Luke

Facts You Need to Know in Order to Send a Rover to Mars.

 * Mars is a cold,deserted world
 * It has seasons, ice caps, volcanoes, and weather (you would need to know the weather)
 * Thin clouds
 * Huge volcanos
 * Has very large surface pressure, have to wear a suit (actually, LOW surface pressure)
 * Normal wind speeds compared to earth
 * Fast rocket
 * Need to launch at correct time only come in line every 2 years - closest alignment
 * Cant leave for mars where it is when you leave
 * Need to aim for where you will land
 * Get there in about 7-8 months
 * Large craters
 * Dust storms
 * Mars only gets 44% sunlight so a back up generator is needed.
 * Mars is very cold (-250 C ° )

//Ms. Mc: Good general overview of Mars and its conditions. Needed to relate each fact to how it would impact either getting to Mars or operating a rover there (-2). Good additions from class discussion. Please capitalize Mars as it's a proper noun. 8/10//

History of Rockets
The first rockets were created in 400 BC, but they were barely even rockets. Later on the Chinese continued to work with rockets and started to use gun power and bamboo to help them, this later on help them create fireworks. In 1898 the idea of sending rockets into space began.

The soviet union and the united states both send many satellites and rockets into space and competed for a while. Both the United States and Russia have both now sent men into space. Thanks to the start of the gun power rockets that the Chinese gave us, they have helped us create the great rockets we have today.

//Ms. Mc: Some good points but you didn't even include all of your answers to the review questions which you were to expand upon. (-3). Good drawings. Please refer to your figures in your text (i.e., "as seen in Figure 1, ...). 7/10//

Scratch Rocket Flight Simulation
media type="custom" key="14075922"

Instructions for Running Simulation :

1. Turn on Sound 2. Click on Green Flag to Start 3. Click on the Red Flag to Stop 4. If video doesn't work click on the "Learn more about this project" Link.

Comments:

Ari - Your spelling was very good. But, there might not have been enough time to read the first definition. Your other definitions were pretty good though.

Jimmy: This is overall very good. I like the blastoff sound effect. I agree that some of the definitions are a little fast, but they are accurate.

Rocket Parts
Starting at the base of the Atlantic Ocean Rocket three similar fins are holding the main body of the rocket. The fins also help the rocket travel in a straight line up to the apogee and back down. At the very bottom of the Atlantic Ocean Rocket body is the rocket motor. This powers the flight of the rocket and is what gives the rocket inertia so that it can coast. It is not reusable and a new one is needed for a second flight. The motor mount is placed directly above the rocket motor to hold it in place. The launch lug is on the side of the Atlantic Ocean Rocket, this part of the rocket is needed to make sure that the rocket flies straight off the launch pad. The body tube is the main part of the rocket, it is tried to be made thin, but strong. Inside the body tube is the recovery system (or landing system). The recovery system is used so that the Atlantic Ocean rocket can land safely and be reused another time. Below the recovery system is the recovery wadding, this protects the recovery system from hot gases released on the ejection. Rounding off the top of the Atlantic Ocean Rocket is the nose cone. The nose cone guides the air flow around the rocket to make it aerodynamic and it also holds in the recovery system.

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

Atlas V 541


As seen in diagram one, the Atlas V 541 is made of four essential parts; the stage 1: Atlas V 541, solid rocket motors, stage 2: Centaur, and payload fairing. The stage 1: Atlas V 541 is what makes the fuel and oxygen tanks that feed the engines, this is what shoots the rocket into Earth Orbit. Second the solid rocket motors increase engine thrust (there are four of these). The stage 2: Centaur is the rockets "brain", it fires twice, once to insert the vehicle-spacecraft stack low into the Earth's orbit and then again to accelerate the rocket out of Earth's orbit. Lastly the payload fairing is a thin nose cone to protect the rocket from the earth atmosphere.

The reason the Atlas V 541 was chosen for this mission was because it had the right liftoff capability for the heavy weight it had to carry and it is in the same class as two other rockets that were both a success. The Atlas V 541 is 191 feet tall (58 m) and weighs 1.17 million pounds (531,000 kilograms). This rocket was an obvious choice for this mission.

