Lauren+M

Reading the Red Planet By: Lauren Mc Technology is incredibly useful to society, especially on a mission to Mars. One thing that is handy in an electric circuit is semiconductors. Semiconductors are very useful to electronics because they can be turned on and off. In a controlled environment the semiconductors can be made to conduct electricity and not conduct it at needed times. This acts as a kind of switch. An important thing to understand about electricity is that it can be used not only to poser technology but send signals to create pictures and sound. Analog signals are signals that make smooth transitions. You may think of a Analog clock, in which the hand sweeps evenly and smoothly from second to second. On the contrary, Dialog signals jump from one signal to another quickly. In a Dialog clock, the numbers jump from minute to minute. Finally, diodes, transistors and integrated circuits, come into the picture, the real backbone of the electric circuit. A diode is an electrical component that combines two different semiconductors. Specifically, it allows electric current to flow only in one direction. A transistor is an electrical component that allows electricity to flow in both directions. An integrated circuit is like a computer chip. it is a small, compact device that contains diodes and transistors and makes them easier to fit into small spaces. All of these pieces of technology are vital to the success of a circuit and its use in technology.

On this mission to Mars, technology is every aspect of its success. Technology gets us to Mars, allows us to observe Mars and gets us home. Another thing is that this mission is to search for life. When the rovers arrive there, I doubt that we will see little green shoots everywhere. This means that technology is needed to find life or determine there is no life. Firstly, a rocket is needed to get the rovers to Mars. The whole launch process is completely dependent on technology. Once the rocket is in the air, we have to communicate with it. This can be done in several ways, all of which either include Analog or Dialog signals. Now that the rovers are on Mars, they need to be moved, be able to pick up things and send messages back to Earth. The rover itself is even a piece of technology. Finally, once this mission to Mars has been completed the rovers must travel back home, where they are sure to be welcomed as heroes. Landing, like launching requires rooms of technology. But in the end hopefully we will truly find out what is on the red planet.

Rambunctious Rocketeers

By: Lauren Mc The understanding of rockets (seeing as they are our only method of transportation) is incredibly important to this mission to Mars. The first rocket was invented by a Greek inventor named Hero of Alexandrea. This "rocket" of sorts was a sphere placed over a kettle of boiling water that spun using the power of the steam it let out. This was the first step in a fascination of self-powered objects that went on for centuries. The first real rockets may have been accidents. In the first century, the Chinese were using early forms of gunpowder to create small explosions as entertainment. These small bamboo tubes can perhaps be identified with modern day firecrackers.

At some point the Chinese discovered that these "rockets" could be used for much more that entertainment. "Fire arrows" were small tubes, attached to long arrows, filled with gunpowder and ignited. It is not clear how successful these arrows were in a war situation but they had a large psychological impact on the enemy. They had never seen su ch a contraption before. After this first war that included the use of rockets, an enchantment with them flooded throughout Europe, infecting a large part of the civilized world.

Throughout the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries several rocket "experiments" were performed. An Englishman, Roger Bacon sought to increase the range of the rocket. In France, Jean Froissart discovered that the accuracy of flight could be increased by launching the rocket through a tube. This discovery inspired the modern day Bazooka. Although the biggest surge forward was the idea of using liquid instead of solid propellants. This was considered by Russian, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky in 1989. In the early 20th century this vision was finally achieved by Robert Goddard, an American. Around this time period, small rocketry societies were springing up all over the world. There was a push to use the rocket outside the realms of war. But they were still used as weapons yet somewhat discarded in WWI. After the war was over, rockets that were built in Germany were captured by the Allies. This introduced them to a whole new era of rocketry. Both the United States and the Soviet Union noticed the usefulness of rockets in warfare and began a long experimental progress. In these experiments it was discovered that missiles could one day launch a man into space and even step on the moon. Thus the US space program, that is escorting us to Mars, was born.

Blast Off! The Rocket Cycle

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﻿ Putting the Pieces Together; The Parts of the Rocket > Nose Cone: A cone-shaped cap that makes the rocket aerodynamic and keeps all things inside the rocket. > Recovery System pieces in this system work together to make sure the rocket lands safely. Located inside the body tube.
 * 1) [[image:lem_labeledrocket.JPG width="291" height="387"]]
 * 1) Body Tube: A cardboard tube that serves as the body of the rocket.
 * 1) Recovery Wadding: A wad of fluff-like substance that protects the recovery system from hot gases.
 * 2) Launch Lug: A plastic tube that guides the rocket off the launch pad and upwards.
 * 3) Fins: Made of wood; keep the rocket traveling straight.
 * 4) Motor Mount: A plastic device that holds the motor in place inside the rocket.
 * 5) Rocket Motor: a non-reusable device that thrusts the rocket off the Launchpad and keeps it going until the rocket reaches the coasting stage.

The Final Countdown: How it happened On April 12th 2011, the rocket "Snail" launched into space. The launch was successful with the rocket leaving the launchpad at about 150mph. It reached an apogee of 100 meters after about 1.5 seconds of flight. Though the apogee was only 100 meters in the air it traveled much more. It was a very windy day and the rocket was blown violently to the south during coasting and recovery. Also the parachute was melted in the launch and could not open completely. One of the fins was lost on this flight so the rocket may have been able to fly better with all fins connected thoroughly. The paint on the rocket was about an average weight so it did not have a huge affect on the flight. Of course if it had not been painted it may have had a higher apogee and so on. A way to improve the rocket flight would be to attach the fins better and make sure that the parachute did not melt in on itself.



