Tommy+Ba


 * 4/9/2012**


 * Log Entry #1**

Facts we Need in Order to Get a Rover to Mars //Ms. Mc: Good facts about Mars and its conditions, however, these all came from our class discussion. Where is your original work? (-3). 7/10//
 * Need enough fuel to overcome gravity
 * Need to launch so the distance travelled is the least possible to use less fuel
 * Launch window to determine aim for Mars where it's going to be in the future when our rockets get there
 * Steer clear of the moons
 * Mars has huge dust storms, make rover dust-proof
 * 4th planet from the sun
 * Mars has polar caps made of dry ice - may want to steer clear for landing
 * Need to store energy for winter
 * Mars is cold (-63 degrees Celsius) - rover needs to be able to withstand cold
 * Mars has hundreds of large craters, mountains, and a huge canyon so need to pick
 * No liquid water so don’t need to worry about that
 * Pressure is 1/100th of that on earth


 * 4/9/2012**


 * Log Entry #2**

History of Rockets

The first rocket-like device was called the Hero Engine (figure 1), created by the Greek Hero of Alexandria. It was a kettle with L-shaped tubes on each side above a fire. Steam would be produced and create thrust out of the tubes, causing it to spin. Later, the Chinese used rockets as weapons. They filled tubes of bamboo that was capped at one end with gunpowder, and then used them to shoot at the enemy. They also used them for celebrations.

People like Roger Bacon and Joanes de Fontana helped improve the rocket. Roger Bacon worked on improving forms of gunpowder while de Fontana created the water torpedo. In 1903, Konstantin Tsiolkovski suggested the use of liquid rockets. This was eventually taken up by Robert Goddard who experimented with liquids and in 1926, created the first liquid-propelled rocket. In WWII, Germany made the V-2 rocket to use against London. This technology helped advance the US knowledge of rockets as well. Soon, rockets were going into space. Russia launched the first satellite, Sputnik, out into space. The USA created NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to be used for the exploration of space for all mankind.

//Ms. Mc: Good overally summary! Please put a figure # in your captions (-1/2) and refer to your figures in your writing ("as seen in Figure 1 ..."). Also, you were to have 2 drawings for this entry (-2). Please be sure to get your posts up by the deadline. Work more than one day late will receive a zero. 7.5/10 - 1 pt. (10% late) = 6.5/10.//


 * 4/9/2012**


 * Log Entry #3**


 * Scratch Rocket Simulation**

media type="custom" key="14043232"

Directions:

1. Turn on volume 2. If it does not start automatically, click the green flag in the upper right hand corner of the animation. 3. Watch 4. Feedback would be nice!

Danny S - It was a very smooth-gliding rocket. You may want to have more bounces in the landing. You also have a well made rocket.


 * 4/17/2012**


 * Log Entry #4**


 * Rocket Photos**

The Nose cone of the rocket is the white tip on the top of the rocket (**as seen in figure 1**). Its job is to create an aerodynamic shape for the rocket, so it can cut through the air without much resistance. Next is the body tube, which basically just gives the rocket a structure and holds the internals. The launch lug slides over a rail on the launch pad and keeps the rocket straight during launch. On the end of the body are the fins. They basically keep the rocket going straight during flight, like the feathers on an arrow. The motor is what propels the rocket, packed with gunpowder and all of the charges needed during flight. Inside the rocket, towards the bottom, is the motor mount. It is used to keep the motor in place and acts like a converter to make sure the motor fits tight in the body tube. Above that is the wadding, which separates the recovery system from the motor so the recovery system isn’t burned or damaged. The recovery system is above the wadding, below the nose cone, and is deployed by a charge from the motor. It uses a parachute to get to the ground safely. // Ms. Mc: great definitions and labels! 10/10 //


 * 4/19/2012**


 * Log Entry #5**


 * Atlas V 541 Rocket**



Standing about 19 stories tall and weighing about 1.17 million pounds, the Atlas V 541 rocket was chosen to take the Curiosity rover to Mars. This particular rocket was chosen for this because it has the right liftoff capability for its weight. As seen in **figure** 1,It is made up of the payload fairing, the centaur forward load reactor, the payload adapter, an RL10 engine, the payload fairing boat tail, the centaur aft stub adapter, the centaur interstage adapter, the booster interstage adapter, the atlas booster, the solid rocket boosters, the aft heat shield, and the RD-180 engine.

The engines are what create the thrust that launches the rocket by igniting the fuel inside and channeling the blast towards the ground. The solid boosters are used until a certain altitude in the atmosphere where the break off and fall back down to earth. Once the rocket gets out of earth’s gravitational pull, the engines are shut off and the rocket coasts. The payload fairing opens up and the payload goes on its way to Mars.

//Ms. Mc - good overview and diagram of the launch vehicle. Don't forget to include a caption for the files you upload. 9.5/10//


 * 4/25/2012**


 * Log Entry #6**


 * RLLA Intro and Summary**

The purpose of this experiment was to find out if mass affected the apogee of a rocket. The apogee was always affected by a couple of variables. These include the amount of thrust being produced from the engines, gravity and air resistance. The forces that were acting on this rocket before launch was the push of the launch plate under it and gravity wanting to pull it down. The rocket didn’t move because the forces were equal (as seen in figure 1). At launch, the force of thrust was added and the rocket moved up, slowly at first and getting faster. The engine stopped and the rocket kept going by its own inertia. It was hypothesized that the mass did in fact affect the apogee and that the lighter the rocket was, the higher it would go because it wouldn’t take up as much fuel to get it off the ground. It was hypothesized that the heavier rockets wouldn't go as high because they would need more thrust to get off the ground

The mass of each group’s rocket was between 40 and 48g. Group one weighed 47.1g and got an apogee of 63.7m. Group two weighed 44.7g and got an apogee of 47m. Group 3 weighed 44.1g and got an apogee of 90.0m. Group 4 weighed 44g and got an apogee of 107.2m. Group 5 weighed 43.5g and got an apogee of 71.3m. Last, group 6 weighed 43.9g and got an apogee of 81.9m.



