Technology and Space Exploration

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1 Technology and Space Exploration When did people first become interested in learning about Space and the Universe? Records from the earliest civilizations show that people studied and asked questions about the Sun, Moon and Stars more than 5,000 years ago. We believe people studied the sky before that- we just have no written record of it. Priests were often in charge of recording movements of the Moon and stars, and used them to create their calendars, which they planned their religious holidays around.

2 What is it that Scientists are studying about Space today? Modern astronomers and astrophysicists are trying to answer the "Big Picture" questions about the Universe. They do this by studying stars at different life stages, trying to discover how they are born, live and die. By studying other galaxies at different stages they also try to find out how and when the universe began, and now it might end. They also explore and learn more about the planets and other bodies in our Solar System. When did people first begin traveling to Space? People began traveling into Space in 1961 in tiny spacecraft called capsules. Russian crews still travel in this kind of craft, called Soyuz capsules. Americans now travel in shuttles, which are basically rocket powered space-planes. There is no oxygen in space, so all crewed spacecraft have to carry a life support system in order for the astronauts to survive in space. Gravity in space is much weaker than it is on Earth. When people travel in space, they seem to be weightless, which often makes them feel sick.

3 What is the farthest anyone has travelled in Space? Astronauts on the Apollo Project travelled to the Moon (about 385,000 km away). Russian astronaut Valeri Poliakov travelled about 280 million km around Earth while in the Mir Space Station. The Apollo Project was part of the Space Race between the US and Russia to see who could put a man on the Moon first. The US won, with the first Moon landing taking place on July 20, 1969 when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the Moon. There were 6 lunar landings. 12 astronauts explored the Moon's surface for over 80 hours and brought back 880 lbs of dust/dirt for examination on Earth. "Technology provides the eyes and ears of science" What is the most basic piece of equipment/technology that someone wanting to learn more about Space needs or would use? A TELESCOPE What is it, and how does it work?

4 The word telescope comes from the meaning of the word parts tele ("distance") and scopos ("to watch"). The reason we can't see distant objects is that our eyes are too small to collect enough light from the objects. A telescope is like a huge eye that can gather more light from an object and magnify its image so we can see it clearly. More detail: Brainstorm (TPS): What else might we use to learn more about Outer Space? Observatories Astronomers gather information about Space in buildings called Observatories. Most astronomers use an optical telescope to look at light from Space. Observatories are usually located in an isolated area, preferably on top of a mountain. That way there's less light to interfere, and less of the Earth's atmosphere to have to look through. They can see more clearly into Space this way, because there are fewer air currents, the air is cleaner and has less moisture/humidity in it. Nearby we have the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory, it is operated by the Department of Physics & Astronomy of the University of Calgary.

5 Arrays Radio astronomers use a radio telescope or an Array. Those are HUGE dish-shaped telescopes that pick up radio waves from space. Several of these radio telescopes working together are called an ARRAY. An array creates a large total area for collecting signals, which can reveal much more detail than one dish working on its own. The largest one in the world is called The Very Large Array and is located in Socorro, New Mexico. Astronomers make detailed radio maps of many different kinds of objects in Space. Such objects include: quasars, the remains of supernovas, gas bubbles blown of dying stars, and the planets Jupiter and Saturn.

6 Rockets Spacecraft are launched into Space by rockets, because they are the only engines powerful enough (with enough thrust) to overcome Earth's gravity and lift objects into Space. Most spacecraft use several rockets linked together in units or stages. They work by burning fuel mixtures called PROPELLANTS. Most rockets use liquid propellants. The Space Shuttle main engines burn liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Its booster rockets burn solid propellants. When a shuttle takes off, almost 90% of its weight is propellant to get it out of the Earth's atmosphere.

7 Space Shuttle The US created the Space Shuttle as a reusable launch vehicle to carry astronauts and cargo into space and back again. It is made of 3 parts: the winged orbiter, an external fuel tank, and 2 solid rocket boosters (SRB's). How does it work? At liftoff, the orbiters main engines and the SRB's all fire together. 2 minutes later, the SRB's separate and parachute back to Earth to be reused. 6 minutes later the external fuel tank separates and breaks up in the Earth's atmosphere.

8 The Shuttle is the main vehicle used to carry parts of the International Space Station (ISS) into orbit. It also carries new satellites into orbit and brings equipment to repair existing satellites. Other cargo includes space laboratories and telescopes, and smaller spacecraft that will continue on to explore the Solar System. The Orbiter is the main part of the Space Shuttle that carries the crew and payload. It is thrust into space by rockets, operates as a spacecraft in space, reenters Earth's atmosphere, and lands as a glider.

9 Satellites A spacecraft that travels in a steady path, or orbit, around Earth is called a SATELLITE. They receive and send on communication and navigation signals, watch the weather, survey the land, and study space. They stay in orbit because of their speed. It is called its orbital velocity. There are several different types of orbits, all elliptical, over the Equator, Poles, or on paths between. Low flying satellites may fall back to Earth in as little as a few months, if they pass through traces of air in the upper atmosphere, which slows it down. High flying satellites can stay up indefinitely.

10 Space Observatories A spacecraft launched to observe the Sun, stars, and remote galaxies is called a SPACE OBSERVATORY. The Earth's moving atmosphere bends and distorts the light from distant stars and galaxies. In space, observatories can see much more clearly. They can also pick up radiation (such as x-rays) that we cannot detect on Earth because it is absorbed by molecules in the atmosphere. The Hubble Space Telescope was the first really important one. It was launched from the Space Shuttle Discovery in It has given us some of the most detailed images of the Universe ever seen.

11 Interplanetary Spacecraft Exploring the planets and other bodies in the Solar System are INTERPLANETARY SPACECRAFT. They carry advanced cameras and other instruments to detect radiation, magnetism, and tiny particles of matter. Most fly by their targets, but some also release a probe. They are dropped into the atmosphere or to the surface of a planet or moon. The first were sent to explore the Moon, then the closest planets (Venus and Mars). By now, just about all the planets, except Pluto, have been visited.

12 Space Stations In a space station, a large crewed spacecraft orbiting Earth, astronauts can live and work in Space for long periods of time. The International Space Station is the biggest structure ever to be built in space. Astronauts carry our research (examining the behaviour of materials and living things in Space, as well as the effects of space flight on the human body) while living there. The first Space Stations were built on Earth as complete units and launched into space whole. Later, larger stations, like the ISS and Mir, are assembled in space as modules (sections) that are taken up from Earth one at a time. The ISS is currently being built from more than 100 separate main parts, and is a global research center in space. The US, through NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration), provides most of the parts and is in charge of construction. Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada also supply major units. The living and working space inside the ISS is about the same as the interior of two 474 airplanes. There are four labs for scientific research, and a main accommodation area for the crew of 7. The US's habitation module includes 2 decks, sleep stations, a kitchen, medical facility, gym, toilet and shower (all in a space about 26 ft long and 13 ft wide!!!)

13 Tech and Space Exploration The CANADARM Canada's most famous robotic and technological achievement made its space debut on the space shuttle Columbia (STS-2) on November 13, The design and building of the arm, also known as the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System, was the beginning of Canada's close collaboration with NASA in human-space flight. May 28, 2012

14 Its robotic arm technology has been put to many uses over the years. It has set satellites into orbit and retrieved others for repair. It supports astronauts during spacewalks. It also has 2 IMAX cameras mounted on it so we can watch the work it's doing back on Earth.