In the first couple of weeks of the project, I have learned some very interesting things about spaceflight including some history, the physics of rocket engines and some orbital mechanics.
First, I learnt that the first successful Mars mission was Mariner 4 in July of 1965. This mission’s primary objectives were to photograph the Martian surface, take readings of the magnetic field around Mars and probing for Plasma rays. This mission helped solidify the basic process of getting to Mars since it was finally practically applied. Next, I learnt how rocket engines help a spacecraft leave the gravitational well of a planet. This is roughly achieved through the mixture of a fuel, such as methane, liquid hydrogen or kerosene and an oxidizer such as liquid oxygen. When these two types of chemicals meet and a chemical reaction is started, the chemical energy in the bonds of the molecules gets released as thermal, light and kinetic energy. These molecules are then ejected through the bottom of the rocket at immense speeds and due to Newton’s Third Law, the rocket is then accelerated upwards. Engines must be engineered very precisely because the reactions that take place in the combustion chamber can destroy the entire rocket if they are uncontrolled. Finally, I built on my previous knowledge of orbital mechanics through the research. From prior experience, I knew the definitions of different parts of an orbit such as the periapsis, apoapsis, ascending and descending node. However, through the research, I have learnt that there are different types of spatial trajectories which correspond to different energies of a system. A circular or elliptical orbit has an energy of less than 0 and an eccentricity of less than 1. This means that the path is bound and will continue indefinitely unless an external force is applied. A parabolic orbit is achieved when the energy level is exactly 0 and the eccentricity is 1. This type of orbit is called an escape orbit when leaving a planetary system and a capture orbit when coming into one. Finally, a hyperbolic trajectory is an trajectory where the energy level is more than 0. This means that there is excess energy in the trajectory and it would affect the characteristics of the orbit you create in the next system. This type of orbit is used for transfers as it is very efficient to make large course changes close to the body you are leaving. Although I have learnt quite a lot about spaceflight history, rocket engines and orbital mechanics, there is a lot more I need to learn in the coming weeks.
The process of this research was mostly independent so far. However, my group has met a couple of times to plan the website and the general direction of the project. This learning experience is very rewarding for me as I get to learn about something I am very interested in and get to share it with the class. All of us have many strengths that we can contribute to the project and ideas we would like to incorporate, so we are keeping a list of these ideas to ensure we do not miss anything good. In the coming weeks, we are going to finalize a website design and host our blogs on it, continue researching the aspects of physics that relate to our project, compile information for the website and start making the simulation that would be a part of our TED-style video.
Journey To Mars 
Leave a comment