Michael+A

=The Search for Life on Mars= By //Michael A//

//From the Big Bang to Galaxies//
From the **big bang** to galaxies many billions of years passed and defiantly was **not** created in an instant. The Universe started smaller than an atomic nuclei and was far too hot to form anything. Once the Universe did start to cool down, protons and neutrons and electrons started to bond to each other to make Hydrogen and Helium atoms. Then this gas started to take shape into galaxies and cooled down. Gravity causes clumps to grow into galaxies and the different sizes create different kinds of galaxies. The giants balls of gas then become to look like a halo and spiral arms create and spin around a central point. **Viola!** Your galaxy is created!

//The Milky Way Galaxy//
The structure of our **Milky Way Galaxy** is an educated guess and no one knows exactly what it is because we haven't gotten out of our galaxy yet. The outer layer of the Milky Way is a flat disk of stars. A thin layer of gas and dust comes next and at the center is a large bulge. The Sun happens to lie in the disk section of our galaxy. Outside of our galaxy are many stars clustered in a halo around the Milky Way. In the center of our galaxy, there is believed to be a huge black hole with gas surrounding it. Each star has it's own orbit around the center of the galaxy and the spirals of mainly dust and matter are not permanent.

History of the Solar System

 * Gravity** is the main helper that makes all planets and forms out in space. Planets are formed when gravity pulls together a lot of gas and dust. Four giant bodies were created in the outer layer of the solar system and their gravity caught other masses to orbit around the newly made planets. These bodies consisted of Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn . They have many moons because of their strong gravitational pull and so they caught other smaller bodies around them. Their rings are also formed out of dust. Constant bombardment and radioactive heat made the molten planets hot, and the metal sank to the middle of the planet while lighter rock floated to the top. Next, the planet cooled off to have a hard surface. Comets are created when icy planetesimals come close to the sun and heat up.

=Rocket Evolution= By //Michael A//

From the **Hero Engine** to modern day rockets and satellites, rockets have grown from **thousands** of years of research. The first breakthrough in rocket history was when Hero of Alexandria created a simple steam engine. The engine demonstrated thrust by using steam to rotate a sphere. The design contains a water kettle with a fire below it. This boils the water and creates steam. Then, there are two tubes that connect into a sphere with two "L" shaped tubes across from each other that face opposite directions. Once the waters becomes steam, it goes into the sphere and shoots out both ends of the L tubes. This creates a spinning sphere by the power of steam and provided basic thrust fundamentals. Some of the earliest forms of rockets came from the Chinese around the one-hundredth century A.D. The Chinese had gunpowder made from saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal dust. The concoction was stuffed into a bamboo tube and were used for celebrations. They were tossed into fires and **exploded** but a hypothesis is that some may have shot out of the fire because of the burning mixtures inside of the tube. The people of China knew they were on to something and started strapping these bamboo explosives onto arrows and shot them with bows. Soon enough the Chinese figured out that these primitive rockets could launch themselves. The first known time in history that rockets were used was when China was at war with the Mongols in 1232. The Chinese shot their fiery rockets to the Mongols and were a good type of **psychological weapon.** The rocket had now been introduced to the world and spread like a wildfire through society. Scientists in the 13th century were experimenting with gunpowder, barrels, and types of rockets. This ideas lead to **bazookas**, **torpedoes**, and other **rocket propelled weapons**. Rockets were also used for fireworks and at festivals. All of these ideas led to modern day rockets. In 1898, a Russian schoolteacher by the name of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky proposed that rockets could be used for space exploration. He earned the nickname of "the father of modern astronautics" and told that a rocket's power could only be limited by the exhaust velocity in the rocket. Another father of rockets was Robert Goddard, an American during the 20th century. Goddard figured that rockets flew better with liquid fuel and created the first working liquid-propelled rocket in history on March 16, 1926. It only flew 2.5 seconds but was one of the best flights in history. Goddard's experiments in the field of rocketry let him figure out a gyroscope system, payload areas, scientific instruments, and parachutes to return the rocket to ground safely. His rockets grew bigger and better and his amazing discoveries earned him the name of "the father of modern rocketry". The whole Earth could now see the potential of this discovery and rocket groups were created to be dedicated to the rockets. Germany built rockets and used them on London and were devastating in World War 2. Since then, countries like the United States and the Soviet Union saw how well these rockets could function as **weapons, experiments**, and **data-receivers**. The U.S. space program started to morph when they created long and medium range missiles. Little did we know that advanced rockets would eventually send astronauts into space. Research exploded and in October 1957, the Soviet Union revealed they had a satellite orbiting the Earth. Also, the Soviets sent a dog into space a month later into space and figured out it was inhabitable. The United States countered the Soviet Union and launched Explorer 1 in January 1958. Later in 1958, the U.S. created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration which is also known as **NASA** **. NASA** is devoted to the exploration of space for the whole world. Soon enough, machines and humans were being shot into space to explore and provide information back to Earth. Weather can be forecasted and devices can communicate all across the globe due to satellites and other machines. Rockets get better and better everyday to keep up with the new technology. Since the first idea of thrust in the B.C. era, to modern day rockets that can travel far into our solar system, rockets have truly **evolved**.

