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Space Exploration Flashcards

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1
Q

What does Altitude mean

A

The height of a celestial body above the horizon ranging from 0 at sea level to 90 straight up

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2
Q

What does Asterism mean

A

A distinctive star grouping that is not one of the 88 recognizable constellations

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3
Q

What is an asteriod

A

Small rocky bodies orbiting the sun and lying mainly in a narrow belt between mars and jupiter

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4
Q

Astrolabe definition

A

The astrolabe is a tool using the positions of the stars or sun. It was formerly used in navigation to help explorers and sailors figure out where they were. They found their distance north and south of the equator by measuring the distance of the sun and stars above the horizon.

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5
Q

Astronomy definition

A

the branch of science which deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole

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6
Q

Astronomical Unit (AU) definition

A

a measure of distance used to describe the position of planets relative to the sun

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7
Q

atmospheric interference definition

A

Electromagnetic radiation, caused by natural electrical disturbances in the atmosphere, which interferes with radio systems.

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8
Q

azimuth definition

A

The angle between the most northerly point of the horizon and the point directly

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9
Q

Canadarm definition

A

the popular name for a robotic manipulation system designed for use in zero gravity. It has accompanied numerous space missions as a component on space shuttles.

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10
Q

black hole definition

A

a super dense remnant of a supernova (an object around where gravity is so intense light can not escape

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11
Q

Doppler Effect definition

A

the apparent change in frequency of sound, light and other waves as the observer and the wave source move towards or away from each other also referred to as doppler shift.

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12
Q

Escape Velocity definition

A

the lowest velocity which a body must have in order to escape the gravitational attraction of a particular planet or other object.

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13
Q

galaxy definition

A

a system of millions or billions of stars, together with gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction.

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14
Q

geocentric model definition

A

the earth centered model of the solar system

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15
Q

geosynchronous orbit definition

A

a high Earth orbit that allows satellites to match Earth’s rotation.

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16
Q

GPS definition

A

an accurate worldwide navigational and surveying facility based on the reception of signals from an array of orbiting satellites.

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17
Q

Gravity definition

A

the force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass.

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18
Q

Heliocentric model

A

a cosmological model in which the Sun is assumed to lie at or near a central point (e.g., of the solar system or of the universe) while the Earth and other bodies revolve around it.

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19
Q

what is the Hubble space telescope

A

The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most versatile,

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20
Q

inner planets definition

A

a planet whose orbit lies within the asteroid belt, i.e. Mercury, Venus, Earth, or Mars.

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21
Q

Interferometry definition

A

an instrument for measuring the angular separation of double stars or the diameter of giant stars by means of the interference phenomena of light emitted by these stars.

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22
Q

The international space station definition

A

The International Space Station is a large spacecraft in orbit around Earth. It serves as a home where crews of astronauts and cosmonauts live. The space station is also a unique science laboratory.

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23
Q

What are light years

A

a unit of astronomical distance equivalent to the distance that light travels in one year, which is 9.4607 × 1012 km (nearly 6 trillion miles).

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24
Q

magnetic field definition

A

a region around a magnetic material or a moving electric charge within which the force of magnetism acts.

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25
Q

Meteor definition

A

a small body of matter from outer space that enters the earth’s atmosphere, becoming incandescent as a result of friction and appearing as a streak of light.

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26
Q

Meteoroid definition

A

a small body moving in the solar system that would become a meteor if it entered the earth’s atmosphere.

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27
Q

Meteorite definition

A

a meteor that survives its passage through the earth’s atmosphere such that part of it strikes the ground. More than 90 percent of meteorites are of rock, while the remainder consist wholly or partly of iron and nickel.

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28
Q

Microgravity definition

A

very weak gravity, as in an orbiting spacecraft.

29
Q

Nebula definition

A

a cloud of gas and dust in outer space, visible in the night sky either as an indistinct bright patch or as a dark silhouette against other luminous matter.

30
Q

Optical Telescope definition

A

An optical telescope is a telescope which is used to gather, and focus, light, for directly viewing a magnified image, making a photograph, etc. The term is used especially for a monocular with static mounting for observing the sky.

31
Q

Parallax definition

A

the effect whereby the position or direction of an object appears to differ when viewed from different positions, e.g. through the viewfinder and the lens of a camera.

32
Q

Payload definition

A

the part of a vehicle’s load, especially an aircraft’s, from which revenue is derived; passengers and cargo.

33
Q

Radio Telescope definition

A

an instrument used to detect radio emissions from the sky, whether from natural celestial objects or from artificial satellites.

34
Q

Refracting Telescope definition

A

telescope which uses a converging lens to collect the light.

35
Q

Reflecting telescope definition

A

a telescope in which a mirror is used to collect and focus light.

