1. Missions to the Sun, Moon, Venus, and Mars

2. Warm Up Questions CPS Questions (1-2)
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

3. Chapter Overview Missions to the Sun, Moon, Venus, and Mars
The Hubble Telescope and Missions to Comets and Outer Planets
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

4. Lesson Overview Spacecraft that have studied the Sun
Unmanned exploration of the Moon
Unmanned exploration of Venus
Unmanned exploration of Mars
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

5. (Note to teacher: Use “Pick a Student” button in CPS)
Quick Write
Based on the experiences of Russia’s cosmonaut dogs, do you think it is right to use animals as test subjects in space rather than send humans in untested spacecraft?
(Note to teacher: Use “Pick a Student” button in CPS)
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

6. Spacecraft That Have Studied the Sun
Pioneer 7, along with its three siblings Pioneers 6, 8, and 9, explored the solar wind, interplanetary relations, and cosmic rays
The four spacecraft formed a ring of solar weather stations allowing scientists on Earth to monitor solar storms
In the 1970s the United States and Germany worked together to send Helios 1 and Helios 2 into space
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

7. Ulysses Studied Jupiter for more than two weeks
Using the momentum gained from Jupiter’s gravity, Ulysses was able to leave the ecliptic plane and fly over the Sun’s north and south poles
Allowed scientists to study the Sun’s north and south poles for the first time
Chapter 9, Lesson 1
Courtesy of NASA

8. Hinode A multinational space operation
Primary goal is to give scientists a better understanding of the Sun’s physics
Studies the solar wind
Hinode has a high-powered telescope that came across sunspots completely different from those previously discovered
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

9. Current Missions to the Sun
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO
Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE)
Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE)
Chapter 9, Lesson 1
Courtesy of SOHO-EIT Consortium /ESA/NASA

10. Unmanned Exploration of the Moon
Russians first examined the Moon with the Luna 1
First American spacecraft to return pictures of the Moon was the Ranger 7
In the mid-1960s, space missions returned thousands of pictures and numerous material samples to Earth
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

11. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)
Launched in 2009 with the purpose of studying everything it could about the Moon
Orbiting 31 miles above the surface to gather data on its atmosphere, environment, and terrain
Ultimate goal is extended human visits to the Moon
Chapter 9, Lesson 1
Courtesy of Chris Meaney, NASA’s Conceptual Image Lab

12. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS)
Companion probe to the LRO
Revealed the presence
of water
Spectrometer - a
special instrument
equipped with devices
for measuring the
wavelengths of the
radiation it observes
Chapter 9, Lesson 1
Courtesy of NASA/Jack Pfaller

13. The Role of the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC)
Created at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland
Responsible for the long-term archiving and preservation of all space science information
Includes astronomy, astrophysics, as well as solar and space plasma physics, and planetary and lunar science
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

14. Unmanned Exploration of Venus
The Soviet Venera program had many failures before it was successful
Lost the first Venera after it left Earth’s orbit in 1961
Russians sent 15 more Venera spacecraft to study Venus
Chapter 9, Lesson 1
Courtesyof NASA

15. The Missions and Findings of Pioneer Venus
Expected the orbiter mission to last eight months - it kept going for 14 years
NASA launched Pioneer Venus in 1978
Main objective was to make a radar map of Venus’ surface
Chapter 9, Lesson 1
Courtesy of Paul Hudson /NASA/Ames Research Center

16. The Missions and Findings of the ESA Venus Express
Launched in 2005 expecting it would last roughly two years
In late 2009 ESA extended the mission through 2012
Main goal was to map Venus’s southern hemisphere
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

17. The Venus Radar Mapping Mission of Magellan
Goal of mapping Venus’ surface to a degree that hadn’t been done before
The probe mapped 98 percent of the planet
Aerobraking - the use of the planet’s atmosphere to slow an orbit and thereby lower a satellite closer to a planet
Chapter 9, Lesson 1
Courtesy of The Magellan Project /JPL /NASA

18. Unmanned Exploration of Mars
Unmanned missions are the only type of exploration so far
Mars 1 was the first to fly by the planet in 1962
Mariner 4 was one of NASA’s early success stories
Chapter 9, Lesson 1
Courtesy of NASA/JPL

19. The Viking Missions
Both traveled to Mars and orbited until scientists could find a soft landing site
Conducted a series of tests, including water-vapor studies
Point of the missions was to study the planet’s biology (if any), chemical composition, and physical properties
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

20. The Findings of the Mars Scout Lander, the Phoenix
Primary goal was the further search for water on Mars
Took ground samples of Martian dirt
Presence of perchlorate, a chemical that attracts water, indicates the potential to sustain life forms
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

21. The Mission of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Orbits anywhere from 160 miles to 200 miles above the surface
It has returned more data than all previous Mars missions combined
Equipped with many different instruments
Chapter 9, Lesson 1
Courtesy of NASA/HiRISE/MRO/LPL/University of Arizona

22. The Findings of the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity
Opportunity found mineralogical evidence that Mars had liquid water in the past
Opportunity conducted a two-year investigation of a half-mile-wide crater
Spirit traveled roughly five miles
Chapter 9, Lesson 1
Courtesy of NASA

23. Learning Check CPS Questions (3-4)
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

24. Activity 1: Missions to the Sun, Moon, Venus, and Mars Crossword
Use your textbook to complete the crossword puzzle.
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

25. Activity 2: Unmanned Probes in Space
Record information about your assigned probe on the paper provided. Write the name of the probe on one side in magic marker. Write the launch date and mission findings on the back in pen/pencil.
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

26. Activity 3: Radar Mapping the Surface of a Mystery Planet
What would it be like to map the surface of a planet that you can’t see? Try using your “radar” to map the surface of the Mystery Planet.
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

27. Technology Enrichment: NSSDC Research
Use the National Space Science Data Center website to create a brief presentation about one of the unmanned space probes from your textbook.
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

28. Review
Many space probes have launched to the Sun in order to study solar wind
Current unmanned missions to the Moon are paving the way for more manned trips in the future, perhaps for extended periods
Early failures in both Soviet and American attempts to study Venus still enabled scientists to learn more about the planet
Unmanned missions to Mars are the only type of exploration that scientists have undertaken of the red planet so far.
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

29. Review Questions CPS Questions (5-6)
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

30. Summary The spacecraft that have studied the Sun
The unmanned exploration of the Moon
The unmanned exploration of Venus
The unmanned exploration of Mars
Chapter 9, Lesson 1

31. Next… Done – Missions to the Sun, Moon, Venus and Mars
Next – The Hubble Space Telescope and Missions to Comets and Outer Planets
Chapter 9, Lesson 1
Courtesy of NASA