Exploring Space

Section 3: Current Space Missions

A. Current Space Travel

1. Currently many nations work together in space travel

2. The International Space Station:

a. A cooperative effort between many countries to build an extraterrestrial habitat used for research. Started in 1998 and the first person inhabited it on 2000. There have been people there ever since 2000.

3. Missions to Mars:

a. Several countries are working towards a joint mission

b. Possibilities of a Martian base are also being considered

INTERNATIONAL SPACE

STATION

B. Reusable Space Crafts 1. NASA (National Aeronautics & Space

Administration) realized multistage rockets are

expensive and wasteful.

2. They designed the Space Shuttle

a. A reusable craft capable of carrying people,

satellites, and experiments.

b. Made up of 3 Main Parts.

1. Orbiter: Plane like ship

2. External Fuel Tank: Largest tank filled with liquid

Oxygen and Hydrogen.

3. Two solid rocket boosters: Produce thrust

required to launch.

Shuttle Endeavor launch on March

10th, 2008 @ night

LANDING

PARTS OF THE ORBITER

C. Shuttle Launch 1. Upon launch the solid rocket boosters fire

producing lift.

a. At 45 km (27 miles) they are depleted and

eject (Parachuting back to Earth)

b. Recovered and then reused.

2. Shuttle flies of fuel from External Tank

a. Once it is empty it is ejected (crashing into

the ocean).

b. External tanks are not reused. (scrapped &

recycled)

C. Shuttle Launch 3. Once in space the shuttle orbits the Earth.

a. Experiments conducted, satellites deployed,

etc.

b. Upon completion of missions the orbiter

returns to Earth.

c. Glides into a runway, landing like an Airplane.

D. Space Stations 1. Space ships have limited resources and

cannot stay in space for long periods of

time.

2. Space stations are massive complexes that

allow humans to stay in space for extended

periods of time.

a. Provides living quarters, work, and exercise

areas for astronauts.

b. Carries all equipment and support systems

needed for sustained life.

D. Space Stations 3. Sky Lab

a. US Space Station launched in 1973

b. Crews stationed for 84 day tours.

c. Purpose: perform experiments on effects of

living in space.

d. Scrapped in 1979 (Placed in decaying orbit

and burned up in Earth’s atmosphere)

4. Mir (Russian Space Station)

a. Cosmonauts stayed for 438 days (still a

current record for days in space)

E. Cooperation in Space 1. Countries realize that pooling resources is

cost efficient. (less expensive)

2. 1995: US and Russia begin working

together on projects.

3. Americans now travel in Russian rockets

and Russians travel in our Space Shuttles.

4. The Atlantis was the first space shuttle to

dock with Mir.

E. Cooperation in Space 5. The International Space Station

a. Project began in 1997 (on going)

b. A dozen nations are cooperating to build the

station.

c. Main components are built on Earth and

transported into space.

d. The component are assembled in space.

F. International Space Station 1. Three phase project

a. Phase 1: Shuttle and Mir docking missions.

1. Stockpiling of supplies

b. Phase 2: Assembly of main body (Bilateral

Station Alpha)

c. Phase 3: Crews will permanently inhabit and

operate station.

1. NASA will keep astronauts on station for several

months at a time.

2. Producing materials to be used on Earth.

3. Potentially begin building space ships for trips to the

Moon or Mars.

G. Disasters of the Space Program

1. 1986 – Space Shuttle

Challenger exploded

killing all 7 astronauts

on board. Christa

McAuliffe was to be

the first teacher in

space.

2. The shuttle exploded

because of a fuel leak

that reached the

engines

COLUMBIA 3. In 2003 upon re-entry into our atmosphere the Space Shuttle Columbia exploded, killing all 7 astronauts on board.

4. When the Columbia lifted off so foam damaged the heat tiles. So when reentry happened the heat of the atmosphere caused the orbiter to explode.

H. APOLLO 13

Apollo 13 was the third manned lunar-landing

mission, part of Project Apollo under NASA in the

United States. It launched on April 11, 1970. Two

days after the launch, the Apollo spacecraft was

crippled by an explosion, caused by a fault in the

oxygen tank. The explosion damaged the Service

Module, resulting in a loss of oxygen and electrical

power. The crew used the Lunar Module as a

“lifeboat”. They of course made it back to earth

safely.

Apollo 13 as it looked upon landing in

the ocean

Future Space Missions