Final Conclusions--Motivations and Rewards

    When you look up the sky, you can see stars. It is magnificent. From ancient to present, people are always stunned by starry nights.

    Due to the touch from sky, people want to know more about what is behind the beautiful scenery. We are curious about why and how a phenomenon happens.

    1.Here is Jupiter. There is a famous theory called the three-circulation on earth. Similarly, there are several circulations on Jupiter. Since Jupiter is much bigger, there are more circulations. On Jupiter, we can categorize the surface into two types, zones and belts, according to atmospheric movements. Zone looks brighter and air descends there, so the top of Troposphere(對流層) is lower and thus warmer. Belt is the opposite. Between belts and zones are jet streams which are  fast airflows. There is also a strong west wind jet stream on earth.

    The red spot is actually an anticyclone (反氣旋) twice bigger than the earth in size. Unlike a cyclone on earth which only last for few days, the red spot on Jupiter has already existed for 300 years . What makes it last for so long? Scientists thinks that it receives energy from the jet streams nearby.

    2.Here is 2015 Nobel Prize in physics. The experiments lead to the result-------three kinds of neutrinos can change identity with one another. If a particle can change identity, it can not be massless. Therefore, neutrinos have mass. This discovery conflict with standard model, so the model must be modified. Besides, neutrinos are the second numerous particle in the universe (photons are the most), so the fact that they have mass will change our understanding of universe significantly.

    Besides, people desire to get closer to the sky. Therefore, rocket was invented. This is the famous movie called "October Sky". In a city called “Coalwood” in West Virginia ,people do not dream much about future. Parents believe that children should either play football or become a miner. It seems that there are no other options for career. However, the boys wanted to do something different. They had a dream of building their own rocket. They started from collecting materials, producing fuel, and designing launching equipment. After several failures, they finally accomplished a rocket and launched it successfully.

    Nowadays, there are several rocket companies share the same dream, determination, and bravery with the boys in the movie. Two of them I want to mention are SpaceX and ARRC.

    1.SpaceX is a private company that designs, manufactures, and launches rockets and spacecrafts. It was established in 2002, by Elon Musk, who is also the CEO of Paypal, Tesla, and SolarCity. According to statistics, when a rocket is launched, fuel costs only takes up 0.3% of the overall expense. In other words, most of the expense is spent on the rocket. Therefore, if we can reuse the rocket, the costs would be reduced by a huge amount. The objective of SpaceX is to build reusable rockets and send millions of people to establish a colonial on Mars in the end.

 Although it seems crazy, his dream may actually be possible one day. SpaceX has made great progress. They have successfully launched two rockets (Falcon1 and Falcon 9) to reach orbits, and sent a spacecraft (Dragon) to supply International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX is the first private company to have made these achievements. The accomplishment won SpaceX a USD1.6 billion contract, according to which SpaceX is to run12 missions of supplying ISS for NASA.

    Although there is still a long way to go, we can expect a surprising future of SpaceX.

   2.ARRC is a Taiwanese organization that makes rockets. Members come from 6 universities (including 交大、成大、屏科大...）Their goal is to produce a made-in-Taiwan rocket.

  They started from the very beginning-----learning the basic concepts of how rockets work. They manufacture many components in the factory by themselves and even made a parachute by watching videos on YouTube. Since many companies are competing in the rocket market, the founder of ARRC promised to make even cheaper rockets than SpaceX. They have invented an exclusive hybrid propulsion system which is safer and also in low cost.

    People often ask why they are willing to do something without a certain outcome even though they are teased as idiots. The answer is obvious------to prove that Taiwan’s technological skills do not fall behind the world. In fact, they may even exceed global standards. Rockets are extremely complicated, requiring the combination of science and engineering. Therefore, if we successfully launch a rocket, it means that we are able to solve problems and actually produce a huge product by our own. It will transform the technology industry from mere manufacture to design.

    Boys in October sky, SpaceX ,and ARRC have some spirit in common. They are all courageous to be different and they stick to their dream although it seems impossible to reach in the beginning. Eventually, they all made some accomplishment. So, the point is that when we face all difficulties, will we actually stick to our dream or compromise due to reality? It is really the decision which makes all the difference.

