9781422276013

SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY

SPACE

EXPLORATION

SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY

ELECTRICITY ELECTRONICS GADGETS & DEVICES INTERNET ROBOTICS SPACE EXPLORATION

SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY

SPACE EXPLORATION

Mason Crest

Mason Crest

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com

© 2019 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any infor- mation storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-4205-6 Hardback ISBN: 978-1-4222-4208-7 EBook ISBN: 978-1-4222-7601-3

First printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

Cover photograph: NASA.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Mason Crest Publishers, author. Title: Space exploration / by Mason Crest. Other titles: Space exploration (Mason Crest Publishers : 2019) Description: Broomall, PA : Mason Crest, [2019] | Series: Science & technology Identifiers: LCCN 2018034417| ISBN 9781422242087 (hardback) | ISBN 9781422242056 (series) | ISBN 9781422276013 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Astronautics--Juvenile literature. | Outer Space--Exploration--Juvenile literature. Classification: LCC TL793 .S65845 2019 | DDC 629.4--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc. gov/2018034417

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

CONTENTS

NASA Space Shuttle Missions .

32

introduction .

8

Lunar Missions. Mars Exploration.

34

Famous Space Explorers. Famous Astronomers .

9

36

10

Exploration of Outer Planets .

38

Space Stations .

12

Future Space Exploration Missions .

Rockets .

14

40

Space Shuttle . Life in Space.

16

Future of Space Technology . text-dependent questions .

42

18

44

Artificial Satellites.

20

research projects .

45

Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2 . Applications of Satellites . Satellite Communication. Step Beyond the Earth .

22

find out more .

46

24

series glossary of key terms .

47

26

index .

48

28

Space Missions .

30

KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR

Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field. Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text, while building vocabulary skills. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic moments, and much more! Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented here.

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SPACE EXPLORATION

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

active satellite a satellite that can transmit a signal on its own arouse to develop interest in something asteroid a small body that revolves around the sun but is smaller than a planet astronomy the science of studying the objects in the sky and the universe crater a large depression present on the surface eject to give out or throw outwards electromagnetic wave a wave carrying high energy such as X-ray, microwave, etc. external present on the outer region or outer side fascination having great interest and curiosity for something inner planets the four planets of the Solar System, namely, Mercury, Venus, earth, and Mars interplanetary something that is related to any planet other than the earth lander a large, immobile space equipment that lands on the sur- face of a planet or other heavenly body launchpad a platform from which a missile, rocket, or space shuttle is launched magnetic field region around a magnet that has the ability to attract charged particles magnetosphere a circular region outside a planet where its magnetic field is active

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

meteoroid a small body found in outer space that is the remnant of a comet monolithic made of one single piece or unit navigation to guide a ship, aircraft, or guided missile nozzle a small opening on the lower side of a rocket from which waste gases are released orbit a curved path around a celestial body orbiter a part of the space shuttle that moves in the orbit of a heavenly body outcome the end result of an experiment outer planets the four planets of the solar system, namely, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune payload cargo, or the heavyweight equipment and instruments propellant something that helps in moving ahead rocket booster small rockets attached to the sides of the space shuttle that help lift it off the ground rover an automatic, mobile spacecraft that moves on a surface space suit a special type of suit designed to protect astronauts from the harsh conditions of outer space telecommunication transfer of information in the form of waves through telephone, television, radio, etc. terraform a hypothetical process of modifying the living condi- tions of a planet in order to make it habitable for human beings

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SPACE EXPLORATION

INTRODUCTION G azing at the night sky full of stars has been a fascination for human beings for ages. The sun, themoon, and the stars have guided several phenomena that affect our lives. They have helped in navigation , occurrence of tides, have been a part of our myths and religions, and are a source of light and energy on the earth. From the human eye, life outside the earth seems so small but it was later realized that the earth is just a small part of this universe. The universe consists of several galaxies, each of which comprises stars, planets, asteroids , comets, meteors, and other heavenly bodies. The nineteenth century aroused man’s interest in exploring space. Growing technology has fulfilled this dream. From rockets to space shuttles, and from human astronauts to robots, man has changed the entire scenario of space exploration.

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

S pace exploration is a process of gathering more information about outer space. Astronomical science and modern technologies are used to learn about space. Over the years, several great astronomers and space explorers have contribut- ed towards space exploration. Famous Space Explorers

Edmond Halley Halley was an English astronomer. He studied various stars in the Southern Hemisphere.

