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= Electronics and Their Importance in a Space Mission =

In the electronics reading, two types of signals, analog and digital, were introduced. An analog signal is a signal that varies smoothly in time. The hands on a clock move smoothly from number to number, like an analog signal. A digital signal does not vary smoothly, but changes in jumps or steps. The numbers on a digital clock change from number to number suddenly, like a digital signal. Semiconductors are useful in electric devices because they can be used to make integrated circuits. Integrated circuits is a circuit used in electric devices such as televisions and radios. The semiconductors help electric devices through the work of integrated circuits in the device. A diode is a solid-state component that allows current to flow only in one direction. Diodes are wired into electric devices to help control the flow of electric current through the wires. A transistor is a solid-state component that is used to amplify signals in an electric circuit. They can also act as switches. Integrated circuits contain large numbers of integrated solid state components and is made from a single chip of a semiconductor. They can contain millions of diodes and transistors. Integrated circuits are used in computers and other electric devices.

Electronics would be vital on a space mission to Mars. First of all, you have to know where you are going. A navigation system would be needed, and it would be made of electrical components. If you want to reach Mars, first you have to get off the ground. Rockets and space shuttles are giant, complex electrical structures. In some missions, robots are sent out to space in place of human astronauts. Robots would also need to be created using electrical components. Inside the rocket or space shuttle, there are hundreds of controls. The controls are wired through the rocket using electrical circuits. Once you get to Mars, robots or other technology can be used to rove the planet and collect data and samples. Back in the rocket, computers, analyzers, and other machines would be needed to analyze the data and samples collected.

=History of Rockets=

It has taken almost 2,000 years for the rocket to evolve into what it is today. It is even logical to believe that the first rocket could have been created accidentally, and when they first appeared is unknown. Around 100 BC, inventor Hero the Greek used steam as a propulsive gas. He created the aeolipile, one of the first devices to successfully employ principles essential to rocket flight. Hero mounted a hollow sphere on pipes on top of a water kettle. Below the kettle, he lit a fire to turn the water into steam. The steam traveled through the pipes up to the sphere, and inside of it. L-shaped tubes on opposite sides of the sphere allowed gas to escape, giving the sphere the thrust it needed to rotate. Around the same time, the Chinese filled tubes with gunpowder made of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal dust, and threw them into fires for religious purposes. The Chinese soon began experimenting with the tubes, attaching them to arrows and letting them fly. They soon figured out that the power produced from the escaping gas alone was enough to launch the tubes.



Rockets were first recorded to have been used in 1232, during a war between the Chinese and the Mongols. The Chinese fired "arrows of flying fire" at the Mongols. The weapons were tubes containing gunpowder and capped at one end. The other end of the tube was attached to a stick. The powder was then ignited, and it caught fire. The fire produced smoke and gas that provided the rocket with the thrust it needed to move. The stick acted as a simple guidance system, used to determine the direction of the rocket. After the war, the Mongols created their own rockets, and in doing so may have been responsible for the spread of rockets to Europe. In England, Roger Bacon improved forms of gunpowder that greatly increased the range of rockets. In France, Jean Froissart launched rockets through tubes, creating more accurate flights. In Italy, Joanes de Fontana designed a surface running rocket that could set ships on fire. All of these inventions led to war advances.

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, a schoolteacher from Russia was the first to propose the idea of using rockets for space exploration. He also suggested the use of liquid propellants, to achieve greater range. For his ideas and research, he has been called the "Father of Modern Astronautics." In America, Robert H. Goddard was interested in achieving higher altitudes than weightless balloons. After experimenting with many different kinds of solid fuels, he believed that rockets could be propelled better by liquid fuel. He was the first person in history to achieve the first successful flight with a liquid propellant rocket on March 16, 1926. His flight lasted 2.5 seconds. For his ideas, research, and inventions, he has been given the name the "Father of Modern Rocketry."

During World War II, many rockets, such as the V-2, were used as weapons.The V-2 had such great thrust that it could devastate whole city blocks. Rockets have also been used for space exploration. On October 4, 1957, an artificial satellite was launched by the Soviet Union. The satellite was the first successful flight in the Space Race between countries. On January 31, 1958, the U.S army launched a satellite called Explorer I. In October 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was organized. Because of rockets, humans can safely explore the unknown world of outer space.

=Rocket Stages Animation=

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=Rocket Parts Diagram=



=Rocket Preparation and Launch=

The purpose of this experiment was to see if the mass of a rocket affected how high it went. Two weeks before launch day, we assembled our rockets. Inside the rockets, we made a recovery system and an engine mount. Before putting the parachute in the rocket, we sprinkled baby powder on it so the plastic wouldn’t stick together. We also put recovery wadding under the recovery system, so that the parachute wouldn’t burn during the launch. A week before launching our rockets, we painted them. Because they were all painted differently, all of the rockets had different masses. On launch day, a launch pad was set in a corner of the middle school field. One student took a trundle wheel, an instrument used to quickly measure distance in meters, to find a spot 100 meters away from the launch pad.

To set up the rocket for launch, we slid the launch lug down the launch pole. This was to ensure that the rocket flew straight up, instead of flying uncontrollably near the ground. An explosive engine was out into each rocket. Inside the engine was a solid propellant that would lift the rocket off the launch pad. An igniter, two small wires dipped in oil, was put under the engine. This would burn once ignited and lift the rocket off the pad. An electric ignition was connected to the igniter by two alligator clips, one on each wire. To test the ignition, the key was put in and pressed down. If the light worked, the ignition was ready. If the light didn’t work, it wasn't. For my group, the light worked.

