Download Space Exploration Review Key

Topic 1
Vocabulary
Frame of reference – Point of view set of axes used to describe the positions or
motions of things
Celestial bodies – all objects seen in the sky (sun, moon, stars, planets)
Constellations - Grouping of stars that form patterns
- Appear like objects
- Given names (Orion the hunter)
Planets - Celestial bodies in our solar system that orbit the sun
Azimuth - Angle measured clockwise from north (when measuring altitude-azimuth
coordinates) to position objects
Altitude - The angle measured above the horizon in degrees (when measuring
altitude-azimuth coordinates)
Astrolabe - a device used to measure the altitude of an object
Compass - Device used to measure an objects azimuth
Geocentric - Earth centred, mode of the universe that places the earth at the centre
with sun, moons and planets revolving around it
Heliocentric - Sun centred, a model of the universe that places the sun at the centre
with earth, planets and moons revolving around it
Epicycles - Smaller circular motions planets moved within the larger rotation of the
earth
Reading Questions
1.
Give two different frames of reference of a bug flying in a car travelling at 100 km/h.
Bug -moving around in stationary car
-moving quickly down road
2.
What function did myths play in the lives of early people? Give one example.
Myths explain the origin and movements of celestial bodies
Example: Sun God, Ra carried through sky in sacred boat
3.
What constellation/star did early navigators use to guide them
a) in the northern hemisphere? Polaris (North Star)
b) In the southern hemisphere? Crux (Southern Cross Constellation)
4.
List the four discoveries made by ancient peoples watching the skies.
- The stars make unchanging patterns in the sky
- On each successive day, a given star rises and sets four minutes earlier than
the day before
- The sun rises and sets at a different rate than stars, as well as moon and
planets
5.
What two coordinates are necessary to give the location of a celestial body? How is
each of these coordinates measured?
Azimuth- measured clockwise from north
Altitude- measure angle above horizon
6.
Why is it important to use the stars as a frame of reference in order to predict the
movement of the planets?
Allow you to track actual motion of each celestial body
Look for motions in sky that are different from earth’s rotation
7.
Who first theorized the geocentric model of the universe? What did he base his
theory upon?
Aristotle - based on mathematics and geometry, ideas of circles and spheres
8.
What was the celestial sphere and how did fit into the geocentric universe?
The outer sphere of Aristotle’s earths centred model where stars are in a fixed
position
9.
What was the biggest question that geocentric universe could not answer? How did
Ptolemy modify the geocentric model to account for this problem (epicycles)
Difficult to explain reverse direction of 3 planets. Ptolemy gave planets another
level of circular motion called epicycles (very complex)
10. What is retrograde motion? Reverse direction
11. Who first suggested a heliocentric model of the universe? What were the major
problems that people had accepting this model?
Nicholas Copernicus
Problems - rotation of earth would throw people off planet
- there would be extremely fast easterly winds
- our importance in the universe
Topic 2
Vocabulary
Telescope - device used to magnify objects at great distances
Objective lens - large lens at front of a telescope
Ocular lens - eyepiece, lens through you view a magnified object using a telescope
Resolving power - determine the fineness of detail a telescope can produce of an
object is view
Refracting telescope - telescope that has a lens for the objective
Reflecting telescope - telescope has a mirror for its objective
Ellipse - a figure that looks like squashed circles
- planets in the solar system move in elliptical orbits around
Universal gravitation - Newton’s law states that all objects attract other objects and
provides an explanation for the planets elliptical
Reading Questions
1. a. Who invented the telescope and in what year? Hans Lippershry, 1608
b. What was the original purpose of the telescope? To magnify image-spectacles
2. List five observations and conclusions Galileo reached by turning the telescope to
the heavens.
– Moon blemishes - Moon has mountains and craters like earth
- Sun spots that move - sun rotates on its axis
- Jupiter has 4 small stars - Jupiter orbited by four small moons
- Planets are disk shaped
- Stars are very small - stars are much further away then planets
3. a. What does the resolving power of the telescope depend on?
