Calculating surface area with integration

Here is a video where I explain how to determine the surface area of a 3D shape using integration:

Engineering applications of optimization

First, what is optimization? Optimization is basicaly finding the best result of a problem in different situations. Normally optimization in real life can be to minimize effort required to accomplish tasks, or to maximize benefits.
There are some methods for optimization used in engineering such as the Simplex method or using the Hessian Matrix which uses derivatives to find optimal points of a function in a domain.
Optimization can be applied to solve any type of engineering problem.

In Aerospace: 
-When designing aircraft or spacecraft we use              optimization so their structures have the minimmum    possible weight.
-When launching spacecraft  to find the optimal            trajectories.

In Civil Engineering:
        -When designing structures such as bridges, towers, dams, etc. for a minimum cost.
        -Design of water resources systems to get the maximum possible benefit.

In Mechanical Engineering:
        -Optimal design of cams, gears, machine tools, and other mechanical equipment and components.
        -Optimal design of electrical machines such as motors, generators, etc...

I could keep on going like this for quite a long time, as optimization is a increadible usefull tool in every single type of engineering.
Well, I hope you all know now how important optimization is in the field of engineering.
Thanks!

Interview with Charles A. Abner

Charles A.Aber is the Shuttle Chief Engineer at  NASA's Kenedy Space Centre in Florida. We will proceed with the interview:

Interviewer:"When did you join NASA?"

Abner:"I joined NASA at the KSC in 1967 as an Apollo spacecraft ground system engineer. Then I joined the Air Force in 1968. In 1974 I rejoined the KSC and joined the lauch processing system team, where we build the space shuttle test and checkout hardware and software."

Interviewer: "What was your job back there?"

Abner: "I supervised the teams which where responsible for the development of ground launch software and also ground application software." 

Interviewer:"So, what is your job now in the Space Centre?"

Abner: "I'm responsible for all the engineering aspects which are related to processing flight hardware elements and facility/ground equipment, and also for the integration of technical decisions made by engineering and management personnel before and during launch."

Interviewer: "What kind of decisions do you make?"

Abner: "Well, I make engineering recomendations for final go/no-go lauch decisions. As the launch vehicle processing technical authority, I chair the Shuttle Engineering and Risk Review Boards."

Interviewer: "Last question: In how many missions have you participated since you joined NASA?"

Abner: "I've provided engineering integration to the space shuttle launch team for about 47 missions."

As you can see this was a short interview, but he didn't have time for more...

Well, I hope you like it. See you next time!!

Calculus in Engineering

Calculus is used to examine and analyse changes on a big or small scale, such as zero or infinity. Engineeres use this tool for many types of different tasks in their daily work.


Some engineers prefer to use equations directly, while others use computer 
programs to make the calculations.

In Robotics:

Engineers which dedicate to design and build next-gen robots, for example, need to know how limbs move when a command is given. This nearly allways is true when the limbs have some degree of freedom of motion, where engineers must use calculus to determine the likehood of a limb being at a certain spot and at a specific time. 

  In Systems Design:

Electrical  and computer engineers need to develop new systems for specific needs and tasks, such as gas regulation or heat diffusion. Many of the development of these systems require calculus which is used to determine limits and boundaries of the new systems and how they can dertermine the values of the measurements.

  In Aerospace:

Aerospace engineers use calculus, for example, when porforming flow simulations with computers. In this case, they solve equations called Navier-Stokes equations, which are basically differential equations, which can be used to describe the momentum, density and energy of air flow produced by an aircraft. From these properties, aerospace engineers can derive the same infomation as if they had carried out the tests in a wind tunnel, but at a lower price.

As you can see, calculus is a very important part of any engineering, and mastering it will certainly mean success as an engineer.

I hope you enjoyed. Don't forget to comment, and give your oppinion about calculus in engineering.

See you later!! 

Honeybees side to side with scientists to build better aircraft

Can honeybees really help scientist design better aircraft? Well maybe they don't actually help scientist, but they do inspire them.

Right now there is a research going on at Australia's Vision Centre, where honeybees are playing an amazing role, in inspiring scientist to design better aircraft. Bees are incredible pilots and are able to land safely anywhere with an astonishing precision, and this abiliy could really soon be implemented in the design of future aircraft. The scientists at the Australia's Vision Centre discovered that without knowing the speed of their flight or distance from their destination, honeybees where able to achive a perfect landing by beeing able to control their flight speed just in time for touchdown.

