Internet Quest Series: Astronomy and Space by Teacher Superstore

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Acknowledgements i. Clip art images have been obtained from Microsoft Design Gallery Live and are used under the terms of the End User License Agreement for Microsoft Word 2000. Please refer to www.microsoft.com/permission.

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Publications

Title: Internet Quests Series Astronomy and Space

The purchasing educational institution and its staff have the right to make copies of the whole or part of this book, beyond their rights under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act), provided that: 1.

The number of copies does not exceed the number reasonably required by the educational institution to satisfy its teaching purposes;

Copies are made only by reprographic means (photocopying), not by electronic/digital means, and not stored or transmitted;

Copies are not sold or lent;

Every copy made clearly shows the footnote, ‘Ready-Ed Publications’.

educational institution (or the body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under Act. For details of the CAL licence for educational institutions contact: Copyright Agency Limited Level 19, 157 Liverpool Street Sydney NSW 2000 Telephone: (02) 9394 7600 Facsimile: (02) 9394 7601 E-mail: info@copyright.com.au

The Act allows a maximum of one chapter or 10% of the pages of this book, whichever is the greater, to be reproduced and/or communicated by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that that

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Except as otherwise permitted by this blackline master licence or under the Act (for example, any fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review) no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address below.

o c . che e r o t r s super Published by: Ready-Ed Publications PO Box 276 Greenwood WA 6024 www.readyed.com.au info@readyed.com.au

ISBN: 978 1 86397 800 2 2

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Any copying of this book by an educational institution or its staff outside of this blackline master licence may fall within the educational statutory licence under the Act.

Reproduction and Communication by others

Contents

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Address Book Online Libraries and References

The Solar System Life on Mars Be a Star Child The Moon Eclipses Total Solar Eclipse The Sun and Other Stars The Milky Way and Star Constellations Comets Skywatcher Satellites Hubble Space Telescope Space Stations - 1 Space Stations - 2 Space Missions - 1 Space Missions - 2 The Ultimate Space Journey

4 5-6 7 8

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About This Book Notes For Teachers & Parents

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

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Answers

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26-27

About This Book Copyright and the use of Internet resources

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For further information refer to the copyright council on: 4www.copyright.org.au

Referencing online sources There may be occasions when students are required to cite sources of information when transferring their research findings to the report stage. As the concept of using online sources develops, formal guidelines for referencing are evolving.

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Material on the Internet is protected by copyright laws in the same way as print material. There are exceptions in the copyright act which allow fair dealing for research and study purposes. The activities contained in this book are designed to utilize the concept of fair dealing by encouraging students to use research skills to read and summarize material for the purpose of gaining knowledge and interpreting and evaluating ideas.

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or 4www.webcitation.org/

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Notes For Teachers & Parents The Internet Quests Series is designed to make use of the enormous amount of information that is available through the Internet.

This book is produced to allow children to answer those questions for themselves. In doing so, they will understand the following concepts linked to the curriculum:

In recent years there has been a great deal of publicity about negative aspects of the Internet, so much so that the uninitiated may well have severe concerns about what young users might encounter when surfing the Net. There is no doubt that this concern could be well-founded if children are left to their own devices when online. The key to avoiding the ‘net nasties’ is supervision, just as it is to avoid inappropriate experiences for children in selecting movies, television programmes and books. It is most unlikely that violent, racist or erotic sites are reached accidentally and the Internet Quests materials and addresses have been carefully screened to avoid this happening. However, the Internet is a fluid, dynamic resource that is always in motion and we can’t guarantee that what is appropriate now will still be next year. With this in mind, it is strongly recommended that parents/teachers preview sites if at all possible.

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‘Net Nasties’

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The term “information superhighway” is a buzz phrase that is constantly talked about in educational and other circles. As a generation that is comfortable with the idea of computers and associated concepts, the 10 to 12 year old children in our care deserve the opportunity of zooming down that superhighway. But just where is the on-ramp and how do children negotiate their way through the traffic jam that makes up the Internet?

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• Use recognised research skills to extrapolate information from Internet references. • Use selected World Wide Web addresses to extend understanding on a theme.

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• Use a variety of net search engines to expand on the information available.

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Some Internet Warnings 1

Filter tools have been designed by some companies to help protect children from the undesirable aspects of the Internet. Some of the filter tools which offer online information are:

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• Use the links provided at addresses to broaden the scope of their investigations.

