{Satellites and Spacecrafts

By: Martín Álvarez, Víctor Horno and Álvaro García de Jalón

Main Points

Difference between satellites and spacecrafts

Spacecrafts

History of spacecrafts

Satellites

NASA

A spacecraft is a vehicle or device designed for travel or operation outside the Earth’s atmosphere.

A satellite is an spacecraft that orbits the Earth, the moon, or another celestial body.

Concept

Spacecrafts

A spacecraft is a vehicle designed to fly in outer space.

Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes: including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, planetary exploration, and transportation of humans and cargo.

Just 24 nations actually have spacefaring technology, this are the most important ones: Russia, the United States, the member states of the European Space Agency, the Republic of China, Japan.

Spacecrafts

The name of the first artificial spacecraft which was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union in 1957 was Sputnik .

As it reached the space new political, military, technological, and scientific developments took place.

While Sputnik 1 was the first spacecraft to orbit the Earth, other man-made objects had previously reached an altitude of 100 km, which is the height required by the international organization FédérationAéronautique Internationale to count as a spaceflight.

History of Spacecrafts

As of 2011, only three nations have flown manned spacecraft: USSR/Russia, USA, and China.

The first manned spacecraft was Vostok 1, which carried Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into space in 1961, and completed a full Earth orbit.

The second manned spacecraft was named Freedom 7, and it performed a sub-orbital spaceflight in 1961 carrying American astronaut Alan Shepard to an altitude of just over 187 kilometres.

Manned spacecrafts

Some reusable vehicles have been designed only for manned spaceflight, and these are often called spaceplanes.

The first automatic partially reusable spacecraft was the Buran (Snowstorm), launched by the USSR on November 15, 1988, although it made only one flight.

Spaceplanes

Satellites

A satellite is an artificial object which has been intentionally placed into orbit.

Satellites are used for a large number of purposes. Common types include military and civilian, Earth observation satellites, communication, navigation satellites, weather satellites, and research satellites.

The name of the first artificial satellite which was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union in 1957 was Sputnik .

Satellites

About 6,600 satellites have been launched. The latest estimates are that 3,600 remain in orbit. Of those, about 1,000 are operational; the rest have lived out their useful lives and are part of the space debris.

Satellites are usually semi-independent computer-controlled systems.

Satellites

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the United States government agency that is responsible for the civilian space program as well as for aeronautics and aerospace research.

NASA collaborate in the Apollo moon landing missions and other important programs.

NASA shares data with various

national and international

organizations.

NASA