Karoline

** __Mars Fact Sheet__ **

 * Mars’ distance from Earth: Minimum- 56,000,000 km, Maximum- 399,000,000 km.
 * It is very difficult to land and sustain rovers because there are wind/sand storms that can destroy the rovers.
 * To survive the winter, the rovers have to get to the highest place so they can get sunlight.
 * The rovers need to have enough fuel to get enough thrust to leave earth’s gravitational pull.
 * At its closest, Mars is 35 million miles from Earth. So we want to launch when Mars is closest so we can use less fuel and get there quicker.
 * The launch window occurs every 2 years.
 * Mars’ gravity is about one third of Earth’s gravity.
 * Mars has strong and long seasons due to its tilt.
 * The temperature on mars can range from -125 to 25 Celsius.
 * Because of Mars’ land conditions and weather, rovers need to be sturdy and well built (wheels, panels etc.).
 * Mars’ surface is rocky, has hundreds/thousands of craters, mountainous, has canyons: need to choose a flat and safe landing area (also close to important landmarks).
 * Mars has polar ice caps, made from carbon dioxide and under the carbon dioxide there is water.

// Ms. Mc: Good facts about Mars and its conditions and additions from our class discussion. Not much original work though? (-2). Please capitalize Mars and Earth as they are proper nouns. 8/10. //

__ **4/9/2012** __

__ **History of Rockets** __
The astonishing rockets we have today help us learn more about the solar system and the universe. However, without the experiments, research and earlier machines/devices/rockets, we wouldn't be able to have the rockets we have now. The Hero Engine is the first device to successfully employ the principles essential to rocket flight. This machine starts with the fire under the kettle. It heats the water in the bowl and turns it into steam. Then, the steam goes through the pipes and into the sphere. The gas then escapes through the L-shaped tubes on opposite sides of the sphere. This gives a thrust to the sphere which allows it to rotate.

The first true rockets came from the Chinese. The Chinese made a simple form of gunpowder from saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal dust. They used rockets for fireworks and warfare. The Chinese experimented with gunpowder-filled tubes and attached the bamboo tubes to arrows and launched them with bows. The true rocket was born when they discovered that these gunpowder tubes could launch themselves just by the power produced from the escaping gas. The Chinese used these gunpowder-filled tube arrows during battles and repelled the Mongols with a barrage of “arrows of flying fire.” The Mongols then produced rockets of their own and spread them to Europe.

Modern rocketry began when Konstantin Tsiolkovsky proposed the idea of space exploration by rocket. He suggested that in order to achieve greater range to get into space, liquid propellants can be used for rockets. He also stated that the speed and range of a rocket were limited only by the exhaust velocity of escaping gases. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky has been called “The Father of Modern Astronautics” because of his ideas, research, and great vision. On March 16, 1926, Goddard achieved the first successful flight from Tsiolkovsky's idea about using liquid-propellant for rockets. Even though the rocket only flew for 2.5 seconds, climbed 12.5 meters, and landed 56 meters away, it was still the forerunner of a whole new era in rocket flight.

The Verein fur Raumschiffahrt, Society for Space Travel in Germany developed the V-2 rocket. It was developed to be used against London during World War II. The United States realized the potential of rocketry as a military weapon and began a variety of experimental programs. Eventually varieties of medium- and long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles were developed and became the starting point of the U.S. space program. So, the United States organized its space program by creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA became a civilian agency with the goal of peaceful exploration of space for the benefit of all humankind. Rockets have played a big part of human history and they are still playing.

// Ms. Mc: Very good summary and drawings! Left out Sputnik (-1/2). Please include figure #s with your drawings (-1/2) and refer to them in your writing (i.e., "as seen in Figure 1"). Good work! 9/10 //

media type="custom" key="14045180" width="120" height="120"
Instructions: 1. Turn on sound. 2. Click on green flag to begin. 3. To end/stop, press the red flag. 4. If stimulation doesn't work, click on the Learn More About This Project link above.

Charlotte: I really liked how life-like your rocket was. The apogee stage could have been a little bit more smooth, though. But other than that, I loved the project, especially the cool sound effect at the end. Great job!

Doug: I really liked how your rocket moved across the screen like a real rocket does. One thing I think you could have put in the scratch presentation is a more smooth translation between screens to make the rocket more life like than it already is. I really like the end sound of the scratch it was very funny!

** __Labeled Rocket Photo and Descriptions__ **


A rocket consists of many parts. Each part has its individual job which is necessary to help and guide the rocket to an adequate flight. The nose cone at the head of the rocket helps guide the airflow so that is can go around the rocket and create less friction and air resistance. The tube below the nose cone is the body tube, which is the main structural part of the rocket. The body tube contains many important pieces including the recovery system, recovery wadding, the motor mount and the rocket motor. The first thing inside the body tube is the recovery system. The recovery system helps the rocket come down and land safely. Separating the recovery system and the motor mount is the recovery wadding. The recovery wadding helps protect the recovery system from burning due to the hot ejection charge gases produced by the motor. The motor mount helps hold the motor in place while the motor produces the thrust needed to shoot up into the air. The launch lug and the fins both assist to balance the rocket and also helps it to travel straight off the launch pad and into the air. All of these parts are essential for a successful rocket flight.