As shown in figure 1, the majority of the rockets that had a heavier mass didn’t have as high an apogee as the lighter ones. Group 4 got the highest apogee and had the lightest mass. Overall, the results had an inverse relation on the graph. There were some rockets that didn’t quite match the pattern though, like group 5. They had a light mass, yet they had a lower apogee which was probably do to an error with the angle gun. Overall, the hypothesis was correct that the lighter rocket would have a higher apogee.


 * 4/30/2012**


 * Log Entry #7**


 * Rocket Fin Re-Design**



It was thought that if 6 small fins were added in between the gaps of the original fins, but further up, it would fly straighter. Also, if the fins were moved further up, it would hopefully provide more stability and hopefully prevent wobbling (Figure 1).

First of all, the mass was increased a bit when the fins were added. It went from 44.1g to 46.3g. This made it so it of course didn't fly as high as 90m, but flew 31.5m. The fins were further up and changed the center of gravity and made the rocket wobble instead of making it fly straighter. If the fins were perhaps a little bit bigger and at the bottom, maybe it would have had better results. also, since the fins probably weren't big enough, the really only added extra weight and didn't do much.


 * 5/3/2012 **


 * Log Entry #8 **


 * History of Robotics **

The first “robot” was created in 350 B.C by Archytas, the famous Greek Mathematician. He called it “the pigeon” and it was a mechanical bird that was powered by steam. It was the first recorded “robot” in history that we know of. Some of the more famous early robots were created by Leonardo da Vinci. His creations, many of which never made it to the point of construction, included his mechanical “knight” (figure 1). It was made to look like a real knight and the mechanism inside made it move as if there was a real person inside. That was back in 1495.



Much later, in 1959, the Artificial Intelligence Agency in Massachusetts was created. Two years later, the MH-1 computer was built at MIT. This was one step closer to modern computers. In 1984 the first Mac computer was made and you can really see the resemblance (figure 2). With newer models, these robots evolved into the ones we use today.

//Ms. Mc - good general overview but how are robots primarily used today besides computers (-1). Please insert your figures immediately below the paragraph in which they're discussed. 9/10//


 * 5/20/2012**


 * Log Entry #9**


 * Challenge #3 - On the Edge**

The purpose of this challenge was to include the sound sensor and the light sensor to make the robot stop at the edge of the table, so it wouldn't fall. The robot had to start moving when commanded (using the sound sensor), and slowly move forward. When the blue line was reached, the robot had to sense it with the light sensor, stop, and say "watch out!" (below).

media type="file" key="TLB_100_0174.AVI" width="300" height="300" Video #100_0174 - On the Edge



The first block (figure 1 - code for challenge 3) tells the robot to wait for the sound sensor in port 1 to pick up a sound before it can move. This is when the person will say go and that is the sound the sensor will pick up. (How loud of sound? -1/2). The next block tells the robot to use servomotors C and B to move forward at 40% power for an unlimited time or until the next sensor picks something up. This ensures that it gets to the edge and doesn’t stop short. The third block tells the light sensor in port 3 to sense when the reflected light on the table changes to below 44%. The fourth block tells the servomotors C and B to stop. The third block and the fourth block combine to perform one action. They make it so that the robot stops when it senses the reflected light is less than 44%. The fifth block tells the robot to play the “Watch Out” sound file at 100% volume after it stops. When you put all of these blocks together, you will get what is shown in video #100_0174.

//Ms. Mc - Great job! 19.5/20//


 * 6/4/2012**


 * Log Entry #11**


 * Life on Mars**

We believe there is a possibility that life may exist on Mars today because of some results from experiments that a few rovers carried out. The photos of Mars’ surface that the satellites took show erosion that could only be caused by water (figure 1). Also, Spirit’s wheel was dragging on the ground and it uncovered some salt, which also could only have been formed by water. We believe that if there is still enough water, there could be life. In addition to that, some forms of life have been found in very extreme conditions on earth. Life has been found from deep under the sea to the inside of volcanoes. The same could be for Mars.



A microorganism is a bacterium, virus, or a fungus. Microorganisms have all 8 characteristics of life, making them living (if all 8 are fully functioning), but they can also go dormant. To be alive, something must respond to stimuli, meaning that they will react to something like a sound. They must be able to reproduce, meaning they must be able to create more of their own kind. Living things need to be made of cells which you would be able to see under a microscope. They need materials to support them, like a plant needs water and air. Organisms are able to grow and change. Speaking of change, organisms adapt to their environment, meaning they change their characteristics to suit the environment (figure 2). They are homeostatic too, which means they keep the same state internally. They also have respiration, meaning they release energy by taking something else in, like humans breath oxygen.



//Ms. Mc - good general overview of the evidence of water and possible life on Mars and discussion of the 8 characteristics of life. You needed to explain how you would classify a specimen as dead or nonliving as well (-1/2). Great photos and I especially like your example of the adaption of the clown fish! 9.5/10//