Link to Website: []

Link to Picture: []

Ms. Mc: Good overview and diagram of the launch vehicle. You labeled the diagram correctly as "Fig. 4" but then referred to it as diagram one (-1/2). Left out the common core booster (-1/2). 9/10.

Rocket Launch Lab and Analysis
The purpose of this experiment was to find out if the mass of a rocket would affect the rockets apogee. Free body diagrams were drawn to show how and what forces were acting on the rocket. When the rocket was on the launch pad the force of gravity and the force of the launch pad were equal to each other. Once the rocket started to thrust a small amount of air resistance was applied on the rocket (going down), and the thrust was starting to push up on the rocket to “over power” the force of gravity. During the powered flight there was much more air resistance and a large amount of thrust which was pushing the rocket through the air; gravity still had the same amount of force on the rocket, but the force of the thrust was much more powerful. Once the rocket had reached coasting the same amount of gravity and air resistance was acting on it, but there was no thrust. Even though there was not thrust the rocket was still flying up because of the law of inertia. When the rocket reached its apogee the only force acting on the rocket was gravity. On the decent back to earth the rocket had air resistance (pushing up) and the force of gravity, but the force of gravity was greater than the air resistance so the rocket fell back down to earth with ease. It was hypothesized that the greater the mass of the rocket the lower the apogee, and the smaller the mass of the rocket the higher the apogee.
 * __INTRODUCTION__**

After the data had been collected to see if the mass of a rocket affects its apogee it was found that there was a small range of mass between the rockets. As seen in graph one the least mass was 43.5 grams and the largest mass was 47.2 grams. When collecting the data of the apogees it was found that the smallest apogee was 71.3 meters high and 142.8 meters high.
 * __SUMMARY OF DATA__**

When looking at the graph it is simple to tell that there is an inverse relationship in the data; the lighter the rocket the higher it flew, but the heaver the rocket the lower it flew. It was earlier hypothesized that the greater the mass of the rocket the lower it would fly, and the smaller the mass of the rocket the higher it would fly; this hypothesis can be confirmed. This hypothesis can be proven because the lightest rocket flew to 148.2 meters; which was a large difference between the heaver rockets. Also the heaviest rocket flew the second lowest at 100 meters and the two rockets that there second heaviest flew 71.3 meters and 107.2 meters; which is very low compared to the rest of the data. During these test there were a few errors that occurred. As the tests were being performed there were weather changes (from a warm day and sunny to a chilly day and overcast), an error in the launcher, angle gun measurement failures, and there was a small sample size (only eight rockets measured one time). After the tests that have been done, it was concluded that the heaver the rocket the lower the apogee and the lighter the higher the apogee.

Rocket Fin Re-Design


As seen in figure one the shape of the fins are more curved than the default fins. This design was created because it was thought that the curved fins would make the rocket more aerodynamic. It was also thought that having two fins on each side of the rocket would stabilize the rocket to make it fly as high as possible.
 * __EXPLANATION OF FIN DESIGN__**

During the second launch (rocket fin re-design) it was more of a failure than the previous launch. When the rocket left the launch pad it flew up a small amount (14.1m) and then started it decent back to the ground diagonally. Before the rocket fin design the rocket weighed 46 grams, but after the extra fins had been added and moved around the rocket weighed 47.1 grams (a 1.1 gram difference). This may have affected the launch, but it was most likely the placement of the fins. On the first launch the rocket flew 107.2 meters in the air, and after the fin re-design it flew 14.1 meters (a 93.1 meter difference). The re-design was a failure because of fin placement, fin shape, and the center of gravity. The shape of the fins were changed to be curved to make it aerodynamic, but this just made it even less stable, and the center of gravity was toward the bottom of the rocket making the flight unstable. These faults led to a failure of the rocket fin re-design.
 * __ROCKET FLIGHT OVERVIEW (SECOND FLIGHT)__**

History of Robotics
Starting in 1495 Leonardo DaVinci invented a middle age knight armor suit (as seen in figure 5) that moved, this would make it appear as if there was a real person in the suit. Moving forward all the way to 1959 the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) starts its artificial Intelligence Lab. Only three years later the first industrial arm robot was created. The arm named, the Unimate, was used in the General Motors factory to complete dangerous tasks for human beings. In 1966 Shakey was created; he was the first robot to know and react to its own actions. 1977 deep space explorers Voyagers 1 and 2 are launched from the Kennedy Space Center, and space exploration with robots flourishes.

