1. Technologies that Advance our Understanding of Space
Science 9 Unit E

2. Discovery Through Technology

3. The astronomers Tools
Humans have invented many tools throughout history to study the sky
Sundials chart the passage of time with the sun
Astrolabes are used to chart star position
Quadrants are to measure angles up to 90°. It was originally proposed by Ptolemy as a better kind of  astrolabe
A cross staff was used to measure angles of objects.
Why would we want these?

4. Early Tools
Left to Right, Quadrant, Astrolab, Cross Staff, sundial

5. The Telescope
The telescope first allowed man to see the planets closest to the Earth
It showed space was much larger than it was imagined
Today we have super-powerful optical and radio telescopes on Earth, satellites orbiting Earth and space-based telescopes which continue to expand our understanding wA

6. Galileo Galilei, in the 1600’s saw things like the moons on Jupiter and sunspots using the first telescope
Johannes Kepler did research on the movement of planets and discovered that planets moved in orbits in the shape of ellipses.

7. The Immensity of Density and Time in Space
Finding an appropriate measurement is important in describing distances
What unit would you use to measure the length of the school?
The distance around Abu Dhabi?

8. 2 New Units Of Measurement
1) Astronomical Unit (AU)- used to measure distance within our solar system
It is the distance from the center of the Earth to the center of the sun
1AU= km

9. 2) Light-years- a light year is usually used to measure the distance of things outside of our solar system like stars, nebulas and galaxies
It is the distance light travels in one year
Light travels at km/s
A string 1 light year (ly) long would wrap around Earth’s equator 236 million times
1 ly= 9.5 trillion km

10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op3AYaJ c0Xw Distances in Space

11. Think about it!
Since it takes light a long time to reach us from the stars, we are seeing light that left the star along time ago
The further we look into space the further into the past we look
Why is this?

12. Using Technology to See the Visible
There are two types of optical telescopes that are used to study the stars
Refracting telescopes use two lenses to focus starlight
However, refracting lenses are limited in size – if they are too large, they bend under their own weight
Reflecting telescopes use a large curved mirror
Refracting Telescope Demo

13. The curved mirrors are not limited in size (the largest one has a diameter of 6 m)
Some newer telescopes use segmented mirrors which can improve resolving power by changing the shape of the mirror
One technique used to improve resolution using telescopes is to use interferometry
Reflecting Telescope Demo

14. In interferometry, two telescopes are linked and their images are combined, forming one image
Ground-based telescopes are limited, however, by the clarity of the atmosphere
Space-based telescopes, like the Hubble Space Telescope, do not have the disadvantage of atmospheric interference

15. The Hubble Telescope http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/
The Hubble Space Telescope’s launch was in 1990
Every 97 minutes, Hubble completes a spin around Earth, moving at the speed of about 8 km per second— fast enough to travel across the Canada in about 11 minutes. As it travels, Hubble's mirror captures light and directs it into its several science instruments to create images of earth

16. Using Technology to see Beyond the Visible
Stars not only produce visible light, but they also produce other radiation
Radio telescopes are used to study stars
These telescopes have an advantage over optical telescopes – they can operate day or night, regardless of weather
However, they must be placed far away from any sources of radio waves

17. Radio telescopes are essentially like large satellite dishes
Not only can they be used to study the stars, but they can also tell us about the distribution of other matter in space (which cannot be determined by optical telescopes)

18. Just like optical telescopes, radio telescopes can also use interferometry
For instance, the VLA (Very Large Array) in New Mexico uses 27 large radio telescopes arranged in a Y-shape
As a result, the resolving capacity of the VLA would be the same as a single telescope with a dish 27 km in diameter

19. Space Probes We have sent a number of probes to study the planets
These probes are much cheaper and safer than sending manned missions
To date, none of the probes have left the solar system
A Recent Probe in the news was sent 12 years ago to study a comet. This was called the Rosetta Mission

20. Using Technology to Interpret Space
We cannot tell how far a star is away just by staring at it through a telescope
We can determine distance through a method known as triangulation:
triangulation is the process of determining the location of a point by measuring angles to it from known points at either end of a fixed baseline.