But how can honeybees control their flight speed just in time for a perfect landing if they don't know what their actual speed is nor the distance to their destination? Well, humans for example, use sterovision to help us distinguish distances. We are able to do this because our eyes are separeted enough so that we can capture different views of distant objects. However insects like the honeybee can't use stereovision as they have close-set eyes.

Therefore, in order to land safely they use their eyes to sense the speed of the ground that is beneath them, so by keeping this image at a constant speed, they automatically slow down as they aproach their destination, and finally stopping at the right moment for a perfect landing.

But there is another thing about this, which is that bees will only ocasionally land on horizontal flat surfaces, so we kneed to continue studying them to see how they land on vertical surfaces, rough terrains, etc.

An experiment they did on how honeybees used its speed to make a perfect landing was to train a honeybee to make it land on rotating disks placed vertically, and then filmed with high speed cameras. These disks had spiral paterns and could be rotated at different speeds. When rotating the disk to make it appear that the spiral pattern was expanding, the honeybees slowed down, as they thought that they where aproaching their destination faster than they really where. But when the disk was rotated the opposite direction, some honeybees speeded up, even ending in crashing with the disk.

This discovery will be able to make cheaper and lighter robot aircraft as they only will need a video camera to land on surfaces with any otientation or roughness, ( as the actual robot aircraft technology uses radars, sonars or laser beams to calculate the distance from the surface, which are heavy and expensive) making aircraft able to land with the precision and grace of a honeybee.

Aula UE

Hello again!

Check out the Aula UE! Its a youtube channel  on physics, maths and all the basic things you need to know for science and engineering.

Click the following to visit the channel: Aula UE

ESA will start developing Electric Propulsion Satelites


Well, you might be thinking that this is not much of a deal, as we've known this technology for quite a while. The first idea of Electric Propulsion Engines for spacecraft actually dates back to 1906, but it wasn't until 1964 when NASA actually tested this technology on the SERT-1 (Space Electric Rocket Test) spacecraft.

The "Electra Project" is the name that the ESA (European Space Agency) gave to this plan and embraces both the development of the platform and the flight of a mission which will be defined by the satellite operator. The mission will be decided on 2014 and the launch on 2018, so we'll be waiting for it a bit until we see this gustatory satellite actually working in telecommunications up in the sky...

So, how does it work and what are the advantages of this new method of propelling the satellites? Well, Electric Propulsion engines work either by electrically expelling propellant at high speeds, or by using long conducting wires which convert kinetic energy to electrical energy, which are called EDTs (Electrodynamics Tethers). What is new about this "new generation of satellites" is that they are propelled by solar electric thrusters.

There are many other ways of Electric Propulsion that have been known for a long time such as ion/plasma drives, electromagnetic, electrostatic or electro thermal propulsion, but Solar Electric Propulsion is a new method which has many advantages, and a few disadvantages, over other types of propulsion. First of all this new method of propulsion will reduce fuel consumption, so therefore reducing launch mass by about 40%. This allows payloads to be as twice as large or the use of smaller launch vehicles. Another advantage of Electric Propulsion over chemical rockets is that they typically offer a much higher thrust duration per unit weight of propellant compared to chemical rockets. A disadvantage of Electric Propulsion is that its thrust is much weaker than the one of chemical rockets, but this is compensated as they do a small thrust for a longer period of time.

I think this new way of propelling spacecraft its actually quite good and effective also, and will allow to have larger payloads, which will be extremely useful in space missions. What do you guys think about this new scientific advance? Please let me know in the comments below!

See you soon!

Welcome to "The Scientific Phoenix"

"The scientific Phoenix" is a blog where you will able to find the information you need for the latest advances in science and high-tech used in engineering.
First of all I would like to start by saying why I chose the Phoenix for the title of the blog. I chose the Phoenix because of what it represents in mythology, and what will mean in the future and today, every new discovery, every step Mankind makes in the name of science that gets us closer to the stars and the Universe... Its a constant rebirth. Science, mathematics and engineering overall progress with each new discovery,... But all of this is possible because there are new ideas, new people with a vision of future which makes us advance every day... Otherwise, we would still be thinking that the Earth was flat.

My intention with this blog is to give my opinion about every scientific advance, especially in Aerospace Engineering, and also give you the latest news in science.
Finally, I want to involve in this blog, not only curious people, friends, etc... but everyone that as I agree, that from now on a new door has opened to the future  through science in general. I want that anyone that is interested in science, participate in this blog giving their opinions.
Hope you like it!

If you're interested in how technology and science has affected society I recommend this book: The Social Construction Technological Systems

See you later!