36
Q

Rocket definition

A

a cylindrical projectile that can be propelled to a great height or distance by the combustion of its contents, used typically as a firework or signal.

37
Q

Space Shuttle definition

A

a rocket-launched spacecraft, able to land like an unpowered aircraft, used to make repeated journeys between the earth and earth orbit.

38
Q

Space probe definition

A

A space probe, or simply probe, is a robotic spacecraft that doesn’t orbit the Earth, but instead explores farther into outer space

39
Q

Spectroscope definition

A

a device that measures the spectrum of light.

40
Q

Stars definition

A

a fixed luminous point in the night sky which is a large, remote incandescent body like the sun.

41
Q

what is the sun

A

the star around which the earth orbits. made from burning hydrogen gas

42
Q

sunspots definition

A

a spot or patch appearing from time to time on the sun’s surface, appearing dark by contrast with its surroundings.

43
Q

supernova

A

a star that suddenly increases greatly in brightness because of a catastrophic explosion that ejects most of its mass.

44
Q

telescope definition

A

an optical instrument designed to make distant objects appear nearer, containing an arrangement of lenses, or of curved mirrors and lenses, by which rays of light are collected and focused and the resulting image magnified.

45
Q

Triangulation

A

a way of determining something’s location using the locations of other things.

46
Q

White Dwarf

A

a small very dense star that is typically the size of a planet. A white dwarf is formed when a low-mass star has exhausted all its central nuclear fuel and lost its outer layers as a planetary nebula.

47
Q

Zenith

A

the point in the sky or celestial sphere directly above an observer.

48
Q

What did the first nations think the night sky was

A

a blanket held up by a spinning world pole on the chest of a woman named stone ribs

49
Q

Why was stone henge made

A

To track the sun and tell when time had passed

50
Q

What is a solstice

A

either the longest or shortest day of the year

51
Q

What is an equinox

A

a day where the light hours and dark hours are equal

52
Q

Who proposed the theory of a geocentric model

A

Aristotle

53
Q

what is a geocentric model and who proposed the theory of it

A

A model of the solar system where the earth is the centre of the solar system. Aristotle

54
Q

What did Nicolas Copernicus discover

A

that the sun is the centre of the solar system ( heliocentric model)

55
Q

What did Galileo discover

A

he confirmed copernicus’ findings and discover rings around satren,moons around jupiter, and the first person to observe neptune.

56
Q

What did Johannes kepler discover

A

He discovered that planets orbit in ellipses not circles

57
Q

What are sundials used for

A

measuring time through the position of the sun

58
Q

What is a merkhet used for

A

charting astronomical positions and predict movement of stars

59
Q

what is a quadrant used for

A

to measure the stars height above the horizon

60
Q

what are astrolabes

A

tools that made accurate star charts for ship navigators

61
Q

what is a cross-staff

A

a tool that measures the distance from the moon to any to given star

62
Q

who discovered the telescope

A

hans lippershey

63
Q

what is an astronomical unit (AU)

A

a use of measurement for things in our solar system. One AU is about the distance of the centre of the earth to the sun which is about 150 million km

64
Q

what is a light year

A

a measure for things to big for AUs. they are about 9.5 trillion km or 66 000 AU.

65
Q

What did Hertzprung and Russell discover

A

there’s a direct relationship between a star’s
temperature and brightness. the hottest/brightest stars
tend to be blue ones, while the coldest/dimmest star
tend to be red ones.

66
Q

what is nebulae

A

interstellar matter (ie. gas and dust particles)

67
Q

what is a protostar

A

a contracting mass of gas which represents an early stage in the formation of a star, before nucleosynthesis has begun.

68
Q

name types of stars

A

Sun-like Main Sequence Stars

Massive Main Sequence Stars

Red Giant:

As the star begins to run out of fuel in its core, it expands out.

Red Supergiant:

As the star begins to run out of fuel in its core, it expands out.

Planetary Nebula:

This type of nebula is consisting of an expanding, glowing shell of
ionized gas that is ejected from the red giant near the end of its
existence.

Supernova:

Once the star is completely out of fuel it shrinks back in on itself. It
causes massive shock wave or explosion. If the supernova doesn’t
destroy the star two outcomes are possible.

White Dwarf:

Once the star is completely out of fuel it shrinks back in on itself to a
size much smaller than when it was in the main sequence of its
lifespan.

Neutron Star:

This highly dense tiny star that may only be 20 km in diameter. The
gravity here would be 2 billion times stronger than on Earth and a
teaspoon of the star would weigh roughly a billion tons.

Black Dwarf:

Eventually the star cools down enough to stop glowing and “dies”.
This process takes so long that there may not yet be any of these
stars in the universe.

Black Hole:

These are reserved for only the largest massive

Science (2 decks)

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