Monthly Archives: March 2020

Passion Project #3-Researching

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So far my researching has been going very well. I am happy to say that I am very much liking the topic I picked. I also have found so many good resources.

NASA has proved to be very helpful. And so have Illinois and Cal techs websites. But I also have found two more helpful resources. An encyclopedia with multiple pages on rockets, and a book about engineering witch also has good information on rockets. These resources are making it easier for me to answer my sub questions. I am relieved to see that I have many resources. And I am also happy that not all of them are online, because if something happens like it did yesterday where the internet crashes, I don’t k now where I would get my research from.

In addition to the information I am giving on my blog I am also now have a google doc with more information there.

Stay tuned for more posts.

Passion Project post- Newtons laws apply to rockets

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I have been researching more about rockets In a book called, “The Encyclopedia of Knowledge“ when I came across the answer to one of my sub questions. What role do physics have on rockets. Based on what I have read, I now know that they have a huge role on rockets. Let’s start with Newton’s first law. Just in case you are not familiar With newtons laws I will right them out.

Newton’s first law:

All things will either stay still or move with a steady speed unless a force acts upon it. This idea is called inertia.

This is how the first law contributes to rocket. When a rocket sets on the launch pad with it’s engines switched off, there’s no overall force acting on it. Inertia keeps it in place so it goes nowhere.

 

Newtons second law:

When a force acts on something it makes it accelerate. To go faster, slower, or change direction.The bigger the force, the lighter the object the more it accelerates.

This is how the second law of motion contributes to the rocket, The main engines and booster rockets fie out hot gas. This creates a huge downward force that accelerates the rocket upward. In other words the engine is a force that makes the rocket accelerate upwards. The third law of motion also has a big role in this.

 

Newtons third law:

For every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.

Newtons third law contributes to rockets perhaps the most out of the three laws. When I say action I really am talking about force. So when the engines burst out exhaust gas pointing down, there is an equal and opposite reaction, wich is the rocket accelerating upwards.

Newtons laws truly play a huge role in getting the rocket off the ground.

Passion Project Post #2

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In my last post you learned that I picked the topic of rocket and aerospace engineering.  Today was the beginning of my research. As I said in my proposal, the first thing I would do would be to urn to NASA. I started at NASA’s website and clicked a link that was related to my first guiding question. It was labeled, The Four major systems that make up a rocket.

The first system was the structural system.  The structural system, or frame is similar to the fuelsage of an airplane. The frame must be lightweight but strong. So it is made from strong and lightweight materials such as titanium and aluminum. The frame employs strong stringers wich run from the top to the bottom of the rocket. This is what more or less keeps the rocket together. Next the skin or outer layer is then attached, and fins are added for stability. The fins and skin are things you see from the outside of the rockets. That is the structural system.

Next you have the propulsion system. The propulsion system is used to get the rocket off the gr0und. There is two classes of propulsion. Liquid rocket engines and solid rocket engines. In liquid rockets the fuel and the oxidizer are stored separately and then are pumped into the combustion chamber of the nozzle where burning occurs. In a solid rocket engine, the two are mixed together as a solid cylinder. When exposed to an igniter they will burn and the rocket will take off!

The next system of a rocket is the guidance system. The guidance system is made up of very sophisticated sensors, radars, computers, and guidance systems to maneuver the rocket in flight.

The last system is the payload system. What’s in the payload system depends on the rockets mission. It could be fire works to celebrate, or ballistic missiles to attack from space.

Here is a diagram

 

This was the beginning of my research. I will continue to post daily.

Passion Project #1

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In English this year we are doing a passion project. To think of what I wanted to do I had to brainstorm what I enjoyed. The first thing that cam to my mind was engendering. Specifically architectural engineering. But I couldn’t do that. I already did that for my capstone project last year. So I thought up some other types of engineering, and came up with rocket and aerospace engineering. As soon as this idea came to me, I would not pick anything else. First of all I liked building with anything from bocks to just books, and I love rockets.

When I was younger I used to watch videos on rockets reaching the moon. I always watched in awe, wondering how could these rockets fly so high, and defeat gravity at extreme levels. This all I would soon find out through my passion project.

If you want to see my passion project proposal just click the link.

/http://blogs.scarsdaleschools.org/cmeschewski26/2020/0/25/passion-project-proposal/

I will be giving daily updates on my progress so stay tuned for more.

Passion Project Proposal

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Dear Mr. De Barry

 

I have decided that I would like the topic for my passion project to be rocket engineering. I am going to explain how to build a rocket. I think that this is the right project for me because I have always loved engineering, and I think that rockets would be a fascinating topic to research on, especially because I know little about them. When I was little I used to watch videos on going to the moon. I always watched the rockets in awe. I wondered how they worked, and in this passion project I finally have a chance to find out. In this project I am going to explain the basics on how rockets work and how they are built.

My first question that I need to research is, what are the essential parts of a rocket and how do they work? The answer to this question will be important to my presentation because the answer may allow me to branch off into new questions to be answered. My second guiding question is how do you build a rocket and what tools are needed to do this. After answering this question, I will research the tools that are used to build rockets and become more familiar with them. 

Some of my sub questions are:

  • What role does physics have on rockets
  • What happens when rockets come out of the atmosphere
  • What engines are used to power the rockets and what fuel do they use
  • How do rockets differ from one another

I will need to look at many different sites to get the information I will need.

I am going to start at NASA’s website then build off from there. I will probably go to Illinois and Cal Tech’s websites on rocket engineering.

Next I will read books on rocket engineering for additional information, such as:

  • Fundamentals of aerospace engineering.(A book I have purchased on Amazon.)

   

I think that my final product will be in video form. I think I will use an app like We Video or IMovie. I am also going to give information and updates on my research through my blog daily. I am very excited to begin researching and to learn more about engineering rockets.

From Connor

Tech Post #5 – E-Learning

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There has been a slight problem in our tech projects. The Corona Virus. The virus made it to Scarsdale last week, and the Scarsdale district had no choice but to close all schools. The following week nobody really knew what to do, most people were taking a few days off and relaxing because they thought that they were going back to school on Thursday. It turns out that is not the case, we might not even go back to school this year. This is one serious virus.

Under the circumstances we had a find a way to learn things from Mr. Calvert digitally. We first started by doing Ed puzzle. A useful platform that allows you to watch a video posted by a teacher, and answer questions on it. We also now have tech office hours so if you would like to ask Mr. Calvert a question, he will give you an answer. Sometimes we also may do a zoom meeting, this allows us to see each other face to face like face time.

Through the struggles of the virus we are still learning. Right now we are in a unit of atoms. We are learning about how small atoms are, and the pieces there made of.

So far E-learning in Tech has Ben going well!

Tech Post 4-Building our Pendant

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In tech we are creating and soldering a ring for a pendant. My Desighn is going to be like the deathly hallows from Harry Potter. It will have the circle in the middle with a line through it and a triangle on the outside. It will look something like this.

 

 

So far I have layed out my design on thick tape ,(so it will stay)  and I am ready to solder. After I am done soldering I can attach this to a chain through the jump ring on the circle. I am going to be interested to see how this pendant comes out, after all this is only my first try.