Diameter of the objective lens
b. How do you make a telescope with the highest resolving power possible?
Large diameter objective lens
4. How does a refracting telescope differ from a reflecting one?
Refracting telescope- objective lens
Reflecting telescope- objective mirrors
5. How did Kepler change Copernicus’ heliocentric universe?
Planets orbited in elliptical pattern (not circular)
6. How did Newton explain the elliptical pattern of the planet’s orbital?
Law of
universal gravitation- force of attraction between all objects pulling planets
in towards the sun rather than off in a straight line
7. How do astronomers locate celestial bodies?
Mathematical calculations
8. What is a solar eclipse and how does it occur? When the moon comes directly
between earth and the sun
9. How does the orbit of a comet differ from the orbit of a planet?
Very
elongated orbit around sun - spend most time away from sun, moving slowly,
then speeding up and whiz around sun when near it
Topic 3
Vocabulary
Spectroscopy - the study of spectra spectrum produced when a beam of light is
passed through a prism
Spectral Lines - dark lines or bright lines observed in the spectra of stars
Diffraction Grating - a device made of thousands of closely spaced slits through which
light is passed in order to produce a spectrum
Doppler Effect - the phenomenon that the observed frequency of a wave changes if
the source of the wave and the observer are moving toward or away from another
Red Shift - when spectrum lines move toward the longer- wavelength part (red end)
of the spectrum
Reading Questions
1. What are the three types of spectrums and how are they found?
Bright Line/Emission- heat a gas at low pressure
Continuous- heat a solid, liquid, or gas at high pressure
Dark Line/Absorption- continuous light passed through cooler substance
2. How is a pattern of Spectral lines like a fingerprint? Each element produced a
unique pattern of spectral lines
3. How does a spectrum help to infer about the composition of stars? Use the spectral
lines to identify composition
4. Why is calling a Pokemon card holographic an incorrect term? They do not have
holograms in them, rather diffraction grading that display colors and reflect
light
5. What is the Doppler Effect? How have scientists used this phenomenon to explain the
movement of stars?
Compression of waves (sound/light) in front of moving object and the stretching
behind
Objects moving towards you have compressed lines and move toward blue end
of spectrum
Objects moving away have stretched lines shift towards the red end of the
spectrum
Topic 4
Vocabulary
Triangulation - a method of measuring distance indirectly by creating an imaginary
triangle between an observer and an object whose distance is to be estimated
Parallax(pg 389) - the apparent shift in position of a nearby object when viewed from
2 different points
Astronomical Unit (AU) - the distance from earth to the sun (150 million km)
Light Year - the distance that light travels in one year (~63 240 All or ~9.5 trillion
km)
Reading Questions
1. What did Sir William Herschel discover with his telescope and when? Uranus in
1781
2. How have computers affected the study of space? Correct atmosphere distortions
of images
3. Why do stars twinkle?
The motion of earth’s atmosphere refracts light
4. How do modern telescopes fix the atmosphere distortion?
Uses adaptive optics by adjusting mirror to control image
5. What two methods are used by scientists to find the distances to stars?
Triangulation and Parallax
6. Explain how triangulation works. Create an imaginary triangle with known
baseline distance, and base angles to determine distance using mathematical
calculations
7. What is Parallax? What do scientists use as the base line when looking at stars?
Baseline- diameter of earth’s orbit around the sun
8. Which star is closest to the Earth? (Not the sun) How far away is this star? 126 light
years away or 272 000 Astronomical Units Proxima Centaur
Topic 5
Vocabulary
Radio Astronomy - using radio waves to learn about compositions of stars
Radio Objects - objects in space that give off large amounts of radio waves
Interferometry - technology that electronically connects 2 or more separate telescopes
to combine their images
VLBI (very long baseline interferometry) - a technology that combines images from