Rocket Stages media type="custom" key="13889748"

=The Exploration of Mars=

The last 40 years there have been an abundant amount of space missions with the same goal, to explore Mars. Some of these missions launched from NASA are the Spirit, Opportunity, and Odyssey robots. The exploration of Mars is a tricky task, and only a 47% success rate proves how difficult it is. Scientists have been exploring Mars for hundreds of years. Originally, Mars was just looked at by the naked eye and very little assumptions could be made. The invention of the telescope and then the rocket greatly helped the whole world to learn more about this mysterious, martian planet.

One of NASA's first great Mars successes was the Mars Odyssey. This orbiter was launched in March 2001 and circled around Mars. The Odyssey's mission was to search for evidence of volcanic activity in the massive volcanoes of Mars, and for water. This spacecraft also sends the data from the rovers and landers to Earth and acts as a relay. The Odyssey's main purpose was to check for life on Mars. This mission was a huge success and has won an award for the longest lasting spacecraft at Mars, and has gone on to do extra missions.  Another set of spacecraft sent to Mars were the Spirit and Opportunity rovers. Their job was to study the surface and geology of Mars. These two robots were launched in June and July of 2003. Both of these robots were successful, landed correctly, and exceeded the predicted amount of time that it would transmit data. While on Mars, Spirit got stuck in soil and stopped sending data a couple days later. Opportunity on the other hand is still functioning well and gives reports about the terrain. These amazing rovers have also each earned themselves an asteroid in their name for their outstanding performance.

To this day we still send spacecraft to Mars and in late 2012, Curiosity should be landing on the martian planet. Thanks to the amazing scientists and engineers at NASA for their studies and work on Mars!

=My Rocket=

**Definitions**
**Nose Cone-** Guides airflow around the rocket **Body Tube-** Main structural part, or airframe **Recovery System-** Device for the rocket back safely and intact for repeat use **Recovery Wadding-** Protects recovery system from hot ejection charge gases **Launch Lug-** Guides rocket straight of launch pad **Rocket Motor-** A safe, non-reusable device. A new motor is need for each flight **Rocket Mount-** Holds rocket motor in place **Fins-** Keeps rocket traveling straight

= Rockets and Their Masses =

My rocket did not launch the first two times and the did not catch fire. Once the rocket did launch, a whole bunch of smoke shot out of the back and in a second the rockets was very high up. My rocket flew up and curved a little bit because of the wind. Once it reached the apogee, the chute popped out and it safely floated to the ground. My rocket wasn't even damaged. Another plus is that the rocket came right back down to us and wasn't a dart that killed someone! The relationship is parabolic because the graph forms an arc. I think that the rocket that flew almost 80 meters is an outlier. I think that there is a perfect mass around 45 grams and those two rockets flew the highest. My rocket was 46.1 grams and so that is why my rocket was one of the highest.

We started by creating our rockets, and everybody made their rocket the same. After we built it, we painted it and then everybody's rocket weighed different. Once we had completed our rocket, we launched it. On launch day we would stand 100 meters away from the launch pad and used angle guns to measure the angles. After we had the angles, we used trigonometry to figure out what the highest altitude was in meters. Then we compiled our data to the chart above. The purpose of our rocket experiments was to see how mass affects the maximum altitude of the rocket. My original hypothesis was that there was a perfect mass for reaching the highest altitude and it was not too heavy but not too light. Turns out, a mass of around 45 grams is the best. Since my rocket was 46 grams it turned out to fly close to the highest altitude. From seeing other people´s rockets, I also have figured out that fins really matter to control the flight path of the rocket. One group fired with one fin and lets just say it didn´t go very high. For our modification project I believe that adding more fins will really help stabilize the rocket. If you use too many though it will be too heavy.

= The Rocket Fin Experiment =

This is my hypothesis- I think my rocket will go the highest because it is light and the fins are big enough so that it won't spin out of control. I think Jilly and Jackie's rocket will go the lowest because it is so heavy and the fins are randomly everywhere. Are fins are supersonic with a secret we did so that they are less air resistant but still big enough to not spin out of control like Bryce and Liam's rocket.

The purpose of this experiment to see how your fins affect the flight of the rocket. This would also teach us about placement of fins, how many fins to add or take off, and how heavy the rocket should be. Our control is an unchanged rocket with three fins. The fins are the independent variables because that is what is being changed. The dependent variable is how high the rocket flew.

My rocket flew the highest and was very fast. It went straight up and almost landed right on us. The fin design defiantly worked. Last launch, the rocket did not fly straight away and burnt out or something. This time, it shot right off and flew like never before. It did not even waver, it just went straight up and came back down. I think that the number of fins and placement really mattered in this experiment. I could argue that there is either no relationship or an inverse relationship. The least amount of fins is better as long as the fins are big enough. Liam's rocket had tiny fins and so it flipped out of control and died. The rocket with tons of fins was too heavy and didn't fly very high. The littlest amount of fins is the best according to the graph. The reason you could argue that it has no relationship is because everyone had different masses and that affected the flight also. There is defiantly an inverse relationship in this mass and maximum altitude graph. The lightest rocket as long as it had big enough fins flew the highest. The heaviest rockets flew the lowest and the lightest rockets flew much higher.

