...Facts About Jupiter: We can see Jupiter from Earth with the naked eye. The red spot on Jupiter is a storm that has raged for 350 years. It has a very thin system of rings that are smaller than Saturn’s rings. Eight different spacecrafts have gone on missions to Jupiter. The Juno is now on its way to Jupiter and will get there next year. Future missions will focus on Jovian moons. It has 2.5 times the mass of all the other planets in the solar system combined. Jupiter is 318 times the mass of Earth. The gas giant has at least 63 moons. Facts about Earth: The only planet in the solar system that isn’t named after mythological beings. Obviously, it is the only planet to sustain life. Earth's rotation is slowing down. In 14 million years, a...
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...In the lab assignment this week, we were to choose two space missions to research. After exploring the two missions, we need to tell about what they did and what we have learned from them. There are so many missions that have given us great discoveries. However, after I looked into several of them I decided on the Kepler and Galileo missions. Both of these missions were extraordinary and gave astronomers many new insights into the universe we adore. First, we look at the Kepler Mission. Kepler spacecraft launched on March 6, 2009 from the Delta 2 rocket. This mission was set for three years in search of an Earth like planet. This was NASA’s first planet hunting spacecraft. The Kepler photometer is essentially a Schmidt telescope design with a 0.95 meter aperture and a 105 square degree field of view. The mission design had an Earth trailing heliocentric orbit, which the spacecraft gradually drifted away from the Earth. In 2013 Kepler blew out one of its reaction wheels and they thought the mission was over, but thankfully an engineer was able fix the problem. Moreover, Kepler has been going for quite a while now and has given us an abundant amount of discoveries. The Kepler Mission has a primary goal of...
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...American history few things have captured Americans’ hearts and imaginations the way that the Apollo moon missions have. Neil Armstrong’s famous quote, “That’s one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind”, is as synonymous with American culture as apple pie or baseball. Armstrong’s moonwalk was the pride of his home country and fascinated people across the globe. This was not the only event from the lunar missions to seize the world’s collective attention. On April 11, 1970 NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) launched the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, also known as Odyssey (Journey Through the Galaxy). About two and a half days after take-off Apollo 13 experienced an explosion to an oxygen tank which then led to many systems’ failure and put the lives of the crew on board in danger (Dumoulin). The other famous quote from these lunar missions was born when Jack Swigert, the command module pilot, radioed in to report, “Houston, we’ve had a problem here.” (Dumoulin). While these two incidents made heroes out of men, the less talked about discoveries made from the Apollo missions are truly remarkable. Scientists were able to study information gathered and form new theories on how and what formed the moon. In addition to that, the technologies involved in getting men to the moon and allowing them to explore led to innovations used here on Earth. During the early 1960’s America was locked in a bitter cold war with the Soviet Union. Tensions and the...
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...Christians Environmental Actions to the Environment Abstract When God created earth he also created man to look after and care for earth. In the book of Genesis God gave man the responsibility to care for His creation. As a Christian it is our responsibility to take care of the earth that God blessed us with. A few ways that Christian’s can demonstrate their desire to help with the preservation of earth is through recycling paper, water conservation, and participating in environmental missions. By participating in these actions Christians are setting an example for future generations to learn about our responsibility to care for the creation that God created as well as obeying God’s word. Christians should be the first ones interested in caring for the environment and its preservation and therefore paving the way to keep earth a place that God would be proud of. When God created earth he also created man to care for the earth. Some ways that man can demonstrate his responsibility to care for the earth and its preservation is by recycling paper, water conservation, and through environmental missions. The bible clearly states God gave man the responsibility to care for creation (Genesis 2:15). One way that we can care for the earth is through recycling of our everyday products. For example: water bottles, old phone books, aluminum cans, and paper can easily be recycled. The benefits of recycling is beneficial for those in the local community as well as globally. According...
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...seventh Apollo space mission taking human beings into the outer space. The launch of the Apollo 13 space craft took place at the Kennedy Space center on 11th April 1970. On the second day of the mission the service Module was crippled by an explosion of the second oxygen tank. As a result the mission was aborted and the crew working in conjunction with the astronauts back on earth maneuvered strategically to safely return on earth. The team had to overcome insurmountable hardships occasioned by loss of power and water, lack of proper food and the freezing condition inside the space ship to land successfully on earth, that the mission was dubbed a successful failure (Shayler, 2013). The Apollo 13 has been turned into a successful film and presents lots of great teachings on surviving a crisis. The following are the vital inner teachings drawn from the Apollo 13 mission. The first lesson learned from the Apollo 13 mission is prioritizing and communication in a crisis. After the second oxygen tank exploded the priority was to return the crew safely on earth. Thus the projected lunar landing was quickly abandoned and every effort was concentrated on the safe return of the crew to the earth. Without prioritizing activities and effective communication this would not have been possible (Holden, 2012). Training is mandatory for every mission. NASA trains its crew well. Every first crew and the support crew begin training for a mission well even before the mission plans are finalized...
