Henna

//__The Life of Electronics__//
==== Analog signals are signals that vary smoothly in time. The electric current increases or decrease smoothly in time. A digital signal is a signal that does //not// vary smoothly, much opposed to an analog signal. It changes in jumps or steps. Each number is denoted with a number, so a digital signal is represented by a sequence of numbers. A semiconductor is an element that is not as good a conductor than metals, however a better conductor than nonmetals, which are like insulators. They are //completely// different than both insulators and conductors, however, because of their ability to have their electric conductivity controlled in the way of adding impurities. There are two specific types of semiconductors that are important to this reading, an n-type semiconductor, and a p-type semiconductor. When these two are put together, they create electronic parts that control the flow of electric current flowing in a circuit, almost like a resistor except they don’t always resist, sometimes they act as on/off switches and turn the flow of the current on. This is how semiconductors are used in electronic devices: to control the flow of the electric current. A diode is a solid state component that allows the current to flow in only one direction. They are very helpful when converting alternating current (current that keeps changing its direction) to a direct current (current that goes in one direction and never switches). A transistor is also a solid state component, and it is used to strengthen signals in an electric current. It can also be used as kind of an electric switch. Electric signals cause transistors to allow currents to pass through or block the flow of a current. Lastly, an integrated circuit is something that has man interconnected solid-state components and it is made of a single chip of semiconductor that is made of silicon. ==== ==== Electronic devices are important when going to Mars because, obviously, you need a way to // get // there, and also, you’re searching for life , so you need systems and devices for that. Also, you need electronic devices in order to take tests on things you may find on Mars, because they can lead to reasons life on Mars may be possible. ==== ====//Ms. Mc: Very good overview of electronics but your second paragraph needed specific example of electronic devices that would be used on the mission (i.e., navigation systems, communication systems, soil analyzers, cameras, etc.). Please include the entry # in your title. 8/10//====

4-5-2011 Entry #2 Rocketry Didn't Start Out Perfect The rocket didn’t start out having too many people as fans, but slowly, as adjustments were made, and it was tweaked, it became one of the most important inventions of all time.

The Chinese used rockets at festivals, religious ones, where they put the gunfire in bamboo shoots and tossed them into the fire. They also used them in war, where they would attach them to arrows and launch them at the opposing side, which was, the first time around, the Mongols. The idea of liquid propelled rockets was tossed around for a while, but it was Konstantin Tsiolkovsky who suggested, up-front, the use of rocketry in space travel, as well as usage in weaponry. He gave many ideas on how to make this reality, such as introducing the idea of liquid propellants to increase the range of the rockets. For his ideas about the subject, Tsiolkovsky was dubbed the with the name, "Father of Modern Astronautics." On March 16th, 1926, Robert H. Goddard, someone who also took interest in liquid propelled rocketry, invented the first ever workable liquid propelled rocket that was fueled by oxygen and gasoline. Though the rocket only flew for 2 1/2 seconds it went up in the air 12.5 meters and travelled 56 meters on its first flight. Goddard, for his achievements, was dubbed “Father of Modern Rocketry.” The V2, a liquid propelled rocket, was developed by a small German society, the Society for Space Travel. They made it to use against London, in WW II.

The Soviet Union launched a satellite named the "Sputnik", so the US followed suit, dubbing their own satellite "Explorer." That was their motivation to create NASA. That was in January, but in October of that same year, 1958, the USA created the space program we all know, called National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, that many said the goal was to achieve "peaceful exploration of space for the benefit of all humankind." So you see, the rocket started //out// as a mere knick knack, but turned into something very important to humanity itself.

