Welcome Space Travelers!

Here we are already in November, you know my favorite astronauts that we will be traveling at warp speed through November and then into December.  In December we are only in school for a few weeks and then VACATION!!! That’s as exciting as walking in space!  Oh and by the way we have parent conferences in a few weeks, I look forward to talking with your parents about what great students each of you are!  Stay the course and keep your lazar gun on stun as we encounter strange creatures along our journey!

THIS WEEK:   This week we continue to work on fractions, multiplying and finding equivalent fractions.  Remember always ask yourself can I shrink - simplify the fraction when im done with it!

CALCULATOR !!!  Trust me you’re going to want a fraction calculator!!

SPACE  FACT: Millennium Falcon Lego Star War Set

  Kids ages 9 to 14 will be happy the old man got the tractor beam out of commission when they blast off with the Millennium Falcon LEGO Star Wars Set. Straight from the Death Star escape scene of Episode IV: A New Hope, this replica of Han Solo's iconic starship is crafted from more than 1,200 LEGO pieces for a detailed, articulating display. With twin flick missiles, rotating laser cannons, and detachable cockpit cover, this Millennium Falcon set's got more than a few surprises left in it.

Detailed Design Features Articulating Panels and Turrets

The numerous details on this modified Corellian Engineering Corporation YT-1300 freighter would impress even Luke Skywalker. Measuring more than 15 inches wide and 4 inches tall when completed, this model accurately depicts the famous Millennium Falcon, from its distinctive round shape to its right-hand cylindrical cockpit.

Rotating top- and bottom-mounted quad-laser turrets, detachable cockpit cover, and firing twin flick rockets are just some of the cool features included in this model.

Let Kids Recreate Scenes

This set includes LEGO mini-figures of Han Solo, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, and Darth Vader, so you can replay your favorite scenes from the movie.

Place figures outside the ship to have Obi-Wan and Vader duel, or place them inside the opening hull to play chess, hide in the smuggling compartments, or observe Luke's remote training. For enhanced play, the set includes three light sabers, three blasters, and one crossbow.

Building Your Own Millennium Falcon

With 1,254 LEGO pieces, the Millennium Falcon took more than four hours for our testers to construct. Split between two adult builders, these hours provided a fun time to reminisce about favorite Star Wars moments.

A large percentage of the pieces come in shades of gray, and approaching construction requires a bit of organization and discipline. Detailed step-by-step instructions help ensure that construction is a relatively straightforward process, despite the complexity of the finished model.

As impressive as the finished model may be, our testers noted a few minor oversights worth mentioning. For starters, there are no mini-figures of C-3PO or R2D2 included, making the scene reconstruction feel incomplete. Also, only Han Solo and Chewbacca are capable of fitting in the cockpit. However, considering the amount of overall detail included in this model, any Star Wars fan would be delighted to proudly put it on display.

What's in the Box

LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon set (1,254 pieces), two instruction booklets, and sticker sheet.

Product Description

Straight from the Death Star escape scene of Episode IV: A New Hope, the all-new LEGO Millennium Falcon features stunning details, like hull plates that open to reveal a detailed interior, twin flick missiles, rotating quad laser cannons and detachable cockpit cover. Featuring Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Ben Kenobi, Princess Leia Organa and Darth Vader, can you rewrite history and help Ben Kenobi defeat his evil nemesis from the dark side?

 

BLOG QUESTIONS: SEE SPACE FACT: Millennium Falcon Lego Star War Set

1) How many pieces are there in the Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon set_______?  Write that out in expanded form__________.

2) How many hours did it take the testers to build the Millennium Falcon set_________?  If it takes 1 person the same amount of time, and two people can work twice as fast, then how long would it take two people to build the Millennium Falcon_________?

3) How many miniature figures comes with the set____________?  Of the miniature figures what is the fraction of animals to people - write out the numerator and denominator.  Remember the numerator is part of the enchilada and the denominator is the WHOLE enchilada!

4) What is the difference between the ages of those who will be happy to have this set_______?

GONZAGA MENS BASKETBALL   

COUNT DOWN... 12 days till the first game... is on the 28th ... how EXCITING!

Fri, Nov 11 Eastern Washington Spokane, Wash. TBA

Mon, Nov 14 Washington State Spokane, Wash. 9 p.m.

Sat, Nov 26 Western Michigan (Ronald McDonald House Charities) Spokane, Wash. (Spokane Arena) 1 p.m.

Wed, Nov 30 Notre Dame Spokane, Wash. 8:15 p.m.

Sat, Dec 03 Illinois Champaign, Ill. 12:15 p.m.

Sat, Dec 10 Michigan State Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.

Thu, Dec 15 Oral Roberts Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.

Sat, Dec 17 Arizona (Battle In Seattle) Seattle, Wash. (KeyArena) 1 p.m.

Tue, Dec 20 Butler Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.

Thu, Dec 22 Air Force Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.

