Space Exploration

OUTCOME QUESTION(S):

S1-4-09:What is the purpose of the various objects humans put in space?

S1-4-11:What are advantages and disadvantages of using robots in space?

Vocabulary & People Escape velocity SatellitesISS GeosynchronousGPS Probes Rovers

Escape velocity – speed a rocket needs to overcome the pull of gravity moving into space.

• Smaller rockets attached to the spacecraft make minor changes in the direction once in space

No atmosphere in space – so shuttle must carry an oxygen supply for the rocket fuel to combust and burn

Satellites

Satellite: any body that orbits around another body in space

Earth orbit satellites exist as two types:

1. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites • (1963) Canada’s first satellite - Alouette 1• Traveling very fast – so it doesn’t get pulled in

LEO objects must move fast enough to orbit Earth every 90 minutes or they will lose speed

by the pull of gravity and crash

• Telescopes, Space Stations

Ground Telescopes vs. Space Telescopes:Ground telescopes have many issues:• Air pollution affects clarity - poor• Atmosphere scatters light waves - inconsistent• Atmosphere absorbs most other waves- limited

100%“opacity” means it doesn’t

reach ground

Images sent to us by the Hubble Space Telescope are from some stars 8 billion light years away

Name: American astronomer Edwin P. HubbleLaunch: April 24, 1990 from shuttle Discovery

Optical Capabilities EMS capabilities: Infrared, visible and ultravioletEquipment: 3 cameras, 3 spectroscopesData Statistics: transmits 120 gigabytes every week

Dr. Hubble confirmed an "expanding" universe by noticing red-shift, which provided the foundation for Big Bang theory

Hubble: First Optical Space Telescope

Sputnik

MIR

Yuri Gagarin

International Space Station (ISS)

Space Race Facts: • First satellite – Sputnik – Soviet (1957)• First manned spacecraft – Soviet (1961)• First space station – Salyut 1 – Soviet (1971)• Second space station – MIR – Soviet (1986)

MIR space station was used until 1998 when it was converted into the much larger:

International Space Station (ISS)A cooperative venture of the United States, Europe,

Canada, Russia and Japan

Russian astronauts are called “cosmonauts” – Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space

High Earth Orbit Satellites

2. High Earth Orbit (HEO) satellites• Higher so it can travel much slower• With the right speed, can be geosynchronous(Moving with Earth’s rotation – always over the same spot)

• (1972) Canada’s 1st geosynchronous - Anik 1 • Used for telecommunications

Global Positioning System (GPS) • 24 satellites at a distance of 20 000 km above the Earth • Not geosynchronous

Space Probes and Rovers

Space Probes and RoversRobotic explorers – lots of advantages for use• Less expensive (Pro)

• Farther distances (Pro)

• No possibility of fatalities (Pro)

• Limited experimentally (Con)

• Limited skill set (Con)

Probe/Rover Names:Voyager PioneerCassini GalileoPathfinder Lunar prospector Mars Sojourner

Rovers: probes designed specifically to land on the surface and experiment

Manned Space Activities

Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin

Apollo 11 • First humans on the moon - July 20, 1969• Armstrong was first (“one small step…”)• Collected 47.5 pounds of lunar material

Canada's Involvement In Space

Canadarm• Used on the ISS• A robotic arm that allows astronauts in the space shuttle to move large cargo in space

• Not permanently attached to one spot – it can move

around the Space Station on tracks

Astronauts and Astronomers:Chris Hadfield Roberta BondarMarc Garneau Julie PayetteBob Thirsk Dave Williams

• Canadian astronauts are usually scientists or “payload specialists” - in charge of satellites and equipment

(1989) Canadian Space Agency

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?

S1-4-09:What is the purpose of the various objects humans put in space?

S1-4-11:What are advantages and disadvantages of using robots in space?

Vocabulary & People Escape velocity SatellitesISS GeosynchronousGPS Probes Rovers