 //Ms. Mc: Good general summary of the history of rocketry. When discussing history, it's important to give specific dates whenever possible. What has NASA done for rocketry since 1958? Also, you forgot to post your two diagrams. Please do so and let me know so I can adjust your grade. 10/15. Thanks for adding the diagrams, Henna. Don't forget to include a figure # and title for future pictures. Your pictures added 3 points to your grade so your new grade is 13/15. //


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Entry #4 4-13-2011 Mission Log #4



The purpose of a nose cone is to carry satellites, instruments, animals, plants, or auxiliary equipment, and they are designed so that they provide no aerodynamic resistance. The body tube is in the center of the rocket and it holds the rocket together. What the recovery system is a lot like what a parachute does-- it opens up when the rocket gets to a certain height to ensure a safe landing for the rocket. The recovery padding Protects the Recovery System from melting into a plastic wad. It does this because it is flame resistant. The launch lug is a small cylinder attached to the rocket used to attach the launch rod placed prior to liftoff. The fins are a surface that are used to lift/thrust and steer something in the water, air, etc. In this case, the air. Motor mounts are used to position an engine tube into a larger model airframe. Lastly, the rocket motor is, in basic terms, the rocket's engine. It uses only propellant mass for forming it's high speed propulsive jet.

//Ms. Mc: Good labels and definitions. You were to indicate which parts were inside on your labels (-1.5). Don't forget your captions for figures/graphs/tables (-1) and your title should not be Mission Log # but describe what the entry is about. (-1/2) . 17/20//

Entry #5 4-17-2011 Mission Log #5

The purpose of this experiment was to see if the mass of the rocket affected its apogee, or highest point of flight. There were a few forces acting on the rocket while it was in flight, and they were gravity and air resistance. Gravity pulled down the rocket as it coasts from the “power” of inertia. The second, air resistance, was the friction in the air acting on the rocket, slowing it down gradually. Inertia is not a force, but it is what kept the rocket coasting. It was hypothesized that if all the rockets were made with the same materials and in a similar fashion, then they would share the same results in term of apogees. The force of thrust is what pushes the rocket up into the air.



As seen in Graph 1, the masses of the rockets, from least to greatest, were 42.8 g, 42.9 g, 43.6 g, 43.9 g, 44.1 g, 46.1 g, and 48.7 g. The apogees of the rockets, from least to greatest, were 71 m, 74 m, 81 m, 84 m, 87 m, 104 m and 135 m. There is no apparent relationship in the data because the mass of the rockets is not proportional to the apogee of the rockets, and also there are too many outliers. It was originally hypothesized that if all the rockets were made with the same materials and in a similar fashion, then they would share the same results in term of apogees, because there would be no outlying data. This hypothesis was proven wrong when the experiment was conducted, as the data shown is very spread out. Error may have stepped into the experiment and changed the data because of a few reasons. One was that the apogees were measured by different subjects, so the data could be different. Also, the rockets were not made by the same subject, nor launched by the same subjects; therefore the data may have been altered in that form.

Entry #6 4-25-2011 Mission Log #6

A quark is any number of subatomic particles carrying a small electric charge, assumed to be the building block of the hadrons. There are more than one type of quark-- and they are up, down, charm, strange, bottom, and top. The up and down quarks have the lower amount of mass than the rest of the quarks. A chart of quarks are shown in figure 2. 2 billion years after the Big Bang, Galaxies were formed when gravity collapsed with matter. A galaxy is a disk made up of stars, dust, and gas. A model picture is shown in figure 1.

//Ms. Mc: Good pictures and answers. If you speak about a figure first, it should appear first and be labeled "Figure 1." (-1/2). For #s less than 10 or if they start a sentence, you need to write out the word (i.e., 2 should be two.) (-1/2) If you state something happened after something else, you need to give the date when the first thing occured (i.e., the Big Bang occured about 15 billion years ago.) (-1/2) 8.5/10 Please put in titles for your entries.//

Entry #7 Mission Log #8 5/5/2011

 The code began with a sound sensor block (in order for the robot to pick up our “go”) which was connected to port 2 when it hears a noise less than 50. The second block was a movement block, in ports B and C. It goes straight at 75% power for 1 rotation, and then brakes. The third block was a light sensor, connected to port 3 until it reaches brightness less than 50. The fourth block was also a movement block, and was in ports B and C, but its direction wasn’t forwards or backwards, it was stop. The fifth and //last// block was a sound block at 75% volume, that says, “Watch out!” once it stops at the end of the table, or the course is completed.