Sneha

Log Entry #1 - Electronics and Their Importance
==== Electronics have many parts with various purposes that make the electronics that we have. Electronics use analog and digital signals. Digital signals are signals that change in steps. Analog signals are signals that are continuous. Semiconductors are useful components in electronics. Semiconductors are elements that are not as good of a conductor as metals but a not as bad of a conductor as nonmetals. Some metalloids on the periodic table of elements are semiconductors. Semiconductors’ electrical conductivity can be controlled with impurities, unlike conductors and insulators. Adding impurities is called doping. Doping can either create an n-type semiconductor, which has extra electrons and can give electrons away, and a p-type semiconductor, which has fewer electrons than before and can take electrons. These are useful because they can be put together to form things that control the electric flow in a circuit, things that act as switches, and things that can amplify the change in voltage. Diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits are also used often in electronics. A diode is something that allows current to flow in only one direction using n-type semiconductors and p-type semiconductors. Diodes are used for converting alternating current to direct current. Transistors are things that are used for amplifying signals in a circuit. It can also be used as a switch. Transistors use semiconductors also. Instead of using larger transistors, most electronics use integrated circuits, which can be much smaller. Integrated circuits are things that have lots of tiny interconnected components. They are made from one semiconductor material. It can have millions of transistors, diodes, and other components. All of these things are of great importance in electronics ==== === Electronics can be extremely useful, especially if used in a space mission to Mars to search for life. For example, you cannot even get off the ground and get to Mars without electronics. You need a rocket to get there. Once you are there, you need various things to help you. If you are planning on going on Mars, you would need a very advanced space suit. If you are simply sending something there to look for you, you will need the thing to go onto Mars. You will also need a way to communicate. You will need a way to get samples of proof of life on Mars, too. All of this requires electronics. Electronics would be crucial to any trip to space, especially one to search for life on Mars. ===

Gretchen - You did a really good job! You did a better job with the first paragraph than me - nice transitions and explanations! :) The second paragraph is great, too. I didn't see anything wrong :)

//Ms. Mc: Great overview of electronic components and good ideas about how we might use electronic devices on our mission to search for life on Mars. The only improvement I would suggest would be to give more specific examples of electronic devices that we would use such as computers, rovers, satellites, lasers, etc. Very well written! 9.5/10//

[[image:sda_heroengine.jpg width="246" height="169" align="right" caption="Figure 1. A Diagram of an Aeolipile"]]
In the early years of rocketry, beginnings of today’s rockets were popping up all over the place. One of the first inventions that could lead to rocket flight was the aeolipile in 100 B.C. A Greek inventor, Hero of Alexandria, invented the aeolipile by using steam as a propulsive gas. In an aeolipile, steam caused a sphere to rotate. Newton's 3rd Law - equal and opposite force. We need thrust for our rockets, so this could be helpful. Nobody knows for sure when the first true rockets came, but there were many stories of rockets or rocket-like things in many different cultures. One example of an early rocket-like device was invented by the Chinese. They had a version of something like gunpowder, filled bamboo tubes with it, and threw them into a fire to make explosions during holidays. Some might not have exploded and jumped out of the fire instead, accidentally creating an early version of a rocket. Soon the Chinese started to try to find uses for these gunpowder-filled tubes. They tried attaching these tubes to arrows and shooting them with bows. Then they realized that the tubes could fire themselves because of the power from the gas produced from the gunpowder. This was probably the first true rocket. In 1232, the true rocket was put to use. The Chinese were fighting with the Mongols, so they used “arrows of flying fire”, or a gunpowder-filled solid-propellant rocket with a tube attached to a long stick. The burning gunpowder made fire, smoke, and gas, which escaped from one end and caused the rocket to move. The stick guided the rocket straight. The only purpose of the sticks was to guide the rocket. This was important because we need to have a guidance system for our modern rockets. Soon the Mongols started to make their own rockets. They could have been the ones to spread rockets to Europe. Soon there were experiments with rockets everywhere from France to England to Italy. These experiments kept going all through the 13th century to the 15th century. At this time, almost all rockets were used for war or fireworks. There were many forms of early rockets, but none were anything like the incredible rockets we have today. Rocketry has progressed greatly since then and modern rockets are much more advanced now. In 1898, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky had the idea of going into space with rockets. He also thought that they could use liquid propellants for rockets to get a greater range. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky said that a rocket’s speed and range is restricted by only the exhaust velocity of escaping gases. He wanted to increase the exhaust velocity of escaping gases. He thought that liquid propellants would do this. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky received the title, “Father of Modern Astronautics”, for his achievements. Robert Goddard was another brilliant man with ideas about rocketry. Robert Goddard actually performed experiments with rockets. His goal was to get to higher heights than heights for a balloon that was lighter than air. First, he experimented with different kinds of solid fuels. Then he believed that a liquid-propellant rocket would work better. This would be a lot harder because this had never been done before. He would need fuel and oxygen tanks, turbines, and combustion chambers. Robert Goddard persevered and soon achieved his goal. The first successful rocket with a liquid-propellant rocket flew on March 16, 1926 for two and a half seconds, rose 12.5 meters, and landed 56 meters from where it started. Robert Goddard’s experiments continued on for many years after. His rockets were bigger and flew higher than before. He developed new features in rockets that hadn’t been seen before. His achievements earned him the title, “Father of Modern Rocketry”. Soon small rocket societies formed such as the Verein fur Raumschiffahrt in Germany, or the Society for Space Travel. They developed the V-2 rocket, which was used as a weapon against London in World War II. It was small, but it had a great thrust because of the burning of a mixture of liquid oxygen and alcohol at a rate of one ton every seven seconds. The V-2 could cause damage to whole city blocks. German rocket scientists and engineers got to work on making advanced missiles that could cross the Atlantic Ocean and reach the United States. Some German scientists went to the United States, and others went to the Soviet Union. They were stunned by Goddard’s achievements because they had not achieved anything like that before. The United States and the Soviet Union began to experiment with using rockets as a weapon. Soon both medium-range and long-range missiles were produced. These were the beginnings of the United States’ space program. Missiles like the Redstone, Atlas, and Titan would be used to put future astronauts into space. On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched a satellite that orbited Earth, Sputnik I. Sputnik, which means satellite in Russian, was a satellite that was shaped like a sphere and had four radio antennae sticking out from it. The Soviet Union and the United States were both competing to get into space first, but the Soviet Union got into space first. A few weeks later, the Soviet Union put a dog named Laika into space to see if she would survive. Laika survived for seven days, but then she had to be put to sleep rather than die from lack of oxygen. A few months later, the United States launched a satellite called Explorer I on January 31, 1958. That October, they United States formed their space organization called the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA. Soon various devices and astronauts were being put into space. Astronauts were launched into space and onto the moon. Robots were being launched onto planets. Space could be explored, and a whole new world was found. These discoveries gave us the ability to learn more about our world, predict the weather, and communicate in different ways to people everywhere. More powerful and more advanced rockets were made over time. Space exploration and the invention of rockets have changed our lives drastically.

