Observing the Night Sky and Exploring Beyond the Earth Chapters 18 and 22

Electromagnetic Radiation The two most common forms of electromagnetic radiation are light and heat …both of which we get from the Sun! From the slowest to the fastest, they are: 1.Radio 2.Microwaves 3.Infrared 4.Ultraviolet 5.X-rays 6.Gamma

Looking Into Space The easiest and cheapest way for us to observe the night sky is by using a telescope 2 types of telescopes: optical and radio Optical study the light given off by objects in space Radio study the radio waves given off by objects in space

Refracting Telescopes Light is collected and bent by an objective lens, which forms an image at the focal point The typical shape of the lens is convex

Reflecting Telescopes Light travels through the open end of the telescope and is reflected off of a concave mirror The light then bounces off of a flat mirror and the image is created at the focal point

Radio Telescopes Study the radio waves given off by objects in space Uses a huge dish to reflect the waves to a focal point Can be used in good or bad weather Have helped astronomers map the universe

More Expensive Ways to Explore Space Before we figured out how to send humans into space, we used other devices Space probes travel far into space 1.Voyager 1 and 2 in 1977 traveled to most of the outer planets 2.Galileo (2-in-1 probe) in 1995, observed Jupiter’s atmosphere Satellites revolve around other objects. Most are used for weather, television, and radio. Voyager Galileo

The Space Race In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, the United States was determined to beat Russia into space (well, they beat us at that, but we were the first to land a man on the Moon!) The U.S. began its space program with Project Mercury, in which John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth Next was Project Gemini, where we actually went to the Moon and observed its surface using robots And finally, there was Project Apollo. On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the Moon with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins Mercury Gemini Saturn V

New Technology After the Apollo missions, we wanted to find a more efficient way to send humans into space The space shuttle was invented in the late 1970’s, which was a reusable vessel that could withstand re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere Space stations are laboratories in space that have everything needed to survive a prolonged period of time Skylab (US) and Mir (Russia) were very useful in the past

The International Space Station (ISS) The ISS is currently being assembled from the help of 16 different countries The U.S. has had over 13 shuttle missions to the ISS to take parts and people It should be fully assembled within the next 5 years