My hypothesis is defiantly confirmed. I believed that the rocket that weighed around 45 grams would go the highest and the rocket with the least amount of fins that is needed would also fly high. With less fins there is less air resistance but you still need enough fins for stability. As for mass, any lighter than 45 grams is probably pushing it and won't go as high. My rocket flew the highest because my partner and I perfectly balanced the mass with stability and the least amount of air resistance possible.

= Robot History = Robots are spreading fast throughout the world and some are being used as helpers, while others play ping pong and soccer. The idea of robotics first appeared in the B.C. era and were very simple. Most of these ancient machines were powered from steam, like the Hero Engine. Leonardo da Vinci came along in 1495 and sketched a humanoid robot that could move it's jaw, head, and arms. Robotics had truly been born.

Modern day robots have many tasks and there is an endless supply of ideas to be developed into robots. Some types are the mobile robot, Industrial robot, service robot, and modular robot. The mobile robot is a robot that can freely move in an area. Some mobile robots are surgery bots, to operate on patients. Industrial robots are usually found in factories and on assembly lines to build things over and over again. A service robot is a robot you can buy to help you around the house and complete tasks you may not be able to. Last but not least, the modular robot is a morphing robot that does not have one shape. This amazing form of machine can recover from injuries and change depending on the environment. Robots are not just for helping people and finishing jobs, but also for recreational and hobby use. The Honda ASIMO is a humanoid robot that walks on two legs, while other robots can even be made from LEGOs and run on treads or wheels. The possibilities of robots are endless and are used everywhere. These fantastic mechanisms even are used for the tough job of space exploration…

=Lego Mindstorm's Motors=

The Lego Mindstorms robot uses motors in order to move and complete jobs. These motors can turn and maneuver in many different ways. The robot can go forward, backward,can complete a point turn, and can successfully complete a curve turn. The only problems with motor s is that they can´t think or receive or send data. If there is a faulty program, the robot can´t correct itself and it will follow the program even if it makes the robot run off a cliff. Sensors, on the other hand, depending on their task can say the robot from running into things. Sensors do not let the robot move but the motors do. I believe a mix of motors and sensors to guide it make the perfect pair. media type="file" key="jmm_robotsquare.AVI" width="300" height="300"

=Identifying Minerals and Rocks and how Curiosity Identifies=

Minerals can be identified in many different ways. Such tasks are using magnets to detect if they are magnetic, hardness, scratching on a tile, luster, shape, color, transparency, using an acid test, and even tasting the mineral or rock! Only some rocks are okay to taste though, such as halite which is salt. An acid taste is when you take an acid such as hydrochloric acid and put some on the rock or mineral to see if it is a carbonate compound. There are many different ways to identify rocks and minerals!

Curiosity is a very cool and advanced robot capable of identifying rocks and minerals on Mars. NASA created this rover to go to a rock or mineral and drill into it. To not take up any room in the robot for storage, the dust is taken into Curiosity for inspection. Inside the robot, the dust splits into two sections with different instruments. One room researches the mineralogy and the other looks for organic molecules that could prove if there was life on Mars. Another way Curiosity can identify minerals and rocks is by shooting a laser to figure out the chemical composition. A laser is a great choice for this task because it is long-ranged and can reach places the robot can't drill into. Curiosity is a very well thought out robot that surely must work.

=Life on other Planets and the Characteristics of Living Things= You have to have eight properties in order to be a living thing. First, you need to be made of cells which are the building blocks of all living things. Next, if your alive, you need materials to survive such as food and drink, materials, and gases such as oxygen. Another necessary thing is that you have to be homeostatic which means you try to stay the same on the inside even with environment changes. An example of this is your temperature, it tries to stay the same even when it is hot or cold outside. Fourth, you must react to stimuli. Stimulus is something that causes living things to react and the living organism can either come towards the stimulus, or go away from it. All living things must be able to reproduce. Alive things also must grow and get bigger. Another concept a living thing must posses is that it must be adapted. These are modifications that make an organism used to wear it lives. Last but not least, all living things must respire. Respiration is getting rid of the energy in the chemical bonds of food. Those eight characteristics categorize if something is living, or something else… There are a couple ways to figure out if other planets and Mars have, or once had, life on them. You can use electron microscope imagery to look for many things. With the imagery you can detect bacteria, hydrocarbons, mineral assemblages not from a reverse chemical equation, and magnetic particles created from bacteria. The Viking spacecraft contained many experiments to detect things such as organic molecules and metabolism. Also, the robot Curiosity I discussed in Wiki Entry 9 is capable of using the dust that it drilled from a rock or mineral and figuring out if life once existed on Mars. Mars used to have conditions like Earth, so the possibility of life on Mars is definitely possible.