Exploring Science 7

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Exploring Space

VenusEarth

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

UranusNeptune

Mercury

not to scale

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Mercury – Mariner 10

Mercury has been known since ancient times.

The only probe to visit Mercury was Mariner 10.

The probe flew by the planet three times in 1974-5.

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Mercury – Mariner 10

This picture of mercury was made by combining many different images taken by Mariner 10.

This image shows the craters at Mercury's south pole.

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Mercury – MESSENGERThe MESSENGER probe was launched on 3rd August 2004. It will fly by Mercury three times before going into orbit around Mercury in March.

Artist’s impression of MESSENGER in orbit.

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Venus – space probesVenus has been known since ancient times.

Mariner 2 was the first spacecraft to fly past Venus in 1962.

In 1967, Venera 2 was the first probe to send back data to Earth from beneath the clouds. Pioneer Venus investigated the planet from 1978 to 1992.

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The surface of VenusThe Magellan probe made radar images of the surface between 1990 and 1994.

This image was made using radar information from Magellan. It shows two volcanoes: Sif Mons and Gula Mons.

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EarthThe Earth has one natural satellite – The Moon

This photograph of the Earth was taken from the Apollo 8 spacecraft as it was orbiting the Moon.

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Exploring MarsMars has been known since ancient times.

Many different space probes have flow past or orbited Mars and sent data back to Earth. The first was Mariner 4 in 1964.

The first successful landers was Mars 3 in 1971.The Spirit and Opportunity rovers landed on Mars in 2004.

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Jupiter’s moonsJupiter has over 60 moons. Some of them are quite small, but 4 are nearly as big as Mars.

Io is covered in volcanoes. This photograph was taken by Galileo space probe.

We can see a volcano erupting. The plume is over 140 km high.

Io pronounced (eye-oh)

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Exploring Jupiter and its moonsJupiter has been known since ancient times, and its four largest moons were discovered in 1610.

Pioneer was the first space probe to fly past Jupiter in 1973.

Galileo continued orbiting Jupiter until 2003, returning information and images of Jupiter and its moons.

Galileo reached Jupiter in 1995. It released a probe that descended into the atmosphere of Jupiter.

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Saturn’s moonsIn 2005, the Huygens probe descended onto the atmosphere of Titan.

An artist’s impression of the probe descending towards Titan, drawn before the probe arrived.

The real surface of titan.

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Exploring SaturnSaturn is the most distant planet that has been know about since ancient times.

Pioneer 10 was the first probe to fly past Saturn in 1979.

Cassini entered orbit around Saturn in 2004.

Artist’s impression of Cassini passing the rings.

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UranusUranus was discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel.

Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have flown past it, in 1986.

It’s blue colour comes from a layer of methane at the top o the atmosphere.

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NeptuneAstronomers worked out that here must be another planet beyond Uranus, whose gravity was affecting the orbit of Uranus. They worked out where to look for I, and found it in 1846.

Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have flown past it in 1986.

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PlutoPluto is the furthest planet form the Sun. It is much smaller that the other planets.

It has one moon, which is almost the same size as it.

No space craft have ever flown past Pluto. It has only been observed from Earth, or by the Hubble space telescope. It was not discovered until 1930.

This is the best picture we have of Pluto with its moon.