| Robonautics
MISSION |
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Your assignment is to design a robotic spacecraft to be sent to the planet Mars. Using the information you have learned about robotic spacecraft and the planet Mars, put on your engineering design hat and let your imagination go! Remember that space missions arise from questions that people ask about a planet. You have already generated several questions in previous assignments about Mars. Consider what kind of a mission could be designed to answer one or more of your questions. Plan which year you would like your spacecraft to be launched in, and develop a series of mission objectives based on your questions about the planet. Your mission can be an orbiter or a lander, and it can include whatever experiments you wish. Be creative! It is the innovations and ideas of today that inspire the investigations and solutions of tomorrow. Consider different methods of propulsion, electrical power, communications, entry and/or landing methods and experiment packages (science experiments, cameras, rovers, drills, balloons, planes, etc.). Click here to review some of the parts of a robotic spacecraft. If you are designing a lander, use this link to look at various landing sites. You can also use this map to click on various regions of Mars to choose a landing site. For more information on types of robotic Mars spacecraft use these links: Upcoming optimal launch times for future Mars missions include:
Mars
Math
In order to send a spacecraft to the planet Mars you will need to complete some basic orbital equations using Kepler’s law of orbits. In the next few Mars Math Questions we will look at ways engineers calculate this by introducing you to some basic equations and formulas. Part One 1. The Earth is 150 million km from the sun. It completes one orbit in a period of approximately 365.25 days. Calculate it’s orbital speed in km/sec and mph. 2. Mars is 230 million km from the sun. It completes one orbit in a period of approximately 687 days. Calculate it’s orbital speed in km/sec and mph. The equation to determine orbital speed is
below. You may use Pi to the value of 3.1416. Orbital
Speed = 2*Pi*r/Period r = Distance
from the planet to the sun Thank you to Joe Kolecki and NASA’s Learning
Technology Project at the Glenn Research Center for use of these questions
and activities.
Your assignment will be assessed using the
following criteria. If your work meets all of the criteria below it will
be considered exemplary. If one or two of the criteria are not met your
work will be considered satisfactory. If more than three criteria are not
met your work will be considered unsatisfactory and you will be asked to
resubmit.
You also need to complete the quiz before
you go on to the next lesson. Click
here to complete the Quick Quiz!
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