space Flashcards
what is a satellite
a satellite is an object that orbits another object
If the spacecraft re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere what could go wrong if the angles off?
At too shallow an angle it will bounce off the upper atmosphere. At too steep an angle it will burn up, due to too much air friction.
what a geostationary satellite?
1.stays above the same point on the Earth’s surface.
2. has a period of 24 hours.
3. orbits at an altitude of 36000km.
what satellites earth?
the moon
what satellites the sun?
earth (all planets)
what is the velocity of satellites on earth?and why?
9.8ms-2, because there is a force of gravity acting on the satellite (weight)
a satellite also has a horizontal velocity, why?
so it doesn’t hit the ground
if a satellite falls what does the earth do?
it curves away from it
how did we study the universe in 1950s?
optical and radio telescopes
what do optical and radio telescopes study?
optical = visible light
radio = radio waves emitted by distant galaxies and stars
what is the Hubble telescope?
the Hubble telescope orbits the earth out with atmosphere and can detect all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
what is a star made off?
a star is a huge body mostly made of hydrogen and helium and helium and produces light and heat energy
a planet?
- orbits the sun
- is big enough to have enough gravity to force it into a spherical shape.
- it must be big enough that its gravity clears away any other object of a similar size of its orbit around the sun.
what is a dwarf planet?
a dwarf planet is the exact same as a planet but it hasn’t cleared the area around its orbit.
what type of satellite is the moon?
natural