Elisa

3/24/2011, Entry #1 **//Signals, Electronics, Circuits, and Their Importance in Mars //** Analog signals are signals that vary smoothly in time. Digital signals change by jumping, or stepping. So, basically the difference is that analog signals run smoothly, whereas digital signals jump or step, therefore not being smooth. Semiconductors are useful in devices that need a switch. When you add an impurity to a semiconductor, you can change the way the semiconductor flows. If you have a n-type purity, there are going to be extra electrons added to the semi-conductors, therefore most likely being the ON button on a switch. When you have a p-type impurity, it takes the electrons away, therefore most likely being the OFF button. Diodes are a solid state component and they only allow current to flow in one direction. Therefore, it has polarity. For example, LED lights only light one way, therefore they are a diode. Diodes are also useful because they can convert alternate current to direct current. A transistor is also a solid state component that is used to amplify signals in an electric circuit. They are used to amplify signals or act as switches. I would guess that they would be used in amplifiers since they amplify signals. Integrated circuits contain interconnected solid-state components (diodes and transistors) and are made from a single chip of semiconductor material. They are used in electron devices and computers, which typically have a few million integrated circuits.

Electronic devices are extremely important when your goal is to travel to Mars and search for life. You definitely need electricity running so that your engine can keep running. If your engine stopped, you would then become a victim of space and be uncontrollable by yourself. All that would be controlling you would be the atmosphere around you. Also, you would need on and off switches for things such as lights in a spaceship. When it is dark, some of the rooms will need to be lighted so that the astronauts can read and record observations. Also, the oxygen tanks are very important, and if they are stored somewhere in case you run out, you need an on and off switch for where they are stored so that the oxygen does not leak out.

//Ms. Mc. Good general overivew of electronics and ideas about how we would use electricity on our mission. The prompt was how we would use electronic devices, however, so more specific examples of these (i.e., navigation systems, cameras, soil analyzers, etc.) would have strengthened your second paragraph. Good job overall though. 9/10 //

4/5/2011, Entry #2, History of Rockets

Rockets have been around for a long time, but even before rockets were made, there were many findings of how to make a rocket work. In 100 B.C. a Greek inventor found one of the key elements to a rocket. He put fire under a kettle of water and the water turned to gas which went up in tubes in a ball and moved the ball, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: Hero's, a Greek inventor, discovery.

This finding has benefited scientists in many ways. The earliest rocket to ever be made was the Chinese. They would take items and put them in bamboo tubes to make explosions for festivals. They then experimented with gunpowder in the tubes. They were in war at this time, so they would attach the bamboo tubes to their arrows so they would go far and get the enemies. Throughout the 13th and 15th centuries, there were many rocket experiments.

In the 20th century, an American named Robert Goddard had been experimenting with rockets. He had been experimenting with solid-propellant rockets and then decided to experiment with liquid-propellant rockets. After much hassle, Goddard was able to make the first liquid-propellant rocket fly. Even though it only lasted 2.5 seconds, reached 12.5 meters, and landed 56 meters away in a cabbage patch, it was still very impressive in those days. Goddard expanded his research and experiments. He later became known as the Father of Modern Rocketry because he invented a gyroscope system and a payload compartment. Because of all of this new knowledge, rocket societies started becoming the new thing. Different countries started using the rockets, V2's, against each other. The United States and Soviet Union then realized how these rockets could be used against your enemies in war.

In 1957, the Soviet Union launched a satellite that orbited around the Earth. This satellite was called Sputnik I. The United States' Explorer I was launched to orbit around the Earth in 1958. That October in 1958 the United States organized NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration.) There has been a lot of activity since then, including the astronauts landing on the moon, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1: Astronauts on the Moon. Space has gone from a mystical sky, to a whole new world filled with exploration.

// Ms. Mc: Excellent summary of the history of rocketry and great drawings! Good job with your captions and with referring to your drawings in your text too. 15/15 //

4/4/11, Entry #3, A Rocket Traveling to Mars media type="custom" key="8958050"

Instructions: 1. Download the Java 6 plug-in or press Run this time 2. Click on the red stop sign in the right hand corner to stop the program. 3. Turn your volume up. 4. Press the green flag in the right hand corner to run the program. 5. Enjoy!

4/13/2011, Entry #4, Rocket Parts and Definitions

Figure 1: Labeled Rocket Photo

The nose cone helps the airflow go around the rocket when flying. The body tube is used for structure. During the flight it acts as an air-frame. Inside the body tube is the recovery system, recovery wadding, and motor mount. The recovery system helps the rocket come back safely, so it can be used for future events. The recovery wadding protects the recovery system from getting too hot and ruined. The motor mount hold the motor of the rocket in place so that it does not shift during flight. The launch lug helps the rocket shoot straight up. The rocket motor is a safe device that is used for each flight. The fins help the rocket travel straight.