In 1997 the Pathfinder Mission lands on Mars. The robot rover Soujourner slowly sets down on Martian soil. It collects data from Mars until September of the same year. In August of 2001 robots continued to help the health of many people when the FDA cleared a device called Cyberknife to treat tumors anywhere in the body. In 2003 both the Spirit and Opportunity (as seen in figure 7) rovers are launched for Mars, and both successfully land on Mars in 2004. From robotic history that started even before DaVinci to today we continue to learn more about robots to help make the world a better place.



//Ms. Mc - good summary and figures! I like how you included the Mars rovers. 10/10//

Summary of Curiosity's Mission and Instruments
Curiosity is a NASA rover that is expected to land on Mars and spend 23 months analyzing dozens of samples. The purpose of this assignment is to determine whether conditions have been favorable for microbial life and for preserving clues in the rocks about possible previous life. One "large" difference between the Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit and Opportunity, is that the Curiosity is twice as long and five times as heavy. A similarity Curiosity shares with the other rovers is the landing technique (a parachute is ejected and then it uses retro rockets around the rim to help the parachute slow down the decent). The Curiosity's power will be provided by a U.S. Department of Energy radioisotope power generator unlike the use of solar panels used previously. NASA will be able to "talk" to the rover by using radio relays via Mars obiters. You may be wondering, "How can a rover accomplish so much with a human being near it at all?", it's due to many instruments that are used by the Curiosity. These are the 10 most important instruments and their uses. quantify the minerals in rocks and soils also to measure bulk composition. pictures of rocks, soil and, ice. It will also be able to focus on hard-to reach objects more than an arm’s length away. of material from Martian rocks or soil targets up to 7 meters away. environment at the surface of Mars.
 * 1) Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) - Analyses any samples of material that is collected and delivered by the Curiosity's arm.
 * 2)  CheMin - An X-ray diffraction and fluorescence instrument; examines samples gathered by the robotic arm. It is made to identify and
 * 1)  Mars Hand Lens Imager - Takes extreme close-up
 * 1)  Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer - determines the relative abundances of different elements in rocks and soils
 * 2)  Mast Camera - W ill image the rover’s surroundings in high-resolution stereo and color. Has the capability to take and store high-definition video sequences. It will also be used for viewing materials collected or treated by the arm.
 * 3)  ChemCam - Uses laser pulses to vaporize thin layers
 * 1)  Radiation Assessment Detector - C haracterizes the radiation
 * 1)  Rover Environment Monitoring System - Can measure atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, winds, plus ultraviolet radiation levels.
 * 2)  Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) - M easures subsurface hydrogen up to one meter below the surface. Detections of hydrogen may indicate the presence of water in the form of ice or bound in minerals.
 * 3)  Sample Acquisition/Sample Preparation and Handling System - T ools to remove dust from rock surfaces, scoop up soil, drill into rocks and collect powdered samples from rocks’ interiors, sort samples by particle size with sieves, and deliver samples to laboratory instruments.



//Ms. Mc - great explanation of the similarities and differences of Curiosity and the other Mars' rovers and of her instrumentation. 10/10// ==

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Robot Video and Code
media type="file" key="100_0034.AVI" width="300" height="300" Video 1: Robot Performing, On the Edge



Block 1- The first block of the code is telling the robot to wait (not move) until it hears sound (the word go) to start performing actions. How loud of sound and in what port is the sensor? -1

Block 2- The second block is telling the robot to go forward at 75% power with unlimited rotations for only port C and B.

Block 3- The third block is telling the robot to keep performing its same actions until the light sensor senses the end of the table using the different color of the blue tape. How much light and what port? -1

Block 4- The fourth block is telling the robot to stop turning ports C and B when it senses the end of the table (the robot stops moving). Will it brake or coast?