Net Nanny - 4www.netnanny.com

Cyber Patrol - 4www.cyberpatrol.com/

Notes For Teachers & Parents Some Internet Warnings 2

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Reliability of Material

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A recognised problem with material found on the Net is that often it is unsubstantiated with sources unlisted and the writer’s credentials unknown. Children will need to learn to be discerning in their use of the content that they encounter. Ideally they should look for authoritative material where sources are listed. The location of the address may be a useful pointer - an article under the banner of NASA or Australian National University is likely to be more authoritative than one supplied by an individual with an apparent interest in the theme. Another consideration is the date that the material was submitted material may appear useful but may be out of date. Unfortunately it is sometimes difficult to check just when articles were written or posted although often the date of entry is shown at the top of print outs and at the end of articles.

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As with the ‘Net Nasties’ then, supervision and guidance from teachers/ parents is required so that students can be helped to see the difference between information sources that are credible and those requiring further corroboration.

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As mentioned, the dynamic nature of the Internet means that some sites may change URLs or even disappear altogether. An ongoing role of the publishers will be to monitor these changes regularly and to post them on our Internet Quests site.

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We request that users keep us posted on which websites become unavailable by emailing details to us on:

4info@readyed.com.au

Address Book

Record some interesting Internet addresses that you find.

Topic: Web Site

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e.g. Astronomy for Kids

4http://www.kidsastronomy.

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Address

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Online Libraries and References r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S Australian National Library

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To assist you with your research, there are some excellent online libraries and references that are very easy to use.

4www.nla.gov.au/ Internet Public Library

4www.ipl.org/ National Library of New Zealand

4www.natlib.govt.nz/ Check out the section for schools.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons Australian and New Zealand Web Enquiry Research System •f or4www.anzwers.com.au r evi ew pur posesonl y• 4http://school.discoveryeducation.com/ homeworkhelp/homework_help_home.html

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International Space Station

4www.nasa.gov/worldbook/intspacestation_ worldbook.html

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To help you with your research skills visit: Internet Research Help

4http://gowyld.net/tutorials.html

Remember to read the instructions carefully and you should be able to find anything you want.

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B.J. Pinchbeck’s Homework Helper

The Solar System Go to:

www.eightplanets.org/

Scroll down to Solar System Overview

The Solar System is shaped like a disk and is only a tiny part of a galaxy called the Milky Way. The Milky Way consists of hundreds of billions of stars including the Sun. Some of these other stars may even have planets orbiting them as well.

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Read through the information at the website and answer the questions below. 1. What does the Solar System consist of?_ ____________________________________________

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2. Complete the table below by placing the names of the correct planets under each heading.

Inner Solar System

Outer Solar System

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• 3. Which planets were only discovered in modern times?_________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Why were they not seen before?___________________________________________________

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. te is … o Which planet c . che e r o t r s super Go to the contents page www.eightplanets.org/ Click onto each of the eight planets to answer the questions below.

i. Named after the God of the Sea?_ ________________________________________________ ii. The sixth planet from the Sun?_ __________________________________________________ iii. Closest to the Sun?_____________________________________________________________ iv. The brightest planet?___________________________________________________________ v. Known as the red planet?_ ______________________________________________________ vi. Not named after a Roman or Greek God?___________________________________________ vii. Named after Zeus, the King of the Gods?___________________________________________ viii. Discovered by accident when William Herschel looked through his telescope? _______________________________________________________________________________ 9

Life on Mars Go to:

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/ msp98/why.html Answer the questions below.

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1. What features of Mars have made some scientists believe that life may have once existed on this planet?

________________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Use Google to describe the “Global Surveyor”.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons ________________________________________________________________________________ •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

4. List four important discoveries that the Global Surveyor made.

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_______________________________________ _ ______________________________________ _______________________________________ _ ______________________________________

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Mars and Martians

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Could it be that all those science fiction books and movies about Martians might have some truth to them?

Make a list of movies and novels about Mars and Martians.

Begin this task by visiting this website: www-cgi.cnn.com/TECH/9608/mars.life.special/ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 10

Be a Star Child http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ StarChild/StarChild.html This is an interesting learning centre for young astronomers. Click on Level 2 to research the topics below. You might like to conduct a further search by visiting some of the online references.

Go to:

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Click on The Universe and investigate and describe in your own words what is meant by the “electromagnetic spectrum”. _______________________________________________________________________________

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_______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

Work your way around the different pages and explore the links that lead to the glossary.

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Select one of the topics below to create a research sheet on. Consider how you will present your sheet.

