Alex


 * 3-23-11: Electricity and Signals LOG ENTRY #1 **

Analog signal is not the same thing as a digital signal. They’re different because an analog signal is something that varies smoothly throughout time. A digital signal is something that would jump through throughout time, from one thing immediately to the next. Semiconductors are useful in electronic devices because their electric power can be increased by adding impurities, like gallium or arsenic. Diodes can be used by converting alternating current to the direct current. Transistors are used by amplifying signals in an electric current, and integrated circuits are used by going into smaller places that bigger ones couldn’t go.

I think that we can use electricity on our Mission to Mars in multiple ways. We would first need it to power up the rocket ship, and once we get there, to be able to send signals from Mars to Earth. We would also need it to tell the temperature of the area, to tell if it’s extremely hot or cold. We would also need it to power up the rovers that would roam Mars.

Sophia- You did a really great job Alex! I think your wording was very clear, but descriptive. I would work on length and having more of an entrance to the answers to the questions so that people know what you talking about. Overall you did a really great job and I love the colors you used!

Kate: I like the two different colors, they are nice. I think that there are a few more ways that we can use technology on mars. But great writing!

//Ms. Mc: Pretty good overview of electronics, however, a few more definitions of the electronic components would be good. For example, integrated circuits are super-miniaturized electronic circuits that include thousands of electronic components so that electronic devices can be made much smaller which would be important on our mission as spance on the space craft would be a premium. You have some good ideas for how we could use electronic devices on our mission but need a few more specific examples (i.e., cameras, computers, soil analyzers, solar panels, etc.) Please include the entry # in your title. 8/10.//

LOG ENTRY #2 4-4-11: Rockets Through History
Rockets throughout history have varied in many ways. Stories have said that the Chinese were the first to make and use rockets, by creating fire arrows made from saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal dust ** (Picture 1) **. The Chinese experimented with rockets by starting to make more of the gunpowder filled tubes, and used them in war against the Mongols. The Mongols started making their own rockets after the war, and possibly spread the rockets all across Asia to Europe. During that time though, almost all of the rockets that were made were used for fireworks, or warfare.A person called Konstantin Tsiolkovsky contributed to modern rocketry in a big way. He suggested that people could explore space by using a rocket, transporting people as well. For his great ideas for rocketry, Tsiolkovsky has been named Father of Modern Astronautics.

 A man named Robert H. Goddard was the first person to create a liquid-propellant that could actually take flight. The flight of the rocket took place on March 16, 1926, and stayed in the air for 2.5 seconds, but went 56 meters away and into a nearby cabbage patch. For Goddard's great achievements, he has been named Father of Modern Rocketry. In Germany during the early 20th century, the Verein fur Raumshiffahrt (Society for Space and Travel) made the V-2 rocket, which was originally used in World War II. Rockets have changed so much throughout history. They have gone from the Hero Engine **(Picture 2)** that runs on steam, to flaming arrows, all the way to the first orbiting satellite, Sputnik I.





//Ms. Mc. Good overview of rocketry and drawings. When discussing history, it's important to include specific dates. You left out the advancements that NASA has made to modern rocketry which are pretty major. Great job referencing your diagrams in your text. Please use "Figure #" in your captions instead of picture. 13.5/15//

4/4/11 Rocket to Mars LOG ENTRY #3 media type="custom" key="8957888"

Instructions:
 * 1) Click on the red sign to get the video back to the beginning.
 * 2) Click on the green flag to begin the video.
 * 3) Turn the sound up to about 25 to hear sound.

=4-13-11: Model Rocket Parts LOG ENTRY #4 = The launch lug is the first thing that ignites the rocket. It would be through a wire on the launch pad, and would be the part of the rocket that guides the rocket up into the air. Then the rocket motor would be ignited and would have a reaction to the motor mount inside the rocket. The recovery wadding is inside the body tube to protect the recovery system inside the rocket from burning from the gunpowder when ignited. The nose cone is on the rocket so that it can split the air around the rocket, and the body tube is the main structure that holds all of the parts inside or outside of it. The fins at the bottom of the rocket are there to keep the rocket flying straight up after it is ignited. When the rocket reaches its apogee, the recovery system would pop out which is essentially a parachute. The parachute lets the rocket safely glide down for a smooth landing.

