Space – Race to Space; The Final Frontier

What is out there?  Ever since mankind has looked up at the moon and stars, we have wandered about life in the universe.

Chuck Yeager

Chuck Yeager of WV  Chuck Yeager was born and raised in WV.  In 1947, Chuck Yeager drove the first plane to break the sound barrier.  US was ahead of the world in the space race.  But then………

Space Race Begins  History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a basketball, weighed only 183 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path. That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. While the Sputnik launch was a single event, it marked the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race.

Sputnik 1

Vanguard  The US thought they would be the first to successfully launch a satellite into space. They put together a scientific team and began working on Vanguard.

Vanguard

US vs Soviet Union The Sputnik launch changed everything. As a technical achievement, Sputnik caught the world's attention and the American public off-guard. Its size was more impressive than Vanguard's intended 3.5-pound payload. In addition, the public feared that the Soviets' ability to launch satellites also translated into the capability to launch ballistic missiles that could carry nuclear weapons from Europe to the U.S.

US vs Soviet Union Then the Soviets struck again; on November 3, Sputnik II was launched, carrying a much heavier payload, including a dog named Laika. Then the Soviets struck again; on November 3, Sputnik II was launched, carrying a much heavier payload, including a dog named Laika. To find out what really happened to Laika, go to:

Explorer 1  Explorer project – 4 months after Sputnik US sent Explorer 1 into space.

1 st man in space  On April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the 1 st human in space, making a 108- minute orbital flight in his Vostok 1 spacecraft.

Mercury-Redstone 3 FREEDOM 7 May 5, 1961 Alan B. Shepard, Jr. 15 minutes, 28 seconds Suborbital flight that successfully put the first American in space. For an interesting, little-known fact about this flight, go to shepard-pee-spacesuit/ shepard-pee-spacesuit/

Mariner Project  The Mariner Project was a series of US space probes build to provide information on the inner planets – Mercury, Venus, and Mars.  Mariner 2 launched in  Many embarrassing disasters on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.

Mariner I failed on launch pad.

Voyager  The Mariner Project was renamed Voyager. Voyager. Voyager 1 launched from Kennedy Space Center September In 1980 it approached Saturn. Voyager 2 launched from Cape Canaveral in 1977 also.

Voyager images

Space Probes (Satellites)  Mariner  Viking 1 and 2 (summer 1976) 1 st successful landing on Mars. Designed to explore inner planets  Voyager 1 and 2 designed to explore outer planets  Galileo – 1989 – The 1 st probe to orbit Jupiter and sent a smaller probe into its atmosphere. Launched from a space shuttle.

NASA  The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nation's public space program. Established on July 29, 1958, by the National Aeronautics and Space Act. United Statesfederal governmentspace programJuly National Aeronautics and Space Act United Statesfederal governmentspace programJuly National Aeronautics and Space Act

Space Centers  Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Mostly a manned spacecraft center. Established in  Kennedy Space Center – Cape Canaveral Florida. Mostly a satellite and shuttle center.  Other places include Mississippi.

Manned Space Program Mercury Program

 The Mercury Program (1960 – 1962)  1 st program to put an astronaut into space.

Mercury-Redstone 3 FREEDOM 7 May 5, 1961 Alan B. Shepard, Jr. FREEDOM 7 15 minutes, 28 seconds Suborbital flight that successfully put the first American in space.

Gemini Program  Was a manned space program to put 2 men into space – hence the name Gemini, which means twin. To subject man and equipment to space flight up to two weeks in duration. To rendezvous and dock with orbiting vehicles and to maneuver the docked combination by using the target vehicle's propulsion system; To perfect methods of entering the atmosphere and landing at a preselected point on land. Its goals were also met, with the exception of a land landing, which was cancelled in 1964.

Gemini Launch

Americans Change Focus  In 1962, President John F. Kennedy gave a speech outlining his challenge to NASA for America to send a man to the moon.  To listen to a slightly longer version than what we heard in class, go to:  To listen to a slightly longer version than what we heard in class, go to: 4EXrQ 4EXrQ  This speech captured the American public’s imagination and spurred on NASA’s efforts

The Apollo Program  Project Apollo was a series of human spaceflight missions undertaken by NASA, on behalf of the United States of America. The program used the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn launch vehicle, and was conducted during the years 1961 – It was devoted to the goal (in U.S. President John F. Kennedy's famous words) of "landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth" within the decade of the 1960s. This goal was achieved with the Apollo 11 mission in July human spaceflightNASA United States of America Apollo spacecraftSaturn launch vehicleU.S. PresidentJohn F. KennedyMoonApollo 11human spaceflightNASA United States of America Apollo spacecraftSaturn launch vehicleU.S. PresidentJohn F. KennedyMoonApollo 11

To view the landing as Americans who were watching that day saw, go to: om/watch?v=g25G1M 4EXrQ (be patient: it takes a while to load) om/watch?v=g25G1M 4EXrQ

The US Space Shuttle  The US space shuttle was designed to be launched into space by rockets and then to return to the Earth’s surface by gliding down and landing on a runway. It was first used in the 1980’s.  It is the first reusable spacecraft.

Shuttle Missions  Columbia, Challenger, Discovery and Atlantis. Challenger was destroyed on launch in 1986, and Endeavour was built as a replacement. Columbia was destroyed on re-entry in ColumbiaChallengerDiscovery AtlantisdestroyedEndeavourdestroyed ColumbiaChallengerDiscovery AtlantisdestroyedEndeavourdestroyed

Challenger Crew

The International Space Station  A joint effort between 5 space agencies.  The agencies include the US, Russia, Japan, Canada, and Europe.  It orbits in low earth orbit.  The station has continuous people staying since it was first occupied in 2000.

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Benefits From Space  Space exploration has allowed humans to learn much about the workings of the solar system, the composition of planets and moons, and the efforts of many types of solar radiation on the Earth and its inhabitants.

Benefits From Space, cont.  In preparing for the challenges of space exploration, people have developed tools and products that have become very important in enriching our lives.  Humans have traveled to the moon, landed probes on Mars and Venus, and sent probes speeding past Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus.

Benefits From Space, cont.  An International Space Station, through the joint effort of many countries, was built to allow space to be studied continually.  We also had the Hubble Telescope built so scientists could learn much more about the uniqueness of Earth and its place in our solar system and universe.  Scientists have also learned that there are millions of galaxies in space, each containing solar systems.

Benefits From Space, cont.  Many of our modern conveniences such as microwaves and hand-held calculators are the result of products develop for use in the space program.  The Chandra X-ray Observatory is part of NASA’s fleet of “Great Observatories” along with the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitizer Space Telescope and the now de-orbited Compton Gamma Ray Observatory.

Benefits From Space, cont.  Chandra allows scientists from around the world to obtain X-ray images of exotic environments to help understand the structure & evolution of the universe.  Other telescopes, such as the Fermi-Gamma-ray Space Telescope, have unveiled a previously unseen structure centered in the Milky Way.  The feature spans 50,000 light-years and may be the remnant of an eruption from a supersized black hole at the center of our galaxy.