telescopes anywhere on earth using timing marks, but not wires
Questions
1. List seven types of electromagnetic radiation. Microwave, infrared, visible UV, xray, gamma radio
2. What is radio astronomy and how was it discovered?
Using radio waves to learn about the composition of stars
Discovered by listening to the sky using a radio telescope
3. What did Karl Jansky discover in 1932?
Built radio antenna- radio waves sources come from space
4. How did Grote Reber add to Jansky’s discoveries during the 1930’s? The strongest
radio waves come from particular places in the sky
5. What is one disadvantage and one advantage of using radio waves to produce images
of the skies?
Advantage- penetrate dust clouds and can view centre universe
Disadvantage- images have lower resolution
6. Radio waves cannot be seen. How do astronomers produce radio images both in the
past and today? Dials and needles monitor waves and data is graphed
Blue low intensity greens, yellow, red, white high intensity
7. What is an active galaxy? Any galaxy that emits strongly in radio waves
8. How do astronomers improve radio images?
Connecting telescope - 2 telescopes separated by distance, combine signals
9. What is very long base-line interferometry? How do astronomers use this technique
to get even better images of space?
Combines telescopes anywhere on earth using timing marks
Topic 6
Vocabulary
Rocket - tube that contains combustible material in one end and a payload in the
other end and moves by the action reaction principle
Payload - the device or material that a rocket carries
Staged Rocket - rocket with more that one stage
-stage is a section of a rocket that drops off once fuel is used up
Ballistic Missile - a rocket with a bomb as a payload, launched in a trajectory that
sends it up into space and down onto its target
Gravitational Assist - a method of acceleration which enables spacecraft to change
speed by using the gravity of a planet
Charged Coupled Devices (CCD’S) - devise that convert light signal into electric
signals in digital form (digital camera)
Artificial Satellite - a satellite made by humans such as a spacecraft or telescope
Low Earth Orbit - satellites placed from 200-800km above ground
-complete orbit of earth in 1-5 hrs.
Geosynchronous Orbit - orbit of satellites placed ~36 000 km above ground, directly
above equator, orbiting earth every 2 hrs.
Remote Sensing - taking measurements of earth and other planets from space
Global Positioning System (GPS) - using a fleet of GPS satellites above earth and
small hand held GPS units on earth, you can calculate your position on earth to
within 30m
Reading Questions
1.
What is the action/reaction principle? How is this principle used in rocket science?
For every action there is a reaction. For a rocket to move in one direction, the
exhaust must move in other direction
2.
What advantage is there to a staged rocket?
Because rocket is lighter, rocket can fly faster and higher
3.
What advantage are there to liquid fuels over solid fuels? Higher exhaust velocity
4.
When was the first ballistic missile launched?
1942
5.
What was Werner von Braun accomplishment?
Launched 1st ballistic missile successfully into a target 700km away
Team built rockets that took U.S astronauts into space in 1960’s
6.
What job do computers do for rockets today?
Calculate and control the orbits of spacecrafts
Collect, store, analyze data
7. How do scientists keep rockets moving through space?
Gravitational assist - method of acceleration which enables a spacecraft to gain
extra speed by using the gravity of a planet
-planet’s gravity slingshots the satellite in a new direction
8.
List four uses for artificial satellites. Ex. Hubble telescope
-communication, observation, navigation mapping
9.
How do we use Low Earth satellites and geosynchrosous orbit satellites?