    Exploring the universe is a dream that people have been pursuing for thousands of years. No matter you are simply touched by the stars ,curious about how air circulates on Mars and the importance of neutrino, or eager to make a rocket and actually approach space. We often get inspirations from nature and also from the people who seek better answers in nature.

Air Circulations on Jupiter

Air circulations on earth transfer energy from lower latitude to higher latitude, so energy distribution becomes more uniform on each region. However, this mechanism also works on other planets such as Jupiter.

On Jupiter, the main composition of atmosphere is H2 and He. On the other hand, CH4 , H2O, NH3, and H2S only take up little fractions. The atmosphere can also be divided into a few layers by how temperature differs in terms of height , similar to earth.

There is a famous theory called the three-circulation on earth. Similarly, there are several circulations on Jupiter. Since Jupiter is much bigger, there are more circulations. On Jupiter, we can categorize the surface into two types, zones and belts, by atmospheric movements. Zone looks brighter and air descends there, so the top of Troposphere(對流層) is lower and therefore it is warmer. Belt is the opposite. Between belts and zones are jet streams which means a fast airflow. Just like there is strong west wind jet stream on earth.

The red spot is actually an anticyclone (反氣旋) twice of the earth size. Unlike a cyclone on earth only last for few days, the red spot on Jupiter has already existed for 300 years . What makes it last for so long? Scientists thought that it receives energy from the jet streams around.

Doesn't it sounds amazing? What we are all familiar on earth (air circulation, jet stream, cyclone...) also happens on other planets in different appearances!

Find the Touch from Sky

    I had a lecture from professor Wei-Hsin Sun (孫維新 ) this Tuesday, so I am going to share my reflections with you.

    "Does anyone look up the sky and see a crescent moon on the way to this classroom?" Only one-tenth students raised their hands. "Do you know what is remarkable today in astronomy?" "It is actually the best day to watch meteor showers in Leo(獅子座)." However, less than ten students noticed this information. At that time, I found that how unaware we are toward the nature. Urban children are seldom stunned by a starry night. When I first saw the sky covered with stars in Taidong, it was just magnificent. Stars seemed so bright and huge. I stared at the sky without a word. How long haven't you looked up the sky? Slow down sometimes, you will find amazing scenery. 

     "Gaining and sharing knowledge are the happiest things in the world." You never know that why there is Fibonacci number hidden in the sunflower and pineapple. Nature is mysterious, it always arranges itself in the most beneficial way. Science is everywhere. Can you imagine how fried bread sticks are made contains complex chemical reactions? Every day you open your eyes in the morning, you are so excited because there is so much to learn.

    Every time I heard a lecture from the professor, I rediscovered my aspiration in nature and science. Always remember that "Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." and never forget to appreciate the amazing sky. Here is the video of Leonid shower this week.

Simple "Rocket Science"

Want a Personal Satellite? CubeSat is a Good Choice !

    

    Do you want a satellite of your own? Are you eager to point at a glowing ball in the sky and shout " That is my satellite!" ? Today, it is possible to fulfill your dream because of "CubeSat". So, what is a CubeSat?  CubeSat is a mini cube-shaped satellite, size 10*10*10 cm^3, and weight 1-2kg. CubeSat originated from Stanford. At that time, the teacher wanted students to practice problem-solving skills by doing a complete engineering project---to imitate the first satellite "Sputnick" . Since then, CubeSat has prospered .

   What can a CubeSat do? Its functions vary from photographing, observations , scientific measurements to communicating. Because CubeSat is in Low Earth Orbit, it is easy to capture the most beautiful scene of Earth. For example, the aurora (極光) . If you are a lover of astronomy, you can also choose your target and observe it every day. If you are interested in business, you can monitor some human activities by collecting big data and then make a better decision based on your data. If you are fond of atmospheric science, by placing certain sensors on the satellite, you can measure the temperature and density of some particles in Ionosphere(電離層) . Besides amateur use , it will also appear in a NASA's project on Mars in 2016.

    CubeSat is actually a trend , meaning the populace get involved in space. The universe is not scientists and astronomers' exclusive world anymore, it is a great treasure that everyone shares!

    This is someone's handmade CubeSat.

  Here is a video from Discovery News.