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

__The Atlas V 541 Rocket__
The Atlas V 541 was chosen to take the rover Curiosity to Mars. This rocket was chosen because is has successfully lifted other missions. It also has the right liftoff capability for the heavy weight requirements because the Atlas V 541 weights 531,000 kilograms and is 58 meters high. //(Ms. Mc - actually they meant the heavy weight of the rover).//

[[image:cascience7-2012/kyl_atlasv541.JPG width="472" height="312" caption="Figure 4: Atlas V 541 Rocket"]]
The Atlas V 541 rocket is made up of a payload, centaur, payload fairing, common core booster, solid rocket boosters, and an RD-180 main engine as seen in figure 4. The payload (nosecone) helps create less air resistance during the rocket flight while the spacecraft is protected in the payload fairing. Under the payload fairing, the centaur's job is to carry the spacecraft out of Earth's orbit and on its way towards Mars. Also shown in figure 4, the common core booster is the main propulsive stage of the rocket and gives it thrust. The solid rocket boosters provides extra thrust at liftoff and the RD-180 main engine burns liquid oxygen and RP-1 propellant. It also provides thrust for the rocket.

//Ms. Mc: great overview and diagram of the launch vehicle. The payload actually is what the rocket is carrying. In this case, the Curiosity rover. 10/10 //

__Rocket Launch Lab Analysis & Write Up__
 The purpose of this experiment was to determine if the mass of the rocket affected the maximum height of the rocket. This experiment was performed by launching eight different massed rockets into the air and observing their apogees. When the rocket was prepared to launch on the launch pad, two forces were acting on it: gravity (the attraction between two masses in the universe) and the floor push. Since the forces were equal, the rocket didn't move. However, the thrust of the engines overcame the force of gravity which caused the rocket to accelerate and lift off the launch pad. While the rocket was in the air, air resistance (the force that causes objects to float in air) acts in an opposite direction of the rocket. During coasting (when the powered flight ends), inertia, which is an object’s resistance to change its motion, helps keep the rocket moving. After the rocket reaches its highest point (apogee), it changes direction, comes back down and lands. It was hypothesized that the greater the mass the smaller the apogee because the greater the mass the heavier the rocket. If the rocket is heavier, it wouldn't travel as high because more force is needed to push it. The thrust of the engines can provide more thrust for the rocket with less mass because it is lighter. Therefore, it can travel farther.

After the experiments were performed, a graph was made to represent the data collected. The masses of the eight rockets ranged from 42.9 grams to 46.2 grams. Even though the masses didn’t have a big difference, the apogees still had a variety. The apogees ranged from 38.4 meters to 78.1 meters. It was found out that the rockets with less mass have a higher apogee. As seen in figure 5, this is an inverse relationship because when the mass increases, the apogee decreases. There are also some outliers like the rocket with the smallest apogee and the rocket with the highest apogee. The rocket with the smallest apogee had a mass of 44.8 grams and an apogee of 38.4 meters whiles the rocket with the highest apogee also had a mass of 44.8 but had an apogee of 78.1 meters. The rocket with the smallest apogee had a wrong fin placement and only one angle measurement.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The hypothesis of this experiment was proved to be true because the mass of the rockets did affect the apogee. However, there are some constant variables that could have changed the data. First of all, the sample size was very small and if it was bigger the experiment would have been more successful. Plus, in some of the experiments, fins weren’t correctly placed and a parachute fell off. Another variable that could have affected the data was the angle measurements. The angle measurers weren’t all the same and some of them were inaccurate. Lastly, the masses of the rockets didn’t vary much so it was hard to say if the masses of the rockets affected the apogee. ==

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__Rocket Fin Redesign__
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The fins of the rocket were redesigned to help achieve a higher apogee. Two more fins were added to the rocket to make five fins overall. This decision was made to help the rocket become more stable without adding too many fins which will cause the rocket to have a higher mass. Also to achieve more stability, the five fins were evenly placed around the rocket. As seen in figure 5, the edges of the rocket are rounded, smaller and curved. The fins were smaller so that the mass of the rocket would be lower. The round and curved fins helps the rocket become more aerodynamic. These new changes would try to help the rocket achieve a higher apogee.