Wed, Dec 28 Portland * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.

Sat, Dec 31 Xavier Cincinnati, Ohio 5 p.m.

Thu, Jan 05 Pepperdine * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.

Sat, Jan 07 Santa Clara * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.

Thu, Jan 12 Saint Mary's * Moraga, Calif. 8 p.m.

Sat, Jan 14 Loyola Marymount * Los Angeles, Calif. TBA

Thu, Jan 19 San Francisco * Spokane, Wash. TBA

Sat, Jan 21 San Diego * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.

Thu, Jan 26 Portland * Portland, Ore. 8 p.m.

Thu, Feb 02 BYU * Provo, Utah 7 p.m.

Sat, Feb 04 Pepperdine * Malibu, Calif. TBA

Thu, Feb 09 Saint Mary's * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.

Sat, Feb 11 Loyola Marymount * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.

Thu, Feb 16 Santa Clara * Santa Clara, Calif. 8 p.m.

Sat, Feb 18 San Francisco * San Francisco, Calif. TBA

Thu, Feb 23 BYU * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.

Sat, Feb 25 San Diego * San Diego, Calif. TBA

Remember MATH is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

As always, you are amazing, incredible people with the whole world waiting to be changed by YOU!

Mr. Rott

Classblog for October 24 - 28th

Welcome Space Travelers!

Wow... another month is almost over with... class time is moving so fast!  Now that we have started fractions, I would encourage you to make sure you are taking time to go over your notes, set aside time for your homework, it is HARDER and will continue to be harder.  If you pay attention in class, take notes, ask questions and do your homework I have no doubt that all of you can and will do excellent!

THIS WEEK:   This week we start multiplying fractions.  Along with multiplying fractions we will also continue to improve our skills with simplifying, remember any time you work with factions you HAVE to simplify.... reduce.. Shrink... letting the witch doctor lead you.

CALCULATOR !!!  Trust me your going to want a fraction calculator!!

SPACE  FACT:  FIRST AMERICAN TO ORBIT THE EARTHCape Canaveral, Fla., Feb. 20 -- John H. Glenn Jr. orbited three times around the earth today and landed safely to become the first American to make such a flight. The 40-year-old Marine Corps lieutenant colonel traveled about 81,000 miles in 4 hours 56 minutes before splashing into the Atlantic at 2:43 P.M. Eastern Standard Time.
He had been launched from here at 9:47 A. M.

The astronaut's safe return was no less a relief than a thrill to the Project Mercury team, because there had been real concern that the Friendship 7 capsule might disintegrate as it rammed back into the atmosphere.

There had also been a serious question whether Colonel Glenn could complete three orbits as planned. But despite persistent control problems, he managed to complete the entire flight plan.

Lands in Bahamas Area 

The astronaut's landing place was near Grand Turk Island in the Bahamas, about 700 miles southeast of here.

Still in his capsule, he was plucked from the water at 3:01 P. M. with a boom and block and tackle by the destroyer Noa. The capsule was deposited on deck at 3:04.

Colonel Glenn's first words as he stepped out onto the Noa's deck were: "It was hot in there."

He quickly obtained a glass of ice tea.

He was in fine condition except for two skinned knuckles hurt in the process of blowing out the side hatch of the capsule.

The colonel was transferred by helicopter to the carrier Randolph, whose recovery helicopters had raced the Noa for the honor of making the pick-up. After a meal and extensive "de-briefing" aboard the carrier, he was flown to Grand Turk by submarine patrol plane for two days of rest and interviews on technical, medical and other aspects of his flight.

Colonel Glenn first was set to wiggle out of the narrow top. But when difficulty was encountered in getting one of the bulkheads loose, the explosive side hatch was blown off, and the man from space stepped out on deck, apparently in excellent shape. He was soon afterward transferred to the carrier Randolph.

In the course of his three orbits, Colonel Glenn reported frequently to tracking stations at various points on earth and to the control center here. Invariably, he said that his condition was fine.

Shortly after Colonel Glenn was picked up by the Noa, he received congratulations on his feat from President Kennedy by radio telephone.

A situation that seemed at the moment to pose the greatest danger developed near the end of the flight.

Signal is ReceivedThe signal, received as the capsule was traveling between Hawaii and the West Coast, indicated that the heat shield had become unlatched from the main capsule body. This action was not intended to happen until the final stage of the parachute descent.

At that point, it would fall a few feet, and deploy, between it and the capsule base, a cloth landing bag to cushion the impact on the water.

Colonel Glenn was asked by radio to flip a switch to check whether the shield had, in fact, become unlatched. When the light did not go on, it appeared that the "unlatch" signal had been not working.

Colonel Glenn, apparently sensing possible serious trouble, asked: "What are the reasons for this? Do you have any reasons?'

Jettisoning was delayed today so that, in case the heat shield had become unlatched, the rocket-packet straps would hold the shield in place until this function was taken over by the force of re-entry into the atmosphere.

