1. Topic 3: Technological Exploration of Space

2. Telescopes Allow us to… See distant objects See faint objects
See objects with a high degree of detail

3. Telescopes: Hunting the Edge of Space
The Ever Expanding Universe

4. Types of Telescopes 1. Optical telescopes Visible light collectors
Made of a series of lenses or mirrors
Larger lens/mirror = greater ability to see

5. a) Refracting Optical Telescope
1st telescope produced
Uses convex lenses (bend light)
Limit to size of the lens that can be used

6. b) Reflecting Optical telescope
Uses concave mirrors to reflect & focus light

7. Segmented mirrors
Can make a very large telescope
Hubble Space Telescope

8. 2. Radio Telescopes Collect & analyze radiowaves
Part of the electromagnetic spectrum not visible to the human eye

9. Radio waves are received from all solar bodies
Nebulae, stars, galaxies, planets
Receiver is made from metal mesh

10. Advantages
1. Signals detected at any time
Not reliant on visible light
2. Not affected by atmosphere
Clouds, weather, pollution
3. Can be made very large
Not made of fragile glass

12. Interferometry
Combining telescope technologies for greater viewing power
Ex: Mauna Kea – Keck I and Keck II (optical)
The Very Large Array (radio)
The Very Large Array
-27 25m radio telescopes, arranged in a Y, cover a distance of 61km
-would need 1 27km radio telescope to cover the same distance!

13. (Artificial) Satellites
Objects put into orbit by humans
Loaded with electronic equipment, digital imaging apparatus, etc.
Transmit information they receive to ground stations by radio waves

14. Uses 1. Communication Anik 1 2. Observation Geosynchronous orbit
Spin at the same rate as Earth spins
Designed to stay in one position above Earth

15. 3. LANDSAT & RADARSAT 4. Remote sensing Follow ships at sea
Monitor environmental changes
4. Remote sensing
Observations of Earth’s surface using heat/energy waves
Environment, natural resources, effects of urbanization

16. 5. Global Positioning System
24 satellites in orbit – at least 3 are above any given location
Triangulation

17. Space Probes
Unmanned
Put equipment on or close to the planet of interest
Flybys, orbiters, landers, rovers
Probes have been used to carry out remote sensing throughout our solar system (planets, moons, asteroids, comets) & beyond

18. Mercury probes Solar probes Venus probes Messenger Ulysses Orbiter
Mariner 2
Flyby
Venera 4
Atmosphere
Venera 7, 8, & 11
Landers
Venus Express
Atmospheric studies; planetary imaging; magnetic observations
Solar probes
Ulysses
Orbiter
Polar observations
WIND & ACE
Solar wind measurements
SOHO
Investigation of Sun’s core
STEREO A & B
Stereoscopic imaging of coronal mass ejections

19. Asteroid belt Jupiter probes Earth probes Moon Flybys
Impactors, flybys, orbiters
Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter
Artemis
Orbiter
Study the effect of the solar wind on the lunar surface
Asteroid belt
Orbiters & flybys
433 Eros
Became a lander
Jupiter probes
Pioneer 10 & 11
Voyager 1 & 2
Flybys
Galileo orbiter
Orbiter
Juno
En route (launched July 2011)

20. Saturn probes Uranus & Neptune Pluto Comets Pioneer 11 Voyager 1 & 2
Flybys
Cassini
Orbiter
Uranus & Neptune
Voyager 2
Flyby
Pluto
New Horizons
En route – 2015
Flyby
Comets
Halley (1986)
Flybys
Churvumov-Gerasimenko
Landed Nov. 2014
Orbiter & lander

21. Probing Beyond the Solar System
Pioneers 10 & 11

22. Voyager 1 Voyager 2 Left Saturn in November 1980
Sept 2013 – Officially the 1st human-made object to travel into interstellar space
~19 billion km from the Sun
Contact hoped to be maintained until at least 2020
Voyager 2
Left Neptune in August 1989
Still in regular contact and transmitting scientific data (Sept 2012)
Contact hoped to be maintained until at least 2020