21. Triangulation Example
Measure a baseline, with each end clearly marked
Use a protractor to determine the angle from one end of the baseline to the object
Determine the angle at the opposite end of the baseline
Create a scale drawing (as shown here)
Measure the perpendicular between the baseline and the object
Use the scale to determine the distance

22. Parallax
Parallax is the apparent shift in position of a nearby object when viewed from two different places
Astronomers use this shift in position in their triangulation calculations when measuring the distance to a star
The length of the baseline is the diameter of Earth’s orbit around the Sun
atch?v=_Lsj-Hz-NS4

23. Star Composition
When light from a star is passed through a prism, it creates a rainbow-like pattern
However, the patterns from stars often have black “gaps” in them
These gaps are due to gases absorbing specific wavelengths of light
These gaps can then be compared to known gases and will identify the star’s composition

24. We use a spectrometer to analyze the star’s composition
As you can see here, the individual lines correspond to various elements
We use a spectrometer to analyze the star’s composition
Spectral Analysis Demo

25. Think about it!
How can we analyze a star’s composition ?

26. Star Movement
We can also use the spectra of stars to determine their movement relative to the Earth
The Doppler Effect indicates that if an object moves towards an observer, the frequency of waves emitted from it increases
As well, if the object moves away from the observer, the frequencies decrease

27. Doppler Effect
In stars, this is known as “red shift” (the star is moving away) or “blue shift” (the star is moving towards us)
The amount of red shift or blue shift indicates the speed of the star

28. Using Space Technology to Meet Human Needs on Earth
We can use space technologies here on Earth
One of the main ways that we use this technology is through Satellites

29. Communication Satellites
In the early 20th century, telegraph and telephone messages traveled through wires
Today we use digital signals from satellites that allow clearer transmissions and a larger number of users – examples would be TV signals and cell phone signals

30. Observation and Research Satellites
Geosynchronous satellites (those that maintain a constant position) are used to monitor weather
Other satellites, such as LANDSAT and RADARSAT can track ships at sea, forest fires, environmental damage, and natural resources

31. Remote Sensing
Remote sensing is a process in which imaging devices in a satellite make observations of earths surface and send this information back to earth.
Images can be photographs taken by cameras or data collected from sensing of heat and other energy waves.
The main purpose of satellites in low Earth orbit (200 to 1000 km altitude) is to make observations about the Earth
This provides information about the condition of the environment, natural resources, and the effects of urbanization

32. The Global Positioning System
There are 24 GPS satellites that orbit the Earth
At any one point, there are at least three of these satellites that are above a given location at any moment
They produce radio signals that are picked up by receivers

33. These radio signals contain time information
The time information from each satellite is compared with the internal clock on the receiver, and the time difference between the signals indicates the distance from the satellite
When three signals overlap, they will provide the user with their position

34. The GPS was originally developed for the US military
In 2000, non-military users could finally receive a full-quality signal (prior to this, civilians could only receive a less accurate signal)

35. Practice Your Skills
Complete the Skills Practice with GPS Use

37. Space Age Materials and Systems
Many different materials and systems originally designed for space have been put to use on Earth
Almost all sectors of business have been advanced through the use of these materials and technologies:
Use your textbook to help you with the information.

38. Computer Technology
Computers have been used to analyze the structure of spacecraft, the monitoring of onboard systems, and the training of astronauts
On Earth we use the same technologies in offices, to analyze buildings and bridges, and to develop virtual reality software

39. Consumer Technology
Astronauts use specialized foods in space, and much work has been put into the studies of insulation and aerodynamics
We now can buy many enriched freeze-dried foods
New, more efficient designs of bike helmets, golf balls, running shoes and ski goggles are the results of the work done to improve spaceflight

40. Medical and Health Technology
Motion sickness is a problem in space, so medications were developed to counteract it
As well, digital imaging that was developed for satellites is now used in medicine to detect cancers

41. Industrial Technology
Lasers are used for communication in space, and they are now used for communication and manufacturing here on Earth as well

42. Transportation Technology
Special materials that were used in parachutes and spacecraft are now used in automobile designs, even down to the tires!

43. Public Safety Technology
A large amount of our exploration in space is done by robots because it is too dangerous for humans
Robots with similar designs are now used for similar tasks on Earth (such as the disposal of explosives)

44. Canadian Contributions to Space
One of the main Canadian contributions to space is the “Canadarm”, a robotic arm used on board the space shuttle
This arm has been used to place and fix satellites, and to construct the International Space Station

45. Canada has also launched a number of satellites, including Anik 1, which provided all of Canada with telecommunications coverage

46. Canada and the ISS
Canada has provided the ISS with the Canadarm 2, an improved version of the original Canadarm
The new arm has “fingers” for delicate assembly work and can move itself around the station along a set of rails

47. Canadian Achievements
1839 – Sir Edward Sabine establishes first magnetic observatory & discovers that the Northern Lights are associated with solar activity
1962 – Canada launches its first satellite, Alouette 1
1969 – Canada provides the landing gear for the first lunar lander
1984 – Marc Garneau is the first Canadian in space
1992 – Roberta Bondar was the first Canadian woman in space
1997 – Canada provided the ramp used by the Mars Pathfinder mission
2001 – Chris Hadfield becomes the first Canadian to walk in space while delivering the Canadarm 2 to the ISS
2012 – Chris Hadfield Hadfield launched in the Soyuz TMA-07M flight for a long duration stay on board the ISS as part of Expedition 35.

48. Azimuth – Project Help