Space Flashcards
What is a Dwarf planet
It is too small to be a planet, but it does orbit a start
Gravity is not large enough to clear similar objects nearby
What is an exoplanet
A planet outside our solar system
What are satellites
A moon, planet or machine that orbits a planet
Moon- natural man-made- artificial
What are the 5 uses of satellites
GPS
Weather forecasting
Communications
Scientific discovery
Space exploration (Hubble, ISS)
How is a geostationary satellite created?
The satellite needs to be 36,000km about the surface of the Earth
It will have an orbital period of 24hrs
What does a larger orbit result in
Longer period of orbit
What is a light year
The distance light travels in a year
How to calculate 1 light year
3.0x10(8) x 60 x 60 x 24 x 365
What are the 4 difficulties of travelling in space
Travelling large distances with the possible solution of attainting high velocity by using ion drive ( producing a small unbalanced force over an extended period of time)
Travelling large distances using a ‘catapult’ from a fast moving asteroid, moon or planet
Manoeuvring a spacecraft in a zero friction environment, possibly to dock with the ISS
Maintaining sufficient energy to operate life support systems in a spacecraft, with the possible solution of using solar cells with area that varies with distance from the sun
What are the 4 risks of space travel
Fuel load on take off
Potential exposure to radiation
Pressure differential
Re-entry through an atmosphere
What is cosmology
The origin, evolution and eventual fate of the universe
What is the Big Bang theory
The universe began with the Big Bang which is expansion of matter from a single point that is still happening today
How do you use line spectra
Line up the unknown spectra with each each element, and if all lines in the element are in the spectra, the element is in the spectra
What is the definition of gravitational field strength
The weight per kilogram
What is a disadvantage of solar cells on the ISS
They only produce energy when the sun is shining on them
