MISSION TO MARS

http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/biomed/marsdome/

Is it possible for humans to survive on Mars? With concerns over global warming and over population on the rise, NASA and other scientists from around the world have begun to explore this question with increased vigor. However, relocating to Mars is not a simple task and a great deal of information must be gathered before we can even consider it as a possibility. During the next three weeks, you are going to help mankind take a giant step in this information gathering process by construction a rover that has a wide array of remote sensing capabilities and sending it to the red planet to collect data.

Developed by Rick Dustin-Eichler rde@wcsu.net

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Assignment 1--ENTRY, DESCENT, LANDING The decent to the red planet is treacherous. In this assignment you will design and build a rover that can survive this hazardous journey.

Assignment 2--CONTROLLING YOUR ROVERFor this assignment you will program a rover that has the ability to autonomously navigate through the harsh Martian environment.

Assignment 3--MAPPING MARSAssignment three will require you to map Mars’s surface.

Assignment 4--LOOKING FOR WATERDuring this assignment, you will use your rovers light sensor to analyze Mars’s geological make-up.

Assignment 5--RETRIEVING SAMPLESIn this final assignment, you will program your rover to collect soil samples and return them to base.

Assignment 1

Problem: Landing on the Martian surface is extremely treacherous. To safely land, your rover will have to survive speeds in excess of 12,000 miles per hour, temperatures of 26370 F, and a four story free fall.

To watch a video on how NASA solved this problem go to http://marsrover.nasa.gov/gallery/video/challenges.html and watch the complete video on EDL.

Requirements: Use the engineering process to design and build a model rover that will survive a 25 centimeter free fall. Your rover must have two motors, two wheels, and incorporate the NXT brick into its design.

Engineering Process

http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/mission/tl_entry1.html

What is the problem?

What are the requirements?

What is the plan?Build

Does it work?

ENTRY, DESCENT, LANDING

When possible use axles, bushings, and connector pegs to connect pieces.

Use bracing to reinforce your

building.

Gears can be used to move multiple wheels

with one motor.

Attach beams to the sides of your NXT and build off them.

TIPS FOR STRONG BUILDING

CONTROLLING YOUR ROVER

Wait For Time

Wait For Touch

Wait For Darker

Wait For Rotation

5

Wait For Temperature http://www.sulinet.hu/inform/balazscikk/legorobot/rcxerz.jpg

CONTROLLING YOUR ROVER

Wait For Time

Wait For Touch

Wait For Darker

Wait For Rotation

Assignment 2

Because the distance from Earth to Mars is so great (55 and 100 million km), the Mars rovers cannot be controlled remotely. A successful rover must be able to navigate the Martian landscape autonomously (on its own). Over the course of this assignment you will...

Learn to use time to control your rover’s movements,

Control your car with the rotation sensor.

http://www.educatec.ch/

WAIT FOR TIMEProblem: Program your rover to move a set distance using the wait for time icon.

Requirements: Use your rover from assignment 1 to solve this problem.

Procedure:

1. Open Lego Mindstorms by clicking on the icon.

2. Title your program and press go.

3. In the common pallet drag down the move icon.

4. With your move icon is selected, check the ports in which your motors are connected. Then set the duration of time that you want your rover to move for. In this case, tell it to move for 3 seconds.

5. Plug your rover in and download the program to you NXT by pressing the download button.

6. Run your rover, measure the distance that it moves and record the data in the chart on the next page.

7. Reprogram you rover to run for 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds, 4 seconds, 5 seconds and 6 seconds and enter the distance that it travels into the following chart after each time.

WAIT FOR TIME-DATAEnter your data from the step 13 into the following table.

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average

1 Second

2 Seconds

3 Seconds

4 Seconds

5 Seconds

6 Seconds

Graph your averaged data below. (Remember to title the graph and label each axis.)

WAIT FOR TIME-ANALYSIS

Please use the data that you collected to fill in the following chart.