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...is in synchronous rotation with Earth, always showing the same face with its near side marked by dark volcanic maria that fill between the bright ancient crustal highlands and the prominent impact craters. It is the most luminous object in the sky after the Sun. Although it appears a very bright white, its surface is actually dark, with a reflectance just slightly higher than that of worn asphalt. Its prominence in the sky and its regular cycle of phases have, since ancient times, made the Moon an important cultural influence on language, calendars, art, and mythology. The Moon's gravitational influence produces the ocean tides and the slight lengthening of the day. The Moon's current orbital distance is about thirty times the diameter of Earth, causing it to have an apparent size in the sky almost the same as that of the Sun. This allows the Moon to cover the Sun nearly precisely in total solar eclipse. This matching of apparent visual size is a coincidence. The Moon's linear distance from Earth is currently increasing at a rate of 3.82±0.07 cm per year, but this rate is not constant.[9] The Moon is thought to have formed nearly 4.5 billion years ago, not long after Earth. Although there have been several hypotheses for its origin in the past, the current most widely accepted explanation is that the Moon formed from the debris left over after a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body. The Moon is the only celestial body other than Earth on which humans have currently...
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...after detection of radio waves from space and how they changed our understanding of Universe. 2. The Earliest Evidence for Life Review the earliest evidence for life on Earth. What form does the evidence take and where is it found. Discuss the controversies relating to some of this evidence and give your conclusion on the earliest date at which we can be confident that life was present on Earth. 3. Atmosphere Evolution on Rocky Planets Compare evolution of atmosphere on Earth, Venus and Mars, and explain differences in current atmospheric conditions on these planets. Describe how the Earth’s atmosphere helped life to originate, survive and develop, and how has life affected the atmosphere over time. 4. Life in Extreme Conditions Explain what extremophile life forms are and where they are found on Earth. In view of what we have learnt about extremophiles discuss the possibility of extraterrestrial life in different places of our Solar system. 5. Key Space Missions Choose ONE of the following space missions and give an account of the mission describing the challenges it had to overcome and the mission’s achievements. Describe in particular how it has influenced our understanding of the possibilities of past or present life in the solar system. o The Viking dual orbiter/lander mission to Mars. o The Galileo orbiter/probe...
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...Mars Abstract Recent success of 'Mangalyan' (Mars Orbitor Mission) has made all of us proud of our scientists and engineers. The study of Mars' environment will help us in understanding more about our own environment. This text gives inputs on environment of Mars which can be correlated to the concepts learned by the students in class IX Science. The students are not supposed to memorize the facts and figures mentioned in the text, rather study the facts and figures with the above objectives in mind. Fig. 1: Mars Orbiter Mission Spacecraft getting in to Large Space Simulation Chamber for Testing Mars Orbiter Mission (M.O.M) Mars tugs at the human imagination like no other planet. The conditions in Mars are believed to be hospitable since the planet is similar to earth in many ways. Mars and Earth have almost equal period of revolution around the axis. Mars takes 24 hours and 37 minutes to complete equal period of revolution around the axis. While Earth takes approximately 365 days to orbit round the Sun, Mars takes 687 days for an orbit around the Sun. The gravity of Mars is roughly one-third to Earth’s gravity and it has a thin atmosphere with a pressure of 1% that of Earth. The atmosphere, water, ice and geology interact with each other to produce dynamic Martian environment as in Earth. Mars has surface features reminiscent of both the impact craters of the Moon, volcanoes, deserts and 1 polar ice of Earth. It inspires visions of an approachable world. For ages...
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...The Mars 1 (Sputnik 23) mission was a failed fly by in November 1962. It was successfully launched by the USSR (Soviet Union) on the first of November 1992. It began sending back data on interplanetary space (the space between planets which is not empty but filled with solar wind, Interplanetary Magnetic Field, Cosmic rays and Dust). After the station launched into the direction of Mars it started sending back radio transmissions every 2 days and then later into the mission every 5 days. But then just 4 months into the mission when the station was 106,706,000km from earth the communication was lost. The loss of communication was most probably due to a failure in the antenna orientation system. The station is now orbiting the sun. It did not reach its required distance from Mars of 11,000km to collect and send back images of the surface for scientific research into its cosmic radiation, atmospheric structure and its potential organic compounds. The station was powered by solar panels and the power was stored in a 42 ampere-hour cadmium-nickel battery. Cadmium- nickel batteries are very reliable and offer a long life. They have vents in each cell to release high pressure within the...
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...The following list contains only selected spacecraft of interest to planetary science. It is far from complete (see below for more details). Much of the following was adapted from the sci.space FAQ. Past Missions Luna 2 impact on the surface of the Moon 1959 (USSR) Luna 3 first photos of the far side of the Moon 1959 (USSR) Mariner 2 the first successful probe to flyby Venus in December of 1962, and it returned information which confirmed that Venus is a very hot (800 degrees Fahrenheit, now revised to 900 degrees F.) world with a cloud-covered atmosphere composed primarily of carbon dioxide. (more info from NASA Spacelink) Mariner 3 launched on November 5, 1964, was lost when its protective shroud failed to eject as the craft was placed into interplanetary space. Unable to collect the Sun's energy for power from its solar panels, the probe soon died when its batteries ran out and is now in solar orbit. It was intended for a Mars flyby with Mariner 4. Mariner 4 the sister probe to Mariner 3, did reach Mars in 1965 and took the first close-up images of the Martian surface (22 in all) as it flew by the planet. The probe found a cratered world with an atmosphere much thinner than previously thought. Many scientists concluded from this preliminary scan that Mars was a "dead" world in both the geological and biological sense. Mariner 9 Mariner 9, the sister probe to Mariner 8 which failed on launch, became the first craft to orbit Mars in 1971. It returned...