// Ms. Mc: Fantastic, detailed, summary of the history of rocketry! Great drawings too. Keep up the wonderful effort! 15/15 //

Log Entry #3 - Rocket Simulation
media type="custom" key="8963408"

__Instructions:__


 * 1) Turn your computer's volume up to hear the noises in the simulation.
 * 2) Click the green flag to start the simulation.
 * 3) Click the red button to stop the simulation.
 * 4) Enjoy!

Log Entry #4 - Rocket Parts
A model rocket, like a real rocket, contains various parts inside of it and outside of it. On this model rocket, there are eight main parts. First, there is the nose cone. The pointed nose cone guides the air around the rocket. It reduces air resistance. The strong body tube is the main part of the rocket. It provides structure to the rocket and holds internal parts. The recovery system, which is inside the rocket, is used for returning the rocket safely. The recovery wadding, which is also inside the rocket, is a protective measure taken to keep the recovery system from getting damaged from the hot gases that are produced. The launch lug is used for guiding the rocket so that it can fly straight when it goes off the launch pad. The fins are also used for guidance. They keep it going straight. Another internal part, the motor mount keeps the rocket motor from moving around. The rocket motor is a device that safely propels the rocket upwards. It can only be used once, so a new motor needs to be inserted every time. Every part of the rocket is needed, and they all dramatically affect the rocket's flight.

