Risks of Space Exploration

Brainstorm: Suppose you decide to enroll into NASA’s astronaut program. What risks do you face when travelling to “outer space”?  Challenger disaster Challenger disaster  Columbia disaster Columbia disaster

 Running out of fuel  Is calculated to the mL! – why?  Hitting a meteroid or other debris  UV/Solar radiation  Kills organ cells and damages bone marrow  Can burn up electronic circuits on board

 Entering Earth’s atmosphere at correct angle  Too shallow – bounce back into atmosphere  Too steep – can burn up

 All the pieces of debris from rockets, satellites, space shuttles, probes, and space stations that remains in space  Ex. flecks of paint, bolt, satellite  Travels at m/s!

 How to remove space junk -article  to-drag-space-junk-from-orbit.html to-drag-space-junk-from-orbit.html Vanguard I – launched by US in 1958, is the oldest space debris -located in MEO; lost contact in 1964 and will remain orbitting Earth for 240 years….until 2204!

 Canadarm (1981) – launches and retrieves satellites  Help fix Hubble Space Telescope  Added modules on International Space Station  Can grasp objects, bend like an elbow and move around the Space Station

 Remote Manipulator System  Docks space shuttle  Moves around parts of shuttle  Mobile Base System  Travels along a rail system to move  Dexterous Manipulator  Two-armed robotic hand for assembly work

 Alouette I  1972 – Anik I  Gave satellite communications for the 1 st time  1984 – first Canadian in space was Marc Garneau  1992 – Roberta Bondar was first Canadian female

 Pro’s  Improves life on Earth  Determine ways of capturing solar energy (solve energy crisis)  Cons  Money could be going to stop hunder, pollution, poverty, disease

 Is it right to spend money on space exploration when there are people in need on Earth?”

 “ Who decides who owns space? Does Canada, USA, Russia, China? Who gets the resources (like energy sources) that are found in space?”

 Who has to clean up the space junk? Who is responsible for protecting space environments from alteration?”

 “Do we have the right to alter materials in space to meet our needs?  How can we ensure that the resources from space are used to meet the needs of everyone?