Topics for Research

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• Space Travel

• Telescopes

• Space Probes

• Black Holes

• Supernovas

• Hubble Space Telescope

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Make an Astronomy Chart with a section for each of the above research topics. Make your chart more interesting by downloading space pictures from other sites that you know.

News Flash!

Scientists are always on the look out for Planet X, the next planet of our Solar System! 11

The Moon Go to: http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/

StarChild/solar_system_level1/moon.html

The Moon is the only other place that has been visited by humans in the Solar System and is the Earth’s nearest neighbour in space. Although it is the brightest object in the night sky, it gives off no light of its own. It travels around the Earth once approximately every 27 1/3 days and a rocket journey from Earth to the Moon would take about six days.

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Read about the Moon on the website and then answer the questions below.

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1. Do we always see the same side of the Moon?_________________________________________ 2. Who was the first person to step foot on the Moon?____________________________________ 3. Who accompanied him onto the Moon’s surface ?______________________________________ 4. What is the Moon compared to?____________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons 5. What is the dark side of r the Moon? _ ________________________________________________ • f o r e vi e w pur posesonl y• Visit this site to help you with the questions below: http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_sytem_level2/moon.html

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6. What is one of the explanations for the formation of the Moon?_ _________________________

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_________________________________________________________________________________ 7. List two substances that have been found on the Moon._ _______________________________

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Draw a sketch of the Moon’s surface. 8. What is thought to have caused the large

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craters that appear in the Moon’s surface?

___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

Exclusive Interview! Imagine that you are a television reporter. You get to meet some interesting people but your greatest ever moment is the exclusive interview you did with Neil Armstrong shortly after his return from the Moon. Working in pairs record the interview. 12

Eclipses Go to: www.earthview.com/resources/glossary.htm

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An eclipse occurs when the shadow of one object in space falls on another object or when one object moves in front of another to block its light. The Earth and the Moon always cast shadows into space and the Moon orbits the Earth about once every month. However, because the Moon’s orbit is tilted about five degrees to the Earth’s orbit around the sun, the Moon’s shadow generally misses the Earth and an eclipse does not occur. A solar or lunar eclipse can only occur if the Earth, Sun and Moon are in a straight line.

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1. How is a lunar eclipse different to a solar eclipse?______________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

2. Find definitions for these words:

Umbra__________________________________________________________________________

Annular Eclipse____________________________________________________________________

Penumbra_ ______________________________________________________________________

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Visit this site to help you with the questions below:

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3. What word do you think umbra comes from?_ ________________________________________

www.earthview.com/timetable/futureTSE.htm

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4. Find the exact date of the next partial, total or annular eclipse that will be visible in your area. _________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Make a list of all eclipses that will be visible in your area in the next 20 years. ______________________________________

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Total Solar Eclipse You are a reporter for Time Magazine and have been asked to cover the next total solar eclipse that is going to occur. The magazine is expecting a detailed report as well as photographs of the eclipse. For ideas on how to set out your report, research the total solar eclipse that occurred in China in 2008. You might find this website useful:

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4www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/ Select China: August 1, 2008 This website describes the eclipse.

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It may also pay to use the Google search engine to look up ‘eclipse’. You can write website addresses in your Address Book.

4Start your report here:

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Don’t forget to print off some photographs on the way that can be used in your article.

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© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 14

The Sun and Other Stars Go to: www.solarviews.com/eng/sun.htm and answer the questions below.

The Sun is a huge, glowing ball of gases at the centre of the Solar System which the Earth and the other seven planets travel around. The Sun is the closest star to the Earth, yet is only one of a billion stars in the universe. Without the heat and light of the Sun, there would be no life on the Earth.

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1. How many Earths would be required to fit across the Sun’s disk?_________________________

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2. What is the temperature of the Sun’s outer visible layer?________________________________ 3. What is the temperature at the core of the Sun?_ _____________________________________ 4. About how long does it take for energy, produced at the Sun’s core, to reach the surface?

_____________________________________________________________________________

5. According to scientists, for how long has the Sun been active ?__________________________

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f or r e vi ewinp poofs eso nl ymassive • stars. In the boxes below write the phases theu lifer cycles medium stars and Go to: http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html Click on Level 1: Universe in the box, then click on Stars in the box.

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Life cycle of a medium star _______________________________________ _______________________________________

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_______________________________________ _______________________________________ Life cycle of a massive star

_______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________

The Milky Way and Star Constellations Go to: www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations Explore this website and then answer the questions.

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1. Are constellations real?_ __________________________________________________________ 2. Where did they come from ?_______________________________________________________

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Work out what star sign you are and click on to that constellation.