Before launching the rocket, Mr. Himburg got the attention of the two students 100 meters away. They were to measure the angle of the rocket using angle guns, which would eventually help us find the altitude. To measure the angle, the trigger is held down as the gun points at the elevating rocket, and is released at apogee. The class did a short countdown, and at 1, the student launching the rocket pressed down the key and the launch button on the electric ignition. This short circuited the wire, and caused it to heat up and burn. The wire lit the igniter, and the igniter set off the engine. The rocket would shoot straight off the launch pad and far above the school. Once the rocket reached apogee, it would fall slightly and ejection would occur. The parachute came out of our rocket and the rocket started to fall. Our rocket landed in the baseball field, perfectly straight.

To find how high the rockets flew, we used tangent. The equation was altitude = 100 x the tangent of the angle. Our rocket flew the lowest of all of the class rockets. It had an angle of 37 degrees, and flew 75 meters high. The recovery system came out at the right time, and functioned correctly. We found that there wasn’t enough recovery wadding in the rocket, and the parachute was slightly fused together. If we launch again, more recovery wadding should be added in the body tube. In the end, we found that the mass of the rocket doesn’t affect its flight.



= The Importance of Astronomy in the Search for Life on Mars =

Astronomy is very important in the search for life on Mars. One reason astronomy will be important is that we need to know what is in the solar system before we start sending things out there. If we are going to send something out into space, one thing that would be helpful to know is where the planets and asteroids are located, so that we can avoid things that could possibly damage our rocket. If you know where everything is, your mission will go quickly and smoothly. You will also be able to orient your rocket in space. Also, by studying how things in the universe formed, we will have more knowledge about Mars. By understanding Mars, we will know what to search for on the planet, and what to avoid. Just by studying astronomy, we will be able to keep our rocket safe and know exactly where to send our robot to get the best information.

To learn more about the origins of the universe, click on the link below. More about Astronomy

=History of Robotics=

People have dreamed of creating robots for hundreds of years. It is not known exactly when the first robot was built, but it is known that is was between 500 and 1500. During this period of time, small mechanical machines were invented for pleasure. Mechanical mannequins danced on clocks at the top of the hour, automatic musicians played for royalty, and waving knights were the most successful inventions. Between 1500 and 1800, the first automatons were created. An automaton is an independently working piece of machinery. Automatons were capable of acting, drawing, flying, and playing music.



In the 1790s, robots were created to increase production of goods, making it so that goods could be produced faster. In the 1800s, more machines and robots were invented to speed up production. In the mid to late 1900s, robots began to gain more popularity. In the 1960s, robots were invented that were able to recognize and understand their own actions, which would make it easier to program them. Robots continued to advance, and by the end of the century, robots could pick things up, recognize environments, distinguish sound, and create gasses. Today, robots are used in almost every profession. A few of the most common tasks robots perform are explore outer space, perform surgery, and run computers. Robotics are now a part of everyday life, by making many difficult tasks easier.

= = = = = = = = = = = = =Programming Robots=

Robots can be moved using a few different programs, but the simplest and most commonly used is to move a robot using motors. By programming a robot to move using motors, the robot can perform many different commands and tasks. The simplest thing that the robot can be programmed to is go straight forward, or backward. The robots can also turn. To do this, the degree measure of the turn is entered into the program. As you get more familiar with the programming software, you can program your robot to navigate through miniature driving courses. Without the motors controlling the wheels, the robot wouldn’t be able to move independently.



There are four different sensors that can be attached to the robot to further enhance its performance. The sensors detect different things, such as light, sound, and touch. The sensors are attached to the robot, and can send messages back to the mini computer on the robot. One of the sensors is the touch sensor. When the button on the sensor is pressed down, it sends the information back to the robot computer. Another sensor is the sound sensor. The sensor detects different levels of sound, and can react differently to different volumes. A third sensor is the light sensor. The light sensor identifies the brightness of certain colors, then uses the information to change the way it is running. It may slow down, change direction, or stop. Another thing that the light sensor can do is allow the robot to follow a dark line. The last sensor is the ultrasonic sensor. This sensor detects how far away an object is. When it comes close to an object, it may turn or stop.



=The Characteristics of Life and Finding it on Other Planets=

Many things in our world are alive. To be classified as a living thing, something has to have the eight characteristics that declare something to be alive.The first characteristic is that it has to be made of cells. Because cells are the building blocks of anything living, something must be composed of them to be alive. The second requirement something must meet to be considered alive is that it needs materials. Living things take the things they need, such as water, minerals and air, from the environment. To be alive, something must also be homeostatic. Something that is homeostatic will stay the same internally, even if the climate around it changes. Something that is alive must respond to stimuli. There are two ways a living thing can respond to a stimuli, positive and negative. If something positively responds to a stimuli, it moves toward it, if it responds negativity, it moves away. A living thing must also reproduce. Reproduction is when a living thing recreates something of its own kind. To be alive, something must grow to a larger or more complex form. Living things must also be able to adapt. Living things have evolved, which helps them survive in the changing environment. The last characteristic something must have to be considered alive is they must respire. Respiration is the process of releasing energy in means of food. To be considered a living thing, something must meet all eight of the requirements.



For thousands of years, people all over the world have explored the possible ways to find life on other planets. Scientists haven't found anything yet, but the new technology they are coming up with to search for life should be a good method to use. Something that scientists are trying to do now is send robots onto the surface of another planet, and program the robot to collect samples from the planet. Then, once the robot comes back to Earth, scientists can test them for signs of life. Another thing to do is take pictures. This is a much simpler way, and would probably not work as well as analyzing samples. Robots or other machines could take pictures, and the pictures could be magnified to look for signs of life. Another vague way to detect life is using radio waves. Signals can be sent far out into space, and sounds of living things could possibly be heard. This way would probably be very hard, because not all living things make noise. Another thing to do is test the atmosphere on the planet.