Chapter 22Exploring

Space

Section 2: Early Space Missions

• People have been curious about space since they first had a conscience.

• They tried to figure out why the stars seemed to move across the sky, why the moon moves the way it does, and why some objects streak as fireballs across the heavens.

• Not until we figured out how to make the first telescope and launch the first rockets did we finally feel that space wasn’t completely out of reach.

Rockets

• Regular airplane engines wouldn’t work to break away from Earth’s gravity and enter orbit.

• Must be able to travel 11 km/sec (about 21 miles per second)

• Must be able to burn fuel in space where there is no air.

Rockets

• Watch this rocket launch.

Types of Rockets

• The two main types of rockets are distinguished by the type of fuel they use– Liquid-propellant– Solid-propellant

Liquid-Propellant Rockets

• Preferred fuel for long-term space missions because the fuel can be turned on and shut off.

• Must be mixed with oxygen (necessary for combustion) so it will burn where there is no air.

• The fuel and oxidizer are stored in separate tanks.

Solid-Propellant Rockets

• Used for short-term flights into space• Fuel cannot be shut off once it starts

burning.• Solid-propellant rockets use a

rubberlike fuel that contains its own oxidizer mixed together.

Rocket Launching• The rocket has a burning chamber with a

tube where gases from the burning fuel expand and are forced down the tube.

• The force of the gases push downward, causing the rocket to move upward (Newton’s Third Law of Motion).

• The Space Shuttle uses both solid and liquid fuels to launch and maneuver once it is in orbit.

Satellites• Satellites are launched into space

aboard rockets.• The former Soviet Union placed the

first artificial satellite in space in 1957. It was called Sputnik I.

• A satellite is any object that orbits another.

• Satellites must have enough speed to orbit and defy gravity, but not too much or they will leave orbit.

Sputnik I• Sputnik I was launched to see if it could be done.

• This made the U.S. nervous.

• It stayed in orbit for 57 days before gravity pulled it to Earth.

Sputnik

Laika the Dog

• In 1957, Laika became the first animal launched into orbit, paving the way for human spaceflight. This photograph shows her in a flight harness.

Satellite Uses

• Satellites orbit Earth for many reasons.– Weather tracking– Communication– Television– Radio transmission– Scientific data gathering– Spying– Global Positioning/navigation

Real-Time Tracking

• Check out this website to track real satellites!

• Or this one!

Space Probes• A space probe is an instrument that

gathers information and sends it back to Earth.

• They travel through the solar system.• They carry

– cameras.– computers.– radio transmitters and receivers to send

and receive data from scientists.

Voyager Probes

• Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched in 1977.– Goals:

• Gather information about Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune

• Continue on beyond our solar system to gather data about space and other stars

Image of Jupiter taken by Voyager 1

Pioneer Probes• Pioneer 10, launched in 1972 was the first probe to

survive a trip through the asteroid belt.• It survived to gather data about Jupiter.• January 2, 2003 was the last signal received by Pioneer

10 as it travelled beyond our solar system.

Galileo• Galileo was launched in 1989 and reached Jupiter in 1995.

• It released a smaller probe that parachuted to Jupiter and gathered data before being crushed by its atmospheric pressure due to incredible gravity.

Galileo

• Galileo itself studied Jupiter’s rings and magnetic fields.

• It also studied Jupiter’s moons.– Found that its moon Europa may have water on it.– Found that its moon Io has a volcano that has

more energy than ALL of Earth’s volcanoes combined!

MOON QUEST• Sputnik was the beginning

of man’s quest for the moon.

• Yuri Gagarin of the former USSR was the first human launched into space.– He orbited and returned

safely.

• President Kennedy made the U.S.’s goal to reach the moon by the end of the 1960s.

• Project Mercury signaled the beginning of our objective to reach the moon.– May 5, 1961: Alan

Shepard was the first American to travel into space and back.

– 1962: John Glenn was the first American to orbit Earth in the Mercury space ship.

Project Mercury

John Glenn preparing for his flight aboard

Mercury

Project Gemini

• Gemini astronauts teamed up to perform special maneuvers in space that would be needed for a moon flight.

• It was launched by a Titan II rocket—a liquid-fuel rocket.

• They tested the effects of space on the human body.

Moon Probes

• Prior to sending humans to the Moon, a series of robotic probes was sent.– Ranger proved that a spacecraft could actually be

sent to the Moon.– Surveyor proved that the Moon’s surface was

sufficient to support a spacecraft.– Lunar Orbiter took pictures of the Moon’s surface

and helped determine landing sites.

Apollo Program• Project Apollo: 1963 – 1975• Total of 12 Apollo missions launched by Saturn Rockets.• Apollo 1

– Ended in tragedy January 27, 1967. – Three astronauts died in a command module fire on the

launch pad during a launch simulation at the Kennedy Space Center .

• There were no Apollos 2 and 3.• Apollo 4 was actually the first Saturn V launch (no

astronauts aboard).• Apollos 5 & 6 were also unmanned.

The Tragedy of Apollo 1

Left to right: Grissom, White, Chaffee

Left to right: Grissom, White, Chaffee

Apollo Program

Apollo 7, October 11 – 22, 1968 Apollo 7, October 11 – 22, 1968

• 163 Earth orbits in 10 days, 20 hours163 Earth orbits in 10 days, 20 hours

• Milestones: Milestones: – First manned Command Service Module First manned Command Service Module

operations in the lunar landing program. operations in the lunar landing program.

– First live TV transmission from manned First live TV transmission from manned spacecraft.spacecraft.

Apollo ProgramApollo 8, December 21 – 27, 1968

• 6 days, 3 hours. In lunar orbit 20 hours, with 10 orbits.

