The History Of Space Exploration

Chapter 6Lesson 2Page 214

What Was the Space Race?

• Read page 214

• The space race was the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union to explore space. It began in 1957, when the Soviet Union launched the satellite Sputnik 1 into orbit. The United States responded by speeding up its own space program which led Apollo moon missions in the 1960s and early 1970s

First Artificial Satellites• Satellite- an object that revolves around another

object in space• Moon is a natural satellite• Sputnik 1 was the first artificial satellite• 1958 US launched Explorer 1 • 1958 NASA was created (National Aeronautics

and Space Administration)• This made it possible to bring in many of the

great minds and talents to a common goal of solving space flight problems

Humans In Space

• 1961 Soviet Union launched the first human into space Yuri Gagarin aboard Vostok 1( orbited the Earth)

• Month later- Alan Shepard became first American to enter space aboard Freedom 7 (did not orbit)

• John Glenn- first American to orbit Earth in Friendship 7 in 1962

Manned Spacecraft

The Apollo Program

• President John F Kennedy launched a program to help get a man to the moon in 1961

• The American effort to land astronauts on the moon and return them safely to Earth was named the Apollo program

1. Exploring the Moon

Between 1959-1972 the US and Soviet Union sent many unpiloted (no people) spacecraft to explore the moon’s surface. When Surveyor landed on the moon it proved that the moon had a solid surface and showed where a suitable place to land a spaceship could be.

2. Moon Landing

July 1969 –Apollo 11 mission- Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin orbited the moon and landed on it in the place named Sea of Tranquility. They were aboard the Eagle. Armstrong and Aldrin were the first people to walk on the moon

3. Moon Rocks and Moonquakes

Many “moon rocks” have been collected and studied. They have found that the minerals are similar to that of what is on Earth

They also experienced moon quakes giving scientists some ideas about what the core was made of

4. On the Moon’s Surface

• As shown in the picture they placed and American flag on the surface of the moon. They have been able to spend many days on the moon over the recent years. They are also able to use land rovers to explore the larger areas of the moons.

New Missions to the Moon

• Reaching the moon was a tremendous achievement

• After a few missions, going to the moon slowed down due to costs and lack of new information

• There is new interest in the moon from mapping it to trying to establish a permanent colony on the moon

How are Space Shuttles and Space Stations used?

• If you were in charge of the space program, what would you want to invest time and money into for the next step in space exploration?

• Establishing permanent colonies or space stations for astronauts to work is a new goal for scientists.

Space Shuttles

• Before 1981, space craft could only be used once

• Thus they created the space shuttle• Space shuttle- a spacecraft that can carry

a crew into space, return to Earth, then be used again

Space Shuttles

• NASA has used space shuttles to perform many important tasks. These include taking satellites into orbit, repairing damaged satellites and carrying astronauts and equipment to and from space stations.

Space Shuttles

• During missions, the crew lives in a pressurized cabin where they can wear regular clothes and breath without O tanks

• Payload bay is behind the cabin and it carries things that are to be released into orbit, it can also carry a laboratory for the scientists to perform experiments

• Last are the rockets where the gas is expelled to move the space ship

Space Stations

• Space station- a large artificial satellite on which people can live and work for a long period of time

• A space station provides a place where long-term observation and experiments can be carried out in space.

Space Stations

• Both the US and Soviet Union had placed space stations in orbit in the 1970s and 1980s

• In 1990s the US and 15 other countries started working on the International Space Station (ISS)

• First part of the ISS was put in space in 1998

Space Stations

• More pieces have been added since• Many scientists from many countries

spend time in the space station conducting different experiments and observing how humans adapt to live in space

• Main source of power is from 8 large solar panels

• It has batteries to run the station when in Earth’s shadow

Space Probes

• No one has traveled further than the moon• Data that we have collected from areas

further than the moon, were collected by space probes

• Space probe- spacecraft that carries scientific instruments that can collect data, but has no human crew

Space Probes

• Space probes are made for certain missions

• Some to land on certain planets, other are made to collect data as they fly by

• A space probe collects data about the solar system and sends the information back to Earth

Space Probe

• Each space probe has a power system, a communication system, and scientific instruments to collect data

• Orbiters are equipped to take photographs and analyze atmosphere of the a planet

• Remote sensing- collection of information about planets without being in direct contact

Space Probes

• Landers are equipped to land on a surface and collect data

• Some have robots called rovers• Rover- able to move around on the

surface and collect data such as soil and rock samples

• There are several examples on page 222-223