SPACE EXPLORATION

Ancient Astronomy

Ancient Greeks: Geocentric Model

1500’s COPERNICUS Earth revolves around the sun “Heliocentric” model of the solar system

1600’s GALILEO Builds first telescope Sees 4 moons orbiting Jupiter Sees Milky Way is made of millions of stars Sees mountains on the moon

1600’s NEWTON: Laws of Motion

1700’s Uranus is discovered

The Cold War Space Race 1957 Russians launch first artificial satellite Sputnik

The Cold War Space Race 1957 one month after Sputnik, Russians launch first dog in space Laika

The Cold War Space Race 1958 USA launches first American satellite Explorer 1

The Cold War Space Race 1961 Russians put first man into “low Earth orbit” Yuri Gagarin 108 minutes in orbit Cosmonaut

The Cold War Space Race May, 1961 One month after Gagarin’s flight, USA puts man into space Alan Shepherd Astronaut

The Cold War Space Race May 25, 1961 President John F. Kennedy announces: USA will put man on the moon before 1970

Mercury Space Program space flights put one astronaut at a time into low earth orbit

Gemini Space Program flights put two astronauts at a time into low earth orbit Goals: longer duration flights practice rendezvous and docking with space vehicles perfect re-entry and landing Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell in Gemini 12

Apollo Space Program USA 11 missions # 7,8,9,10 orbit 3 men around Earth and Moon (Jim Lovell)

Saturn V Rocket Used in Apollo 363 feet tall 6 million pounds 90% of weight was fuel 1.5 million pounds of thrust 1250 gallons fuel per second

How fast does a rocket need to go to get into orbit? ESCAPE VELOCITY The speed a rocket needs to go to escape Earth’s gravity 7 miles per second 25,000 miles per hour (assumes no air friction)

Apollo Space Program July 1969 Apollo 11 USA puts first man on the moon Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins

Apollo Space Program 5 more moon landings until 1972 # 12, 14, 15, 16, 17 #13 Lovell, Haise, Swigert #16 Mattingly Lovell, Swigert, Haise

Voyager Interstellar Mission Launch in 1977 Voyager 1 and 2 Goal: explore the outer planets and beyond the solar system

Where are the Voyagers now?

Post-Cold War Space Exploration 1981 USA launches first Space Shuttle Columbia

Space Station Mir 1986 Russians put first Space Station in orbit around Earth Mir means “Peace” Used for 15 years

Space Shuttle Challenger 1986 USA Space Shuttle Challenger explodes after take- off

Hubble Space Telescope 1990 USA sends Hubble Space telescope into orbit Avoids interference from Earth’s atmosphere Serviced by Space Shuttle

Galileo Probe 1995 USA sends Galileo Probe into Jupiter

International Space Station 1998 International Space Station US and Russian crew live there beginning in 2000

Space Shuttle Columbia 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia explodes during re-entry

Cassini Probe 2004 Cassini Probe reaches Saturn

Mars Rovers 2004 Opportunity 2009 Spirit 2012 Curiosity Search for life on Mars

Kepler Space Telescope Search for habitable planets around other stars “Exoplanets” 135 confirmed planets 2677 candidates

Future NASA Missions No more “low earth orbit” missions Focus on long distance space exploration Man on Asteroid (2025) Man on Mars (2030) Space Launch System (SLS):New generation of rocket (2017?) “Apollo on steroids” Lift tons 4 – man Multipurpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) can dock with other craft Crew compartment will land on ground (not ocean)