Letter

Dear Commander Lewis,

 

I know you feel like it might all be your fault but it’s not, you did what you were supposed to.  You were being a good leader I know it was a hard choice to make but you made the right one.  I am supportive of your decision because you thought I was dead and I don’t blame you.  I did get stabbed by a antenna during the dust storm. Instead of you waiting to see if I was ok you acted fast.  Instead of risking all y’all’s lives you saved your self and the others.  So please don’t beat yourself up because you left me stranded on Mars, I’ll  be fine, well hopefully.   You’re the greatest leader I have ever know because you work well under pressure and you make great choices.  I am glad you were my leader I would choose no other person as a leader. THANK YOU.

 

You’re probably wondering what i’m up to right know, I am doing well. My potato farm is doing marvelous. You might wonder how I made the potato farm.  Pretty simple I took the martian soil mixed it with earth soil sample I have.  Then once that was done mixing I had to add fertilizer which was simple. Later I planted the potatoes and now they are growing well. Know after the meal pacs run out I won’t starve to death as fast.

 

                                                                              Sincerely,

                                                                          Mark watney

The M.A.V.

                                                                                      The M.A.V.

The Mars Ascent Vehicle, or the MAV, is a NASA exploration vehicle. It is being built for three missions potentially starting in 2018.  The first mission is to collect a cache of samples.   The second mission is to land, receive and launch the samples into Mars orbit.    The third one is to rendezvous with the orbiting sample container and return them to Earth for study.

                 The   MAV will be the first  vehicle to be launched from a different  planetary body.  The MAV is constrained  by both the    lander and EDL (Entry,Descendants,and Landing system) for mass and volume.

                  One of the biggest challenges of the MAV is the conditions which vehicle must survive in. The MAV will experience vibration and shock loads during Earth launch and Mars EDL; in some cases exceeding a sustained deceleration greater than 15-g’s while stowed.  The MAV must be stowed in a horizontal position relative to the lander during Earth launch.  Also one of the biggest challenges of the MAV is the environments the vehicle must survive.  One of the biggest challenges of the  MAV  is the environments the  vehicle must survive.  The MAV must operate in the cold temperatures that will be on Mars.  In the worse case temperatures on the surface of Mars may reach up to  -100oC (or 147o F).

                   A potential option is to perform high altitude flight tests launched from a balloon platform.  NASA’s   Balloon Program evaluated the potential to complete the MAV tests at high altitude and found that the balloons provide a feasible option, but may have a risk due to the potential range of the MAV.   The first flight of the vehicle must have a safe range of approximately 940 mile radius!  This range is so large that there are few places on Earth that can accommodate the MAV balloon launch.

       Another problem with the MAV development is how to test the vehicle on Earth.  They have demonstrated a high failure rate, greater than   20 percent, during the first few flights of a new vehicle.   A 20 percent failure   rate would be unacceptable.   So the full vehicle must first demonstrate the ability to survive the environments and   meet the performance requirements of the mission.  The Mars flight environment is difficult to replicate on Earth.  The Mars gravity is 38 percent that of Earth, but more importantly, the Mars atmosphere is only one percent that of Earth, and the MAV will be at vacuum before performing its  circularization maneuver.   On Earth, the initial atmospheric  conditions to demonstrate the aerodynamic loads can be closely replicated with a launch from an altitude  of 27.5 km.  On Earth,  however;  the maneuver would still be within the Earth’s atmosphere and could achieve orbit.

Just Believe

Penny is free to do whatever.

Like put on a sweater.

Melody can’t do something that simple.

She is like a caged animal.

Waiting to be freed.

Starting to lose hope.

still waiting to be freed.

Also learning to believe.

She now knows if she believes she will be forever free.

 

 

So Long 5th Grade

The most important thing I learned was nothing is going to be handed to you you have to work for it.

My favorite project was I wonder.

I was surprised most by how fast the year went by.

The thing I dislike most is leaving.