The package burned on re-entry. The heat shield did not drop away until it was supposed to. This indicated that the signal that had caused so much anxiety had, in fact, been a false one.

100,000 See LaunchingThe whole continent watched on television as Colonel Glenn's capsule was launched. The world listened by radio. And almost 100,000 persons had a direct view from here and the beaches around as the Atlas rocket booster bore the Project Mercury capsule upward with a thrust of 360,000 pounds.

The Friendship 7 was lofted into a trajectory that varied between a low point, of about ninety-nine miles, and a high point of 162 miles.

It traveled at a speed of about 17,530 miles an hour and went from day to night three times before whirling east across the Pacific on the final leg of the flight.

The elated astronaut on board radioed, "Boy, that was a real fireball of a ride!" as the capsule rammed back into the atmosphere.

Besides generating heat that gave him a spectacular moment of fireworks outside his capsule window, the re-entry ended Colonel Glenn's long hours of weightlessness and shoved him forcefully back against his contoured couch.

At 2:43 P. M., a sixty-three foot red-and-white parachute deposited the Friendship 7 on gentle Caribbean waters.

After the capsule had been picked up by the Noa and safely placed on her deck, Colonel Glenn emerged triumphant in his gleaming silver space suit.
 
He had a "bungee" chord -- a "king size rubberband" -- on which he was to pull, like an oarsman pulling oars, to see how his blood pressure was affected by exercise when he was in a weightless state.

He had a medical kit of spring-loaded needles with which he could give himself various injections. One was to suppress nausea or other symptoms of motion sickness. (Colonel Glenn reported frequently that weightlessness bothered him not at all.)

Under his flying suit Colonel Glenn wore a plastic tube and container for bladder relief.

As the sun rose, the low-hanging clouds disappeared, and left conditions here as ideal as anyone ever had seen them. The weather in key recovery areas at sea was equally perfect.

While waiting for the count to proceed, Colonel Glenn had a chance to talk by phone with wife Anna, his 16-year-old son David, and his 15-year-old daughter Lynn. They watched the proceedings on TV from their home in Arlington, Va.

Visually, there was nothing particularly memorable about take-off, at 9:47. Emotionally, the atmosphere was charged, because a man was going into orbit.

There were the usual cries of "Go! Go!" at take-off. Tears came to the eyes of some viewers, in the blockhouse, at the observer's stand two miles from the launching pad, and on the beaches. But, generally, the emotions were held in. Everyone waited.

Colonel Glenn apparently had a fine, exhilarating time, right from the start. He experienced some vibration along with acceleration force, as he climbed through the atmosphere.

Then it smoothed out; the rocket burning stopped; the acceleration switched abruptly to weightlessness; and the capsule automatically turned its blunt end forward for the almost five hours he was to be in orbit.

"Capsule is turning around," he radioed. "Oh, that view is tremendous."

He was the professional test pilot, and at the same time a human being experiencing pure joy. The tone was full of enthusiasm.

On the first orbit, over the Canary Islands, Colonel Glenn reported that "the horizon is a brilliant blue."

One after another of the stations in the eighteen-station world-wide tracking net locked its radar on the Friendship 7, and most of them established voice communications with the astronaut on board.

Colonel Glenn received a special greeting from the citizens of Perth, Australia, who turned on the lights all over town.

"Thank everybody for turning them on," he radioed. About there, too he tried the first of the special foods prepared for consumption in orbit, where there is no gravity to let liquids pour or meats stay on a dish. He ate tubes of food and meat, and malted milk tablets.

An odd phenomenon occurred when he was within range of Guaymas, Mexico. He reported "luminous particles around the capsule- just thousands of them- right at sunrise over the Pacific."
 
The moment of decision came near the end of the second orbit. Colonel Glenn was reporting continued erratic behavior of the controls, apparently even with the manual system- the alternative to the one that originally malfunctioned.

He also was reporting warning light indicating that hydrogen peroxide fuel for at least one of the systems was getting low.

To many experts listening to these events unfold, there seemed no alternative to bringing Colonel Glenn back at the end of the second orbit rather than risking another circuit.

But the astronaut thought he could handle the situation without excessive trouble.

Between the technical talk, there was time for joking- the exuberance of a man, who, no matter how experienced in combat and test flying, had never done anything quite like this.

Then he got down to the business of preparing himself for the critical firing of the braking rockets and the re-entry into the atmosphere.

Today's flight gave the United States, by any standards, its greatest day in space.

The achievement, however, could still not be considered quite up to what the Russians had done.

Colonel Glenn's flight was two orbits more than were flown by Maj. Yuri A. Gagarin, the Soviet space man, last April 12 but fourteen less than another Russian, Maj. Gherman S. Titov, flew on Aug. 6.

