Mission to Mars Day 2 Traveling through Space (to Mars) Please note, underlined words are ones you need to write down.

Transcription

1 Mission to Mars Day 2 Traveling through Space (to Mars) Please note, underlined words are ones you need to write down.

2 What do we need to know? Details about each planet (did last class) Distance between (from Sun and from each other); time it would take to travel Forces at work these help us travel! Space crafts, tools and equipment

3 Solar System Where are we and where is Mars?

4 Distances and Light in Space How far is it from the Sun to Earth? Solar radiation and the amount of it are one of the reasons we can survive on Earth! The distance of Earth to the Sun is about 94.5 million miles How far is it from the Sun to Mars? From the Sun to Mars is about 142 million miles Mars gets 44% amount of solar energy that Earth does, Mars is roughly 1.5 times as far away from the Sun as the Earth is. So Mars gets 2.25 times less light than the Earth does, Consider what this means for heat too.

5 Earth to Mars Travel: The distance from Earth to Mars is 140 million miles keep in mind this is an average, because the planets are constantly moving! This means that it is estimated that it will take around160 days (if we could travel in a straight line) to get there But we can t travel in a straight line, we have to go around the sun, and the planets are constantly moving, so really it would be more common for it to take more than 200 days. If we have this far to travel how can we possibly do it?

6 Past missions to mars Here is a list of how long it took several historical missions to reach the red planet. Their launch dates are included for perspective. (pick two example to write in your notes) Mariner 4, the first spacecraft to go to Mars (1964 flyby): 228 days Mariner 6 (1969 flyby): 155 days Mariner 7 (1969 flyby): 128 days Mariner 9, the first spacecraft to orbit Mars (1971): 168 days Viking 1, the first U.S. craft to land on Mars (1975): 304 days Viking 2 Orbiter/Lander (1975): 333 days Mars Global Surveyor (1996): 308 days Mars Pathfinder (1996): 212 days Mars Odyssey (2001): 200 days Mars Express Orbiter (2003): 201 days Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (2005): 210 days Mars Science Laboratory (2011): 254 days

7 Orbits and the movements of the planets and other things in space!

8 How gravity rules! The Sun, as the most massive object in our solar system, governs the motion of all other bodies in the system. All of the celestial bodies in the solar system move in predictable patterns known as orbits, and this motion is controlled by gravity. If everything that has mass has gravity, then these objects have gravitational attraction.

9 Distance and Gravity As the distance between two masses gets bigger, the gravitational pull gets weaker.

10 What are the objects in our solar system that have an orbit? Have an orbit: Planets, moons, asteroids, comets, meteors, and even satellites, move within the solar system, around more massive objects (the Sun), along paths known as orbits. So an example is: Earth s orbit around the Sun is determined by the balance of the Sun s gravitational pull on Earth and Earth s momentum as it travels around the Sun. Without gravity, Earth would not move in a circle around the Sun, but would continue moving straight throughout the Milky Way.

11 Without the sun s gravitational pull, the earth would not continue on it s path, but would go straight. Inertia and gravity keep the planets revolving in its orbit! Without the pull of gravity:

12 In order to travel in space Space crafts use forces like gravity to propel them through space How does this work? Video: Sling shot or gravity assisted power

13 In order to travel in space Space crafts also use Newton s Laws Law number 3; for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction How does this work? Video: Rocket launches

14 Space Exploration In 1958, congress established the National Aeronautics and Space administration (NASA). NASA oversees all US space missions and equipment.

15 Why travel to space? Humanity's interest in the heavens has been universal and enduring. Humans are driven to explore the unknown, discover new worlds, push the boundaries of our scientific and technical limits, and then push further. Human space exploration helps to address fundamental questions about our place in the Universe and the history of our solar system.

16 The first satellites 1957 Sputnik the first man-made satellite to orbit Earth was launch by the Soviet Union. This is the beginning of the space age the United States launched their satellite, Explorer 1. Today thousands of satellites orbit Earth. They are used to transmit signals for TV, phones and weather information.

17 Satellites What do they look like? Sputnik Today s satellites

18 Space Missions Apollo Missions President Kennedy challenged the American people to place a person on the moon by the end of the decade. The result was Project Apollo a series of space missions designed to send people to the moon Gemini Missions - the second human space flight program of NASA. It had 10 manned flights occurring in 1965 and 1966.

19 America Astronauts Alan Shepard - was an astronaut who in 1961, became the second person, and the first American to travel in space. He went on both Mercury and Apollo missions. He is the one who hit golf balls on the lunar surface.

20 America Astronauts Neil Armstrong the first person to walk on the moon. Armstrong's second and last spaceflight was as mission commander of the Apollo 11 moon landing in July 1969.

21 Moon Landing (1969) m/rminsd7mmt4?start=0&end=0

22 More recent Missions Space Shuttles: First flight in April 1981 The five orbiters Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour have flown more than 130 times, carrying over 350 people into space and travelling more than half a billion miles, more than enough to reach Jupiter. Designed to return to Earth and land like a giant glider, the shuttle was the world's first reusable space vehicle.

23 1990 Hubble Telescope Launched in 1990, it orbits Earth and has beamed hundreds of thousands of images (photos) back to Earth, shedding light on many of the great mysteries of astronomy. For example, Hubble has revealed the age of the universe to be about billion years old.

24 1997 Mars Pathfinder It took 7 months to get to Mars. Mars Pathfinder was a lander and sent a free-ranging robotic rover to the surface of Mars. Mars Pathfinder returned 2.3 billion bits of information, including more than 16,500 images from the lander and 550 images from the rover, as well as chemical analyses of rocks and soil and extensive data on weather factors.

25 2000 International Space Station The US has its own space program, but also cooperates with other countries. In 1998, 15 nations built the International Space Station. Occupied since 2000, the satellite is a research lab where astronauts from many countries work and live for months at a time.

26 Current Explorations Ongoing missions there are several (all un-manned) Voyager 1 and 2 are still in operation they are believed to keep going until their generators (power source) fails They are currently gathering information about the solar system and beyond

27 Space suits The Mercury astronauts, seen here in their flight suits, were introduced to the world in April of The spacesuit provides protection and a means for survival for the astronaut. Like a small spacecraft, the spacesuit allows astronauts to work outside of their space vehicles. Suits that are used today have changed from the first suits. Technology has played a huge part in its development

28 Special Equipment Of course space travel is different that travelling here on Earth you need different clothes and equipment! What do you think it is like to live in space? What space colonization might look like

29 Can we do it?

30 Complete the action part of the lab! Follow the instructions to make and test your rocket Make sure to place data in the data tables Conclusion questions may be started in class, but might need to be completed at home. Make sure to answer these questions!!