Block 5- The fifth and final block is telling the robot to make a sound. When the robot has stopped the robot says "Watch out." How loudly and for how many times? -1/2

That is the end of the program.

//Ms. Mc - good overall but you left out some details as well as the general description of the what the challenge entailed (-2). 15.5/20//

Life on Mars?
It is uncertain as to whether or not there is or once was life on Mars, but there is some evidence that can help prove that there might have once been. From U.S. and Soviet probes we have collected many photos, some displaying ancient erosion caused by water. When the Viking missions were sent to Mars their main mission was to look for extraterrestrial life. In September of 1997 the Mars Global Surveyor mapped several properties of Mars's gravity and magnetic fields, surface topography, and surface mineralogy. October 2001 Mars Odyssey found other properties, but may be its biggest discovery was the neutron measurements that showed that Mars has reservoirs of water ice in its north polar regions. Beagle 2 was sent to Mars with many instruments and found fields of water ice and carbon dioxide at the south pole like the north pole; this is a large discovery because Earth has the same structure of the poles. Beagle 2 also found sulfur-rich deposits and clay minerals. In January 2004 the Spirit and Opportunity rovers each found evidence of past water, but the most astonishing discovery was made by Opportunity. Opportunity sent back photos of rocks that had been laid down at the shoreline of an ancient body of salty water. More salty water discoveries were found including salty water that had melted form a Martian spring. Finally in 2008 the U.S. probe Phoenix landed in the polar regions of Mars and found water ice underneath the soil of the planet.

Now, the thought that life could have once existed on Mars is much more appealing than it used to be. We have gained the knowledge that liquid water is so essential for life, and we have found signs of water on Mars and seen frozen water. Because Mars is so much more a cold planet than Earth is we have been trying search for the warmer areas of Mars, where it is more likely to find non-frozen water. We have also discovered that liquid water could have flowed "recently" through Mars. The best way to find out if there once was life on Mars may be to just look for fossil remains when Mars was more "Earth like", and before an asteroid struck, just like what happened to Earth. (There's was a much larger asteroid though.)

A micro-organism is any organism that is of a microscopic size. To find out if a sample containing micro-organisms from Mars is Alive, Dead, Dormant, or Non-Living, we first need to know the eight characteristics of life and what they mean.

- Made of Cells: - Needs Materials: - Homeostatic: - Respond to Stimuli: - Reproduce:
 * Fundamental units of living things
 * Cells have many parts (organelles)
 * Animal Cells, Plant Cells, Bacteria Cells
 * Sometimes cells are organized
 * tissues, organs, organ systems, organisms
 * Ned water, minerals, air (oxygen)
 * Take what they need from the environment
 * Humans - need calcium for bones; iron for blood
 * Plants need CO2 and water for photosynthesis
 * Plants also get minerals through their roots
 * Examples of plant nutrients: N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Zn
 * Internally living things stay about the same internally despite environmental changes
 * Living things expend a great deal of energy to maintain homeostasis
 * Humans - How are we homeostatic?
 * Temperature; excretion; repair.
 * Stimulus - anything that causes living things to react
 * Response - the reaction to a stimulus
 * Two types of responses
 * Positive: moves towards stimulus
 * Negative: Moves away from stimulus
 * 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) - cellular division in only one parent

- Grow: - Adapted:
 * All things develop from a lower or simpler to a higher or more complex form
 * Embryo - Newborn - Child - Adolescent - adult
 * Not all things grow at the same rate or reach the same size.
 * Modifications that make an organism suited to its way of life
 * Evolution - the process by which characteristics of species change through time

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

After reading about how microbes live I have determined that **Most** of the microbes on Mars would be dead (not have all eight characteristics of life). They could not stand the cold temp and the low atmospheric pressure. I am not saying that no microbes could live on Mars, but most could not.

[[image:cascience7-2012/microorganism ldm.jpg caption="Figure #10: Microbe"]][[image:phoenix probe ldm.jpg caption="Figure #11: Phoenix Probe"]]
//Ms. Mc - very thorough and well-written summary. You forgot to specifically refer to your figures in your text (-1/2). Remember that if an organism is "dead," it had all 8 characteristics of life but they no longer are functioning and can never function again. Good job! 9.5/10//