space exploration Flashcards
what is Maria? (MOON)
dark areas composed of basalt lava flows. which were generated by meteorite impacts
what are highlands (moon)?
light coloured areas composed of the plagioclase rich rock anorthosite
how much rock and soil was brought back by the Apollo missions to the moon?
20KG
How old were the rock samples from the moon?
4400Ma
what state is the moon’s crust, mantle and core?
solid
what did Mariner missions 3 to 7 identify when they flew over mars?
huge volcanoes including Olympus mons, the largest in the solar system
what advances in technology allowed us to discover that mars had sedimentary rocks which showed sedimentary structures?
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was capable of taking photos showing objects just 10 cm across.
since 2007 spacecraft have landed on mars to move around and explore. what will this tell us?
we will know more about the geology, the presence of water and whether mars ever had a habitat for life.
how have we been able to take measurements of the temperature and pressure on Venus?
spacecraft using radar and spacecraft has landed
why is Venus called earth’s sister?
they’re a similar size, mass and composition
why is Venus the brightest planet in our sky?
its clouds reflect sunlight
describe Venus’s environment
there are no oceans, its covered by thick, rapidly spinning clouds that trap surface heat, creating a scorched green-house world with temperatures hot enough to melt lead