// Ms. Mc: The launch lug doesn't ignite the rocket the igniter does (the little bit of gunpowder on the 2 metal wires that we put into the bottom of the rocket and connected to the electric starter) -1/2. The motor mount holds the motor in place (-1). The motor contains gunpowder which when ignited propels the rocket up into the air (-1). Please be sure to include a caption for all figures/graphs/tables (-1). 16.5/20 //

4-16-11: Rocket Flight LOG ENTRY #5

In a seventh grade science class, an experiment was performed. The experiment was performed to stimulate rocket flight and to see how all of the parts had worked together simultaneously. It was hypothesized that if the rocket was heavier, then its apogee would be lower because it would get pulled down by gravity easier. Different forces acting on the rocket could prove the hypothesis to be true. When lift-off happened, the force of gravity was already acting on it, but it was counter-acted from the launch pad. Also, when the rocket was launched, the force of thrust was defied gravity and headed for the clouds. When the rocket was in powered flight, its engines were still powered by the gunpowder inside it. It would have affected the apogee because the higher the powered flight continued, the higher its apogee would’ve been.
 * 1: Rocket Masses with the Apogee of Flight**
 * The results of the experiment were not what were expected. The mass of the rocket had affected the apogee by if it was heavier its apogee would’ve been higher, as seen in **Graph #1. There were various numbers in the rocket’s masses all in grams. There were 42.5, 43.2, 44.0, 44.5, 44.6, 44.8, and 44.5. Depending on how much paint that was put on the rocket made their weights vary. The apogees were measured in meters, and there were various numbers for this as well. There were 62, 68, 82, 84, 85, 90, and 93. It was found out that the hypothesis that was made was not true.

The graph showed a direct relationship. A direct relationship is when the independent variable goes up, then the dependent variable went up. The direct relationship is shown on the graph by the line that is going up. The rocket who's mass was the lowest, 42.5 grams, had flown the lowest with a height of 61 meters. On the other hand, the rocket that had the heaviest mass, 44.5 grams, had flown the highest with a height of 93 meters.The hypothesis was proven not to be true, with some examples. First, it was thought to be that if the mass was less, the apogee would have been higher. But in the experiment, it was shown that if the mass was lighter, that the apogee would be lower. The graph shows that the rocket with the lowest mass had the smallest apogee. That is also the direct relationship. While the experiment was performed, there were some errors that could’ve had effect on the rocket’s flight. There was wind that could’ve slowed down the rocket, and the temperature of the weather could’ve had different changes on the rocket. Also, there were the angle measurers. During the duration of the experiment, different angle measurers were exchanged. If one was better than the other, they could’ve gotten different angle measurements. The fin placement on the rocket could’ve also had some effect when the rocket took flight. Overall, if the rocket was heavier, it would’ve had a higher apogee.

**LOG ENTRY #6 4-21-11: Space and Quarks**

In space, there is something called a quark. A quark is what the result is of breaking down a proton or a neutron. A quark that is in a proton is made up of two up quarks and one down quark, while a neutron is made up of two down quarks and one up quark, as seen in **Figure 1.** There are thought to be six different types of quarks in nature, but a proton and neutron is only made up of the two quarks up and down.

A galaxy is a big group of stars that are held together by the force of gravity, and can be a spiral, irregular, or elliptical, as seen in **Figure 2**. The first galaxy was formed after the Big Bang, during which the force of gravity collapsed matter into a galaxy.

//Ms. Mc: Good but a little more detail would have strengthened your response. What are the other 4 types of quarks? (-1/2). Figure 1's caption isn't quite right; it's a diagram showing the quarks in protons and neutrons (-1/2). When was the Big Bang and when did galaxies form? (-1/2). 8.5/10//

 HISTORY OF ROBOTICS: LOG ENTRY #7 6-4-11  Robots have been around for a long time. Robots have been recorded in history all the way back to the time when the Greek God Hephaestuas with his robot servents. Different things called water clocks have also been called a form of robotics, as seen in Figure One. Some say the first sign of robotics was when a greek mathematician Archytas of Tarentum created something called a water bird.   Now in the modern world, robotics have been used in various forms. Some forms of robotics are actually used in space! Others include a new way for surgery; there is a robot that does all the work for you, while the actual surgeon could be in another room, controlling the robot. Different every-day items like vaccums have even been transformed by robots. Robots have come more and more advanced each year, so we can only imagine what robots will be like in the year 2100!

LOG ENTRY #8: On the Edge 5-6-11

The challenge called “Over the Edge” was made to see if the robot could go forward and stop right before it fell off the edge of the table. We had to use the light and sound sensors to make it work before it fell off. It relates to real-life rovers because if it was driving on Mars and came to a crater, it would have to stop before it fell in. Block 1: A wait block that detects sound using a sound sensor that is connected to port 2. Block one will activate the next block when it detects a sound that is greater than 75. Robot waits until it hears the word “Go!” then it would activate the next block.

Block 2: A motion block that is connected to ports C and B servomotors that will move forward at an unlimited distance at 75% of power. Robot moves forward forever slowly until it detects light.

Block 3: A wait block that detects light using a light sensor that is connected to port 3 that will activate the next block when it detects a light greater than 32%. Robot waits until it reaches the end of the table where there was a blue strip of tape. It then stops moving since the blue tape had a different percentage of the table.

Block 4: A motion block that is connected to ports C and B servomotors that will stop when activated. Robot stops once it detects the light from the tape on the edge of the table.

Block 5: A sound block that plays the sound “Watch Out” at a sound of 100% from a sound file. Robot emits the sound “Watch Out”, after it stops, at full volume.