The Hazards for Spacecraft

Warm Up Questions CPS Questions (1-2) Chapter 5, Lesson 3

Lesson Overview The threat caused by high levels of radiation The hazards of impact damage to spacecraft The threats associated with surface landings Fire hazards in space Chapter 5, Lesson 3

(Note to teacher: Use “Pick a Student” button in CPS) Quick Write How do you think NASA scientists should protect against the hazards of space impact? Are collisions in space an acceptable part of the price to pay for space exploration? (Note to teacher: Use “Pick a Student” button in CPS) Chapter 5, Lesson 3

The Threat Caused by High Levels of Radiation Radiation exposure is one of the biggest hazards to spacecraft Outside the protection of Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field, spacecraft and their crews are exposed to solar radiation—solar flares—to cosmic radiation from elsewhere in the universe Chapter 5, Lesson 3

The Threat of Solar Storms to Spacecraft in High Orbit A solar storm - an episode of violent space weather resulting from particles streaming outward from the Sun Chapter 5, Lesson 3 Courtesy of SOHO/ESA & NASA

How Radiation Can Damage Machines and Cause Computer Failure in Space Radiation in space poses several threats to space hardware It can cause metals and materials to deteriorate, lose strength, and become less flexible Chapter 5, Lesson 3 Courtesy of NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Scientific Visualization Studio

How Radiation Can Damage Machines and Cause Computer Failure in Space, cont. Electronics can break down when cosmic rays pass through critical parts and short the circuits Ions or electromagnetic radiation can affect the output or operation of an electronic device Critical computer systems need the ability to detect and correct errors Chapter 5, Lesson 3

The Damage That Meteoroids Can Cause to Spacecraft When a meteoroid hits a spacecraft, it can disintegrate, creating a cloud of plasma Under the right conditions, this plasma cloud can set off a chain reaction causing massive short circuits When scientists forecast meteoroid showers, NASA and other authorities take precautions, such as pointing vulnerable systems away from the incoming meteoroids Chapter 5, Lesson 3

The Damage That Meteoroids Can Cause to Spacecraft, cont. Even a small particle of debris can do a lot of damage if it travels on a collision course with a spacecraft. Chapter 5, Lesson 3 Courtesy of NASA

How Junk in Space Can Damage Spacecraft Items no longer serving a useful purpose remain in orbit Posing a potential collision hazard to everything else in space Space junk moves pretty fast Even a small object can do a lot of damage Chapter 5, Lesson 3 Courtesy of NASA

The Threat Caused by Clouds of Space Dust Top priority for NASA to map dust clouds and calculate their orbits This work involves computer modeling of streams of cometary debris Scientists also watch the sky for meteor outbursts on Earth Chapter 5, Lesson 3 Courtesy of NASA

How Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology Helps Spacecraft Avoid Hazards ALHAT system is designed to detect hazards and then to direct the lander to the safest spot available for touchdown ALHAT will be able to guide spacecraft precisely and repeatedly to certain designated landing sites Chapter 5, Lesson 3 Courtesy of NASA

How Surface Boulders, Craters, and Sloping Hillsides Threaten Spacecraft Any single boulder, crater or sloping hillside could be enough to threaten a spacecraft’s safe landing Another lunar safety hazard is the blinding dust that the lunar lander’s rocket exhaust kicks up Chapter 5, Lesson 3

The Threats Associated With Propulsion Maneuvers in Space Spacecraft rely on enormous rockets to get up into space in the first place, and then on smaller rockets to maneuver once they leave Earth Any time a spacecraft pilot fires up the rockets, he or she is playing with fire At any point, something could go wrong Chapter 5, Lesson 3

The Special Concerns for Fire Prevention in a Microgravity Environment In microgravity – a condition of gravity so low that weightlessness results - no convective flows exist, and flames are spherical, soot-free and blue Vital to know what makes flames start and stop in low gravity, and how flames in such conditions behave while burning Chapter 5, Lesson 3 Courtesy of NASA

Research Into Spiral Flames Researchers thought that spiral flames could be common in microgravity Scientists want to understand better the phenomenon of fire whorl or “devil wind,” and they think they can learn from studying spiral flames Combustion studies are a key aspect of spacecraft safety research Chapter 5, Lesson 3 Courtesy of NASA

Learning Check CPS Questions (3-4) Chapter 5, Lesson 3

Activity 1: Shooting Hoops Answer trivia questions relating to the vocabulary and other terms in the lesson for the chance to earn points for your team. Chapter 5, Lesson 3

Activity 2: Meteoroid Hazards to Spacecraft Follow the instructions to complete this activity about what it takes to protect spacecraft and astronauts from meteoroids Chapter 5, Lesson 3

Activity 3: Shooting for the Moon After watching the NASA video “Shooting for the Moon” with your class, gather in your assigned small groups to discuss and answer the questions on the worksheet Chapter 5, Lesson 3

Technology Enrichment: Research on Space Junk In your assigned groups, use a search engine such as goggle.com or yahoo.com or a NASA site to conduct research on the Internet about space junk Chapter 5, Lesson 3

Review Radiation from the Sun and elsewhere in space poses several threats to space hardware Even a small particle of debris can do a lot of damage if it travels on a collision course with a spacecraft Any single boulder, crater, or sloping hillside could be enough to threaten a spacecraft’s safe landing Combustion studies are a key aspect of spacecraft safety research Chapter 5, Lesson 3

Review Questions CPS Questions (5-6) Chapter 5, Lesson 3

Summary The threats caused by high levels of radiation The hazards of impact damage to spacecraft The threats associated with surface landings Fire hazards in space Chapter 5, Lesson 3

Next… Done – The Hazards for Spacecraft Next – Making Space People-Friendly Chapter 5, Lesson 3 Courtesy of NASA