Space Potatoes| Breakthrough
Breakthrough
Can your engine make it?
Summary
We use differential equations to determine whether the engine created by the user is enough to break through the atmosphere. Can you tweak the initial parameters so that you don't die?
How We Addressed This Challenge
This project aims to excite people into pursuing science and especially rocket science. Using fairly precise equations, the user must set the initial parameters, such as the type of the engine, the mass of the fuel and the dimensions of the spacecraft. Then, graphs showing the height and the speed of the spacecraft indicate how the rocket is performing in this "simulation". If the user can reach above 110km (the limit of the standard atmosphere) , the user wins this simulation and survives if we were placed inside the aircraft. However, if he didn't take supplies with him, the chances of survival are slim. He would also not survive and crash and burn to the ground because of his ignorance in rocket science :)
How We Developed This Project
We initially thought of the GUI of the interactive webpage and developed the physics using several online sources, such as wikipedia. Then, we developed the code for the website and the simulation. We categorized different types of engines and their capabilities and wrote information regarding their function, for the ones interested.
How We Used Space Agency Data in This Project
We used a table of atmospheric densities at different altitudes in order to solve our equations that include air resistance, which is dependent on the density of the atmosphere.
Project Demo
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/d3bwrvux4g4weuh/AAD4N3vfJ6UaYE15bRuRZoxba?dl=0
For the documentation use document.pdf
http://canmyenginemakeit.co/
Project Code
Data & Resources
https://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/atmosmet.html