The "Snail" was not the only rocket launching that day. In total eight rockets launched and they were each of different masses. Each rocket was launched and the angle of the launch was collected with an angle gun. The angle gun was planted 100m away (measured with a trundle wheel).Trigonometry was used to calculate the distance between the point of apogee and the launchpad. All this data was used to determine whether or not there was a relationship between the mass of the rocket and the height of its apogee. It was hypothesized that a larger mass would lower the apogee and a smaller mass would increase the height of the apogee. This was shown to be true. In the graph above it can be seen that there is an inverse relationship between the mass and the altitude of the model rockets. The highest rocket apogee was from one of the rockets on the lighter end. There was one rocket that weighed significantly more than the others (almost 48grams). This rocket also had one of the lowest points of apogee. Thus the hypothesis was proven correct and eight rockets were launched successfully into space.

The Importance of Astronomy in the Search for Life on Mars Astronomy is incredibly important to the search for life on Mars because we have to go into space to get to Mars. We have to be prepared to face the challenges of space and if we do not study astronomy we cannot know what they are. It is essential to be prepared for anything and we cannot hope to be so with no knowledge of what we are going out into. It would be like the journey of Luis and Clark because they had know idea what the conditions were of where they were going. Also, astronomy is the study of space and when we set up probes on Mars we will be observing space and therefore we are performing astronomy. Astronomy is vital to the success of this mission.

Please follow the link below to learn more about astronomy. Astronomy Information

History of Robotics Robotics is the main drive behind technology of today and of the future. But it was used abundantly in the past too. The earliest record of robotics was in 350 BC by a man named Archytas. Archytas built a mechanical bird propelled by steam. Reenacting animal and human mechanics was the main use for robots, in their early stages, rather than completing activities that humans cannot. For example several prototypes for dolls that wrote, drew and spoke were released in the 1800s. Leonardo DaVinci also tried his hand at robotics by creating a knight's armor that moved as if there was a person inside. It was not until 1898 that robots started to resemble what we think of them today. Nikola Tesla built the first remote control robot and displayed it in Madison Square Garden. Robotics is a part of the present and the future but was also at large in the past.

It was not until the 1900s though that robots took the super-future image that they have now. The first time they were introduced in this fashion was in the 1926 movie "Metropolis". In 1962 the first industrial arm robot, the Unimate, was invented. This invention aided in factory work and was the basis for the Canada arm now used in space. Finally in 1986 the beginnings of the program that we are using to get to space were created. Lego robotics were introduced to the world and to the classroom with its new program in elementary school. Personally, I used this program in my elementary school. In 2003, the first mission to mars launched. Robot rovers //Spirit// and //Opportunity// are still roaming around mars today, sending back images and measurements. This high-tech robotics has developed so much from its humble beginnings. This rate of growth is sure to continue far into the future and inspire missions into space for years to come.

Robogenics Legos are not just a child’s toy anymore. The new Mindstorms set it used to create real robots that can move and even see. There are a couple basic programs that can be controlled solely by the robot, but there is a vast diversity of programs that can stem from a computer. These programs are incredibly simple to do with a tutorial or without one. I personally have been through about fifteen projects using this software and have hardly hit a snag. The computer program consists of dragging commands into the space and instructing the robot on how to perform these commands. The robot reads the code that is downloaded from the computer and knows when it hould stop, pause, turn, move forward, move backward or any number of other functions. These robots are very simple to use but can accomplish very complicated activities. This is an incredibly innovative and amazing program and I loved working with it. Sensors are another thing that adds to the amount of challenges that this robot can overcome. There are four sensors, the touch sensor, light sensor, sound sensor and the ultrasonic sensor.. All of the sensors tell the robot when to stop and star. The touch sensor is self-explanatory when you touch the button the robot reacts, much like a human would, by moving. The light sensor is a little more complicated. It sends out light rays that bounce off of surfaces and are absorbed by the sensor again. The light that rebounds tells the robot how close an upcoming object is and if there is one at all. The sound sensor reacts when sound of a certain measurement is “heard”. This measurement can be adjusted on the computer program. The ultrasonic sensor does basically the same thing as the light sensor. Except instead of sending out light rays it sends out sound rays. These sensors enhance the capabilities of the robot.

The Game of Life Life is a fragile thing that needs certain requirements met. Firstly, it needs to be made of cells but the shape and size of the cells can very. Secondly, all living things need materials, meaning water, minerals and air. A living thing takes these resources from its environment. Next all living things are homeostatic or they want to remain the same no matter what the conditions are outside of them. Living things expend a lot of their energy to stay homeostatic. All living things respond to stimuli in a positive (moves toward stimuli), negative (moves away from stimuli) or neutral way. If it is living it reproduces in order to keep its kind going. Every living thing grows or moves on to bigger and better things. This next requirement may be the most important. All living things are able to adapt to their surroundings. For example, if a place is freezing for twenty years the living things there must be able to adapt to those environmental changes. Finally all living things respire or take energy from food and use it. If something meets all of these requirements than by definition, it is alive.

Life on other planets, particularly Mars, is what this mission is all about. In order to find life we will be looking for signs of any of the characteristics above. Using the Hubble Telescope we can detect certain geological features on Mars, for instance, mountains. But finding possible habitats for life does not guarantee that there actually is life. In order to prove that we need to get up close an personal with the planet and its possible life. A way of doing this is with rovers.

There are two rovers on Mars right now, Spirit and Opportunity. These rovers have been discovering and sending back data for over seven years. They have been our eyes and ears on Mars and the findings that they discover have helped us to learn thousands of things we couldn't learn from a telescope. Spirit and Opportunity use technology that takes video and pictures, detects heat, metal and water and is nothing short of amazing. But these robots are not fool proof. Currently NASA is having trouble communicating with the rover Spirit. That's where we come in. The purpose of this mission is to release new and improved rovers onto Mars specifically to detect life. We can only hope to be as resourceful as past projects.