In addition, there was some technical respects in which both Soviet orbital flights appeared to observers here to have an advantage: the size of the capsule orbited (five tons as against a ton and a half); the reliability of automatic controls; and the cabin atmosphere in which the pilot had to work.

But Colonel Glenn's trip was considered by most observers here to have gone a long way toward erasing this nation's "second-best" look in space.

BLOG QUESTIONS: SEE SPACE  FACT: FIRST AMERICAN TO ORBIT THE EARTH

1) Colonel Glenn was 40 years old when he orbited around the earth, how old were his children son_________ daughter__________ how old was he when his oldest child was born_______.

2) In the word MERCURY what is the fraction of vowels to total number of letters______?

3) The Friendship 7 was lofted into a trajectory that varied between a low point, of about ninety-nine miles, and a high point of 162 miles.  What is the difference between the two heights________?

4)  The 40-year-old Marine Corps lieutenant colonel traveled about 81,000 miles in 4 hours 56 minutes before splashing into the Atlantic.  If we round the 4 hours 56 minutes to 5 hours, and if you divide the 81,000 miles by 5 hours, how many miles did Colonel Gleen travel every hour of his flight_______?


GONZAGA MENS BASKETBALL           
Ok... we are now into October... first game... is on the 28th ... how EXCITING!
Fri, Oct 28 Carroll College (exhibit.) Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Fri, Nov 11 Eastern Washington Spokane, Wash. TBA
Mon, Nov 14 Washington State Spokane, Wash. 9 p.m.
Sat, Nov 26 Western Michigan (Ronald McDonald House Charities) Spokane, Wash. (Spokane Arena) 1 p.m.
Wed, Nov 30 Notre Dame Spokane, Wash. 8:15 p.m.
Sat, Dec 03 Illinois Champaign, Ill. 12:15 p.m.
Sat, Dec 10 Michigan State Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Thu, Dec 15 Oral Roberts Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Dec 17 Arizona (Battle In Seattle) Seattle, Wash. (KeyArena) 1 p.m.
Tue, Dec 20 Butler Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Thu, Dec 22 Air Force Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Wed, Dec 28 Portland * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Dec 31 Xavier Cincinnati, Ohio 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 05 Pepperdine * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Jan 07 Santa Clara * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 12 Saint Mary's * Moraga, Calif. 8 p.m.
Sat, Jan 14 Loyola Marymount * Los Angeles, Calif. TBA
Thu, Jan 19 San Francisco * Spokane, Wash. TBA
Sat, Jan 21 San Diego * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 26 Portland * Portland, Ore. 8 p.m.
Thu, Feb 02 BYU * Provo, Utah 7 p.m.
Sat, Feb 04 Pepperdine * Malibu, Calif. TBA
Thu, Feb 09 Saint Mary's * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 11 Loyola Marymount * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Feb 16 Santa Clara * Santa Clara, Calif. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 18 San Francisco * San Francisco, Calif. TBA
Thu, Feb 23 BYU * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 25 San Diego * San Diego, Calif. TBA

Remember MATH is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

As always, you are amazing, incredible people with the whole world waiting to be changed by YOU!

Mr. Rott

Mr. Rotts room blog for 17 - 21

Welcome Space Travelers!

Another day off.. That is pretty exciting and not only did you get the day off... but I did too! A great day for a quick trip to the moon... I hear its full of cheese .. What do you think?

THIS WEEK: So all of you are telling me you know the parts of a fraction and how to make fractions... and we have been working on adding and subtracting fractions with common denominators... we will continue with fractions this week and move into multiplying and dividing fractions.

CALCULATOR !!! Trust me your going to want a fraction calculator!!

SPACE FACT: THE PARTS OF A ROCKET

The structural system, or frame, is similar to the fuselage (body) of an airplane. The frame is made from very strong but light weight materials, like titanium (stronger than steel) or aluminum, and usually employs long "stringers" which run from the top to the bottom which are connected to "hoops" which run around the circumference (distance around). The "skin" is then attached to the stringers and hoops to form the basic shape of the rocket. The skin may be coated with a thermal protection system to keep out the heat of air friction during flight and to keep in the cold temperatures needed for certain fuels and oxidizers. Fins are attached to some rockets at the bottom of the frame to provide stability during the flight.

The payload (what they carry) system of a rocket depends on the rocket's mission. The earliest payloads on rockets were fireworks for celebrating holidays. The payload of the German V2, shown in the figure above, was several thousand pounds of explosives. Following World War II, many countries developed guided missiles armed with nuclear warheads for payloads. The same rockets were modified to launch satellites with a wide range of missions; communications, weather monitoring, spying, planetary exploration, and observatories, like the Hubble Space Telescope. Special rockets were developed to launch people into earth orbit and onto the surface of the Moon.

