Mission Space Lab

Experiência

What is the ISS's movement and what is the energy of the Earth+ISS system?

Using the Accelerometer (that gives us measures according a cartesian coordinate system for the 3 axis (X,Y and Z)) we will measure the intensity and the direction of the gravitational force that Earth exercises on the ISS and the Objects inside the station. This will be possible because the ISS and the Objects in them are in a freefall.

With the measurable values of acceleration that actuate on the ISS, we can not only get to the centripetal acceleration module or normal (which is the acceleration of the gravity), but also the acceleration module which results from a resistance force to the movement of the ISS due to the existence of some Atmosfere from the heights it orbits in turn of Earth. Consequently, the orbit will decay leading to the loss of altitude which implies that periodically, orbital impulses must be done to re establish the ISS in the right orbit.

Considering that the orbit of the ISS is circular, and during some consecutive orbits, we can consider the movement as uniform and circular, allowing to get to the altitude at which the ISS orbits, the module of its orbital speed and the mechanical energy of the Earth+ISS system.

As corollary we can conclude the variation of potential gravitational energy of the system in cause and try to calculate the constant of the turbulence of the fluid that goes through it.

Topics:

1. Characterize the acceleration of the ISS, with base on the information given from the accelerometer, and , consequently the type of movement;

2. Determine the altitude at which the ISS Orbits, with base on its acceleration, mass from Earth, universal gravity constant and the médium ray of Earth;

3. Calculate the distance that the ISS travelled during a complete Orbit;

4. Characterize the orbital speed of the ISS, with base on the distance travelled during a complete orbit and the time it takes;

5. Determine the mechanic energy of the Earth+ISS system, with base on the Earth’s mass and the ISS’s mass, Universal Gravitational constant, orbital ray and the module of the orbital speed of the ISS;

6. Determine what is the variation of the potential gravitic energy of the Earth+ISS system;

7. Calculate the module of the resulting force of resistance to the movement of the ISS;

8. Calculate the constant of the turbulence of the fluid with travels through the ISS.

Support Site: ISSTracker

On our experiment we will use the Sense Hat of the raspberry pi to get our data, using the Accelerometer we will get the intensity and the direction of the gravitational force that the earth exercises on the ISS and its objects, we will also gather data of the acceleration of the ISS and the Heights its in. We will also be displaying the data/results using the Sense Hat’s Led matrix.