// Ms. Mc: Excellent labels and definitions! 20/20 //

Log Entry #5 - Rocket Launch Results
Several model rockets were launched, and the apogee of each was measured. The purpose of this experiment was to find a relationship between the height of the apogee and the mass of the rocket. As the model rocket lifted off, flew into the air, and came back down, many forces acted on it. First, when the rocket was sitting on the launch pad, the force of gravity and the force of the launch pad were acting on it. Both forces were equal, so there was no movement. Then, when the rocket lifted off, the thrust of the engine, gravity, and air resistance were acting on it. The force of the engine’s thrust was greater than the forces of gravity and air resistance combined. There was only a little bit of air resistance because the rocket just started to move a little bit. After that, there was powered flight. During powered flight, the thrust of the engine, air resistance, and gravity are again acting on the rocket. Again, the force of the thrust of the engine was greater than the forces of gravity and air resistance. Then powered flight ended, and the rocket began to coast. As it was coasting, gravity and air resistance were acting on it. These forces were pulling it down, but the rocket was still moving upward. This was because inertia was propelling the rocket upward. As the rocket reached the apogee, only the force of gravity was acting on it. The rocket stopped moving for a moment because gravity and inertia were balanced. Then it was pulled back down to the ground because of gravity. It was hypothesized that if the mass of the rocket was greater, then the rocket's apogee would be lower because the greater the mass of an object is, the greater the amount of force is needed to propel it. A greater mass of the rocket might have pulled the rocket down a little more than if the mass was smaller. It might have needed more thrust and force to overcome its inertia if its mass was greater. It would have needed more power for lift-off to get it off the ground. Since it took more fuel for lift-off, it would have had less fuel remaining for powered flight. Also, powered flight would have needed more thrust to keep it moving because the rocket would have had more mass. Based on these ideas, the hypothesis was formed. The results of the experiment are shown in Graph 1. The masses of the rockets 42.2 grams, 43.3 grams, 43.5 grams, 43.6 grams, 44.1 grams, 44.4 grams, and 44.5 grams. were The apogees were 53 meters, 55 meters, 65 meters, 70 meters, 71 meters, 75 meters, and 81 meters. The lowest mass was 42.2 grams, which flew 53 meters. The highest mass was 44.5 grams, which flew 81 meters. The greater the mass, the higher the apogee was. That means that there was a direct relationship between the apogee and the mass of the rockets. There was an outlier. It was 44.4 grams, but it flew 55 meters. This could have been due to a difference in structure, the weather, or the engine. The hypothesis was not confirmed. The hypothesis stated that the apogee would decrease as the mass increased. That would have been an inverse relationship. Instead, as the mass increased, the apogee increased as well. Error might have entered the experiment because of several reasons. First of all, the small range of masses could have affected the experiment. Since there was only a small difference between the masses, this could have brought error into the experiment. Another error could have been the measurements of the mass. Different scales could have measured differently, incorrectly measuring the rockets. Also, different people that measured the angle of the apogee with the angle gun could have affected the results. People might have made errors in measuring the angle. The wind could have had an effect on the experiment, too. Wind gusts could have blown a rocket, affecting its flight and its apogee. Lastly, the results might not have been accurate because this was a small sample size. There were only seven rockets. This could have affected the results. There are various variables that should be taken into account for this experiment, but the results mainly showed that the greater the mass was, the higher the apogee was.

Log Entry #6 - Background of Astronomy
What is a quark? What types of quarks are there? Quarks are what make up protons and neutrons, as seen in Figure 1. There are up quarks with a charge of +2/3 and down quarks with a charge of -1/3.

What is a galaxy? How did they form? A galaxy, like the one in Figure 2, is vast region in space made mainly of stars, gas, and dust. About 2 billion years after the Big Bang, gravity collapsed matter the galaxies formed. Galaxies form when gravity pulls masses together into one big area.

//Ms. Mc: Very good answers and great pictures! You were to answer what types of quarks there are as well for #1 (-1). Good work! 9/10//

Log Entry #8 - Robot Programming Explanation
The purpose of this challenge, Driving Course, was to practice programming our robots and learn about how rovers on Mars are programmed and how they work. The robot has to follow a specific driving course. The robot was supposed to go forward on the blue line, turn right when the blue line does, make a left point turn, reverses until it reaches the “end” point, turns around twice, makes a clapping sound, and displays a smiley face. The first block is a movement block that tells the robot to activate servomotors B and C, which then makes it move forward for 3.5 rotations at 75% speed and then brake. The robot moves forward for about 60 centimeters, following the blue line. The second block is also a movement block that tells the robot to activate servomotors B and C to make it turn right 180 degrees at 75% power and then brake. The robot turned right at a 90 degree angle. The third block is another movement block that tells the robot to use servomotors B and C to go forward for 2 rotations at 75% speed and then brake. This makes it go forward 30 centimeters. The next block is a movement block that activates servomotors B and C and tells the robot to make a left point turn 180 degrees at 75% power and then brake. Now it turns left in a 90 degree angle. The block after that again activates servomotors B and C and then tells it to reverse for 1 rotation at 75% power and then brake. The robot moves backwards 20 centimeters. After that, the next movement block tells the robot to activate servomotors B and C again, which makes it turn right 720 degrees at 75% power and then brake. This makes it turn around twice in its place. The next block is a sound block that tells the robot to play the sound file, “Applause” at 75% volume. The robot plays a clapping sound. The next block, a display block, tells the robot to display the image file called “Smile 01” at the position where x is 24 and y is 4. A smiley face shows up on the screen. The next block is a wait block that tells the robot to wait for 3 seconds. This lets the smiley face show up for three seconds. The last block, another display block, just tells the robot to reset the display. This makes the display reset and go back to normal.