Space Exploration And Cosmology

Question 1

Planet

Answer 1

An object in orbit around a star

Question 2

Satellite

Answer 2

An object in orbit around a planet

Question 3

Moon

Answer 3

A natural satellite of a planet e.g. The Moon

Question 4

Star

Answer 4

An object that shines due to nuclear reactions in its core (fusion)

Question 5

Solar system

Answer 5

A collection of objects that orbit a star

Question 6

Exo-planet

Answer 6

A planet that orbits another star outside or solar system

Question 7

Galaxy

Answer 7

A group of stars, gases, gases and dust held together by gravity. (E.g. The Milky Way)

Question 8

Universe

Answer 8

All existing matter and space considered as a whole

Question 9

Sun

Answer 9

The star that Earth orbits in or solar system

Question 10

Dwarf planet

Answer 10

Something resembling a planet that lacks criteria to make it one

Question 11

Benefits of satellites

Answer 11

GPS - A GPS receiver determines its own location by measuring the time it takes for a signal to arrive at its location from at least four satellites

Weather forecasting - They give an improved view of the state of the Earth’s current weather patterns to improve forecast accuracy.

Communications - enable global telecommunications systems by relaying signals with voice, video and data to and from one or many locations.

Space exploration - Hubble telescope and ISS

Question 12

Challenges of space travel + how they might be solved

Answer 12

Travelling large distances - attaining high velocity using an ion drive to produce a small force for a long time
-using a ‘catapult’ from a fast moving asteroid , moon or planet

Manoeuvring a spacecraft in a zero friction environment -

Maintaining sufficient energy to operate life support systems in a spacecraft - use solar cells with area that varies with distance from the sun

Risks of manned missions (radiation, gravity, isolation, distance from earth)

Question 13

Risks of manned space exploration

Answer 13

Fuel load on take-off
Potential exposure to radiation
Pressure differential
Problems of re-entry to a planet’s atmosphere

Question 14

Benefits of space exploration

Answer 14

Solar power
Robotics and nano-technology
Home insulation
Memory foam
CAT scans

Question 15

Light years

Answer 15

The distance that light will travel in one year (in a vacuum)

Question 16

One light year =

Answer 16

9.47 x 10^15 m

Question 17

What does the big bang theory say

Answer 17

The universe began at a single point approximately 13.8 billion years ago and has been expanding ever since.

Question 18

Evidence of the Big Bang

Answer 18

The expanding universe - Doppler effect and red shift of light from stars

Why the sky is dark at night - Olber’s paradox

Cosmic microwave background radiation the light left over from the big bang

abundance of light atoms like hydrogen and helium

Question 19

What is the observable universe

Answer 19

The part of the universe that we can see. Light from distant galaxies hasn’t reached us yet.

Question 20

What has happened to visible light from some very distant galaxies?

Answer 20

It has been stretched by the expansion of the universe, making it infrared so we can’t see it

Question 21

Emission

Answer 21

When atoms of a hot gas release energy they produce light at specific wavelengths (colours)

Question 22

Absorption

Answer 22

When white light passes through cold gas, the atoms of the gas absorb light of specific specific wavelengths (colours)

Question 23

Emission and absorption lines are ______ in terms of the wavelengths produced

Answer 23

Identical