Download Module_5-4 - St Paul Composite Squadron

Cadet Phase I & II
Aerospace Dimensions
Space Environment (Module 5)
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Session 1:
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Chapter 1 ‘Space’
Session 2:
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Chapter 2 ‘Solar System
(ONLY for all Cadets that have not yet passed corresponding AE test, and Cadet Mentors)
Dr. R.A. Bartholomew
-
Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Wing
1
Space
 SPACE is the place outside the planet Earth
Atmosphere gradually thins until it is effectively vacuum
 Space is not a true vacuum, but atoms and molecules are so
far apart that for practical purposes it is, since they do not
interact
 USAF & NASA count space as past 50 miles altitude
The UNIVERSE contains Everything - Galaxies, Stars, Planets,
Plants, Animals, People etc.
Characteristics of Space:
 Microgravity - NOT zero, but MUCH less than on Earth
 Can be simulated by falling
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at an acceleration equal to
that due to gravity,
ie. 9.8 m/s²,
as on NASA’s ‘Vomit Comet’
Dr. R.A. Bartholomew
-
Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Wing
2
Space
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Regions of Space:
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Cislunar Space between Earth and the Moon
 Distance varies, but average is 237,087 miles
 NOT a vacuum, contains part of Earth’s magnetosphere, and
can contain meteoroids, asteroids and comets
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Interplanetary Space - center of the Sun to the orbit of the
outermost planet (Pluto) = 4,56,000,000 miles
 Contains 9 planets, Asteroid Belt, Charged Particles, Magnetic
Fields, Dust, Gas and more.
 Commonly called the ‘Solar System’
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Interstellar Space - the Space between neighboring Solar
Systems
 Relatively empty, but still contains dust, gas, asteroids, comets
and more.
Dr. R.A. Bartholomew
-
Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Wing
3
Space
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Contents of the Universe
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Galaxies - An enormous
collection of Stars, arranged
in either a Spiral, Elliptical
or Irregular Pattern
 100,000 to 3,000 Billion Stars each
Our Galaxy is Called the Milky Way Spiral, ~ 100 - 200 Billion Stars and Solar Systems, Central
Bulge and 4 Arms, overall about 150,000 light years across
 Light Year ~ 6,000,000,000,000 miles
Nebulae - Giant Clouds of Gas and/or Dust
 May be Dark or Bright
– Dark Nebulae may be matter that has not
condensed to form a star
– Bright Nebulae may be the remnants of a Star,
after is has gone Supernova (exploded)
 May Spin and Move
Dr. R.A. Bartholomew
-
Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Wing
4
Space
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Stars - Bodies of Hot Gas,
usually Hydrogen and helium
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Very large, with enormous gravity fields,
which holds the gas together in a sphere
Resulting Pressure and Heat initiates a Nuclear Reaction
which becomes self sustaining
Stars give off huge amounts of Heat, Light and other Energy
forms
Eventually Stars die (reaction stops), either gradually, or in a
dramatic explosion called a Supernova
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Constellations - A grouping of stars,
which form a shape, and are named,
often from ancient mythology
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e.g. Ursa Major (Great Bear)
Modern Astronomers use 88
Constellations
Dr. R.A. Bartholomew
-
Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Wing
5
Space
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Binary Stars - Two Stars orbiting together around a single
gravitational center
Quazar - Huge Luminous bodies (Solar System sized) thought to be gases spiraling into a central Black Hole
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Pulsar - Star which emits flashes of electromagnetic energy
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Emits up to 10,000 times more Energy than the entire Milky
Way Galaxy
may be the result of spinning fields, orbital wobble, twin
systems or invisible bodies near the star
Black Hole - A former star which became so massive that it
collapsed in on itself
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So dense that its gravity is immense, drawing
everything in, even light!
