Math Problems
Helo, Mars!
Objective Apply trigonometric ratios to the NASA Mars Helicopter Scout so that flight data such as climb angle and average speed can be calculated given initial flight parameters. Vocabulary • Slope: The angle the rille wall makes to the horizontal. • Above Ground Level (AGL): The altitude as measured from the local area. • Altitude: …
Methane in the membrane (Producing rocket fuel on Mars)
Vocabulary • Carbon (C): Element with a mass of 12 g/mole • Hydrogen (H): Element with a mass of 1 g/mole • In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU): Taking advantage of a planet’s natural resources to supplement a space mission • Low Mars Orbit (LMO): The minimum altitude above the Martian surface necessary to maintain a stable …
The thrill(e) on the Rille
Vocabulary • Depth: How deep the rille is. • Distance: How far from the edge of the rille to its center. • Rille: A collapsed lava tube that resembles a small canyon. • Rope Length: The amount of rope needed to descend Hadley Rille. • Rope Weight: The mass of the rope per standard length. …
Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble
Vocabulary • Focal Length: The distance between a curved mirror and its Focal Point • Focal Point: The position where all reflected light inside the telescope focuses to a point of light • Focal Surface: The place where the Focal Point converges to • Primary Mirror: The larger of the two curved mirrors that reflect …
Gliding a spaceship back to Earth
Vocabulary • Altitude: The distance a spacecraft is above a given point on the ground • Distance From Spaceport: The ground distance from the edge of the runway to the spacecraft • Glide Distance: The distance the Landing Laser measures to the spacecraft • Glide Slope (Ø): The angle a spacecraft makes to the horizontal …
Fly me to the Moon (on the Boeing Space Tug)
Vocabulary Crew Module (CM): The part of the spacecraft where the astronauts live and work Crew Module Weight: The total weight of the CM including provisions and the crew Crew Size (Crew): The total number of astronauts needed to conduct a specific space mission Dry Weight (m1): The weight of the spacecraft fully loaded excluding …
City in the sky: A cheaper space station from Bigelow
Vocabulary • BA-2100: A Bigelow module. Volume: 2,100 m3. Weight: 100 mT. Crew: 16, Cost: $500M. • BA-330: A Bigelow module. Volume: 330 m3. Weight: 25 mT. Crew: 6. Cost: $125M. • Falcon Heavy: An expendable launch vehicle from SpaceX. Payload: 53 mT. Cost: $150M. • Propulsion Bus/Docking Node (PB/DN): A unit used to reboost the space station due …
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No…it’s a spaceplane!
Vocabulary • Latitude: The number of degrees north (or south) from the equator. • Orbital Altitude: The height above Mean Sea Level of an orbiting spacecraft. • Orbital Inclination: The angle that an orbit makes as it crosses the equator. Narrative Across the pond is an innovative rocket company that toils away in relative obscurity …
Delta V and the GRAVITY of the situation
In the recent film release, “Gravity,” astronauts are left stranded at the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) after a pretty horrific accident. Since one of the astronauts was wearing a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), they used the nifty apparatus to get to the International Space Station (ISS). We like this movie, even though many space blogs …
Can SpaceShipTwo fly up to space?
Vocabulary • Parabola: The graph of a quadratic equation, which for this project is in the shape of an upside-down capital “U” • Quadratic Equation: The equation that creates a parabola when graphed • Vertex: The maximum (or Minimum) point on a parabola Narrative If a baseball is thrown into the air to another ball …