3. What constellation is it?___________________________________________________________

Draw this constellation:

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Go to the Orion link and answer the question.

www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Orion.html

1. What major landmarks do the stars in Orion’s Belt almost line up with?

_____________________________________________________________________________

2. In your own words retell one version of an Orion myth.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Comets Go to: http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/

StarChild/solar_system_level2/comets.html

A comet is an icy body that consists of a solid nucleus in the centre, a cloudy atmosphere called a coma, and one or two tails. Most comets can only be seen with a telescope. Some are visible to the naked eye for a short while, as they pass closest to the Sun. This is possible because the dust in their tails reflects sunlight, making them quite bright.

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Read about comets on the website and then answer the questions below.

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1. What are comets?_______________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

2. When was the earliest known record of a comet sighting?______________________________ 3. Most comets are thought to originate in a huge cloud called the Oort cloud. Where is this cloud?

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4. Draw and label the different parts of a comet. Show the nucleus, coma and tail.

5. What happens to comets as they approach the Sun?_ _________________________________

o c . c e her r Comet Shoemaker – Levy o t s super

_____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

Using your research skills describe the significant event that occurred between the 16th and 24th July, 1994 involving the comet Shoemaker - Levy. If you search carefully you should be able to find some excellent pictures of the event! ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 17

Skywatcher Go to: www.questacon.edu.au/starlab/comet_info.html Read about how common comets are and the chances of them hitting the Earth. Then use your online research skills to find out when the next comets are due to fly over Earth.

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Write an article for a newspaper describing the comets that are heading our way. ________________________________________________________________________________

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Make a Comet Chart

Using the website above and the Google search engine, make a comet book which includes some of the more spectacular comets. You should be able to get photographic images of each of the comets below if you work hard. Halley, Hyakutake, Hale-Bopp, Shoemaker- Levy and West. Don’t forget to use all of the links that you have found. 18

Satellites Go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_satellite Explore the website and answer the questions.

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1. In your own words describe what a natural satellite is.

____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

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2. Approximately how many moons are there?_ _______________________________________ There are six main types of artificial satellites designed to gather information about the composition and effects of space near the Earth. They are also designed to record changes in the Earth and its atmosphere. The six main types of artificial satellites are: (1) Scientific research

(3) Communications

(5) Earth observation

(2) Weather

(4) Navigation

(6) Military

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Describe some of the more well-known artificial satellites from this site and state what their specific functions are. (Links are provided at the site for further research. Don’t forget to keep a list of them.)

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______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 19

Hubble Space Telescope Go to: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/hst/about.html The Hubble Space Telescope is a reflecting telescope built as an orbiting observatory. It is controlled by radio commands from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre.

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Explore the different pages at the website and answer the questions below. 1. Who was the Hubble Space Telescope named after?

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2. Describe some of the significant discoveries that the Hubble Space Telescope has made.

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© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons _____________________________________________________________________________ •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• _____________________________________________________________________________

3. What are the names of the instruments that the telescope uses to record the images?

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4. What does each instrument record?_______________________________________________

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You might also like to visit the Internet Public Library to assist you with your research:

www.ipl.org

Space Stations – 1 Go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_station

A space station is a place that enables people to live and work in space for long periods. It usually orbits the Earth at a height of between 300 - 480 kilometres. A space station may serve as an observatory, laboratory, factory and fuel depot. Space stations are much larger than spacecraft and therefore can provide more comforts to people who are living and working in them.

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Explore the website and answer the questions below.

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1. What is the duration record for a single spaceflight?_ ___________________________

2. Salyut was the first station launched by the Soviet Union. When was it launched?

_________________________________________________________________________ 3. What tragedy occurred in June 1971?________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons _________________________________________________________________________ •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• _________________________________________________________________________

4. What limits these stations’ long term habitability?______________________________

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_________________________________________________________________________ http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/skylab/skylab.html

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Go to this website and scroll down to Skylab.

Skylab was launched in 1973 and came to an unfortunate end in 1979.

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a. Identify what Skylab achieved.______________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ b. What caused Skylab to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere?_ _______________________ _________________________________________________________________________ c. Where are parts of Skylab known to have landed? _________________________________________________________________________ 21

Space Stations - 2 Go to:

www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Mission 1 You have been asked to join a team of scientists who are visiting the International Space Station this year. You will be trained for three weeks prior to blast off and will be away for 120 days. You are concerned about what effects your space stay might have on your health and have decided to research this area in detail.