Make Taiwan's Rocket------ Introduction of ARRC

    ARRC is a Taiwanese organization that makes rockets. Members are from 6 universities (including 交大、成大、屏科大...）Their goal is to produce an entirely MIT rocket. Nowadays, many countries are able to make rockets such as Japan, India, and Korea. However, whenever we launch a satellite , we need to lend other's equipment. It is expensive and inconvenient. The founder of ARRC, a mechanical engineering professor, discovered this problem and decided to solve it. Eventually, a group of several passionate students and professors formed.

    They started from the very beginning-----learning the basic concepts of how rockets work. They manufacture many components in the factory by themselves and even made a parachute by watching videos on YouTube. Since many companies are competing in the rocket market, the founder of ARRC promised to make even cheaper rockets than SpaceX. They invent exclusive hybrid propulsion system which is safer. ARRC's rockets are small and light, aimed in lower orbits.

    People often ask why they are willing to do something without a certain future. The answer is obviously------to prove that technology in Taiwan do not fall behind the world, it may even exceed the world. Rockets are extremely complicated, requiring different fields of science and engineering. Therefore, if we successfully launch a rocket, it means that we are able to solve problems and actually produce a huge product by our own. It will change the technology industry from merely manufacture to design.

Here is the video and official website.
http://arrc.tw/

SpaceX: A Company With Crazy Dreams

    SpaceX is a company for designing ,manufacturing, and launching rockets and spacecrafts. It was established in 2002, by Elon Musk, also a CEO of Paypal, Tesla, and SolarCity.

   Comparing with NASA which requires extremely high cost to commit a space mission, SpaceX's goal is to reduce the cost. In the past, only government organizations were able to enter space. However, in recent years, more and more private companies involve in this great market such as SpaceX and Boeing. There are two reasons for this phenomenon. First, private companies are considered more efficient because it lacks complicated procedures of examination and permission, so it is easier to focus on technology itself. Second, due to business competition, private companies are forced to cut down the cost.

    According to the statistics, when a rocket is launched, the fuel only takes up 0.3% of the whole expense. In other words, the rocket itself is the major cost. Therefore, if we can reuse the rocket, the cost will be highly reduced. The objective of SpaceX is to build reusable rockets and send millions of people to Mars in the end. "Ultimately, the thing that is super important in the grand scale of history is—are we on a path to becoming a multi- species or not? If we’re not, that’s not a very bright future. We’ll just be hanging out on Earth until some eventual calamity claims us," Musk said.

   

    

    Musk's dream is to establish a colonial on Mars. Though it seems crazy, it may actually be possible one day. To achieve the goal, SpaceX makes great progress. They successfully launched two rockets (Falcon1 and Falcon 9) to reach orbits ,and send a spacecraft (Dragon) to supply International Space Station (ISS) .This is the first private company to make these achievements which enables SpaceX to win a 1.6 billion contrast from NASA for 12 missions of supplying ISS.

    Although there is still a long way to go, we can expect the surprising future of SpaceX.

2015 Nobel Prize in Physics: Secret of Neutrinos Uncovered

     The Nobel Prize in physics this year was announced several days ago, awarded to two scientists who had solved the puzzles of neutrinos.

What we know before:

1. In 1930, Wolfgang Pauli first predicted a particle that is extremely light, uncharged, and inactive exist in beta decay due to the conservation of energy.

beta decay equation:  p → n + e+ + ν(neutrino)

2.In 1938, an Italian scientist proposed an elegant theory of neutrino.

3.In 1956, two Americans discovered neutrinos in the detector of nuclear power

plant. The breakthrough proved that neutrinos are real particles.

4.In standard model, it is said that "There are three kinds of neutrinos, and all of  them are massless."

  electron-neutrino (e)

  muon-neutrino (μ)

  tau-neutrino (τ)

Something unknown:

    Neutrinos remained plenty of secrets since 1930, among them, there was a bizarre phenomenon that confused scientists for decades. We can calculate the total neutrinos created from the Sun due to nuclear reactions. However, we only observe 1/3 of the numbers of neutrinos. Where is the missing 2/3 ?

Brief introduction of 2015 Nobel Prize in physics:

There are two major experiments to answer the question.