• Milestones:– First manned lunar orbital mission. – Support facilities tested. – Photographs taken of Earth and Moon.– Live TV broadcasts.

Apollo ProgramApollo 9 (Gumdrop and Spider)

• March 3 – 13, 1969

• Lasted 10 days, 1 hour with 152 orbits.

• Milestones:– First manned flight of all lunar hardware in Earth orbit.– Astronaut Schweickart performed a 37 minutes EVA

(Extra-Vehicular Activity). – Human reactions to space and weightlessness tested.– First manned flight of lunar module (LM).

Apollo 9 EVA

Apollo ProgramApollo 10 (Charlie Brown and Snoopy)

• May 18-26, 1969

– Lasted 8 days, 3 minutes.

– In lunar orbit 61.6 hours, with 31 orbits.

Apollo Program

More on Apollo 10

• Milestones: – Dress rehearsal for Moon landing.

– First manned CSM/LM (Command and Service Module/ Lunar Module) operations in cislunar and lunar environment.

– Simulation of first lunar landing profile.

– LM taken within 50,000 feet (15,243 meters) of lunar surface.

– First live color TV from space.

– LM ascent stage jettisoned in orbit.

“Earthrise” –Image taken from Apollo 10

Apollo Program

Apollo 11 (Columbia and Eagle), July 16-24, 1969

• Crew: Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr.

• 8 days, 3 hours, 18 minutes. In lunar orbit 59.5 hours, with 30 orbit.

Apollo ProgramMore on Apollo 11

• MILESTONES:•First manned lunar landing mission & lunar surface EVA. •"HOUSTON, TRANQUILITY BASE HERE. THE EAGLE HAS

LANDED."--July 20, 1969. •One EVA of 2 hours, 31 minutes. •Flag & instruments deployed; Unveiled plaque on the LM

descent stage with inscription: "Here Men From Planet Earth First Set Foot Upon the Moon. July 1969 A.D. We Came In Peace For All Mankind."

•Lunar surface stay time 21.6 hours; LM ascent stage left in lunar orbit.

•Gathered 44 pounds (20 kilograms) of material.

Apollo 11 Crew

Left to right: Armstrong, Collins, Aldrin

Apollo 11—”One Small Step for a Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind.”

—Neil Armstrong

Watch this!

Apollo ProgramApollo 12 (Yankee Clipper and Intrepid)

November 14-24, 1969• Lasted 10 days, 4 hours, 36 minutes. In lunar orbit 89 hours

with 45 orbits. Lunar surface stay-time, 31.5 hours.• Milestones:

– Retrieved parts of the unmanned Surveyor 3, which had landed on the Moon in April 1967.

– Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) deployed.

– LM descent stage impacted on Moon.

– Gathered 75 pounds (34 kilograms) of lunar material.

Apollo 12 Apollo 12

Apollo ProgramApollo 13 (Odyssey and Aquarius)

April 11-17, 1970• Lasted 5 days, 22.9 hours.• Milestones:

– Third lunar landing attempt. – Mission aborted after rupture of service module oxygen

tank.– Classified as "successful failure" because of experience

in rescuing crew. – Empty upper stage successfully impacted on the Moon.

• The re-entry sequence of Apollo 13

Apollo ProgramApollo 14 (Kitty Hawk and Antares)

January 31 - February 9, 1971• Lasted 9 days• Milestones:

– Scientific instruments deployed.

– Lunar surface stay-time, 33.5 hours; 67 hours in lunar orbit, with 34 orbits.

– Two Extra-Vehicular Activities of 9 hours, 25 minutes.

– Third stage impacted on Moon.

– Gathered 94 pounds. (42 kilograms) of lunar material using hand cart for first time to transport rocks.

Return of Apollo 14

Apollo ProgramApollo 15 (Endeavor and Falcon)

July 26-August 7, 1971• Lasted 12 days, 17 hours, 12 minutes. In lunar orbit

145 hours with 74 orbits.• Lunar surface staytime: 66.9 hours.

Apollo ProgramMore on Apollo 15

• Milestones: – 3 EVAs of 10 hours, 36 minutes. – Astronaut Worden performed 38 minutes EVA on way back to Earth. – First to carry orbital sensors in service module of CSM.– More scientific instruments deployed. – Improved spacesuits gave increased mobility and stay-time. – Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), electric-powered, 4-wheel drive car,

traversed total 17 miles (27.9 km) – Small sub-satellite left in lunar orbit for first time. – Gathered 169 pounds (6.6 kilograms) of lunar material.

Lunar Rover of Apollo 15

Apollo ProgramApollo 16 (Casper and Orion)

April 16-27, 1972

• Lasted 11 days, 1 hour, 51 minutes. In lunar orbit 126 hours, with 64 orbits.

• Lunar surface stay-time: 71 hours.• Milestones:

– First study of highlands area. – Selected surface experiments deployed, ultraviolet

camera/spectrograph used for first time on Moon, and LRV used for second time.

– Gathered 213 pounds (95.8 kilograms) of lunar material.

Apollo 16

Apollo ProgramApollo 17 (America and Challenger)

December 7-19, 1972• Lasted 12 days, 13 hours, 52 minutes. In lunar orbit 17 hours.• Lunar surface stay-time: 75 hours.• Milestones:

– Three EVAs totaled 22 hours, 4 minutes. – Last lunar landing mission. – First scientist-astronaut to land on Moon - Schmitt. – Sixth automated research station set up. – LRV traverse total 18.9 miles (30.5 km). – Gathered 243 pounds (110.4 kilograms) of lunar material.

Image from Apollo 17