Space Studies Flashcards
(24 cards)
Name and describe the force that governs the motions of our solar system
Gravity (gravitational pull)
Explain how gravity can make items heavier/lighter (at different locations in the solar system)?
.
Explain how gravity affects rockets?
The rocket must overcome the gravitational pull in order to reach space
How does size & distance affect gravity?
The more mass (size) the more gravity; the closer the object the stronger the gravity.
Who was the first man in space?
Yuri Gagarin (Soviet), in 1961
Which was the first US manned space program?
Project Mercury
Who was the first US citizen to orbit the earth?
Alan Shepard, in 1961 (one month after Yuri)
Which was the first satellite sent into space by the Soviets?
Sputnik 1, in 1957
What is the order of the planets from the sun?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto
Which planets are inner planets?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Which planets are outer planets?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Where is the asteroid belt located?
Roughly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
Describe each of the planets
Mercury - smallest; closest to sun Venus - Sister planet; hottest Earth - water planet Mars - Red planet Jupiter - largest planet Saturn - the ringed planet Uranus - blue/green gas planet with rings Neptune - highest wind speeds
Who was the first man to walk on the moon?
Neil Armstrong, Apollo 2, 1969
List and describe the Galilean moons
The four moons of Jupiter discovered by Galileo Galilei around January 1610. They are by far the largest of the moons of Jupiter. They are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
Explain space probes?
An instrumented spacecraft for exploring the upper atmosphere, space, or celestial body in order to get information about the environment, physical properties, etc.
Explain rockets?
.
Explain telescopes?
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation (such as visible light).
Asteroids
any of numerous small, often irregularly shaped rocky bodies that orbit the Sun primarily in the asteroid belt, a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. They range in size. 1800 have been cataloged and as many as a million or more smaller ones may exist
Comets
A celestial object that orbits the Sun along an elongated path. A comet that is not near the Sun consists only of a nucleus – a solid core of frozen water, frozen gases, and dust. When a comet comes close to the Sun its nucleus heats up and releases a gaseous coma that surrounds the nucleus. A comet forms a tail when solar heat or wind forces dust or gas off its coma, with the tail always streaming away from the Sun.
Meteors
Also called a “shooting star” or “falling star”. A bright streak of light in the sky caused by the entry into Earth’s atmosphere of a meteoroid or a small icy particle.
Meteorites
A meteor that reaches the Earth’s surface because it has not been burned up by friction with the atmosphere. Meteorites are believed to be fragments of comets and asteroids.
What must be considered for humans to travel in space?
.
How is the future of space exploration different/similar from the past?
.