1.Super-Kamiokande (Japan)

    It is a 40m-in -depth water tank 1000m below earth surface. When neutrinos from cosmic radiation (宇宙射線) pass through the tank, some of them will collide with water, and particular blue light (Cherenkov light) will be emitted. Since electron neutrino and muon neutrino produce light with different intensity, we can differentiate the two particles. In the end, they discover that muon neutrinos from the top of the tank are more than the ones from the bottom of the tank( which means it comes from the other side of earth and travel through the core of earth).However, the number of electron neutrinos from both ways are equal. Therefore, scientists speculate that muon neutrinos transform into tau neutrinos when passing through the earth. Because the muon neutrinos from the bottom of the tank travel through earth in longer distance, more muon neutrinos change into tau neutrinos, and less muon neutrinos are left.

2.Sudburg Neutrino Observatory (SNO, Canada)

    The experimental device is similar to the one above, but the water inside is D2O instead of H2O for a higher possibility of collisions. We know that sun can only create electron neutrinos, and we can calculate the total theoretically. In the result, they detect only 1/3 of electron neutrinos comparing to the calculation. However, if they detect three kinds of neutrinos together, the number matches the calculation. So, the explanation to the bizarre phenomenon mentioned above is that neutrinos do not disappear, they change identities.

What's the influence:

    The two experiments lead to the same results-------three kinds of neutrinos can change identity with one another. If a particle can change identity, it can not be massless. Therefore, neutrinos have mass. This discovery conflict with standard model, so the model must be modified. Besides, neutrinos are the second numerous particle in the universe (photons are the most), so the fact that they have mass will change our understanding of universe significantly.

This is the announcement video:

If you want to read the whole article, please visit :

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2015/press.pdf

An introduction of "October Sky"

   
    Today I am going to talk about a movie called “October Sky”. It is a true story about four children who have a dream of making rockets on their own. The story is based on the childhood of Homer Hickam, who becomes an engineer at NASA when he grows up.
   
    In a city called “Coalwood” in West Virginia ,people do not dream much about future. Parents believe that children should either play football or become a miner. It seems that there are no other options for career.

    

    However, an event changes a boy’s life. One day ,people in the city are announced that Sputnik(the first satellite in the world) will be launched by Russia. Everyone looks up and watches a glowing ball crossing the sky. Suddenly, a dream comes into Homer's mind----to send a rocket into space.

   

    He soon begins his rocket project with three friends. They start from collecting materials, producing fuel, and designing equipment. After several failure, they finally accomplish a rocket and launch it successfully.

    During the process, they encounter parents' objection and teachers' suspicion of causing danger. Nonetheless, they prove themselves by presenting their rocket at national science fair. They even receive Von Braun (an authority on rocket design)'s appreciation and eventually win scholarships to college.

    I think that there are plenty of stories about chasing after dreams ,but when facing all difficulties, will we actually stick to our dream or compromise due to reality? It is really the decision which makes all the difference.
In the end, I would like to share the trailer of the movie. Hope you can follow your dreams!

Do you know what is the beginning of space race? The story began in World War 2. At that time, Germans were not allowed to do research on long-range cannon due to the contract after World War 1. However, they didn't give up easily, and they came up with a smart idea-----to develop missile instead of cannon. After years of struggling by a group of distinguished engineers, they finally invented the first missile called V2 with rocket engine. Therefore, V2 is considered the first rocket in the world. Below is V2,launched in 1943.



When the war came to the end, Germany surrendered. America and Soviet Union saw the bright future of rocket. The two nations started to recruit engineers from the previous team of V2 and also took advantage of their resources. Technology and talented engineers from V2 built the foundation of space race. Below is the most famous engineers recruited by Americans.



With such good resources, America and Soviet Union began their competition. Unfortunately, Soviet Union took the cake at first. It was 1957, the news reported that the first artificial satellite (Sputnik----- only 58 cm in diameter, and weigh 83.6 kg) was launched. People all over the world was astonished, especially was Americans. America soon developed another satellite which was called TV3. However, it dropped down after launch in 2 seconds. This was a great shame of Americans.



In twenty years of space race, both two nations provided plenty of projects, including sending astronauts into space, landing on Moon......Although it really consumed lots of resources, one thing undebatable is that countless of scientific discoveries were the amazing products remain. Below is the first man into space.



As a result, I talk about some stories in space race because I think that was the period when human started to get a key to explore the universe.

In the end, I want to share a video about space race. Hope you enjoy it!