Notes - Space Exploration

Radiation from Space:

• Light travels at a speed of 186,000 miles/sec. The farther an object is from Earth, the ‘older’ its light that we see – it’s like ‘looking back in time’! (Speed of Light = Universal Speed Limit)

• The Electromagnetic (E.M.) Spectrum is the arrangement of electromagnetic waves in order of their wavelengths from longest to shortest (radio, microwaves, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-rays, gamma rays).

• Optical telescopes (visible light) magnify distant objects, making them easier to see. Refracting telescopes bend light with a lens, reflecting telescopes reflect light with a mirror. All optical telescopes gather light from distant objects using a larger surface area (Human’s eye pupil vs. lens/mirror).

• Radio telescopes collect & record radio waves from space. In fact, All parts of E.M. spectrum can be studied w/ special telescopes!

One of the advantages of exploring the universe in numerous regions of the

electromagnetic spectrum is that different wavelengths can tell scientists different things about the same object. This image shows a single black

hole as it appears in optical/UV, X-ray, and gamma

ray wavelengths of the spectrum.

                                                                 

                                                                                     

Early Space Missions:• A rocket is an engine

which carries its own fuel & oxidizer ‘on board’ so it can be used in the vacuum of space (where there is no O2). Two types of rockets are solid-fuel & liquid-fuel propellants.

• A satellite is any object that revolves (orbits) around another object in space (Natural = moons; Artificial = man-made). (Ex. = Sputnik 1 – 1st man-made Satellite!)

1st Human in space – Russian cosmonaut – Yuri Gagarin (1961)

A space probe travels out from Earth into the solar system, gathers data & pictures, and radios them back to Earth. (Ex. = Voyager I & II to outer planets!)

• Early American manned space programs (that all led up to the moon landings) included:

• -Project Mercury: (1 astronaut) practiced Earth orbits; and learned ‘basics’ of spaceflight

-Project Gemini: (2 astronauts)

Practiced spacewalks (1st ever by Ed White in this picture) & docking maneuvers.

Project Apollo: (3 astronauts) On to the moon! 6 manned landings with 2 astronauts/each stop = 12 men on moon! Brought back lunar rock & soil samples, left experiments behind, etc.

• The Space Shuttle is a reusable spacecraft that carries astronauts, satellites, space probes & other payloads to & from Earth orbit (NASA’s ‘space truck’!). ($$$ saving due to it being reusable – very important for government funding!!)

Current & Future Space Missions:

• The International Space Station ‘Freedom’ is now assembled in Earth orbit & will provide us with the opportunity to live & work (conduct research) in space! Over a dozen countries are cooperating in this effort, with U.S. astronauts & Russian cosmonauts providing the ‘man power’ on board.

• Space technology is used to solve problems on Earth not related to space travel (called ‘spin offs’ – like Velcro or ‘Space blankets’!). Advances in engineering for NASA have led to problem solving in medicine, environmental sciences, & other fields.

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/hits2_flash/index_noaccess.html

(FYI - Do NOT Copy this!) Since 1976, more than 1,300 documented NASA technologies have benefited U.S. industry, improved our quality of life and created jobs for Americans. They are called "spinoffs" as industry has taken the concept and applied it to commercial products. The Space Shuttle program alone has generated more than 100 technology spinoffs, utilized by medical, environmental, automotive, sports, computer and refrigeration markets.

Light pollution is the #1 problem for astronomers! Reduces visibility of dim objects by ‘washing out’ the night sky with scattered light rays. (Think of night side of Earth visible from the space shuttle w/ light pollution!) You are here!

Space ExplorationTest - Study Guide

• 25 ?’s @ 4 points each (20 Mult. Ch. ?’s; 5 Match. ?’s)• Study all Vocab. terms & definitions for Unit 2 (see your Unit 2 Vocab.

Def.!!)• Study/Review your PPT Notes for Unit 2! Also, Unit 2 Study Guide!! Know names of:• *1st Man in Space (a Russian!)• *1st Man to set foot on the Moon (an American!)• *1st Man-made satellite to ever orbit the EarthKnow info related to the following:• *trouble experienced with the Hubble Space Telescope• *difference between ‘artificial satellite’ and ‘space probe’• *destinations of the space probes Voyager 1 & Voyager 2• *the speed of light = 300,000 km/s (metric); (186,000 miles/sec.)Telescope I.D. - 5?’s: Given a diagram of a refractor & a reflector

telescope, be able to correctly identify each ‘scope and labels for the eyepiece, concave mirror, convex lens = 20 pts. of test grade