<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">There was only a little difference between the masses. The first rocket's mass was 44.8 g while the second rocket's mass was 45.0 g. A reason why the second rocket has more mass than the first is because of the increased number of fins added to it. Despite the little difference in the mass, the apogees had a big difference: 78.1 m and 52.0m with the lower apogee being the second rocket. Some factors that could have affected how high the redesigned rocket flew during launch 2 compared to launch 1 are the greater mass and the placement and number of the fins. The mass was increased so that means more force was needed to push it. Since the force was the same, the second rocket didn’t fly as high. The second factor was the number of the fins and the placement. Since the number of the fins was odd, it was hard to place it evenly around the rocket. Since it was hard to be placed evenly around the rocket, the sides could have been unequal. When the rocket was launched, it went left so the rocket wasn't balanced and stable enough. //Ms. Mc: Good initial thoughts and conclusions and great diagram. Another consideration is that the smaller fins didn't provide enough lift when the rocket went off course to get it aligned again. 5/5//

__History of Robotics__
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">In 350 B.C, the first robot was made by Archytas who built a mechanical bird. as shown in figure 6, this mechanical bird was propelled by steam. "The Pigeon" as it was called was one of the earliest studies of flight. A few years later, Aristotle quoted that, “If every tool, when ordered, or even of its own accord, could do the work that befits it... then there would be no need either of apprentices for the master workers or of slaves for the lords.” He implied how good it would be to have robots in the world.

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<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Many other robotic inventions were also made after "The Pigeon" but in 1940, the Three Laws of Robotics were created by Issac Asimov. The first of the three laws states that a robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. The second law states that a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law and the third states that a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. These Three Laws of Robotics were Issac Asimov's most important contribution to the history of the robot.

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<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Now, robots has advanced so we could study more about the universe as shown in figure 7, help with medical research and procedures, and be used in our daily life. From the first mechanical bird to the technology we have now, robots are good tools to help make our lives easier and more abundant.

//<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Ms. Mc - good general overview and figures! 10/10 //

__On The Edge Challenge__
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">In this challenge, we programmed the robot so that it would move forward when we say go and stop when it reaches the edge of the table. There is a dark line on the edge of the table so that the robot can detect it and stop. This challenge can help the rover on Mars because the rover can know when to stop when it reaches an edge, so it wouldn't fall. media type="file" key="100_0059.AVI" width="270" height="270" Video #1: On The Edge Challenge

Block 1: This "wait for time" block tells the robot to wait for 2 seconds before it starts moving. Block 2: This "switch" block tells the robot to activate port 2 and switch to the sound sensor. When the robot detects a sound that is over the value 50, it starts to do block 3 and 4. (Okay, but you didn't need a switch block, just the wait for sound block.). Block 3 (top): This "move" block tells the robot to activate servomotors B and C so it moves backwards 1 rotation at 75% power. Block 4 (bottom): This "move" block tells the robot to activate servomotors B and C so it moves forward 1 rotation at 75% power. The first 4 blocks are "sound control", so when the robot hears a sound it moves according to what the directions are. Black 5: This "move" block tells the robot to activate servomotors B and C so it moves forward with an unlimited amount of time at 50% power. Block 6: This "wait for light sensor" block tells the robot to activate port 3 and keep on moving while the light sensor detects a light value of 31. Block 7: This "move" block tells the robot to activate servomotors B and C so it stops. Block 8: This "sound" block tells the robot to play a sound (watch out) with the volume at 100.

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

__Life on Mars?__
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">It is a mystery to us that there is possible life on Mars. From 1972 to present day, we have been trying to solve this mystery by sending different devices and robots to see if there is or once was life on Mars. Even though the Viking Spacecraft gave negative results from experiments to detect metabolism and organic molecules, many other factors help prove that there were still hope for possible life on Mars. These factors include the fact that life could survive in many extreme environments, Earth life started very quickly which states that life can survive if the right conditions are present, conditions on early Mars was very similar to Earth's when life first began on Earth, Earth and Mars has exchanged materials, and that pieces of Earth might have been transported to Mars which could have help started life. In 1996, scientist found a Martian meteorite that contains an evidence of life. In this Martian meteorite, they found bacteria-like objects, detection of hydrocarbons, mineral assemblages that were not produced in chemical equilibrium, and magnetic particles similar to those produced by some terrestrial bacteria. Sadly, it was proven that these evidences were false and that the things inside the meteorite isn't alive. After this discovery, scientists started finding signs of liquid water on Mars because it is essential for life. Scientists are also trying to find fossil remains from the early period in Mars’s history when conditions were more similar to Earth.



<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A microbe or microorganism is a microscopic organism that is either unicellular (made of one cell) or multicellular (made of several cells) or a cell cluster. To classify if a sample from Mars containing microbes was alive, dead, non-living or dormant, we can use the 8 characteristics of life to help us. Something that is alive has all the 8 characteristics of life. It is made of cells, homeostatic, needs materials, responds to stimuli, reproduces, grows, adapts, and has respiration. Something that is dormant also has these characteristics, but some of them are temporarily disabled. Something that is dead used to have the 8 characteristics of life, and something that is non-living doesn't have any of the 8 characteristics of life. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">(may have some but not all, -1/2).

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//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Ms. Mc - very good overview of the evidence of water and life on Mars. You need to give your figures numbers and specifically refer to them in your text, -1. 9/10 //