　
The guidance system of a rocket may include very sophisticated sensors, onboard computers, radars, and communication equipment to maneuver the rocket in flight. Many different methods have been developed to control rockets in flight. The V2 guidance system included small vanes in the exhaust of the nozzle to deflect the thrust from the engine. Modern rockets typically rotate the nozzle to maneuver the rocket. The guidance system must also provide some level of stability so that the rocket does not tumble in flight.

As you can see on the figure, most of a full scale rocket is propulsion system. There are two main classes of propulsion systems, liquid rocket engines and solid rocket engines. The (rocket 1) V2 used a liquid rocket engine consisting of fuel and oxidizer (propellant) tanks, pumps, a combustion chamber with nozzle, and the associated plumbing. The (rocket 2) Space Shuttle, (rocket 3) Delta II, and (rocket 4) Titan III all use solid rocket strap-ons.

The various rocket parts described above have been grouped by function into structure, payload, guidance, and propulsion systems. There are other possible groupings. For the purpose of weight determination and flight performance, engineers often group the payload, structure, propulsion structure (nozzle, pumps, tanks, etc.), and guidance into a single empty weight parameter. The remaining propellant weight then becomes the only factor that changes with time when determining rocket performance.

BLOG QUESTIONS: SEE SPACE FACT: ROCKETS...

  1) Looking at the parts of a rocket in the diagram above how many sections, what is the fraction of blue writing to the rest of the writing...
  2) Rocket Speed2
How fast does a rocket need to go in order to achieve orbit ( orbit means till it can travel around the earth..) _____________________?
  3) If you were in a rocket, you would be 1 out of what part of a rocket (see the diagram above)______?
  4) Would you want to walk on the moon or orbit the moon___________? What fraction of your class do you think would want to orbit or walk on the moon_________?

               GONZAGA MENS BASKETBALL

Do you feel it?  Come on you must... close your eyes and think DOG... BULLDOGS!!  The first game... is on the 28^th ... how EXCITING!

Fri, Oct 28 Carroll College (exhibit.) Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Fri, Nov 11 Eastern Washington Spokane, Wash. TBA Mon, Nov 14 Washington State Spokane, Wash. 9 p.m.
Sat, Nov 26 Western Michigan (Ronald McDonald House Charities) Spokane, Wash. (Spokane Arena) 1 p.m.
Wed, Nov 30 Notre Dame Spokane, Wash. 8:15 p.m.
Sat, Dec 03 Illinois Champaign, Ill. 12:15 p.m.
Sat, Dec 10 Michigan State Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Thu, Dec 15 Oral Roberts Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Dec 17 Arizona (Battle In Seattle) Seattle, Wash. (KeyArena) 1 p.m.
Tue, Dec 20 Butler Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Thu, Dec 22 Air Force Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Wed, Dec 28 Portland * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Dec 31 Xavier Cincinnati, Ohio 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 05 Pepperdine * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Jan 07 Santa Clara * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 12 Saint Mary's * Moraga, Calif. 8 p.m.
Sat, Jan 14 Loyola Marymount * Los Angeles, Calif. TBA
Thu, Jan 19 San Francisco * Spokane, Wash. TBA
Sat, Jan 21 San Diego * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 26 Portland * Portland, Ore. 8 p.m.
Thu, Feb 02 BYU * Provo, Utah 7 p.m.
Sat, Feb 04 Pepperdine * Malibu, Calif. TBA
Thu, Feb 09 Saint Mary's * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 11 Loyola Marymount * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Feb 16 Santa Clara * Santa Clara, Calif. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 18 San Francisco * San Francisco, Calif. TBA
Thu, Feb 23 BYU * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 25 San Diego * San Diego, Calif. TBA

Remember MATH is OUT OF THIS WORLD! 

As always, you are amazing, incredible people with the whole world waiting to be changed by YOU!

Mr. Rott

Classroom Blog for October 10 - 14

Welcome Space Travelers!

Well my favorite astronaut, I hope you each enjoyed your extra two days off and guess what you also get this Friday off... WOW.. Do you guys ever go to school? Yes, I was working away Thursday and Friday while you were um... oh yes doing your math homework and answering the blog question!.... I do hope you have a great time off!

THIS WEEK: We really enter deeper space with fractions this week. The work load is going to become much more difficult, I encourage you to keep working hard and stay focused! You are all doing great!! Find out on Monday how we can divide fractions up ... it might even taste good!

CALCULATOR !!! Trust me your going to want a fraction calculator!!

SPACE FACT:
WHO WAS THE FIRST MAN INTO SPACE?

April 12 was already a huge day in space history twenty years before the launch of the first shuttle mission. On that day in 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, making a 108-minute orbital flight in his Vostok 1 spacecraft.


Fifty years ago, an air force pilot named Yuri Gagarin became the first human being in space - taking the Soviet Union's own giant leap for mankind and spurring a humiliated America to race for the moon. The flight was limited to a single orbit due to concerns over how a human would cope with space travel, but despite the risks, competition for the mission was strong among the 20 young pilots on the short list.

