Space and Exploration Study Guide

Name the parts of a space suit.

1. A cooling system - a systme of tumes keeps their bodies cool while they work. 2. An air system - provides air for the astronauts to breathe. There is no air in space. 3. An air pressure system - They needs this so that body fluids don't seep through the skin. An astronaut's body would mummify in 2 minutes without it. 4. Jetpack - These are used to help astronauts move. They push a button on their jetpack which sends air out of it and moves them in the opposite direction.

Name the 5 main parts of the ISS

1. The Laboratory Modules - where astronauts work and perform experiments. 2. Habitat Mondule - Where the astronauts cook, eat, relax, bathe, and sleep. 3. Photovoltaic arrays - groups of solar panels that collect sunlight and use it to make electricity. 4. Truss - the part that connects and supports all the other modules. 5. Nodes - the passageways between mondules that connect one module to another

Name the 4 main parts of the Space Shuttle

1. The Orbiter - the part that the astronauts live in while they orbit the Earth. 2. Solid Rocket Boosters - provide fuel for lift off. 3. External Fuel Tank - contains liquid hydrogen and oxygen to propel the orbiter into space after lift off 4. Main Engines and Exhaust Jets - these in the back of the orbiter and are used to manuever the orbiter once it is in orbit.

Sputnik I

1957 Russia launched the fist rocket into outer space

Yuri Gagarin

1961 Russia launched the first human in space

Alan Shepard

1961 USA Launced the first American in space, one month after Yuri Gagarin

John Glenn

1962 First American to orbit the Earth

Neil Armstrong

1969 First person to walk on the moon on Apollo 11 "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" Meant that it was not hard for him to climb down to the moon, but it was a great achievement to get humans to the moon.

Columbia

1981 First reusable space craft. It launced like a rocket but landed like a plane. Before the command mondules landed in the ocean and could not be reused.

International Space Station (ISS)

1998 The first two modules were launched and connected in space. 2000 The firest astronauts live aboard the ISS

Rocket Launching - Newton's Third Law of Motion For every Action Force, there is an equial but opposite Reaction Force.

All rockets, even the space shuttle, are launched using this one principle of science. A rocket on a launch pad has a equal amount of pressure pushing on all sides of the rocket walls on the inside of the rocket. When the fuel in a rocket is ignited, there is a huge explosion that causes some of the pressue to blast out of the back end of the rocket (Action Force). When the pressure inside the rocket is partially released, the remaining pressure inside the rocket isn't equal anymore. The pressure that remains forces the rocket to go up in the air (Reaction Force).

What is it like to go to the bathroom in space?

Astronauts must be strapped onto the toilet to keep from floating away.

How do you get things to stay in place in space?

Astronauts use Velcro. They have to strap things down so they stay in place. Even the astronauts heads have to be strapped when they sleep so that their heads don't flop around and wake them up.

Why do astronauts experience nausea during the first 3 days of flight?

Due to the ease of floating around, their eyes send a message to their brain saying that they are in one position, but their inner ear fluid tells the brain that they are in a different position. This causes nausea. The same thing can happen when you try to read in a moving car. Your eyes look at the book which doesn't look like it is moving at all, but your inner ear fluid tells your brain you are moving. The mixed messages cause nausea.

Why do astronauts have to exercise in space?

Moving and lifting objects is much easier and space and as a result, astronauts hardly use their muscles. They exercise 2 hours every day using exercise macnhines that they are strapped into so that their muscles and bones don't get too weak from lack of use.

Is there a refrigerator on the Space Shuttle?

No. There was no refirgerator in order to save weight. The less weight there is, the less fuel needed, and that can save NASA a lot of money.

When do astronauts wear space suits?

They are worn outside the orbiter during space walks. They are needed to insulate the astronauts against the extreme temperatures in space.

What did the astronauts on the Space Shuttle eat?

They ate dehydrated food. Meat, casseroles, fruit, and drinks were all dehydrated. To eat it, they added water to it.

Where did the water come from that the astronauts on the Space Shuttle used to make their food?

They didn't bring water with them. It would weight too much at liftoff. The water they added to the food was made as a byproduct of burning the fuel. The fuel is liquid hydrogen and oxygen. They make water when they burn, like a wood fire makes smoke. The water is then stored in a tank for use when needed for drinking, eating, washing, ect.

What do astronauts eat on the ISS?

They eat a combinatino of dehydrated, canned, and cooked meals.

How do astronauts move in space?

They have to move very slowly and carefully. One small tap on one wall can send them flying across the room. They usually hold on to straps for handles to help them move slowly.

Where does the water come from on the ISS?

Water is brought to them from Earth. They also use water that has been recycled from wastewater.

Why do astronauts NOT float in space?

When you see a video of astronatus, they look like they are floating. They are not. The are actually falling in a circle around the Earth. The astronauts fall at the same rate as the spacecraft, so it only looks like they are floating in relation to each other. They are really falling at the same speed.

Is there gravity in space?

Yes. A lot of people think that there isn't any gravity in space becuase when they see videos of space, it looks like the astronauts are floating. This isn't true. If there weren't any gravity, the rockets and the ISS would just keep flying into outer space. Instead, what happens is that they fall around the Earth. Once a rocket is launched, it is thrust away from the Earth on a straight path away from the Earth. At the same time, gravity pulls the rocket back towards Earth. The speed of the rocket is equal to the pull of gravity so that the rocket falls along a curved path around the Earth.