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Topics for research while on your journey: Mission 2

• Breathing • Eating and Drinking • Sleeping

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Find out as much as you can about what previous crews have experienced while at the space stations, as well as how they have adjusted after returning to Earth. Check the “Missions” box at the International Space Station website for a guide on what goes on. Don’t forget to visit the libraries. Record your information in your workbooks.

• Working • Bathing

Your second task is to devise a set of experiments to be conducted at the space station. Describe your area of interest and make notes on what you will need to take with you. Make sure the experiments are new by checking out what has already been done.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons List the experiments here: •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

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o c . Challenge – Use Googlec toh find out this information: e r er o t s super

_______________________________________________________________________________

1. What is microgravity?_________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ 2. How does the human body react to microgravity?__________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ 3. What is “demineralisation”?_ ___________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ 22

Space Missions - 1 Go to: http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/~ssa/docs/Space.Shuttle/index.shtml Try out the Clickable Map on this site and explore all the components.

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Click on General Information, then on Questions and Answers.

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In the box draw and name the main components of the Space Shuttle.

1. How much did the Space Shuttle Endeavour cost?_ ____________________________

2. Astronauts and spacecraft are said to be in a state of weightlessness when in space. What is the more scientific term used to describe this?

_________________________________________________________________________

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• _________________________________________________________________________ 3. There have been six Space Shuttle orbiters. When did the Endeavour, the sixth space shuttle, make its first flight?

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4. Name six Space Shuttles.

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*Find answers to the questions below using your research skills and any links you might find.

a. What are some of the tasks of the Space Shuttle?__________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ b. What temperatures do astronauts experience in space while in their space suits? ____________________________________________________________________________ c. Describe some of the changes that have been made to spacesuits over the years. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 23

Space Missions - 2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-85

Go to:

Read the information about STS 85 and complete the profile below.

Crew:

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STS 85

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________ Place of launch:_ _______________________________________________________________

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Launch Date:___________________________________________________________________

Go to this website about Mission 51-L and complete the profile below.

_________________________________________________________________________

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51-L Crew:_ ___________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

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_________________________________________________________________________

Planned mission objectives:____________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Shortly after take-off:_______________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

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The Ultimate Space Journey Go to: http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/newsletter/uft/uft1.htm Astronaut Kathy Sullivan takes you on a guided tour of some of the fascinating sights. Complete the task below.

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Your Mission

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Other useful websites:

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You have been chosen to represent your school in the next Endeavour mission. Your task is to keep a Log Book while on your six day mission. In it you must record your daily activities and describe space objects that you see on your voyage. Your flight will orbit the Earth, stop to check on a couple of satellites and visit the International Space Station. You should have a fantastic view of the southern lands as you pass over the Earth.

4http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/efs/ (Earth Observation Mission Menu) 4www.space.com/ 4http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/~ssa/docs/Space.Shuttle/index.shtml (Crew Cabin section which will give you a good guide to the flight deck.)

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons • f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• Your Log Book Don’t forget to write down interesting websites and links that you come across in your Address Book so that you can return to them easily.

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Answers

The Sun and Other Stars (Page 15)

The Solar System (Page 9) 1. The Sun, eight planets, at least three dwarf planets, more than 130 satellites of the planets, a large number of small bodies which are either asteroids or comets and the interplanetary medium. 2. Inner Solar System: Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. Outer Solar System: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. 3. Uranus and Neptune. Because telescopes had not been invented and they are only visible with optical aid.

109 6000°C 15 000 000°C One million years 4.6 billion years.

Medium Stars: Nuclear fusion, White Dwarf, Black Dwarf. Massive Stars: Nuclear fusion, Supernova, Neutron Star or a Black Hole. It may take millions or even billions of years for stars to complete their life cycle.

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Which planet is … i. Neptune ii. Saturn iii. Mercury iv. Venus v. Mars vi. Earth vii. Jupiter viii. Uranus.

Life on Mars (Page 10) 1. It has the most hospitable climate in the Solar System and there is evidence that water once flowed there. 2. The temperature has dropped and water no longer runs there. 3. The Global Surveyor was a spacecraft sent to Mars to capture images of the planet and develop scientifc research of Mars. 4. Answers will vary.

The Milky Way and Star Constellations (Page 16) 1. No. 2. Poets, farmers and astronauts have made them up over the past 6,000 years.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Orion The belt of Orion lines up with the Pyramids of Giza.

