Space Exploration and Probes The Space Age Artificial

Space Exploration and Probes

The Space Age • Artificial Satellites – Built by humans – Purposes • • Communications– TV, Radio, Phone Weather– Tracking and forecasting Navigation– Boats and Planes Scientific– Study earth and solar system

The Space Age • Laboratories in Space – 1973 Skylab • Science & engineering space lab; fell from orbit in 1979 – 1986 Russian Mir Space Station • Holds record for longest continuous human habitants in outer space with 8 days short of 10 years • Purposely de-orbited in 2001

The Mir Space Station

The Space Age • Laboratories in Space (continued) – International Space Station • Being built (2000 to present) • Projected completion date is 2010 • Studies a variety of the aspects of science in space conditions. • Goals include finding means of space colonization and long term space travel

International Space Station

The Space Age • To the Moon! – Sputnik • 1 st satellite • Launched by the Russians • (October 4, 1957)

The Space Age • To the Moon! – Mercury • One man crew • Goal to get men into space – “Original” astronauts • Alan Sheperd- 1 st American in space • John Glenn- 1 st to orbit the Earth • Gus Grissom- botched Mercury 2 mission; killed on launch of Apollo mission

The Space Age • To the Moon! – Gemini • Two man crew; Carried out maneuvers in space – Apollo • Three man crew; reached the moon • Apollo 11 - Michael Collins (command module); Neil Armstrong (first on moon- “One Small Step…”), Buzz Aldrin (pictured in “Man on the Moon”) • Five missions followed including Alan Sheperd hitting a golf ball

Apollo 11 Mission

Apollo 15 and Apollo 11

The Space Age • To the Moon! – Now we use Space shuttles • Discovery- burned in air killing crew including a teacher. • Takes off like rocket and lands like a plane • Reusable

The Space Shuttle Endeavor

The Space Age • Space Probes – Unmanned equipment sent to explore space and planets • Magellan mapped the planet Venus

Magellan Space Probe