Q:

Gravity assist is a boost attained when the spacecraft approaches a planet but the planet's
atmosphere has an effect of speed reduction, so when and how would they interfere with
one another? (Rose Chen)
A:
Hi Rose

Gravity assist is a very crucial part for spacecrafts to travel deeper into outer space. It is
true that other planets' atmospheres can interact with the spacecraft in the forms of friction
and this could potentially slow down the spacecraft, however, I believe that the astronauts
and space engineers have calculated well enough to not allow the spacecraft to actually
penetrate into the atmosphere of other planets, rather just utilise their outer gravitational
fields as a means for propulsion, keeping in mind that gravitational forces are still present
outside a planet's atmosphere. With this said, the "when" occurs when the spacecraft
begins to enter a planet's gravitational field (varies with each planet obviously AND in the
direction of the planets' orbit).
It is quite the contrary when you stated that there is a reduction in speed, as when a
spacecraft passes through another planet's gravitation field, there is an increase in speed
due to the acceleration due to gravity, which is why engineers coined the term gravity assist
as it allows the spacecraft to travels faster, resulting in a more efficient travel.
p.s. information learnt during HSC Physics and Everyday Physics courses however, here are
some references

Cooper, I., 2016. Slingshot Effect. [online] Physics.usyd.edu.au. Available at:

<http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/teach_res/mp/doc/mec_slingshot.htm> [Accessed 22
Dec. 2016].
Shortt, D., 2016. Gravity assist. [online] Planetary.org. Available at:
<http://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/2013/20130926-gravity-
assist.html?referrer=https://www.google.com.au/> [Accessed 22 Dec. 2016].
Q:
What different between Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes? And what relationship and
environment required between Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes? (Zhonghua Shi)
A:
Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes are two completely different cells, so they are completely
different from each other. The biggest distinction, however, is the presence of a nucleus,
which a prokaryotic lacks. Another crucial difference between eukaryotes and prokaryotes is
their overall cellular structures, as eukaryotic cells tend to be multicellular; i.e. plant and
animal cells. Prokaryotes tend to be unicellular (consisting of one cell) such as bacteria and
fungi cells and are usually smaller than eukaryotes.
There are many other smaller detailed differences between these two cells that I will briefly
mention:
- Eukaryotes have multiple chromosomes
- Eukaryotes contain lysosomes (membrane bound organelles), cytoskeleton, mitochondria
and other organelles which are most common in plant cells
- Prokaryotic cells have very complex chemical cell walls, while cells walls in eukaryotes
(plant and fungi in particular) are more chemically simple
- Prokaryotes have a single-fibered, tail-like characteristic which is distinctive, while the
flagellum of eukaryotes are rarely visible
As for the second part of the question, I believe analysing the survivability of eukaryotes and
prokaryotes is what the question is intending.
Early, single-celled eukaryotes were able to survive in harsh anaerobic conditions, however,
as the cell developed and became more complex with additional organelles within its
cellular structure, oxygen is needed to allow these cells to survive and regenerate /
reproduce.
Prokaryotes on the other hand, can synthesis adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in anaerobic
conditions. ATP is a high-energy molecule that any living thing requires as it is responsible
for storing energy for cells. Therefore prokaryotes can survive in almost any condition.

References
Anon, 2004. Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes, & Viruses Tutorial. [online] Biology.arizona.edu.
Available at: <http://www.biology.arizona.edu/cell_bio/tutorials/pev/page2.html>
[Accessed 3 Jan. 2017].
Anon, 2016. Khan Academy. [online] Khan Academy. Available at:
<https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/structure-of-a-cell/prokaryotic-and-
eukaryotic-cells/a/prokaryotic-cells> [Accessed 3 Jan. 2017].
Anon, n.d. Adenosine Triphosphate. [online] Hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu. Available
at: <http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Biology/atp.html> [Accessed 3 Jan. 2017].
Anon, n.d.. Eukaryotic Cells | Learn Science at Scitable. [online] Nature.com. Available
at: <http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/eukaryotic-cells-14023963> [Accessed 3
Jan. 2017].

Additional knowledge from previous studies in HSC Biology