One theory posits that our galaxy has a
super-massive black hole at its center
Dr. R.A. Bartholomew
-
Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Wing
6
Space
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Space Environment Around the Earth
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Ionosphere - contains charges (ionized) gas particles
 Cased by radiation bombardment ‘knocking’ electrons loose from
their atoms
 Ranges from 60 to 600 miles above earth’s surface
 Reflects Radio Waves
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Magnetosphere - Magnetic Fields of Force
surrounding the Earth
 From 215 miles into Interstellar Space
 Distorted by bombardment by the ‘Solar Winds’
Van Allen Belts - Radiation Bands around the Earth, filled with
charged particles
 2 Crescent shaped shells
 Astronauts and Satellites
must avoid these belts, due
to the extreme radiation
Dr. R.A. Bartholomew
-
Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Wing
7
Space
 Important Names (Quiz):
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Black Hole
Cislunar Space
Constellation
Galaxy
Interplanetary Space
Interstellar Space
Microgravity
Dr. R.A. Bartholomew
-
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Nebulae
Pulsar
Space
Star
Universe
Van Allen Belts
Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Wing
8
Solar System
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The Solar System consists of the Sun, nine Planets which
revolve around it, their Moons, plus various Asteroids,
Comets and other Celestial Bodies
The Sun
A medium sized Star, 100 times Earth’s diameter,
which provides our light, heat, and the gravity
which holds the Solar System together
 It is 90% Hydrogen gas, 9% Helium, the Hydrogen
is continuously being converted to Helium by Nuclear Fusion
 It is HOT, 15,000,000 °C at the center, and ‘only’ 4,200 °C in the
darker cooler Sun Spots on its surface
 The Sun regularly discharges material into space with huge
explosions called Solar Flares, of which the biggest and
longest lasting (thousands of miles and several months
duration) are called Prominences

Dr. R.A. Bartholomew
-
Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Wing
9
Solar System
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The Moon
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A cold ball or rock and dust, ¼ the Earth’s
diameter, which orbits the Earth once every
27 days (i.e. 1 Moon Day), at between 252,000
and 221,000 miles distance
One side ‘the Dark Side’ always faces away from us
Moon surface temperatures range from +250 to -250 °F
The surface is covered in impact craters, and is made of Basalt
and Anorthosite rock
The Planets - Nine in total, all quite Different:
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Mercury - Closest to the Sun (36 Mil. Miles)
 Dusty, Rocky surface, with almost no atmosphere
 Surface temperatures range from +800 to -300 °F
 An 88 day year (Earth days), with a Mercury day
lasting 59 Earth days
Dr. R.A. Bartholomew
-
Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Wing
10
Solar System
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Venus - 2nd closest to the Sun
 Poisonous Desert planet, with an atmosphere of
96% Carbon Dioxide, 4% Nitrogen, with Water and
Sulfuric Acid clouds
 Surface temperatures above 850 °F, which
makes it the hottest planet in our Solar System
 225 day year (Earth days), with a Venus day lasting 243 Earth days
 The ONLY planet which rotates Clockwise
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Earth - The only place we know of that supports life
 67% Water on the surface, with an atmosphere of
78% Nitrogen and 21% Oxygen
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Mars - The ‘Red Planet’
 Atmosphere of 95% Carbon Dioxide, 3% Nitrogen
 Red Color is due to Iron Oxide dust (rust) on the surface
 Surface has huge mountains and Volcanoes, with
temperatures ranging from +65 to -130 °F
 Gravity ½ Earth’s, Day almost the same, Year twice as long
Dr. R.A. Bartholomew
-
Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Wing
11
Solar System
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Jupiter - Our Largest Planet
 3 times the mass of ALL our other planets combined
 11 times larger than Earth
 Atmosphere of 90% Hydrogen
 Temperatures ranging from +60,000 at the center
to +220 °F in the upper cloud layers
 1 Jupiter Year = 11 Earth Years, but I day is only 10 Earth hours,
which means VERY fast rotation
 Atmosphere is very turbulent, with one storm (the Red Spot)
30,000 miles wide by 10,000 miles high!
 It has 16 moons
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Saturn - The Ringed planet, with 17 Moons
 VERY cold, made of liquid hydrogen and helium
 The rings are made of rock, ice and dust, 1 mile thick
 1 Saturn Year = 29 Earth Years, but I day is only
10 Earth hours, which means VERY fast rotation like Jupiter
 ‘Surface’ Temperatures range from +130 to -330 °F
Dr. R.A. Bartholomew
-
Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Wing
12
Solar System
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Uranus - Blue/Green Gas Giant
 3rd largest planet
 Rock core, with a liquid/ice water, ammonia,
and methane surface, with a hydrogen,
helium and methane atmosphere
 Temperatures are fairly constant at about -340 °F
 1 Uranus Year = 84 Earth Years, but I day is only 18 Earth hours, but,
due to a 60 ° axis tilt, it has 42 years of night followed by 42 years of
day!
 Like Saturn Uranus has rings, and moons, but it rings are faint, and
it ‘only’ has 15 moons
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Neptune - The Windy Planet (1,500 mph winds!)
 Another Gas giant, essentially the same composition
as Uranus, but appears slightly bluer
 1 Neptune Year = 165 Earth Years, but I day
is only 19 Earth hours
 It has faint rings, and 8 moons
Dr. R.A. Bartholomew
-
Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Wing
13
Solar System
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Pluto - The smallest and Farthest Planet
 Rock core, with water/ice surface, and methane frost
 1 moon, which is nearly half its size
 I Pluto day is about 6.5 Earth Days
 Unusual tilted, elliptical orbit
Other Bodies
 Asteroids - Chunks of rock ranging from
Dust Particles to the size huge Mountain ranges
– Most found in the Asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter
 Comets - Giant dirty snowballs, head a few miles across, the tail (gas
and dust) can be millions of miles long
 Meteorites (Meteor, Meteoroid, Micrometeorite) Dust/Rock Particle/Ball
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Micrometeorite = Dust particle
Meteoroid = Sand Grain
Meteor = Meteoroid which enters the atmosphere
Meteorite = what actually survives to impact the surface
Dr. R.A. Bartholomew
-
Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Wing
14
Solar System
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Important Names (Quiz):
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Solar System
Comet
Asteroid
Meteoroid
Meteor
Solar Flares
Solar Prominences
Sunspots
Dr. R.A. Bartholomew
-
Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Wing
15