Transcript MISSION TO MARS - Itasca Public School District 10

Mission to Mars
Study Guide
Contents
Astronauts
Going to
Mars
Space
food
Newton’s Laws
of Motion
People in
space
Landing
on target
Designing
space suits
Vasimr
rocket
Who sends U.S. astronauts to space?

N.A.S.A. (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration)
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Cosmonauts are Russian
What are we looking for on Mars?
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Evidence of life
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Resources
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–
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Water (ice at the polar caps, beneath the surface)
Minerals, other resources
Possibility of our colonization
Problems in sending people to Mars
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Cosmic rays (sub atomic particles from exploding stars) cause
cancer. Earth is protected by a magnetic field.
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Meteorites attack ship walls, need foam insulation
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Storing and growing food, recycling water
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Radiation storms: You have to immediately go to a safe area
on the ship where the radiation cannot penetrate.
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Weightlessness: Muscles can atrophy (weaken) without the
effect of gravity. Food floats around. Soda pop won’t stay
carbonized (gas and liquid separate).
Designing Space Suits for Mars

Our bodies need pressure to keep gases in
our blood and lungs from boiling
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Air pressure makes the suit very stiff
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Shrink wrapping?
Storing food on a space ship
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Only solar power; no freezers or refrigerators, can
only warm food (can’t boil water)
Foil = heavy; plastic = lets air/moisture in
Need very long-term storage techniques:
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Thermostabilizing (heating in a sealed package to kill bacteria)
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Freeze drying (freeze, put in a vacuum, remove water)
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Irradiation (treat with ion radiation to kill bacteria)
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Dehydration
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intermediate moisture
rehydratable
what we did!
Newton’s Laws of Motion
Law #1
Force
Law #2
Mass
Law #3
Acceleration
Absorption
Newton’s Laws of Motion: #1

An object at rest tends to stay at rest; an
object in motion tends to stay in motion and
will travel in a straight line until it meets with
a force.
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Our landers don’t slow down on their own.
They keep falling until they hit the floor.
Motion – or Not

Inertia: the tendency for an object to remain
at rest

Momentum: the tendency for an object to
remain in motion
Newton’s Laws of Motion: #2

F = MA or Force is equal to Mass times
Acceleration

We must decrease mass and acceleration to
decrease force of our landers hitting the floor.
F = M×A
Newton’s Laws of Motion: #3

For every action, there is an equal and opposite
reaction.

We need to cushion the lander’s impact to reduce
the bounce reaction.
Force
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Definition: Energy required to move, stop, or turn
something; strength or impact, ability of moving
objects to create impact
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Decrease by:
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–
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Reducing size and weight of the object (mass)
Slowing down the object (acceleration)
Softening the impact (absorption)
Mass

Definition: Density; how close the molecules are

Decrease by:
–
–
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Using few, small parts and lightweight materials
Reducing mass reduces force of impact
NOTE: adding features to reduce acceleration or absorb
impact (parachutes, soft materials) will increase mass
Acceleration

Definition: Speed of a moving object, particularly
increasing speed. Acceleration that does not change
is called “constant velocity”.

Decrease by:
–
–
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Catching air in parachutes
Using a broad base to reduce aerodynamic shape and
increase turbulence, moving around the force of air
Decreased acceleration reduces force of impact
Absorption
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Definition: Reduction of force by transferring energy
to other areas through flexibility, cushioning, or
spreading out force
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Increase with:
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Flexibility: material returns to original shape after impact
“Crumple zone” to cushion force
Broad base to spread force over a larger area
Landing on target

Improve safe landings (not on the side of a cliff or in
a ravine)

Put equipment close to where you want to conduct
experiments
Vasimr Rocket
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Definition: Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma
Rocket (radio waves, propellant, and magnets make a
plasma thruster)
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Importance:
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Coasting is slow (6 mo.)
Can’t turn around in emergency
Vasimr: to Mars in 39 days
Uses VERY hot plasma as fuel
Magnets keep rocket from melting