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...NASA’s Project Mercury, which had put the first American into orbit around the Earth. Apollo officially began in 1961, after President John F. Kennedy declared that the U.S. would put a man on the moon during the 1960s. To give more background information, the country was involved in the Cold War. In October of 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1—the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth. That marked the beginning of a space race, an informal competition between the superpowers to see who could do more with space technology. The Soviets...
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...beyond the realms of our world. The first successful space mission was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, when Yuri Gagarin orbited the earth. Over a decade later, the United States major accomplishment was successfully landing a man on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first people to take “one small step for man” and “one giant leap for mankind.” Many technical advancements, including spacecraft, created a race between nations to decide which country is the best of both worlds. If it had not been for each country’s persistence to surpass the other, space exploration would not have come about. The knowledge we have today about space is because of the world-renowned “space race.” Throughout the space race, many important discoveries were made by both countries. Dwight D. Eisenhower did not make space a priority, as he was more interested in keeping the country safe from communism, keeping...
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...NASA's mission statement has been to "pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. President Eisenhower established NASA in 1958 with a distinctly civilian (rather than military) orientation encouraging peaceful applications in space science. The National Aeronautics and Space Act was passed on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The agency became operational on October 1, 1958. Since that time, most U.S. space exploration efforts have been led by NASA, including the Apollo moon-landing missions, the Skylab space station, and later the Space Shuttle. Currently, NASA is supporting the International Space Station and is overseeing the development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and Commercial Crew vehicles. The agency is also responsible for the Launch Services Program (LSP) which provides oversight of launch operations and countdown management for unmanned NASA launches. Most recently, NASA announced a new Space Launch System that it said would take the agency's astronauts farther into space than ever before and provide the cornerstone for future human space exploration efforts by the U.S. NASA science is focused on better understanding Earth through the Earth Observing System, advancing heliophysics through the efforts of the Science Mission Directorate's Heliophysics Research Program, exploring bodies throughout the Solar System with advanced robotic missions such...
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...axis 384,399 km (0.00257 AU)[1] Eccentricity 0.0549[1] Orbital period 27.321582 d (27 d 7 h 43.1 min[1]) Synodic period 29.530589 d (29 d 12 h 44 min 2.9 s) Average orbital speed 1.022 km/s Inclination 5.145° to the ecliptic[2] (between 18.29° and 28.58° to Earth's equator)[1] Longitude of ascending node regressing by one revolution in 18.6 years Argument of perigee progressing by one revolution in 8.85 years Satellite of Earth Physical characteristics Mean radius 1,737.10 km (0.273 Earths)[1][3] Equatorial radius 1,738.14 km (0.273 Earths)[3] Polar radius 1,735.97 km (0.273 Earths)[3] Flattening 0.00125 Circumference 10,921 km (equatorial) Surface area 3.793 × 107 km2 (0.074 Earths) Volume 2.1958 × 1010 km3 (0.020 Earths) Mass 7.3477 × 1022 kg (0.0123 Earths[1]) Mean density 3.3464 g/cm3[1] Equatorial surface gravity 1.622 m/s2 (0.165 4 g) Escape velocity 2.38 km/s Sidereal rotation period 27.321582 d (synchronous) Equatorial rotation velocity 4.627 m/s Axial tilt 1.5424° (to ecliptic) 6.687° (to orbit plane)[2] Albedo 0.136[4] Surface temp. equator 85°N[5] min mean max 100 K 220 K 390 K...
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...SCI 321 Research Project July 28, 2012 Mercury - History and Naming Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun, circles the Sun faster than all the other planets in our solar system, which is why the Romans named it after the swift-footed messenger god Mercury (Space exploration, 2013). Human observers have been looking up at Mercury since at least the time of the Sumerians – the 3rd millennium BC (The planet mercury, 2013). These Greek astronomers believed even then that Mercury (and Venus) both orbited the Sun, and not the Earth. Mercury was the god of commerce, travel, and thievery in Roman mythology, hence the naming of Mercury. Slide 2 Early beliefs of Mercury Mercury was known since at least Sumerian times roughly 5,000 years ago, where it was often associated with Nabu, the god of writing (Mercury, the sun's, 2013). Mercury was also given separate names for its appearance as both a morning star and as an evening star (Mercury, the sun's, 2013). Early beliefs thought that perhaps there were two different planets. However, Greek astronomers knew that both names referred to the same planet (Mercury). Back in the nineteenth century, astronomers made very careful observations of Mercury's orbit, but they could not explain the orbit adequately using Newtonian mechanics (The planet mercury, 2013). There were discrepancies between what they observed and what was mathematics predicted. This problem would last for decades. Einstein's General Theory of...
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