Just three days before blastoff from what would later be known as the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Gagarin was told that he was chosen for the mission. In a letter to his wife, Valentina, he asked her to raise their daughters "not as little princesses, but as real people," and to feel free to remarry if his mission proved fatal.

Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space less than a month later.


The first cooperative human space flight project between the United States and the Soviet Union took place in 1975. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was designed to test the compatibility of rendezvous and docking systems for American and Soviet spacecraft and to open the way for future joint manned flights.

Since 1993, the U.S. and Russia have worked together on a number of other space flight projects. The Space Shuttle began visiting the Russian Mir space station in 1994, and in 1995 Norm Thagard became the first U.S. astronaut to take up residency on Mir.

Seven U.S. astronauts served with their Russian counterparts aboard the orbiting Mir laboratory from 1995 to 1998. The experience gained from the Mir cooperative effort, as well as lessons learned, paved the way for the International Space Station.

In-orbit construction on the Station began in November 1998, and it has been staffed non-stop with international crews since November 2000. The first Station crew, made up of U.S. commander Bill Shepherd and cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, was launched on board a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The crew returned to Earth on the Space Shuttle Discovery in March 2001.

BLOG QUESTIONS:
SEE SPACE FACT: WHO WAS THE FIRST MAN INTO SPACE?
1) What year did the International Space Station begin operation_______, and how many years has there been a crew on the sation__________?
2) How many minutes was the first space flight________, how many seconds is that________? To find out how many seconds the flight lasted did you use division or multiplication?
3) How many days before lift off did the Russian astronaut know that he was going into space_____? How many hours is that________?
4) What would you think about going into space?

                GONZAGA MENS BASKETBALL

Ok... we are now into October... first game... is on the 28th ... how EXCITING!
Fri, Oct 28 Carroll College (exhibit.) Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Fri, Nov 11 Eastern Washington Spokane, Wash. TBA
Mon, Nov 14 Washington State Spokane, Wash. 9 p.m.
Sat, Nov 26 Western Michigan (Ronald McDonald House Charities) Spokane, Wash. (Spokane Arena) 1 p.m.
Wed, Nov 30 Notre Dame Spokane, Wash. 8:15 p.m.
Sat, Dec 03 Illinois Champaign, Ill. 12:15 p.m. Sat, Dec 10 Michigan State Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Thu, Dec 15 Oral Roberts Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Dec 17 Arizona (Battle In Seattle) Seattle, Wash. (KeyArena) 1 p.m.
Tue, Dec 20 Butler Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Thu, Dec 22 Air Force Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Wed, Dec 28 Portland * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Dec 31 Xavier Cincinnati, Ohio 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 05 Pepperdine * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Jan 07 Santa Clara * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 12 Saint Mary's * Moraga, Calif. 8 p.m.
Sat, Jan 14 Loyola Marymount * Los Angeles, Calif. TBA
Thu, Jan 19 San Francisco * Spokane, Wash. TBA
Sat, Jan 21 San Diego * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 26 Portland * Portland, Ore. 8 p.m.
Thu, Feb 02 BYU * Provo, Utah 7 p.m.
Sat, Feb 04 Pepperdine * Malibu, Calif. TBA
Thu, Feb 09 Saint Mary's * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 11 Loyola Marymount * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Feb 16 Santa Clara * Santa Clara, Calif. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 18 San Francisco * San Francisco, Calif. TBA
Thu, Feb 23 BYU * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 25 San Diego * San Diego, Calif. TBA


Remember MATH is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

As always, you are amazing, incredible people with the whole world waiting to be changed by YOU!

Mr. Rott

Mr. Rotts Room Blog for Oct 3 - 5

Welcome Space Travelers!

This will be your first short week, that’s right you only have school for three days! WOW... what a deal for you! Guess I will have to give you extra homework to do over those two days off so you wont forget your math huh.... if you don’t like that idea you better talk to me or I will be sending you home with homework for those two days!


THIS WEEK: After scoring it big with our friendship bracelets and now how to make a gazillion on Ebay.... you will really need math to count all that loot you’ll be making! This short week we will be learning about types of fractions and start working with fractions with addition, and subtraction! Oh how do you spell fun? FRACTIONS!

CALCULATOR !!! As we start getting into fractions, trust me you are going to want a fraction calculator. How do you know if your calculator can do fractions, good question.... look to see if it has an ABC button on it.. If so easy peasy... you have a fraction calculator. If not and $$ is tight for you, talk to me and I will give you $5.00 towards the purchase of a calculator, they usually cost about 12 or 13 buckaroos!

SPACE FACT: What’s up with that Milky Way?

