Space Exploration

Modes of exploration

Space exploration could involve the observation of targets from Earth (terrestrial) and going to the target itself (extraterrestrial).

Extraterrestrial exploration

Extraterrestrial exploration of targets could include flybys, orbiting it, sending a rover to it and sending humans there.

Flyby

A flyby is simply a spacecraft flying by without slowing down to orbit it. However, it is more simple and only involves leaving Earth, but they are not used often on their own as they can only be done once. It can occur during other mission types to save fuel.

Orbital

An orbiting satellite could get more information over a longer period of time, but it uses more fuel and is slightly more complex. It has more time to collect data using its instruments, and orbiting the body allows for longer data collection, and it could be used to relay data. This kind of mission is the default one for Earth-based missions.

Rover

Rover missions involve landing a vehicle on to another body and is extremely complex as lots of planning is required. The rover needs to safely enter the body's atmosphere without being destroyed, and it needs to be put down gently to avoid crushing the rover. It yields data from the surface of the body being studied and can get more accurate data because they are free from atmospheric disturbances. They can utilise new technologies.

Crewed missions

Crewed missions are the most complex as it involves keeping humans alive for quite some time in relative isolation. A proper diet is required to ensure that humans are in good health. Life support is used to keep the people alive without them dying of the countless hazards. Equipment needs to be as safe and as reliable as possible to prevent equipment failure, which could result in the shut down of life support.

Crewed missions are not conducted often as rovers are now used and are more reliable and safe. They are also more resource-extensive and need more money to develop the life support systems and get the food required. This makes the spacecraft have more mass, so more fuel is required, making it even more expensive.

Space race

The Space Race was the race between the United States and the Soviet Union to prove their technological superiority.

Sputnik-1

Sputnik-1 was launched by the Soviet Union as the first satellite to orbit the Earth. It triggered the space race as it shocked Americans, who thought their technology was more advanced. It also served as indicators of national prestige, enhanced national security and military strength.

Sputnik-2 and -3

Sputnik-2 carried the dog Laika, which died during the mission.

Sputnik-3 was the heaviest satellite at the time and was supposed to be launched first.

Vostok-1

Vostok-1 wasm the first successful launch of a human into space. It orbited for around 2 hours before returning safely.

Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Telescope is a telescope by NASA in orbit since 1990. It allowed for a clear view of the universe and can detect light ranging from infrared to ultraviolet. It made millions of observations in its lifetime. It discovered the universe's age, the rate of its expansion, two moons of Pluto and a lot of galaxies.

MESSENGER

MESSENGER was the first probe to reach Mercury in 36 years. It launched in 2004 and reached Mercury orbit in 2011. It discovered evidence of ice on Mercury, its surface composition and details about its internal magnetic field. The mission ended in 2015 with its destruction due to its orbital decay.

Venera Program

The Venera Program was a series of space probes created by the Soviet Union. 16 were sent and 10 landed successfully. 13 managed to send data while in the Venusian atmosphere. Venera 3 is the first man-made object to have surface contact with another planet, Venera 14-14 lasted for a couple of minutes, and Venera 7 managed to land successfully.

Apollo Program

The Apollo Program consisted of 17 missions and 12 crewed missions. It used the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets.

Apollo 1 was the first crewed mission in the Apollo Program, but an electric fault caused a fire in the crew module, killing everyone on board.

Apollo 11 was the first crewed landing on the moon and was launched in July 1969. It sent 3 people to Moon orbit, and 2 of them landed on the moon.

Apollo 13 was meant to be the third crewed landing on the moon. However, an oxygen tank exploded, so it had to go around and return. The main mission was cancelled. It is the furthest humans have ever been from the Earth.

Luna Program

The Luna Program was a series of moon missions by the Soviet Union. Luna 1 was the first craft to escape Earth's gravity, but it missed the moon and became the first man-made object to orbit the sun instead. Luna 2 successfully crashed into the moon. Luna 1 was the first successful lunar landing in the Luna series. Luna 16 was the first sample-return mission from the moon.

Mariner Program

The Mariner Program was designed to visit the inner planets. All of them were relatively small robotic probes and lasted for a few months and up to a few years.

Mariner 3 was the first mission to Mars, and it was launched in 1964, weighing 260kg. It failed and was cancelled after it was lost. Mariner 4 was launched a few weeks later and successfully flew past Mars. It took close-up images of the craters and lasted for 4 years.

Mariner 6 and 7 was the first dual mission to Mars. Each probe weighed 413kg each, and they analysed the Martian atmosphere and took some images.

Curiosity

The Curiosity Rover was until recently the largest and most capable rover on Mars. It landed in 2012 and is still operational. It found chemical and mineral evidence of pst habitable environments on Mars, and it acquired samples for analysis. Due to its large size, it carried a lot of advanced equipment.

Spirit and Opportunity

Spirit was launched in June 2003 while Opportunity was launched in July 2003. Spirit landed in the Gusev crater while Opportunity landed in Meridiani Planum, opposite to the Spirit rover. Opportunity lasted for a longer time than Spirit and lasted till 2018, when it lost power due to a dust storm.

Spirit reached the summit of Husband Hill, 82 metres above the Gusev crater plain. It got stuck in May 2009 in sandy soil, and it was decided it would be used as a stationary rover instead.

Opportunity entered Vicotria Crater in September 2007. It emerged a year later and set off on a 12km journey to the Endeavour Crater. It was declared dead in 2018, and by then it had travelled 45km, a record distance travelled on another planet.

Perseverance

Perseverance landed in 2021 and it was created to seek signs of ancient life on Mars.

Juno

The Juno probe is used to improve the understanding of the Jovian atmosphere. Its mission would end in July 2021.

Cassini

Cassini was launched in 1997 and arrived at Saturn in 2004. Cassini ran out of fuel in 2017 and was destroyed during entry into Saturn's atmosphere.

Voyager missions

The Voyager probes were used to study the gas giants, and both are now on an outward trajectory. They are still operational and have already reached interstellar space.

Goals of space exploration

Mission targets

Different modes of transport have different mission targets and goals, due to their limitations.

In-situ resource utilisation

Production of resources at the mission site is important as it would be extremely costly, difficult and complex to send resources directly from Earth.

R e f l e c t i o n

Today, we learnt about the exploration of space and what it is, and how it is conducted. We also learnt about how they are conducted, the mission types and their goals. Today's lesson was a bit boring as it is similar to a previous lesson and was simply more serious and more lengthy. However, it did have a kahoot afterwards, so it was ok and a bit fun.