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GLOSSARY Adaptation - A change in structure, function, or form that improves the chance of survival for an organism within a given environment. Asteroid - A large chunk of rock, metal or a mixture of both found in the asteroid belt. Asteroid Belt - A large belt consisting of chunks of rock and metal found between Mars and Jupiter. Biology - The study of living organisms. Comet - A celestial body made up of ice, gas and silicates that is only visible from Earth when it is near the sun, sublimates and forms a tail. Crater - A large pit or hole created when a meteorite hits the surface of a planet or moon. Crater Floor - The bottom of the crater which is either flat or curved. Crater Rim - The highest point of the crater, along the edge of the bowl. Crater Wall - The sides of the crater bowl. Crystal - A mineral that has formed a specific pattern of straight edges and perfect angles. Diameter - The length of a straight line passing through the center of a circle or sphere, edge to edge. Dichotomy - A choice between two options that contradict one another. In a dichotomous key, two questions are asked about an item in order to help classify it. Dwarf Planet - A celestial body that is round, revolves around the Sun and does not clear its orbit - Pluto is the most famous dwarf planet. Ejecta - Crushed or melted rock that is ejected from the meteorite impact site. Element - Any substance that cannot be broken down into a simpler one by a chemical reaction. There are 110 known elements - all matter is made from combinations of these. Evaporate - The process in which a liquid turns into a gas. Extremophile - An organism that lives in extreme environmental conditions which are detrimental to most other organisms. Friction - The process of producing heat by rubbing two objects together. Galaxy - A large area of the universe that contains a large group of stars spinning around a common center. Geology - The study of rocks and minerals and the naturally occurring surface formations of planets and moons. Geothermal - Heat produced by a planet’s interior core. Gravity- Forces of attraction between two bodies. Igneous Rock - A rock that has formed from melted rock that has cooled inside or outside the Earth. Kuiper Belt - The area beyond Neptune that contains three dwarf planets (Pluto, Haumea and Makemake) and thousands of comets. GLOSSARY Lander - A probe that lands on a planet but does not move from its landing site. Martian - Anything native to the planet Mars i.e. a rock from Mars is a Martian rock. Metamorphic Rock - A rock that has changed from one type to another because of intense heat and pressure. Meteor - The trail of light seen as a meteoroid burns from the friction as it enters a planet’s atmosphere - often referred to as a “shooting star.” Meteorite - Any piece of a meteoroid that survives after the meteoroid has crashed on the surface of a planet ot moon. Meteoroid - Stone or metal debris fragments formed when a comet or asteroid fragments. Microorganism - A very small animal or plant seen with the aid of a microscope. Mineral - A pure solid formed naturally on Earth. Model - An object that represents another object or idea. Nutrient - Nourishment necessary for life and growth. Orbit - The path taken when one body in space circles around a larger body in space. Organism - Any living thing - i.e. an animal, plant, bacteria, fungus or protozoa. Oort Cloud - the theoretical area of the Solar System farthest from the Sun containing millions of comets. Eris, the furthest dwarf planet, lies between the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud. Probe - A non-manned spacecraft that travels into space to explore planets, moons, asteroids, comets, stars and other galaxies. Rays - The streaks that begin at the rim of a crater and extend outward from the impact site like rays of the sun. Rover - A vehicle operated by remote control used to explore remote places that humans cannot safely travel to, like the surface of Venus. Satellite - Any object that revolves around a larger object other than the sun - i.e. both the moon and the Hubble Space Telescope revolve around the Earth. Sedimentary Rock - A rock formed by rock particles (small bits and pieces of rocks) that have been deposited by ice, water or wind and then consolidated by pressure. Solar System - The Sun and all the planets, moons, asteroids, comets and debris that revolves around the Sun. Universe - All matter and energy that exists in the vastness of space. Galaxies, stars, solar systems, rogue planets and the space between them make up the universe.