Comets (Page 17)

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Eclipses (Page 13)

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1. A solar eclipse takes place when the Sun appears to become dark as the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon darkens as it passes through the Earth’s shadow. 2. Umbra: A shadow cast by the Moon onto the Earth during a solar eclipse. It often resembles a black cone. Annular Eclipse: a partial solar eclipse. Penumbra: region surrounding the umbra. Annular Total Eclipse: A solar eclipse that has both annular and total phrases. 3. Umbra comes from the word umbrella.

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Yes. Neil Armstrong. Edwin Aldrin. A desert with plains, mountains and valleys. The side that we can’t see. That the Earth collided with another space object which caused a big chunk of rocky material to be thrown into space. 7. Ice and rocky soil. 8. Space objects have been thought to have hit the Moon’s surface at high speed.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. Comets are debris left over from the solar nebula which condensed to form the Sun and planets in our Solar System. 2. In 1059 BC. It was made by an astrologer of the Chinese Court. 3. The Oort cloud is believed to surround our Solar System and reach over halfway to the nearest stars. 4. Teacher to check drawing. 5. As comets approach the sun they develop enormous tails of bright particles that extend for millions of kilometres from the head. When away from the Sun, this material is frozen solid within the nucleus.

Comet Shoemaker–Levy The Shoemaker-Levy broke apart and collided with Jupiter providing the first direct observation of an extraterrestrial collision of Solar System objects. It provided new information about Jupiter and highlighted its role in reducing space debris in the inner Solar System.

Satellites (Page 19) 1. A natural satellite is a body that revolves around a planet. Our Moon, which circles the Earth in its journey, is a satellite. 2. There are 335.

Hubble Space Telescope (Page 20) 1. Edwin P. Hubble.

2. Significant discoveries: Observed galaxy M87 which is about 50 million light years away from Earth. Recorded images of the dwarf planet Pluto and discovered a new satellite called Charon. It has also shown that at least half the young stars in the Great Nebula are surrounded by disks of dust and gas that may one day form planets. 3. Cameras, spectrographs and fine guidance sensors. 4. Two cameras: one to focus on tiny details and one to focus on large objects. Two spectographs: one for faint objects and one for stars nearer to the solar system. Fine guidance sensors: exploits wave-like features of the in-coming starlight.

a. Tasks - Carry large and heavy payloads into Earth Orbit to repair broken satellites in orbit or even bring them back to Earth and deliver supplies to space stations. b. Astronauts can expect to work between 2127°C. c. Space suits are now far less bulky and much more comfortable. They are versatile and easy to manage as well as being customised to fit each astronaut.

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Space Stations - 1 (Page 21)

1. 437 days. 2. April 19th, 1971. 3. Three crew members were killed when air leaked out of the Soyuz II spacecraft during its return journey to Earth. 4. Low recycling rates, relatively high radiation levels and a lack of gravity. Some of these problems cause discomfort and long-term health effects.

SKYLAB a. 2,000 hours of scientific and medical experiments and eight solar experiments. It discovered the Sun’s coronal holes and investigated astronauts’ adaptation to extended periods of microgravity. Each Skylab mission set a record for the amount of time astronauts spent in space. b. Skylab re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere as a result of increased solar activitiy. c. Fragments of Skylab landed in the Indian Ocean and in Western Australia.

Space Missions - 2 (Page 24)

Crew: Curtis Brown, Jeffrey Ashby, Jan Davis, Robert Curbeam, Stephen Robinson and Bjarni Tryggvason. Place of Launch: Kennedy Space Centre, Florida. Launch date: July 17th, 1997.

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RESEARCH

Crew: Francis Scobee, Michael Smith, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ron McNair, Greg Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe. Planned Mission Objectives: to check Relay Satellites, put the Halley’s Comet Experiment Deployable in place to observe the comet. Payloads included the CHAMP Comet Halley Active Monitoring Programme. Shortly After Take-Off: the right solid-fuel rocket booster, which was leaking flame from one of its joints, broke loose and slammed into the external tank. The Challenger Space shuttle exploded and spun out of sight.

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Space Stations - 2 (Page 22)

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1. Microgravity is an environment in which gravity cannot be measured. 2. Fluid redistribution and loss causes dehydration, head congestion, puffy face and disorientation. Higher radiation levels may increase cancer risk. 3. Demineralisation is abnormal loss of mineral salts from the bones.

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Space Missions - 1 (Page 23) 1. The Space Shuttle Endeavour, a replacement for the Challenger, cost approximately $2.1 billion. 2. Microgravity. 3. Endeavour made its debut flight in May 1992. 4. Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery and Atlantis.

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