Geosynchronous - radio and television
Low Earth - telephones
10. At what speed do satellite signals travel?
Speed of light (3x10^8m/s)
11. List four uses for remote sensing. Forecasting weather, carrying out research,
observing land use, trace erosion
12. How can your location be discovered by using GPS?
Hand held GPS units detect radio signal from satellite and measures distance by
timing how long it takes
Using triangulation to calculate location
Topic 7
Vocabulary
Solar Wind - high energy sub-atomic particles that stream off the sun and define the
boundaries of the solar system
Inner planets - the 4 closest planets to the sun (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars)
Called terrestrial planets because of their rocky composition
Outer planets - the 4 planets furthest from the sun (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune)
All have gaseous composition
Questions:
1. What is the cause of Sunspots? Cooler, darker regions of the sun
2. What is a solar flare? Violent outbursts of the sun that send high energy
subatomic particles into space
3. a) What is a solar wind? The outflow particles from the sun
b) How does the solar wind determine the extent of our solar system? Locations
that feel the effects of solar wind
c) How is the Earth protected from the solar wind? The magnetic field protects us
4. What process on the sun supplies the solar system with its energy?
Nuclear Fusion (reaction)-hydrogen converted into helium
5. What is the “dark side of the moon”? Lunar far side of moon is never visible from
earth because moon rotates in some time it takes to go around the earth
6. List three pieces of information for each of the nine planets in our solar system.
Mercury made up of silicate rock
daytime high 430 degrees C, night time low -180 degrees C
very thin atmosphere
Venus rotates E-W (opposite)
iron- nickel core
thick atmosphere- highest surface temp
Earth diverse life forms
Large qualities of liquid water
Moon orbits earth
Mars red colour because of oxides
Similar land features as earth
Very low temps because of distance from the sun
Jupiter very large planet
17 moons
Distinctive colour cloud lands as a result of spin
Saturn large yellow planet
18 moons
Distinctive ring system and cloud band from rapid rotation
Neptune giant dark spot
8 moons
Similar to Uranus in structure and composition
Uranus appears blue because methane absorbs red light
8 narrow bands in ring system
Rotates on axis tilted 90 degrees of plane
Pluto retrograde motion
Moon Charon, almost as large as planet
May be result of large debris left from formation
Topic 8
Vocabulary
Sub orbital a trajectory in which a spacecraft is boosted above the atmosphere and then
falls back to earth without going into orbit
Microgravity limited gravity found in a spacecraft due to free falling effect of orbiting
earth
Questions:
1. What speed must an object reach in order to leave the Earth’s gravitational field?
8km/sec
(29 000km/h)
2. When was the first unmanned satellite launched? What was it called?
Sputnik 1 in 1957 by Soviet Union
3. When did the first man orbit the Earth? How long was he in space for?
April 12, 1961 in space for 108 minutes by Soviet Union
4. What was the goal of Project Mercury? Who was the first American astronaut to
make a full orbit? What year was this accomplished?
Goal- place and astronaut in orbit
John Glenn in 1962
5. What was the Gemini project? Bridge from Project Mercury to the Apollo program
-put 2 teams in orbit to practise for moon landing
6. When did man first arrive on the moon? Who was the first man to set foot on the
moon?
1969
Neil Armstrong
7. What was the first Russian/American collaboration in space?
Apollo/Soyuz test project in 1975
8. How did the Russians and the Americans approach the problem of oxygen supply in
their spacecrafts?
Soviet System- 80% N2, 20% O2 at normal all pressure O2 replenished with
chemical reactions with solid chemicals
American System-100% O2 at ~1/3 air pressure
O2 stored in high pressure containers
9. What was the advantage of the space shuttle over a rocket?
Space shuttle was reusable, less cost
10. What was the name of the first space shuttle? When was its first mission?
Columbia 1981
11. What is the Canadarm? Canadian- built space arm that the launch and recovery of
space shuttles
12. Who was the first Canadian in space? When did he fly his first mission?
Marc Garneau in 1984
13. What is the “International Space Station”? Who is working on this project?
Complex internationsal scientific project for space research
16 nations- US, Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia
14. Why does weightlessness occur in space?
Orbiting has the same effect as falling
In orbit you are constantly falling around the world
15. What is the purpose of the International Space Station?
Conduct scientific research in micro gravity environment
-Industrial benefits medical breakthroughs, weather prediction