//Ms. Mc: Great lables and definitions! 20/2//0

4/19/2011, Entry #5, Rocket Flight Summary

 The purpose of the experiment was to find if the mass of a rocket affected its apogee. In the experiment, there were different stages that the rocket went through including; launch pad, lift-off, powered flight, coasting, and apogee. When the rocket was on the launch pad, the force of the launch pad and gravity were equal, so the rocket stayed in place. When the rocket went off the ground (lift-off,) the force of thrust, gravity, and air resistance was not equal .The force of the thrust was overcoming the air resistance and gravity, which is what causes it to fly in the air. The powered flight was also the same forces as lift-off. When it was coasting, the forces of gravity were equal and inertia was in act. Inertia is when an object in motion stays in motion. When the rocket reached the apogee, gravity, and inertia were balanced, so the rocket stopped moving for a quick moment. It was hypothesized that the mass of the rocket will affect the apogee (highest point of rocket) because mass multiplied by acceleration equals force. So if mass was two pounds and acceleration was 2, then the force would be four Newtons. If it was one pound the force would be two Newtons.

There was a scatter plot made in order to determine results. On average, the masses ranged from 42.8 grams to 48.7 grams. The apogee ranged from 71 meters to 135 meters. As seen in Graph 1, there is a direct relationship. In this pattern, it was seen that as the rocket mass was greater, the apogee was higher. There were a few points that were out of place, and these were called the outliers. The outliers are the few points in the graph that do not have any relationship with the other points in the graph. The hypothesis was proven wrong, because when the mass was 42.9 grams the apogee was 71 meters and when the mass was 43.6 grams the apogee was 74 meters; as seen in Graph 1. That showed the increase of mass affected the apogee but made the apogee higher instead of lower. There were a lot of independent variables in the experiment. A few of the rockets were tested on a day were it was very windy, and the other rockets were tested on a day when there was barely any wind. Also, the angle gun could have been measured wrong since there were different people using it, and not the same consistent person.



4/25/2011, Entry #6, Quarks and the Rotation of the Moon
 * Quarks are particles that make up protons and neutrons. For now, there are 6 different types of quarks in nature. There are down and up quarks. Down quarks equal -1/3 and up quarks equal 2/3. The different combinations can add up to various numbers, but you can only have three quarks in in one proton or neutron. There is a combination of the corks in Figure 1.**

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Figure 1: A Combination of Quarks that Form a Proton
 * The moon was created in a collision between the new Earth and another planet. The surface of the moon was created by a lot of bombardment. When the moon was created, it was created between the Earth and another planet. It cannot collide with the Earth, and that is why it moves around the earth. The rotation of the moon around the Earth can be seen in Figure 2.**

Figure 1: The Moon Rotating Around the Earth //Ms. Mc: Good answers and figures. I particularly like that you drew them! What are the other 4 types of quarks? (-1/2). What happened after the other planet collided with Earth that caused the moon to be formed and why does the moon stay in orbit aroun Earth? (-1). 8.5/10//

Entry #8, 5/5/2011, What the Different Blocks Do

Figure 1: Blocks that Make Up Program of Robot Block 1: Move block tells robot to move forward at 75% power for 2.8 seconds activating C and B servomotors.

Block 2: Move block tells robot to turn left by 200 degrees at 75% power activating C and B servomotors.

Block 3: Move block tells robot to move forward at 75% power for 1.5 seconds activating C and B servomotors.

Block 4: Move block tells robot to turn left by 200 degrees at 75% power activating C and B servomotors.

Block 5: Move block tells robot to move backward at 75% power for 1 second activating servomotors C and B.

Block 6: Move block tells robot to turn left by 680 degrees at 50% power using C and B servomotors.

Block 7: Sound block tells robot to play sound file “! Applause” at 75 volume.

Block 8: Display block tells robot to display image “Smile 01” at point x, 20, and point y, 5.

<span style="color: #7900ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Block 9: Wait block tells robot to wait for 1 second.

<span style="color: #7900ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Block 10: Display block tells robot to reset.

What These Block Movements Do This block movement helps the robot move forward, turn, move forward, reverse, spin in two circles, make a clapping noise, and display a smile.

How This Would be Used in Mars This could be used in Mars in many ways. In Mars you need to move, turn, and reverse. You need to move so you can explore the land. You need to turn in case if there is an object that would hurt the robot. You need to reverse in case if you bump against something, or if you are getting close to something possibly hazardous.