Space Exploration SPACE

Learning Goals To be able to describe how we have explored space

Space Exploration A spacecraft is a robotic or human-occupied vehicle used to explore space and celestial objects These spacecraft include probes, telescopes, satellites, the Space Shuttle, International Space Station (ISS), and various others used to put humans in space Space agencies around the world continue to develop new technologies

Satellites Humans have launched over 6,500 satellites into orbit around Earth, only a few hundred remain operational The remaining have either returned to Earth or are space debris Satellites are used for Earth observation, communications, navigation, weather, and research Satellites orbit between 200 km and 36,000 km above Earth’s surface

Getting into Space All spacecraft use a rocket to move from Earth’s surface into outer space The purpose of the rocket is to provide thrust to overcome air resistance A spacecraft must reach a speed of about 7.5 km/s (27 000 km/h) to attain orbit Rocket boosters are used to provide thrust; when the fuel is used, the rocket breaks off and falls to Earth, to reduce mass

Orbiting Earth The closer an object is to a celestial body as it orbits, the faster it must go The ISS orbits 380 km above Earth and travels at 8 km/s; GPS satellites are 20,000 km above Earth and travel at 4 km/s Objects in space travel straight unless a force acts on them The forward motion of an object and Earth’s gravitational pull keep the object in orbit

Space Missions NASA (in collaboration with several other countries) currently has about 90 missions in progress These missions aim to study everything from Earth, the Moon, the Sun, the other planets, smaller celestial objects, other stars, and anything else in space

Canadians in Space Canada was the 3rd country to put a satellite in space in 1962 with Alouette 1 9 Canadians have been to space – Marc Garneau in 1984 was the first, followed by Roberta Bondar in 1992 (first woman) Chris Hadfield (1995 and 2001) was the first Canadian to do a spacewalk, and became the first Canadian commander of the ISS in 2013

Canadians in Space The Canadarm – a mechanical arm used by the Space Shuttle to manoeuvre cargo It was first used on the second shuttle mission, and has been used on over 50 missions since Canadarm2 is now on the ISS

Future Space Missions Future missions will continue to include low orbit missions (ISS), may include a return to the Moon and the construction of lunar bases, and further study of asteroids A long-term goal is a mission to Mars, which would be one of the greatest challenges in space exploration and is full of potential hazards and complications

Success Criteria I CAN explain how space exploration occurs and how Canadians have contributed