It has a halo, but you can’t directly see it.
The Milky Way has a halo of dark matter that makes up over 90% of its mass. Yes, 90%. That means that all of what we can see (with the naked eye or telescopes) makes up less than 10% of the mass of the Milky Way. Now, it doesn’t have a halo like those old cartoon characters that die, sprout wings and play a harp in the clouds. The halo is actually invisible, though we know it exists by running simulations of what the Milky Way would look like and how fast stars inside the galaxy’s disk orbit the center. The heavier it is, the faster they should be orbiting. If you assume that the galaxy is made up only of matter that we can see, then you get a rotation rate for the stars that is well below what it should be, so the rest is made up of what is elusively called “dark matter,” or matter that only interacts gravitationally (so far as we know) with “normal matter”.

It has over 200 billion stars
As galaxies go, the Milky Way is a middleweight. The largest galaxy known, IC 1101, has over 100 trillion stars, and other large galaxies can have more than a trillion stars. Smaller galaxies like the aforementioned Large Magellanic Cloud, have about 10 billion stars. The Milky Way has between 200-400 billion stars, but when you look up into the night sky the most you can see from any one point on the Earth is about 2,500. We aren’t stuck with this many stars forever, though, because the Milky Way is constantly losing stars – through supernovae – and producing stars, netting about seven stars per year

Guess what the Milky Way is really dusty and gassy. Gassy????
You may not think so by looking at it, but the Milky Way is full of dust and gas. And when I say full of dust, I mean that we can only see out about 6,000 light years into the disk of our own galaxy in the visible spectrum, and the galaxy is about 100,000 light years across! The dust and gas makes up a whopping 10-15% of the “normal matter” in the galaxy, with the remainder being stars. The thickness of the dust deflects visible light, as is explained here but infrared light can pass through the dust, which makes infrared telescopes like the Spitzer Space Telescope extremely valuable tools in mapping and studying the galaxy. Spitzer can peer through the dust to give us extraordinarily clear views of what is going on at the heart of the galaxy and in star-forming regions.

Every picture you’ve seen of the Milky Way from above is either another galaxy or an artists interpretation.
We can’t take a picture of the Milky Way from above (yet) because we are inside the galactic disk, about 26,000 light years from the galactic center. This means that any pretty pictures you see of a spiral galaxy with elegant arms that is supposedly the Milky Way is either a picture of another spiral galaxy or the rendering of a talented artist. Imaging the Milky Way from above is a long, long way off; however, this doesn’t mean that we can’t take breathtaking images of the Milky Way from our vantage point!

There is a black hole at the center.
Most galaxies have a supermassive black hole at the center. Ours is no exception. The center of our galaxy is called Sagittarius A* (pronounced “A-star”), and it houses a black hole with a mass of 40,000 Suns that is 14 million miles across (about the size of Mercury’s orbit). But this is just the black hole itself. All of the mass trying to get into the black hole – called the accretion disk – forms a disk that has a mass of 4 million Suns, and would fit inside the orbit of the Earth. Though like other black holes, Sgr A* tries to consume anything that happens to be nearby, star formation has been detected near this black hole behemoth.
On a clear night, out in the country away from the city lights, you will see a bright, but diffuse, band through the sky. It will make a complete arc overhead (actually it appears as a great circle on the sky with the earth as the center).

Next time you are out in the country, look at this band of light and think about how it looks. This was named by the Greeks as: "Galaxies Kuklos" or The Milky Circle. The Romans changed the name to "Via Lactea" or The Milky Road or as we now call it "The Milky Way."
However, it was not until the the middle of the 18th century that people first came up with the idea that The Milky Way was actually a galaxy of stars. And it was not until the 19th and 20th centuries that scientists understood that The Milky Way is just one of many such galaxies in the universe.

BLOG QUESTIONS: SEE SPACE FACT: What’s up with that milky way?
1) Our galaxy has a black hole with a mass of 40,000 Suns that is 14 million miles across, write out the mass in expanded form_____ and 14 million in standard form________.
2) Why is it difficult to take a picture of the Milky Way_______________? And how far are we from it’s galactic center________?
3) What makes it difficult to see into the Milky Way_________ and how far into it can we see_________?
4) The dust and gas makes up a whopping 10-15% of the “normal matter” in the galaxy, is the remainder of the galaxy made of_________?
5) How many stars are in IC1101_______?
6) How many stars are in the Milky Way_______ and how many can you see from the earth_____? Write out the number of stars in the Milky Way you can see from the earth in expanded form__________.