In 1710, he found that the stars show slight movement. His greatest achieve- ment was to correctly study the pattern of occurrence of the comets. He noticed that the comets that occurred in 1456, 1531, 1607, and 1682, followed the same path around the sun. He also calculat- ed that these comets reappeared every 76 years.

Galileo Galilei Galileo Galilei was a great Italian physi- cist and astronomer. He

Nicolaus Copernicus

Nicolaus Copernicus was anastronomer fromPoland. He proposed the Copernican

made several telescopes on his own. In 1609, he created the first telescope and used it to study the moon. He observed that the surface of the moon had large craters . Using his telescope he could also observe the moons of Jupiter and rings of the planet Saturn.

theory in 1543. This theory states that the sun is at the center of the universe and the earth moves around it. This theory also states that the earth rotates on its axis every day. Such a system is now known as the heliocentric system.

SCIENCE FACTS

● ● Galileo supported the heliocentric theory proposed by Copernicus; because of this support he spent the latter years of his life under house arrest. ● ● Edmond Halley acquired the position of Astronomer Royal in the royal household of the United Kingdom in 1721.

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SPACE EXPLORATION

B efore the invention of telescopes, the sky and celestial bodies were studied through the naked eye only. The invention of telescope has widened the scope of space stud- ies. Several great astronomers have also helped study new phenomena related to space. Famous Astronomers

Edwin Hubble Edwin Hubble was an American astronomer. He con- tributed greatly to the field of modern astronomy . He formulated Hubble’s law. This law states that the galaxies are moving away from each other at a fixed rate. This rate is equal to the distance between the moving galaxies. He also found a method to clas- sify different galaxies. In 1929, he proved that the universe is expanding. A hugely important space telescope (below) is named for him.

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Johannes Kepler Johannes Kepler was a German astron- omer. He proposed three laws related to the movement of planets in the early 1600s. These laws were known as Ke- pler’s laws of planetary motion. These laws explain the relationship between the sun and the speed with which the planets move.

Charles Messier Charles Messier was a French astron- omer. He dedicated his entire life to- wards the search of different types of comets. All the stars and comets that he discovered were published in the book called Messier Catalog of Nebulae and Star Clusters . He discovered more than twenty comets from 1759 to 1798.

SCIENCE FACTS

● ● The Hubble Space Telescope, the largest space telescope, is named after Edwin Hubble. ● ● Johannes Kepler wrote a book named Epitome of Copernican Astronomy , which contains all the theories and discoveries made by him.

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SPACE EXPLORATION

A space station is a large orbiting station in space. It moves around the earth for several years. A space sta- tion is very helpful in transportation of equipment, people, and other materials. It also helps in refueling and repair of other spacecraft. Space Stations

First Space Station The first space station that was launched into the earth’s orbit was Salyut 1 . It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1971. It was a monolithic space station. It was fully equipped with supplies and equipment when launched. However, such space stations had to be abandoned when the fuel supplies were used up.

SCIENCE FACTS

● ● The total cost of construction of the International Space Station was $100 billion. ● ● The crew of the ISS is known as “Expedition” and crewmembers are changed every few months.

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

International Space Station International Space Station (ISS) is another space station. Its con- struction began in 1998 and was completed by 2011. It is expected to work until 2020. The space station was built by space agencies of the United States, Japan, Canada, and Russia, as well as sever- al nations in Europe. The space station has facilities to test other spacecraft that would travel to the moon and Mars.

Mir Space Station The Mir space station was launched by Russia in 1986. It was made up of a basic core and several ad- ditional units. All these parts were joined together in or- bit only. The station was in operation for fifteen years, from 1986 to 2001. It burned and crashed into the South Pacific Ocean while entering earth in 2001.

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SPACE EXPLORATION

Rockets A rocket is a large vehicle that is used to travel to space. It is comprised of an engine and a propellant fuel that helps in lifting the rocket off the ground. When the fuel burns, it releases the gases to the outside from a nozzle . The force of these gases in turn pushes the rocket upward. A rocket is used to carry astronauts to outer space, and in war is known as a missile.

History The invention of the rocket took place in China during the first century CE. People made rockets from bamboo tubes filled with gunpowder. They used these rockets during religious ceremo- nies and wars. Later, in 1898 a Russian schoolteacher, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, proposed the idea of using rockets for space exploration.

SCIENCE FACTS

● ● Konstantin Tsiolkovsky is known as the father of modern astronautics, while Robert H. Goddard is known as father of modern rocketry. ● ● A rocket works on the principle of Newton’s third law of motion, which says that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY