space exploration with james - university of colorado boulder
TRANSCRIPT
PowerPoint PresentationSept, 2006
Solar System Quiz 1. What is the closest star to Earth? 2. How many planets are there in our solar system? 3. What is the smallest planet in our solar system? 4. What is the most distant planet from the Sun? 5. In what galaxy is our solar system located? 13.Other than Earth, where else might life exist in our solar
system?
1. What is the closest star to Earth?
1. What is the closest star to Earth? The nearest star to Earth is the one we see every day - our Sun.
At a mere 93 million miles distant, it takes light from the Sun only eight minutes to arrive on Earth. The next closest are three members of Alpha Centauri and are just over 4 light years from Earth.
There are 10 star systems located within 12 light years of Earth.
2. How many planets are there in our solar system?
1. How many planets are there in our solar system? Currently: 8 planets
Since 1930, we have been looking for Planet X
More recent Pluto news:
Quaoar
2000 - 2002: Varuna, Ixion, and Quaoar discovered Astronomers have discovered super-size balls of ice and rock — half the size of the planet Pluto — lurking roughly 4 billion miles from the Sun at the edge of our solar system.
A year on Quaoar takes 286 Earth years. It follows a circular orbit around the sun and has a temperature of minus 381 degrees Fahrenheit.
"If Pluto deserves to be a planet, then I would think that Quaoar does too," says astronomer Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C.
Orbit: 280 - 300 years Orbit Shape: Circular Distance from Sun: 4 billion miles
Pluto distance: 3 billion miles Sedna
2003: Sedna discovered
NASA-funded researchers have discovered the most distant object orbiting Earth's Sun. The object is a mysterious planet-like body three times farther from Earth than Pluto.
The object, named "Sedna" for the Inuit goddess of the ocean, is 8 billion miles from the Sun.
Sedna is in a region of our solar system, where temperatures never rise above minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2003: IAU rules Ixion, Varuna, Quaoar, and Sedna are not planets, and suggests that size of Pluto will be minimum size for planets.
Orbit: 10,500 years Orbit Shape: Highly Eliptical Closest point: 8 billion miles Fartheset point: 84 billion miles
Pluto distance: 3 billion miles Quaoar distance: 4 billion miles
Where is Sedna’s Orbit?
Where is Sedna’s Orbit?
Our inner solar system
How find planets?
How do we find planets?
Telescope photo of a region in space.
Planets move too slowly to be spotted in a single image!!
Did any dots move?
Now overlay
Photo 1
Photo 2
All 3 photos overlaid onto each other.
The new object, circled in white, moves across a field of stars on Oct. 21, 2003.
The three photos were taken about 90 minutes apart.
The object was discovered by the Samuel Oschin Telescope at the Palomar Observatory on Jan. 8, 2005.
January 8, 2005: Planet X discovered? (10th planet?)
This artist's concept shows the object catalogued as 2003UB313 at the lonely outer fringes of our solar system, nick-named Xena.
Orbit: 557 years Orbit Shape: Highly Eliptical Distance from Sun: 7.3 billion miles
Relative Size of Xena Eris
2006: IAU meets to define “planet” and vote: • Definition 1: Xena, Ceres, and Charon all become planets • Definition 2: Demote Pluto and lock number of planets at 8
IAU Decision: • Pluto demoted, now designated 134340 Pluto • 2003 UB_313 named Eris and its satelite named Dysnomia • Pluto, Eris, and Ceres declared Dwarf Planets
• Quaoar, Sedna, Ixion, and Varuna expected to become Dwarf Planets
Definition of a Planet IAU Resolution: Definition of a Planet in the Solar System
Contemporary observations are changing our understanding of planetary systems, and it is important that our nomenclature for objects reflect our current understanding. This applies, in particular, to the designation 'planets'. The word 'planet' originally described 'wanderers' that were known only as moving lights in the sky. Recent discoveries lead us to create a new definition, which we can make using currently available scientific information.
RESOLUTION 5A, August 24, 2006:
The IAU therefore resolves that "planets" and other bodies in our Solar System be defined into three distinct categories in the following way:
(1) A "planet" is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit. Note: The eight planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
(2) A "dwarf planet" is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape , (c) has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite. Note: An IAU process will be established to assign borderline objects into either dwarf planet and other categories.
(3) All other objects except satellites orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as "Small Solar-System Bodies". Note: These currently include most of the Solar System asteroids, most Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), comets, and other small bodies.
3. What is the smallest planet in our solar system?
Officially, Mercury (since Pluto is no longer a planet)
88,700Jupiter
74,500Saturn
31,500Uranus
30,200Neptune
7,920Earth
7,500Venus
4,220Mars
3,050Mercury
3. What is the smallest planet in our solar system?
Pluto (assuming Pluto is actually a planet)
Sun, 8 current planets, and pluto shown in correct scale
4. What is the most distant planet from the Sun?
4. What is the most distant planet from the Sun?
Neptune From 1979 until 1999, Neptune was the farthest planet from the sun. In 1999, Pluto became the furthest planet from the Sun. With Pluto demoted in 2006, now Neptune will always be the most distant planet.
5. In what galaxy is our solar system located?
5. In what galaxy is our solar system located?
The Milky Way is a thin disk containing an estimated 200 billion to 700 billion stars
We lie in a spiral band called the Orion-Cygnus arm which is made up of the collection of younger and middle-aged stars. Our Solar System is located about 27,000 light-years from galactic center and 20,000 light-years from the outer edge.
Milky Way Galaxy
6. Other than Earth, where else might life exist in our solar system?
Follow the water
6. Other than Earth, where else might life exist in our solar system?
Asteroid Ceres is very primitive and wet and may have a thin, permanent atmosphere.
Asteroids
Comet’s primary constituent is water ice.Comets
All four gas giant planets have rings that are rich in water ice.
Planetary Rings: Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune
Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey have each found evidence of water ice at Mars poles and within 2 meters of the surface across much of the planet.
Mars
Clementine and lunar Prospector robotic spacecraft each found evidence of water ice in permanently shaded areas near its poles.
Earth’s moon
Casini, a twin to Galileo, has found evidence of liquid salt water ocean beneath an ice layer on Saturn’s moon, Enceladus.
Saturn’s moon: Enceladus
Galileo discovered strong evidence of liquid salt water oceans beneath an ice layer on three of Jupiter’s moons.
Jupiter’s moons: Europa Ganymede Callisto
RemarksLocation of liquid / frozen waterNASA's strategy is to "follow the water" in the search for life.
Next: Vostok
A Jupiter Icey Moons Orbiter will one day orbit up to 3 of Jupiter’s moons to confirm the presence or absence of an ocean. Other possible missions could include a Lander, a Penetrator, and Hydrobots. Europa is very similar to Lake Vostok, discovered under the Antarctic ice in 1974.
Update on Manned Missions
New LM CEV to be operational by 2014
CEV on Atlas V Launch Vehicle (Atlas V is candidate CLV)
CEV terra landing w air bags
International Space Station (ISS) NASA’s Top Priority:
Complete the International Space Station by 2010.
See the Space Station fly over Denver
http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/index.cgi
Current and Recent Unmanned Robotic Missions
A few of the Denver missions from the past 34 years
We are currently flying 4 spacecraft from here in Denver.
Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Mapping Mission
Launch: 11/7/1996 Arrive: 9/11/97 Status: Still actively mapping
This orbiter has studied the entire Martian surface, atmosphere and interior, and has returned more data about the red planet than all other Mars missions combined. Among key science findings so far, Global Surveyor has taken pictures of gullies and debris flow features that suggest there may be current sources of liquid water, similar to an aquifer, at or near the surface of the planet.
Mars Odyssey
Launched: 7 April 2001
Arrived: 24 October 2001 Began Mapping: 18 February 2002 Mars Odyssey is an orbiting spacecraft designed to determine the composition of the Martian surface, to detect water and shallow buried ice, and to study the radiation environment.
The Mars 2001 Odyssey mission will consist of one Orbiter which will carry 3 science instruments, the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), the Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS), and the Mars Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE). THEMIS will map the mineralogy and morphology of the Martian surface using a high-resolution camera and a thermal infrared imaging spectrometer. The GRS will achieve global mapping of the elemental composition of the surface and determine the abundance of hydrogen in the shallow subsurface. The GRS is a rebuild of the instrument lost with the Mars Observer mission. The MARIE will characterize aspects of the near-space radiation environment as related to the radiation-related risk to human explorers..
Mars 2003 MER (twin Mars Exploration Rovers) Spirit: Launched: June 10, 2003 Landed: January 4, 2004 Opportunity: Launched: July 7, 2003 Landed: January 24, 2004
The Mars 2003 mission consists of two identical rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, which will be a large (~130 kg) vehicles based on the Athena Rover design that was originally considered for the Mars 2001 mission. The rovers will be landed using an airbag system similar to that used on Mars Pathfinder but without the stationary lander.
The rover, Spirit landed 4 January 2004 and the Opportunity will land 20 days later on 24 January. The landing sites have been selected, and are on opposite sides of Mars. The mission should last for at least 90 days each, until late April. The rovers are designed to cover roughly 100 meters each martian day, or sol (approximately 24 hours, 37 minutes).
They will carry a scientific packages which will include a panoramic camera (Pancam), a rock abrasion tool (RAT) to expose fresh surfaces of rock, a miniature thermal infrared spectrometer (MiniTES), a microscopic camera, a Mossbauer spectrometer, and an alpha-proton-X-ray spectrometer (APXS). A goal for the rover is to drive up to 40 meters (about 44 yards) in a single day, for a total of up to one 1 kilometer (about three-quarters of a mile).
Spirit photos of Mars
Looking back
Mars 1/25/2004 Oportunity photo of Mars
Oportunity photos on Mars
Meteorite
Rocky outcrop
Launched: August 12, 2005 Arrived at Mars: March 10, 2006
Major Instruments:
• Context Camera (CTX)
Just finished Aerobraking Phase:
• Current duration: 2 hr. • circular
MRO
Galileo
Mission to explore Jupiter and its 61 moons Launch: 10/18/1989 Orbit Jupiter: 12/7/1995 Mission End: 9/21/2003 First two years focused on Jupiter.
Extended mission (6 years) focused on Jupiter's moons, with emphasis on Europa, Callisto, Ganymede, and Io.
On it’s journey to Jupiter, Galileo did gravity sling shots around Venus, Earth, and Earth in a 2.5 year speed-building phase that achieved a velocity exceeding 100,000 miles per hour.
The Galileo mission ended September 21, 2003 when the remaining fuel was used to splash the spacecraft into Jupiter.
Gaspra and IDA
Galileo passed through the Asteroid Field three times on the way to Jupiter.
Ida (35 miles long) and Dactyl (1 mile diameter)
Gaspra (12x7 miles)
impact?
Meteor Crater in New Mexico
Caused by a 100 foot diameter 60,000 ton space boulder striking the earth at a speed of 45,000 miles per hour. This crater is 4,000 feet in diameter and 570 feet deep. The blast was equivalent to a 20 megaton bomb.
Imagine what a Gaspra or Ida sized boulder would do?
Galileo Jupiter Moons Images (4 of Jupiter’s 61 moons)
Callisto
Io
Liquid Oceans?
Mission to Saturn and its largest moon Titan. Launch: 10/15/1997 Orbit Saturn: 7/1/2004 Huygens Release: 12/2004
Landed on Titan: 1/12/2005
Cassini Images of Saturn on approach
Cassini Images of Saturn rings Moon in ring gap
Cassini Images of Saturn Moons
Hyperion Enceladus
Cassini images of Saturn’s moon Titan
Dense atmosphere
Continents visible?
Huygen’s Probe descent to surface of Jupiter’s moon Titan
Cassini images of Saturn’s moon Titan
Titan surface from under the clouds (during Huygens Probe descent)
River Channels showing evidence of liquid flow
Huygens Probe image from the Surface of Titan
Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) (Mission completed)
Last Image (below)
Mission to explore asteroid 433 Eros (433 Eros is 21 x 9 x 8 miles) Launch: 2/17/1996 Orbit: 2/14/2000 Contact: 2/12/2001 End of Mission: 2/28/2001 First probe to orbit near earth asteroids. After A close encounter with asteroid 253 Mathilde, the probe has orbited 433 Eros since 2/2000 in altitudes varying from 100 miles to 25 miles. At completion of mission, the probe landed on the surface 2/12/2001. It impacted with a speed of 7 mph and survived.
1st of 4 Great Observatories Launched 24 April 1990
HUBBLE Space Telescope
So……….How good is Hubble?
So……How good is Hubble?
We had hubble look where the red square is.
Hubble Deep Field
This image was obtained by pointing the Hubble Telescope at a spot near the Big Dipper where no known stars existed.
Exposure: 11 days
CHANDRA X-ray Observatory
Launched 23 July 1999
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, which was launched on July 23, 1999, is the most sophisticated X- ray observatory built to date.
Chandra is designed to observe X-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as the remnants of exploded stars.
CHANDRA image of exploding supernova remnant
GALEX Galaxy Evolution Explorer
UV (Ultra-Violet) imaging and spectroscopic survey mission designed to map the global history and probe the causes of star formation and its evolution.
3rd of 4 Great Observatories
Launched: April 28, 2003
Mission Length: 29 months Science: 80% of history of star formation is in UV region.
Technical: 50 cm telescope
Launched: 25 August 2003
Flown from SSC Denver SSB 3rd Floor Mission Operations Center
First to use Earth trailing orbit
The Spitzer Space Telescope Facility - was launched into space by a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida on August 25, 2003.
Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.
Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically-cooled science instruments, Spitzer will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space.
Spitzer Space Telescope
July-Dec/02
Flew through tail of Comet Wild 2: Jan 2, 2004
Stardust
Stardust photos of comet Wild 2 taken Jan 2, 2004
Comet is 2.5 miles in diameter
Stardust Aerogel Collector catching particles traveling at 45,000 mph
Ants in a football field
An automated microscope at JSC will scan through the grid taking digital “focus movies”. The field of view is about 0.5mm on a side. There will be over 1.6 million of these.
Finding the interstellar dust particles will be like searching for 45 ants in a football field looking one 5cmx5cm square at a time.
Finding the dust
How do we find 45 microscopic particles somewhere within 1.6 million focus movies? The particles themselves are not visible in the movies, only the tracks they leave in the aerogel.
We considered using pattern recognition software. But, because we have no knowledge of the condition of the aerogel until we look at it, nor do we really know what the particle tracks will look like, we would have to first teach the software to recognize particle tracks and differentiate them from other possible features. To do that we would need to find a dozen or so particles!
People need to look through the movies.
Stardust@home
The task of manually searching through the 1.6 million focus movies would be overwhelming for a small research group…but not for an army of enthusiastic volunteers.
The focus movies will be placed online for volunteers to examine.
We estimate that it will take 30,000 person-hours to complete the task. We now have over 100,000 people pre-registered to participate.
It will take several months for the automated microscope to complete the scan of the collector, that will be limiting time factor. http://stardustathome.ssl.berkeley.edu
Virtual Microscope
Volunteers will use a Virtual Microscope (VM) to examine focus movies.
The VM will work directly within a web browser, no special software needed, simply an internet connection and a fair amount of RAM.
A simple online training session and test will be required for volunteers to learn how to use the VM.
The first focus movies will be made available online in April and the project will continue through November.
Each focus movie will be viewed by several people.
Calibration movies will be placed into the data stream (movies known to have no particles, etc.) to gauge each volunteer’s sensitivity (find tracks when they are there) and specificity (find no tracks when they are absent). Each user receives an overall score.
Each movie receives a score weighted by the score of the volunteer who flags it as either containing a track or not
Scientists at UC Berkeley will follow up on all movies that receive a high enough score.
How It Will Work
Website will feature a ‘Community’ section where volunteers can communicate with each other.
Website will feature a list of the volunteers with the top scores.
Users achieving a high score will receive a certificate of participation.
The first to find a track will have the privilege of naming the dust particle.
Will also be given co-authorship of scientific papers about the discovery
On average, a particle will be discovered every 4 days!
Recognition
Educational Resources
We will be developing lessons for students using the Virtual Microscope.
We also provide professional development for educators about ISM, planetary system formation, and comets.
Website will also contain educational materials developed by the Stardust mission E/PO team
Will do professional development on these materials as well
Stardust@home E/PO will last 3 years while the search will only last 6 months. E/PO will focus on the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics standards of the project.
Look what we caught!!
Gem of a Comet Particle
This image shows a comet particle collected by the Stardust spacecraft. The particle is made up of the silicate mineral forsterite, which can found on Earth in gemstones called peridot. It is surrounded by a thin rim of melted aerogel, the substance used to collect the comet dust samples.
The particle is about 2 micrometers across.
Deep Impact The first look inside a Comet
Peering inside a comet could give us clues to the early formation of the Solar System, the Earth and human life.
Deep Impact's July 4, 2005 impact on Comet Tempel 1 by a 820 lb. impactor is expected to produce a football field-sized crater, seven to fourteen stories deep.
Launched 1/12/2005
Deep Impact
Mission to Comet 67P/Churyumov Gerasimenko
03.02.04: Launch (07:17 UT) Aug 2014: Comet Orbit Insertion Nov 2014: Comet Landing Status: En Route to Comet
Rosetta is on a 10-year mission to explore comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It will orbit Churyumov-Gerasimenko and make observations for about two years as the comet approaches the Sun.
Rosetta will also release a small lander packed with scientific instruments to make the first-ever landing on the surface of a comet.
New Horizons (Pluto - Kuiper Belt Mission)
Mission at a Glance
Launched: Jan 17, 2006 Pluto & Charon Flyby: 2015 Reach Kuiper Belt: 2026
Future Missions
Mars Phoenix Lander 2007
PHOENIX WILL LAND AT MARS' ICY NORTH POLE, and dig into the ice cap with a robotic arm.
Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter by 2011
This proposed mission would orbit three planet-sized moons of Jupiter -- Callisto, Ganymede and Europa -- to make extensive investigations of their makeup, their history and their potential for sustaining life.
Will use Prometheus Nuclear-Electric Propulsion.
Future Mars Missions
Phoenix Mars Scout Lander: 2007 Mars Science Lab: 2009 Mars Sample Return 2011 Mars Smart Lander Mars Deep Drilling Lab Mars Network Landers SAR Recon Orbiter Man on Mars 2020
Other Planned Missions:
James Webb Space Telescope 2011 Space Interferometry Mission Terestrial Planet Finder and more
Space Interferometry Mission
Solar System Quiz 1. What is the closest star to Earth? 2. How many planets are there in our solar system? 3. What is the smallest planet in our solar system? 4. What is the most distant planet from the Sun? 5. In what galaxy is our solar system located? 13.Other than Earth, where else might life exist in our solar
system?
1. What is the closest star to Earth?
1. What is the closest star to Earth? The nearest star to Earth is the one we see every day - our Sun.
At a mere 93 million miles distant, it takes light from the Sun only eight minutes to arrive on Earth. The next closest are three members of Alpha Centauri and are just over 4 light years from Earth.
There are 10 star systems located within 12 light years of Earth.
2. How many planets are there in our solar system?
1. How many planets are there in our solar system? Currently: 8 planets
Since 1930, we have been looking for Planet X
More recent Pluto news:
Quaoar
2000 - 2002: Varuna, Ixion, and Quaoar discovered Astronomers have discovered super-size balls of ice and rock — half the size of the planet Pluto — lurking roughly 4 billion miles from the Sun at the edge of our solar system.
A year on Quaoar takes 286 Earth years. It follows a circular orbit around the sun and has a temperature of minus 381 degrees Fahrenheit.
"If Pluto deserves to be a planet, then I would think that Quaoar does too," says astronomer Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C.
Orbit: 280 - 300 years Orbit Shape: Circular Distance from Sun: 4 billion miles
Pluto distance: 3 billion miles Sedna
2003: Sedna discovered
NASA-funded researchers have discovered the most distant object orbiting Earth's Sun. The object is a mysterious planet-like body three times farther from Earth than Pluto.
The object, named "Sedna" for the Inuit goddess of the ocean, is 8 billion miles from the Sun.
Sedna is in a region of our solar system, where temperatures never rise above minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2003: IAU rules Ixion, Varuna, Quaoar, and Sedna are not planets, and suggests that size of Pluto will be minimum size for planets.
Orbit: 10,500 years Orbit Shape: Highly Eliptical Closest point: 8 billion miles Fartheset point: 84 billion miles
Pluto distance: 3 billion miles Quaoar distance: 4 billion miles
Where is Sedna’s Orbit?
Where is Sedna’s Orbit?
Our inner solar system
How find planets?
How do we find planets?
Telescope photo of a region in space.
Planets move too slowly to be spotted in a single image!!
Did any dots move?
Now overlay
Photo 1
Photo 2
All 3 photos overlaid onto each other.
The new object, circled in white, moves across a field of stars on Oct. 21, 2003.
The three photos were taken about 90 minutes apart.
The object was discovered by the Samuel Oschin Telescope at the Palomar Observatory on Jan. 8, 2005.
January 8, 2005: Planet X discovered? (10th planet?)
This artist's concept shows the object catalogued as 2003UB313 at the lonely outer fringes of our solar system, nick-named Xena.
Orbit: 557 years Orbit Shape: Highly Eliptical Distance from Sun: 7.3 billion miles
Relative Size of Xena Eris
2006: IAU meets to define “planet” and vote: • Definition 1: Xena, Ceres, and Charon all become planets • Definition 2: Demote Pluto and lock number of planets at 8
IAU Decision: • Pluto demoted, now designated 134340 Pluto • 2003 UB_313 named Eris and its satelite named Dysnomia • Pluto, Eris, and Ceres declared Dwarf Planets
• Quaoar, Sedna, Ixion, and Varuna expected to become Dwarf Planets
Definition of a Planet IAU Resolution: Definition of a Planet in the Solar System
Contemporary observations are changing our understanding of planetary systems, and it is important that our nomenclature for objects reflect our current understanding. This applies, in particular, to the designation 'planets'. The word 'planet' originally described 'wanderers' that were known only as moving lights in the sky. Recent discoveries lead us to create a new definition, which we can make using currently available scientific information.
RESOLUTION 5A, August 24, 2006:
The IAU therefore resolves that "planets" and other bodies in our Solar System be defined into three distinct categories in the following way:
(1) A "planet" is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit. Note: The eight planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
(2) A "dwarf planet" is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape , (c) has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite. Note: An IAU process will be established to assign borderline objects into either dwarf planet and other categories.
(3) All other objects except satellites orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as "Small Solar-System Bodies". Note: These currently include most of the Solar System asteroids, most Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), comets, and other small bodies.
3. What is the smallest planet in our solar system?
Officially, Mercury (since Pluto is no longer a planet)
88,700Jupiter
74,500Saturn
31,500Uranus
30,200Neptune
7,920Earth
7,500Venus
4,220Mars
3,050Mercury
3. What is the smallest planet in our solar system?
Pluto (assuming Pluto is actually a planet)
Sun, 8 current planets, and pluto shown in correct scale
4. What is the most distant planet from the Sun?
4. What is the most distant planet from the Sun?
Neptune From 1979 until 1999, Neptune was the farthest planet from the sun. In 1999, Pluto became the furthest planet from the Sun. With Pluto demoted in 2006, now Neptune will always be the most distant planet.
5. In what galaxy is our solar system located?
5. In what galaxy is our solar system located?
The Milky Way is a thin disk containing an estimated 200 billion to 700 billion stars
We lie in a spiral band called the Orion-Cygnus arm which is made up of the collection of younger and middle-aged stars. Our Solar System is located about 27,000 light-years from galactic center and 20,000 light-years from the outer edge.
Milky Way Galaxy
6. Other than Earth, where else might life exist in our solar system?
Follow the water
6. Other than Earth, where else might life exist in our solar system?
Asteroid Ceres is very primitive and wet and may have a thin, permanent atmosphere.
Asteroids
Comet’s primary constituent is water ice.Comets
All four gas giant planets have rings that are rich in water ice.
Planetary Rings: Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune
Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey have each found evidence of water ice at Mars poles and within 2 meters of the surface across much of the planet.
Mars
Clementine and lunar Prospector robotic spacecraft each found evidence of water ice in permanently shaded areas near its poles.
Earth’s moon
Casini, a twin to Galileo, has found evidence of liquid salt water ocean beneath an ice layer on Saturn’s moon, Enceladus.
Saturn’s moon: Enceladus
Galileo discovered strong evidence of liquid salt water oceans beneath an ice layer on three of Jupiter’s moons.
Jupiter’s moons: Europa Ganymede Callisto
RemarksLocation of liquid / frozen waterNASA's strategy is to "follow the water" in the search for life.
Next: Vostok
A Jupiter Icey Moons Orbiter will one day orbit up to 3 of Jupiter’s moons to confirm the presence or absence of an ocean. Other possible missions could include a Lander, a Penetrator, and Hydrobots. Europa is very similar to Lake Vostok, discovered under the Antarctic ice in 1974.
Update on Manned Missions
New LM CEV to be operational by 2014
CEV on Atlas V Launch Vehicle (Atlas V is candidate CLV)
CEV terra landing w air bags
International Space Station (ISS) NASA’s Top Priority:
Complete the International Space Station by 2010.
See the Space Station fly over Denver
http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/index.cgi
Current and Recent Unmanned Robotic Missions
A few of the Denver missions from the past 34 years
We are currently flying 4 spacecraft from here in Denver.
Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Mapping Mission
Launch: 11/7/1996 Arrive: 9/11/97 Status: Still actively mapping
This orbiter has studied the entire Martian surface, atmosphere and interior, and has returned more data about the red planet than all other Mars missions combined. Among key science findings so far, Global Surveyor has taken pictures of gullies and debris flow features that suggest there may be current sources of liquid water, similar to an aquifer, at or near the surface of the planet.
Mars Odyssey
Launched: 7 April 2001
Arrived: 24 October 2001 Began Mapping: 18 February 2002 Mars Odyssey is an orbiting spacecraft designed to determine the composition of the Martian surface, to detect water and shallow buried ice, and to study the radiation environment.
The Mars 2001 Odyssey mission will consist of one Orbiter which will carry 3 science instruments, the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), the Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS), and the Mars Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE). THEMIS will map the mineralogy and morphology of the Martian surface using a high-resolution camera and a thermal infrared imaging spectrometer. The GRS will achieve global mapping of the elemental composition of the surface and determine the abundance of hydrogen in the shallow subsurface. The GRS is a rebuild of the instrument lost with the Mars Observer mission. The MARIE will characterize aspects of the near-space radiation environment as related to the radiation-related risk to human explorers..
Mars 2003 MER (twin Mars Exploration Rovers) Spirit: Launched: June 10, 2003 Landed: January 4, 2004 Opportunity: Launched: July 7, 2003 Landed: January 24, 2004
The Mars 2003 mission consists of two identical rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, which will be a large (~130 kg) vehicles based on the Athena Rover design that was originally considered for the Mars 2001 mission. The rovers will be landed using an airbag system similar to that used on Mars Pathfinder but without the stationary lander.
The rover, Spirit landed 4 January 2004 and the Opportunity will land 20 days later on 24 January. The landing sites have been selected, and are on opposite sides of Mars. The mission should last for at least 90 days each, until late April. The rovers are designed to cover roughly 100 meters each martian day, or sol (approximately 24 hours, 37 minutes).
They will carry a scientific packages which will include a panoramic camera (Pancam), a rock abrasion tool (RAT) to expose fresh surfaces of rock, a miniature thermal infrared spectrometer (MiniTES), a microscopic camera, a Mossbauer spectrometer, and an alpha-proton-X-ray spectrometer (APXS). A goal for the rover is to drive up to 40 meters (about 44 yards) in a single day, for a total of up to one 1 kilometer (about three-quarters of a mile).
Spirit photos of Mars
Looking back
Mars 1/25/2004 Oportunity photo of Mars
Oportunity photos on Mars
Meteorite
Rocky outcrop
Launched: August 12, 2005 Arrived at Mars: March 10, 2006
Major Instruments:
• Context Camera (CTX)
Just finished Aerobraking Phase:
• Current duration: 2 hr. • circular
MRO
Galileo
Mission to explore Jupiter and its 61 moons Launch: 10/18/1989 Orbit Jupiter: 12/7/1995 Mission End: 9/21/2003 First two years focused on Jupiter.
Extended mission (6 years) focused on Jupiter's moons, with emphasis on Europa, Callisto, Ganymede, and Io.
On it’s journey to Jupiter, Galileo did gravity sling shots around Venus, Earth, and Earth in a 2.5 year speed-building phase that achieved a velocity exceeding 100,000 miles per hour.
The Galileo mission ended September 21, 2003 when the remaining fuel was used to splash the spacecraft into Jupiter.
Gaspra and IDA
Galileo passed through the Asteroid Field three times on the way to Jupiter.
Ida (35 miles long) and Dactyl (1 mile diameter)
Gaspra (12x7 miles)
impact?
Meteor Crater in New Mexico
Caused by a 100 foot diameter 60,000 ton space boulder striking the earth at a speed of 45,000 miles per hour. This crater is 4,000 feet in diameter and 570 feet deep. The blast was equivalent to a 20 megaton bomb.
Imagine what a Gaspra or Ida sized boulder would do?
Galileo Jupiter Moons Images (4 of Jupiter’s 61 moons)
Callisto
Io
Liquid Oceans?
Mission to Saturn and its largest moon Titan. Launch: 10/15/1997 Orbit Saturn: 7/1/2004 Huygens Release: 12/2004
Landed on Titan: 1/12/2005
Cassini Images of Saturn on approach
Cassini Images of Saturn rings Moon in ring gap
Cassini Images of Saturn Moons
Hyperion Enceladus
Cassini images of Saturn’s moon Titan
Dense atmosphere
Continents visible?
Huygen’s Probe descent to surface of Jupiter’s moon Titan
Cassini images of Saturn’s moon Titan
Titan surface from under the clouds (during Huygens Probe descent)
River Channels showing evidence of liquid flow
Huygens Probe image from the Surface of Titan
Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) (Mission completed)
Last Image (below)
Mission to explore asteroid 433 Eros (433 Eros is 21 x 9 x 8 miles) Launch: 2/17/1996 Orbit: 2/14/2000 Contact: 2/12/2001 End of Mission: 2/28/2001 First probe to orbit near earth asteroids. After A close encounter with asteroid 253 Mathilde, the probe has orbited 433 Eros since 2/2000 in altitudes varying from 100 miles to 25 miles. At completion of mission, the probe landed on the surface 2/12/2001. It impacted with a speed of 7 mph and survived.
1st of 4 Great Observatories Launched 24 April 1990
HUBBLE Space Telescope
So……….How good is Hubble?
So……How good is Hubble?
We had hubble look where the red square is.
Hubble Deep Field
This image was obtained by pointing the Hubble Telescope at a spot near the Big Dipper where no known stars existed.
Exposure: 11 days
CHANDRA X-ray Observatory
Launched 23 July 1999
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, which was launched on July 23, 1999, is the most sophisticated X- ray observatory built to date.
Chandra is designed to observe X-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as the remnants of exploded stars.
CHANDRA image of exploding supernova remnant
GALEX Galaxy Evolution Explorer
UV (Ultra-Violet) imaging and spectroscopic survey mission designed to map the global history and probe the causes of star formation and its evolution.
3rd of 4 Great Observatories
Launched: April 28, 2003
Mission Length: 29 months Science: 80% of history of star formation is in UV region.
Technical: 50 cm telescope
Launched: 25 August 2003
Flown from SSC Denver SSB 3rd Floor Mission Operations Center
First to use Earth trailing orbit
The Spitzer Space Telescope Facility - was launched into space by a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida on August 25, 2003.
Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.
Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically-cooled science instruments, Spitzer will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space.
Spitzer Space Telescope
July-Dec/02
Flew through tail of Comet Wild 2: Jan 2, 2004
Stardust
Stardust photos of comet Wild 2 taken Jan 2, 2004
Comet is 2.5 miles in diameter
Stardust Aerogel Collector catching particles traveling at 45,000 mph
Ants in a football field
An automated microscope at JSC will scan through the grid taking digital “focus movies”. The field of view is about 0.5mm on a side. There will be over 1.6 million of these.
Finding the interstellar dust particles will be like searching for 45 ants in a football field looking one 5cmx5cm square at a time.
Finding the dust
How do we find 45 microscopic particles somewhere within 1.6 million focus movies? The particles themselves are not visible in the movies, only the tracks they leave in the aerogel.
We considered using pattern recognition software. But, because we have no knowledge of the condition of the aerogel until we look at it, nor do we really know what the particle tracks will look like, we would have to first teach the software to recognize particle tracks and differentiate them from other possible features. To do that we would need to find a dozen or so particles!
People need to look through the movies.
Stardust@home
The task of manually searching through the 1.6 million focus movies would be overwhelming for a small research group…but not for an army of enthusiastic volunteers.
The focus movies will be placed online for volunteers to examine.
We estimate that it will take 30,000 person-hours to complete the task. We now have over 100,000 people pre-registered to participate.
It will take several months for the automated microscope to complete the scan of the collector, that will be limiting time factor. http://stardustathome.ssl.berkeley.edu
Virtual Microscope
Volunteers will use a Virtual Microscope (VM) to examine focus movies.
The VM will work directly within a web browser, no special software needed, simply an internet connection and a fair amount of RAM.
A simple online training session and test will be required for volunteers to learn how to use the VM.
The first focus movies will be made available online in April and the project will continue through November.
Each focus movie will be viewed by several people.
Calibration movies will be placed into the data stream (movies known to have no particles, etc.) to gauge each volunteer’s sensitivity (find tracks when they are there) and specificity (find no tracks when they are absent). Each user receives an overall score.
Each movie receives a score weighted by the score of the volunteer who flags it as either containing a track or not
Scientists at UC Berkeley will follow up on all movies that receive a high enough score.
How It Will Work
Website will feature a ‘Community’ section where volunteers can communicate with each other.
Website will feature a list of the volunteers with the top scores.
Users achieving a high score will receive a certificate of participation.
The first to find a track will have the privilege of naming the dust particle.
Will also be given co-authorship of scientific papers about the discovery
On average, a particle will be discovered every 4 days!
Recognition
Educational Resources
We will be developing lessons for students using the Virtual Microscope.
We also provide professional development for educators about ISM, planetary system formation, and comets.
Website will also contain educational materials developed by the Stardust mission E/PO team
Will do professional development on these materials as well
Stardust@home E/PO will last 3 years while the search will only last 6 months. E/PO will focus on the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics standards of the project.
Look what we caught!!
Gem of a Comet Particle
This image shows a comet particle collected by the Stardust spacecraft. The particle is made up of the silicate mineral forsterite, which can found on Earth in gemstones called peridot. It is surrounded by a thin rim of melted aerogel, the substance used to collect the comet dust samples.
The particle is about 2 micrometers across.
Deep Impact The first look inside a Comet
Peering inside a comet could give us clues to the early formation of the Solar System, the Earth and human life.
Deep Impact's July 4, 2005 impact on Comet Tempel 1 by a 820 lb. impactor is expected to produce a football field-sized crater, seven to fourteen stories deep.
Launched 1/12/2005
Deep Impact
Mission to Comet 67P/Churyumov Gerasimenko
03.02.04: Launch (07:17 UT) Aug 2014: Comet Orbit Insertion Nov 2014: Comet Landing Status: En Route to Comet
Rosetta is on a 10-year mission to explore comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It will orbit Churyumov-Gerasimenko and make observations for about two years as the comet approaches the Sun.
Rosetta will also release a small lander packed with scientific instruments to make the first-ever landing on the surface of a comet.
New Horizons (Pluto - Kuiper Belt Mission)
Mission at a Glance
Launched: Jan 17, 2006 Pluto & Charon Flyby: 2015 Reach Kuiper Belt: 2026
Future Missions
Mars Phoenix Lander 2007
PHOENIX WILL LAND AT MARS' ICY NORTH POLE, and dig into the ice cap with a robotic arm.
Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter by 2011
This proposed mission would orbit three planet-sized moons of Jupiter -- Callisto, Ganymede and Europa -- to make extensive investigations of their makeup, their history and their potential for sustaining life.
Will use Prometheus Nuclear-Electric Propulsion.
Future Mars Missions
Phoenix Mars Scout Lander: 2007 Mars Science Lab: 2009 Mars Sample Return 2011 Mars Smart Lander Mars Deep Drilling Lab Mars Network Landers SAR Recon Orbiter Man on Mars 2020
Other Planned Missions:
James Webb Space Telescope 2011 Space Interferometry Mission Terestrial Planet Finder and more
Space Interferometry Mission