it to fly.

// Ms. Mc: great definitions and labels! 10/10 //

Atlas V 541: Space Rocket
The Atlas V 541 rocket is a rather large spacecraft with the goal of deploying the rover, "Curiosity." The rocket is 58 meters tall and contains 531,000 kilograms of mass. The rocket is made up of a payload fairing, which is used to close the tip of the spacecraft and is the nose cone of the rocket. Four rocket boosters are attached to the core booster to enable it to thrust from the launch pad and successfully leave Earth's atmosphere. The boosters can also be used to realign the rocket in space, if necessary. They also add to the thrust created during the first stage by the common core booster. The core booster is powered by kerosene fuel and liquid oxygen. These are loaded into fuel tanks shortly before lift-off. These tanks are approximately half of the height of the rocket. The common core booster alone can provide 3.8 million Newtons of thrust. The rocket boosters strapped to it can provide 1.36 million Newtons. Two adapters connect the first stage of the Atlas with the upper-stage, known as the Centaur engine. These adapters, as seen in Figure 1 below, are highly vital to the mission as a whole.The adapters detach and allow the payload to exit the rocket and land on Mars, thereby allowing the rover to rove the seemingly barren planet. The Atlas V 541 was chosen for this difficult mission because it has the proper lift-off capability for such a high amount of mass and because similar rockets have successfully completed similar missions.

Ms. Mc: great overview and diagram. The SRBs are not used to realign the cruise vehicle in space as they are jettisoned a few minutes after lift off. Other thrusters on the cruise vehicle do this. Please refer to your fivure in your text (-1/2) 9.5/10

Rocket Launch Lab Introductions and Results
The purpose of the experiment was to determine whether or not the mass of a rocket has an effect on the apogee of the rocket. Numerous forces acted upon the rocket, each varying based on the state of flight of the rocket. During the first stage, gravity pulls down on the rocket while the launch pad pushes upwards on the rocket. The force of the launch pad is equal to the force of gravity. When the rocket reaches ignition, the launch pad ceases to push upwards on the rocket and thrust carries the rocket upwards. The force of the thrust is greater than the force of gravity. When the thrust ceases, the rocket continues to glide upwards for a short period of time due to its inertia, in which air resistance and gravity are both acting upon it. Inertia has to do with objects at rest remaining at rest and objects in motion remaining in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. Gravity is pulling it downwards with the aid of air resistance. The apogee then commences and the rocket curves. The apogee is the peak of the flight. Air resistance then pulls upwards on the rocket while gravity continues to pull downwards with a higher amount of force. The rocket then, eventually, lands on the ground. The ground then pushes upwards on the rocket at an equal force to gravity pulling down. It was hypothesized that the rocket’s mass would affect the apogee of the rocket because the higher mass meant the higher amount of thrust required to overcome gravity at the launch stage. If the thrust remains consistent while the mass increases, this means that, during the coasting stage, gravity would pull down more than it would had there been less mass. The rocket’s mass varied from 42.8 grams to 45.9 grams. The apogee ranged from a low of 18.5 meters to a high of 107.2 meters. The relationship was an inverse relationship. As the mass increased, the apogee fell in most scenarios. An exception to this was the 42.8 grams rocket obtaining an apogee of 70 meters, falling between the 42.8 grams with 107.2 meters rocket and the 43.1 grams and the 96.6 meters rocket. There were two other exceptions that were marked, as seen in Graph 1. A possible reason for this would be human error while using the angle gun. This is especially notable when the 43.4 gram rocket reached a peak of 18.5 meters, the lowest of them all. The 42.8 grams rocket that achieved only 70 meters could have been affected by the wind, as it was observed that it had veered towards the left. Human error could have also played a part in this. The rocket with a mass of 45 grams that achieved an apogee of 91.6 meters could have done so through human error or perhaps due to the fact that the parachute did not deploy. As a result of the parachute not deploying and, instead, breaking apart from the rocket, it is possible that the rocket continued upwards more than it would have otherwise. The hypothesis was confirmed as it was shown that, for the majority of the rockets, the apogee decreased as the mass increased. The peak of 107.2 was achieved by the lightest rocket with a mass of 42.8 grams. The second lowest flight of 53.2 was the heaviest, weighing 45.9 grams.

Rocket Fin Redesign
The equidistant extra fin, located in Figure #1, was introduced to allow more stability.The fins were relocated so they would be in a square formation, thereby allowing a higher apogee. The shape of the fin remained the same because it provided quality aerodynamics in the prior experiment.

Between the two experiments, the mass increased from the first experiment to the second experiment by 1.1 grams. The original apogee was 91.6 meters. The apogee fell 39.5 meters to 52.1 meters.

It was believed that this steep drop in apogee was caused by the new fin design. The fourth fin's shape was not properly created. The fin was misshaped. The mass had also increased because of this fin change. The lower the mass, the higher the apogee. The fins were also supposed to be placed equidistantly, however this was not the case. There was a slight issue with placing the fins equidistantly. The center of gravity was not above the center of pressure and, as such, the rocket was slightly unstable and veered to the left, causing issues with the apogee.

