space Flashcards
(19 cards)
what is a satellite
a satellite is an object that orbits another object
If the spacecraft re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere what could go wrong if the angles off?
At too shallow an angle it will bounce off the upper atmosphere. At too steep an angle it will burn up, due to too much air friction.
what a geostationary satellite?
1.stays above the same point on the Earth’s surface.
2. has a period of 24 hours.
3. orbits at an altitude of 36000km.
what satellites earth?
the moon
what satellites the sun?
earth (all planets)
what is the velocity of satellites on earth?and why?
9.8ms-2, because there is a force of gravity acting on the satellite (weight)
a satellite also has a horizontal velocity, why?
so it doesn’t hit the ground
if a satellite falls what does the earth do?
it curves away from it
how did we study the universe in 1950s?
optical and radio telescopes
what do optical and radio telescopes study?
optical = visible light
radio = radio waves emitted by distant galaxies and stars
what is the Hubble telescope?
the Hubble telescope orbits the earth out with atmosphere and can detect all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
what is a star made off?
a star is a huge body mostly made of hydrogen and helium and helium and produces light and heat energy
a planet?
- orbits the sun
- is big enough to have enough gravity to force it into a spherical shape.
- it must be big enough that its gravity clears away any other object of a similar size of its orbit around the sun.
what is a dwarf planet?
a dwarf planet is the exact same as a planet but it hasn’t cleared the area around its orbit.
what type of satellite is the moon?
natural
what are asteroids?
asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the sun. asteroids orbit the sun like planets but are much smaller.
what is the solar system?
the solar system is a collection of 8 planets and their moons that orbit the sun together with smaller bodies like asteroids, meteorites and comets.
what is a exoplanet? and why are scientists interested in it?
An exoplanet is a planet which exists outside our solar system. These are detected as the star it orbits darkens as it passes in front of it. Planets orbiting a star also causes the star to wobble on its axis. Scientists are keen to detect these in their search for life on other planets.
what is required for a sustainable life on a planet?
- to be close to a long lived star which is a stable source of energy
- in the ‘Goldilocks’ zone – a planet not too close (high temperature) or too far away (low temperature) from a star.
- Liquid water
