Transcript Science 9: Unit E: Space Exploration

Science 9: Unit E: Space
Exploration
Topic 8 – People in Space
The History of Space Exploration
1957-1980
► The
space age was launched in 1957 with the
launching of Sputnik by the Soviets. Four years later
Yuri Gagarin became the first human to enter space.
► Over the next ten years the Americans and Soviets
entered in a period of serious competition as part of
the cold war. The Soviets relied on their Soyuz
spacecraft while the Americans created their Apollo
space program. In 1969, Americans ‘won’ the space
race when Apollo 11 landed and Neil Armstrong
became the first human to walk on the Moon.
The History of Space Exploration
1980-Present
► In
the 1980’s NASA created the Space Shuttle, the
first spacecraft that could be used over and over
again on multiple space flights. Unfortunately two
of the four space shuttles have already
disintegrated in space flight: The Challenger in
1986, and the Columbia in 2004.
► Canada’s contribution to the American space
program has been in two main areas: the
Canadarm which acts as a giant lever, and scientist
astronauts: Marc Garneau 1984, and Roberta
Bondar in 1992.
►
►
The International Space Station
The current focus of space
programs across the world is
the International Space Station
(ISS), the largest ever space
station built. The focus of the
ISS program is for the ISS to
act as a giant space laboratory
where experiments will be
carried out in space with
decreased effects of gravity
(called microgravity).
The ISS has been criticized by
many astronomers as a waste
of money (billions of $). We
can create microgravity
conditions here on Earth or in
a plane for much cheaper.
Many of these scientists
believe we should invest our
money in other projects.
The History of Space Exploration
The Future 2015-2050
► In
2005, George Bush declared that NASA
will shift its focus from the ISS to sending
humans back to the Moon and building a
Moon base. The end goal is to have humans
land on Mars within your lifetime.
Hazards of Spaceflight
► Cosmonauts
and astronauts have to face
risks that we don’t worry about here on
Earth: frigid temperatures, cancer-causing
solar radiation, the effects of microgravity
(muscle and bone deterioration), and the
constant risk of spacecraft disintegration. It
is the job of the NASA engineers to recreate
the protective features of the Earth’s
magnetic sphere, ozone layer, and
greenhouse effect.