History of Robotics
Robotics appear to be a rather modern invention, or even a rather futuristic one when we look at media such as, "The Jetsons," however, in actuality, robotics has been around since the early 3rd century BCE when Yan Shi revealed a fully artificial human being to King Mu of Zhou. The details of this encounter were, no doubt, largely exaggerated, however the idea could have been what sparked the future of robotics. Even earlier, in the 4th century BCE, a steam-powered mechanical bird was created, named, "The Pigeon." As time went on, many other civilizations created small but efficient automated machines that would typically be used for entertainment purposes, or even more practical ones such as telling time. The artist, Leonardo da Vinci, created one of the earliest designs for the first humanoid robot. It is, however, unknown whether or not he actually created the robot. Based on the designs, it has since been rebuilt and tested, as seen in Figure 1. It has been confirmed that it functions properly. The robot functioned based on a series of pulleys and cables. In the 1500s, several individuals had made machines based off of aviary creatures. These machines would properly fly, similar to their living counterparts. In the 1700s, automated instruments had been created. A model duck was also created. The duck was able to function similarly to how a real duck would function. The amount of parts required for the duck surpassed 400 parts per singular wing. Automatic weaving machines were also created in the 1700s. In the 1800s, further advancements were made in the automatic weaving industry. The Analytical Engine began production in 1833, but was never completed. The Engine would be similar to what be thought of as a computer. Towards the end of the century, Nikola Tesla had created the first remote-controlled boat. He had wished to use the technology to create a wireless torpedo to be used by the US Navy. In the 1900s era, the advancements regarding robotics had increased in momentum. Early on, robots were used in fiction but not properly created. In 1927, the first actual robot was a humanoid named Televox, created for use through the telephone system. In May 1936, Alan Turing proved that machines could perform any computation if it was given as an algorithm. Many scientists created robotic beings that would all be able to perform simple actions. The UK created a code-breaking robot and then Colossus. Several countries made differing programmable computers. In the 1950's, computers slowly began to be built. In the 1960's, automatic robots were being used to build cars, such as at General Motors. The Soviet Union also lands Lunokhod 1 on the moon. In the '70s, the first microprocessor was created. Over time, numerous scientists slowly made advancements within the field, creating things such as direct drive arms and the original personal computer. In the '90s, robots performed industrial activities and would collect samples of gasses and other materials for science. From the year 2000 to the year 2010, many more advancements were made in the field. The first automated flight was performed over the Pacific Ocean and lasted 22 hours. Two rovers also landed on Mars. From 2010 to the present year, 2012, few advancements have been made. The Robonaut 2, as seen in Figure 2, launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery and is the first humanoid robot to enter space.

//Ms. Mc: Excellent summary and figures, Christof! 10/10//

"On the Edge" Challenge
The robot's objective was to successfully pilot itself towards the edge of the table and stop itself from falling off. To do so, it would be ordered to, "Go!" and then would move forward until it would recognize that it was about to touch the tape. It would stop at that point and play the sound file, "Watch out!" media type="file" key="ctk_ontheedge.AVI" align="left" width="300" height="300"

Video #1. Robot Performing "On the Edge" Challenge.

The first block uses the sound sensor in Port 2. It waits for it to hear a sound of an appropriate volume which is, in this case, a yelled, "Go!" (How loud of sound? -1/2) This causes the second block to react and move both the B and C motors forward at 75% power. The motors do not stop until the next block tells them to. The next block uses the light sensor in Port 3. The light sensor detects the darkly colored line precisely. (What amount of light? -1/2) When it does so, both of the motors stop. (How? Braking or coasting? -1/2). The final block causes the robot to play a sound file, shouting, "Watch out!" (What volume? -1/2)

Ms. Mc - nice job! 18/20

Life on Mars?
Numerous spacecraft have attempted to obtain information on Mars over time. One of the most important early spacecrafts was Mariner 9, as seen in Figure 1. Mariner 9 operated from November 1971 until October of the following year. It managed to take pictures of about 80% of Mars. These pictures showed erosion caused by water, volcanoism, and overall simply a large amount of areas that had been reshaped by things within the planet itself, as opposed to a meteorite or a similar object. In 2001, the Mars Odyssey (appropriately named, given the year) had entered Mars's orbit and discovered water ice. In mid-2003, Mars Express discovered fields of ice. Eventually, Spirit and Opportunity found evidence of water existing in the past. Even more notable is the fact that Opportunity discovered the shoreline for what used to be a body of salty water. Earlier, in 1996, bacteria was found, hydrocarbons were detected, minerals, as well as magnetic particles that are similar to particles created by living things on Earth all within a meteorite from Mars. (This is disputed by some scientists now though.)

A microbe (Seen in Figure 2) can be defined as a single cell organism, a cell cluster, or multicellular complex organisms. To determine whether or not a microbe from Mars is living, it first has to show all 8 characteristics of life (and all 8 must be fully functioning). All living things have cells. By definition, a microbe has at least one cell. All living things reproduce. To confirm whether or not a microbe reproduces, it needs to be observed as to whether or not more of it form under proper circumstances. All living things need to use raw materials. To determine whether or not a microbe uses raw materials, it needs to be observed that the microbe does or does not use things such as oxygen and water. All living things grow. Over time, it needs to be noted whether or not the microbe grows in some way, shape, or form. All living things are homeostatic. To observe whether or not the microbe is homeostatic, the conditions outside of the microbe need to be changed. It also needs to be determined that the conditions inside the microbe are proper. All living things adapt or evolve. It needs to be observed that the microbe evolves under certain circumstances. For example, it needs to reproduce and then, as a result of this reproduction, have the offspring be different from the others and then survive to create more like it. All living things respond to stimuli. To test whether or not a microbe is able to respond to stimuli, a microbe should be put under numerous conditions and see if it moves or reacts in some way, shape, or form. All living things use energy. It should be observed whether or not the microbe uses energy. To be alive, a microbe must have all eight of these characteristics. If a microbe is dead, that means it had exhibited all eight of the characterizations but no longer does so. For it to be dormant, it must continue to use some of them, while others are simply not working at the moment and will return following the dormancy. If the microbe is nonliving, it will not exhibit all eight qualities. .

//Ms. Mc - excellent summary, supporting evidence and figures! 10/10//