Distance Time

10 cm

20 cm

30 cm

50 cm

80 cm

1 m

1.5 m

3 m

10 m

Use the following area as a work space.

WAIT FOR ROTATIONProblem: Program your rover to move a set distance using the wait for rotation icon.

Requirements: Use your rover from assignment 1 to solve this problem.

Procedure:

1. Open Mindstorms.

2. Once your project opens, create a new program called wait for rotation.

3. Program your rover to move forward for 1 rotation. This is similar to the last problem, except you are going to change the duration to read 1 rotation instead of 1 second.

4. Now run your rover three times, measure the distance that it travels each time, and enter the data into the following data table.

5. Reprogram you rover to run for, 2 full rotations, 4 full rotations, 5 full rotations, 10 full rotations, and 20 full rotations and repeat step 4 for each trial.

WAIT FOR ROTATION-DATAEnter your data from the step 13 into the following table.

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average

1 Full Rotation

2 Full Rotations

4 Full Rotations

5 Full Rotations

10 Full Rotations

20 Full Rotations

Graph your averaged data below. (Remember to title the graph and label each axis.)

WAIT FOR ROTATION-ANALYSIS

Please use the data that you collected to fill in the following chart.

Distance Rotations

10 cm

20 cm

30 cm

50 cm

80 cm

1 m

1.5 m

3 m

10 m

Use the following area as a work space.

Assignment 3Story: Imagine a bright and sunny sol on Mars and your rover is traveling at a good clip when all of a sudden it mistakenly falls into a deep crater and slams to a stop at the bottom. After stopping for a moment, it slowly climbs out of the crater and continues on at a more cautious rate of speed.

SPEEDY EXPRESSIONS GRAPHING ROTATIONS

Now, think back to the story that we just read and create a graph that expresses the roverʼs speed.

Explore: Now, you are going to start exploring how your NXT can be used to collect data. To get started...

Open Data Logging

Start a new experiment called “speedy”

Configure the experiment so that the duration is 30 seconds, the sample rate is 10 samples per second, and tell the computer in which port your rotation sensors (NXT motors) are attached.

Press the play button and start turning the wheels WITHOUT detaching the rover from your computer. Watch the screen and see what happens.

Challenge: Use the prediction tool to draw a line of data on the graph. Once you have done this, rerun the experiment and try to copy your prediction line.

SPEEDY EXPRESSIONS GRAPHING ROTATIONS

Please use this graph to answer the following questions.

1. What does the X-axis represent?___________________________________________

2. What does the Y-axis represent?___________________________________________

3. What happens when you turn the wheel quickly?__________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What happens when you turn the wheel slowly?__________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What happens when you do not turn the wheel?__________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Look back at the story that we started this lesson with and try to create a graph that shows the roverʼs motion. Once you are done, print the graph and staple it to this page. How does this graph compare to the one that you created at the beginning of the lesson?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SPEEDY EXPRESSIONS GRAPHING ROTATIONS

MAPPING MARSAssignment 4

Problem: In addition to driving around and collecting specimens, your rover must collect numerical data and send it back to NASA. For your first data collection assignment, you must write a program, collect data with the rotation sensor, and use that data to map your classroom.

How to program your rover:1.Open Data Logging and create a new experiment called Mapping Mars.

2. Configure the experiment to collect rotational data at a sample rate of 10 samples per seconds for 60 seconds.

3. Go to tools and “create data logging program.” A screen should open with a red and grey data logging brick in it.

4.Select the data logging brick and uncheck the wait for completion box.

5. Add a move brick after the data logging brick and program it to run for 60 seconds at power level 30.

6. Download your program and run your rover down a long hall.

7.To look at your data, go back to the Data Logging window and press the Upload From NXT Button.

8.Select the most recent log and upload it.

9. Use your graph to figure out how far your rover traveled.

MAPPING MARS CONTINUED

Explain how you answered this question. Then check your answer by measuring how far your rover actually traveled.

