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Exploring Space
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gravity?
Weeeeee!
(2.1)
The Thrill of Exploring
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Humans, by nature, want and need to
explore
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Need to understand
Find new resources
Explore new areas of Earth
When Earth wasn’t enough, we
ventured into space!
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More difficult – why?
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Far
$$
Extreme cold and danger
Need ways to explore space from Earth
Telescopes
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Telescopes: Use electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic Radiation = energy emitted,
traveling as a wave
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Travels at the speed of light
Telescopes
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Traditional telescopes (optical) detect
visible light (small part of the spectrum)
Radio telescopes detect non-visible wavelengths
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Can be used on cloudy days or at night
Only small portions of the electromagnetic spectrum
from space can reach Earth’s surface
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Telescopes are needed above the atmosphere
“MOST” – Canada’s Space Telescope
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Microvariability and
Oscillations of STars
Launched in 2003
Purpose: to study stars similar
to the sun
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Was expected to study 10 stars
and last 1 year
Has provided data on over
1500 stars and is expected to
last until 2015
Orbiters and Landers
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Planetary orbiters travel to other planets and take
very detailed observations.
Orbit another planet and take high-res pictures
 Short life expectancies (2-3 yrs)
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Planetary landers can study weather and the ground
Can’t move around – small environmental sample
 Shorter life expectancies (few months)
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Risky business!
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Mars Climate Orbiter – Yikes!
Satellites
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Def: Human-made object or vehicle that orbits a
celestial body
Communication
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GPS Satellites
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TV, Internet, weather reports, telephone
More than 2 dozen are spread above Earth
Remote-sensing Satellites
Low orbiting – survey Earth quickly
 Useful for meteorology, climatology, oceanography
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Satellites
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“Sputnik” – 1st artificial satellite put into orbit
Soviet Union
 Oct 4, 1957
 Burned up in the atmosphere 5 months later
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Canada launched the first commercial satellite
For the CBC on Nov 9, 1972 – called: Anik 1
 For remote communities
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International Space Station (ISS)
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Partnership between many
countries to share costs
Orbits only 360km above
Earth!
Space-based lab
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Microgravity
Canadarm, Canadarm2
and Dextre
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Used on NASA’s space
shuttles to help with
construction of the ISS
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=ck76yL_s30s