                                    GONZAGA MENS BASKETBALL

Oh the season is getting closer!!!.. Here is the Zags schedule! Feel the excitement!
Fri, Oct 28 Carroll College (exhibit.) Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Fri, Nov 11 Eastern Washington Spokane, Wash. TBA
Mon, Nov 14 Washington State Spokane, Wash. 9 p.m.
Sat, Nov 26 Western Michigan (Ronald McDonald House Charities) Spokane, Wash. (Spokane Arena) 1 p.m.
Wed, Nov 30 Notre Dame Spokane, Wash. 8:15 p.m.
Sat, Dec 03 Illinois Champaign, Ill. 12:15 p.m.
Sat, Dec 10 Michigan State Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Thu, Dec 15 Oral Roberts Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Dec 17 Arizona (Battle In Seattle) Seattle, Wash. (KeyArena) 1 p.m.
Tue, Dec 20 Butler Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Thu, Dec 22 Air Force Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m. Wed, Dec 28 Portland * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Dec 31 Xavier Cincinnati, Ohio 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 05 Pepperdine * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Jan 07 Santa Clara * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 12 Saint Mary's * Moraga, Calif. 8 p.m.
Sat, Jan 14 Loyola Marymount * Los Angeles, Calif. TBA
Thu, Jan 19 San Francisco * Spokane, Wash. TBA
Sat, Jan 21 San Diego * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 26 Portland * Portland, Ore. 8 p.m.
Thu, Feb 02 BYU * Provo, Utah 7 p.m.

Sat, Feb 04 Pepperdine * Malibu, Calif. TBA

Thu, Feb 09 Saint Mary's * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.

Sat, Feb 11 Loyola Marymount * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.

Thu, Feb 16 Santa Clara * Santa Clara, Calif. 8 p.m.

Sat, Feb 18 San Francisco * San Francisco, Calif. TBA

Thu, Feb 23 BYU * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.

Sat, Feb 25 San Diego * San Diego, Calif. TBA

Remember MATH is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

As always, you are amazing, incredible people with the whole world waiting to be changed by YOU!

Mr. Rott

Class Blog for week of September 26

Welcome Space Travelers!

Well we are now fully on our journey the air has been equalized in the cabin and we are off to our destination... as Buz says, “To infinity and beyond!” Keep studying, set time every day to do your work, it’s better to be prepared than to wait till the last minute!! Plus if you are going to do it ... why not do it right the first time!

THIS WEEK: Well we did talk a little about crushes, you have to love those Jona’s sisters don’t you! So this week we will be talking about EBAY and making big bucks, Godzilla, birthday cake and .. if we have time we may be looking at how many pairs of shoes you have.

SPACE FACT: TOP 10 COOL FACTS ABOUT SPACE!
Go to this site TOP 10 COOL FACTS ABOUT SPACE!  and read about the 10 COOLEST FACTS ABOUT SPACE! NOTE: The video, if it is at the top of the site is NOT part of th SPACE FACTS..!!

BLOG QUESTIONS: SEE SPACE FACT: TOP 10 COOL FACTS ABOUT SPACE!

1) How far will the Moon be from the earth in 5 years _______ x 5 =________? SEE Cool Fact 8



2) If you were to go outside and look at the sun how old do some scientists believe the sunshine to be_____________?  NOTE See Cool Fact 7

3) How many “OFFICIAL” constellations are there______?

4) The Big Dipper has how many bright stars in it_________? What is the Big Dipper’s official name_____________?

5) How many moons does the earth have_______?

6) What happens when two pieces of metal touch in space?

GONZAGA MENS BASKETBALL

Oh the season is getting closer!!!.. Here is the Zags schedule! Feel the excitement!

Fri, Oct 28 Carroll College (exhib.) Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Fri, Nov 11 Eastern Washington Spokane, Wash. TBA


Mon, Nov 14 Washington State Spokane, Wash. 9 p.m.

Sat, Nov 26 Western Michigan (Ronald McDonald House Charities) Spokane, Wash. (Spokane Arena) 1 p.m.

Wed, Nov 30 Notre Dame Spokane, Wash. 8:15 p.m.
Sat, Dec 03 Illinois Champaign, Ill. 12:15 p.m.
Sat, Dec 10 Michigan State Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Thu, Dec 15 Oral Roberts Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Dec 17 Arizona (Battle In Seattle) Seattle, Wash. (KeyArena) 1 p.m.
Tue, Dec 20 Butler Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Thu, Dec 22 Air Force Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Wed, Dec 28 Portland * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Dec 31 Xavier Cincinnati, Ohio 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 05 Pepperdine * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Jan 07 Santa Clara * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 12 Saint Mary's * Moraga, Calif. 8 p.m.
Sat, Jan 14 Loyola Marymount * Los Angeles, Calif. TBA
Thu, Jan 19 San Francisco * Spokane, Wash. TBA
Sat, Jan 21 San Diego * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 26 Portland * Portland, Ore. 8 p.m.
Thu, Feb 02 BYU * Provo, Utah 7 p.m.
Sat, Feb 04 Pepperdine * Malibu, Calif. TBA
Thu, Feb 09 Saint Mary's * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 11 Loyola Marymount * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Feb 16 Santa Clara * Santa Clara, Calif. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 18 San Francisco * San Francisco, Calif. TBA
Thu, Feb 23 BYU * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 25 San Diego * San Diego, Calif. TBA


Remember MATH is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

As always, you are amazing, incredible people with the whole world waiting to be changed by YOU!

Mr. Rott