MAPPING MARS CONTINUED

ChallengeUse the information that you learned in the first part of this assignment to write a program that the rover can use to measure the dimensions of your classroom. Hint: You can measure each distance individually.

In the space below, draw a map of your classroom. Please be sure to use a ruler and label its dimensions.

Please explain the process that you used to create your map._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Assignment 4

Exploration: During this exploration you are going to find the mean light reflection rate for a series of rocks that are found on Mars.

Procedure1.Mount a light sensor on your rover so it is no more than .5 cm above the ground.

2.Create a new experiment called “Rocks.”

3.Using your rotation sensor experiment as a model, create a new program that will collect light data only. You rover does not have to move! The rover should collect samples for 3 seconds at a sample rate of 10 samples per seconds.

4.Run your program while your rover is still connected to the computer. As the program runs, place the light sensor over different colored objects. What happens to the data as this happens?

5.Now run the program again but this time place it on one “rock type” and leave it there. After you collect data for each rock type, rename its data line so that the name corresponds to the color that it was on (you might also want to change the color).

6.After you are done, enter the average light reading for each “rock type” in the following chart.

Background: Sedimentary Rocks--Sedimentary rocks are formed at the surface of the Earth, either in water or on land. They are layered accumulations of sediments: fragments of rocks, minerals, or animal or plant material. Temperatures and pressures are low at the Earth's surface, and sedimentary rocks show this fact by their appearance and the minerals they contain. Most sedimentary rocks become cemented together by minerals and chemicals or are held together by electrical attraction; some, however, r e m a i n l o o s e a n d unconsolidated. The layers are normally parallel or nearly parallel to the Earth's surface; if they are at high angles to the surface or are twisted or broken, some kind of Earth movement has occurred since the rock was formed. Sedimentary rocks are forming around us all the time. Sand and gravel on beaches or in river bars look like the sandstone and conglomerate they will become. Compacted and dried mud flats harden into shale. Scuba divers who have seen mud and shells settling on the floors of lagoons find it easy to understand how sedimentary rocks form.

Please record the light values for each of the different rock types in the following chart.

Rock Type Average Light Reading

White

Grey

Black

For more information go to the following website.http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow1/oct98/create/sediment.htm

LOOKING FOR WATER

Problem: If humans are going to colonize Mars, they need to find a reliable and renewable water source. One way to discover if there is or ever was water on Mars is to look for sedimentary rocks. In this assignment, you will create a rover that will use its light and rotation sensors to find sedimentary rocks and map where they are located.

Requirements: Add a light sensor to your rover. The light sensor must be securely fastened to your rover and located approximately .5 cm off of the ground.

Procedure: 1.Modify the experiment that you ran in the last lesson to include rotational data. To do this click on the data logging brick at the top left hand corner of the screen.

2. Create a data logging program (this is under the tools menu) that collects data while moving forward. The program needs to move the rover forward so that it travels over all of the rock layers. Hint: Remember to uncheck the wait for completion box under the data logging brick. Also, you should make your rover moves as slow as possible.

3.Upload your program and run your rover on the practice rock layers. Can you figure out the order of the rocks or how far they are from the start line?

Please list the order of the rock layers and explain how you found this information.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How far away from base was each rock layer? How did you discover this information?

Layer Distance

1

2

3

4

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

LOOKING FOR WATER

LOOKING FOR WATER

Challenge: When scientists use robots and other tools to collect data remotely, they often do not have the benefit of seeing the place where the data is collected. All they know about the world that they are exploring is the data that they are receiving. To simulate this, give your rover to your partner and have them run it on the remote Martian surfaced (it is located in the hallway). After they return, please upload the data, print the graph, staple it to this page, and analyze the data.

Use the following space to map the area of Mars that your rover traveled over. Please make sure that you label the distances from base to each rock layer.

How did you solve this challenge? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________