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Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System

Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System. By Roman Williams. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System. Various researchers with NASA have joined efforts with partners from around the world to explore the vastness of deep space. They are attempting to answer the following;

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Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System

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  1. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System By Roman Williams

  2. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System • Various researchers with NASA have joined efforts with partners from around the world to explore the vastness of deep space. • They are attempting to answer the following; • The origins of Earth, Mars, Venus, as well as the sun. • How did the planets evolve into what they are at preset time. • To seek out other life (if it does exist) outside our own realm.

  3. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System • The forerunner of all satellites arose form Russia’s Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957. • Sputnik was the first successful satellite to orbit Earth. • This led the way to many great advancements for both the Soviet Union as well as for the United States. • This unmanned satellite gave rise to future satellites that would explore and patrol our solar system.

  4. Unmanned Exploration of theSolar System • List of operating satellites; • Ace, ACRIMSAT, Aqua, Aura, CALIPSO, Cassini, CHAMP, Chandra, CHIPS, CloudSat, Cluster, Deep Impact, Fast, Fuse, GALEX, Geotail, GP-B, HETE-2, HST, IceSAT, INTEGRAL, Jason, Landsat 7, Mars Express, Mars Rovers, MESSENGER, Meteor 3M, MGS, MRO, New Horizons, NMP EO-1, Odyssey, Polar, QuikSCAT, RHESSI, Rosetta, RXTE, SOHO, SORCE, Spitzer, ST-5, Stardust, Suzaku, Swift, Terra, Timed, TOMS-EP, TRACE, TRMM, Ulysses, Yoyager, Wind, WMAP, and XMM-Newton • List of satellites under study; • Con.X, Geospace, Glory, GOES-R, GPM, IBEX, JDEM, Juno, JWST, LDCM, LISA, MMS, MSL, OSTM, Sentinels, SIM, ST-8, ST-9, and WISE • List of satellites under development; • AIM, Aquarius, CINDI, Dawn, GLAST, GOES N, O, P, Herschel, Kepler, NPP, OCO, Phoenix, Planck, POES N, N’, SDO, SOFIA, Solar-B, ST-6, ST-7, STEREO, THEMIS, and TWINS

  5. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System • Satellites of the past; ASCA, Astro-1, Astro-2, BBXRT, CGRO, Clementine, COBE, CONTOUR, CRRES, DE-1, DS 1, DS 2, DXS, Equator-S, ERBS, EUBVE, Galileo, Genesis, GOES L, GOES M, HALCA, Hipparcos, IEH-3, IMAGE, IMP-8, IRTS, ISEE-3/ICE, ISO, IUE, KAO, Leonid MAC, Lunar Pros, Magellan, Mariner, MCO, Mars obs., Mars Path., MPL, NEAR, ORFEUS, Pionner 10, 11, Pioneer Venus, POES L, POES M, Ranger, ROSAT, SAC-B, SAMPEX, SNOE, Spartan, Surveyor, SRTM, Starshine, SWAS, TERRIERS, TOPEX/Poseidon, TSS-1, TSS-1R, UARS, VLBI, Viking, WIRE, and Yohkoh • http://science.hq.nasa.gov/missions/phase.html

  6. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System • Unmanned satellites are being directed to the Sun to evaluate the Earth-Sun relationship. • These satellites are also monitoring the Suns Coronas and Solar flairs and evaluating what types of effects they produce to electronics.

  7. Unmanned Exploration of theSolar System • Solar Flairs

  8. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System • Many other satellites are being sent to study Mars, Venus, and other celestial bodies that my be capable of sustaining human life. • Among the planets these researcher are also searching for other life forms. • Is there life out there?

  9. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System • Viking 1 and Viking 2 consisted of an orbiter and a lander named “Spirit and Opportunity”, which traveled attached together for nearly a year to reach Mars orbit. The orbiters then began taking pictures of the Martian surface, from which a landing site was selected. • The Viking missions revealed further details of volcanoes, lava plains, huge canyons, and the effects of wind and water. Analysis of the soils at the landing sites showed them to be rich in iron, but devoid of any signs of life (Munsell, K., 2003)

  10. Unmanned Exploration of theSolar System • These photos were taken by the probes of “Spirit” which landed on Mars on January 4, 2004 and “Opportunity” landed on January 24, 2004. • In this first image of the "Columbia Hills" from the Gusev Crater on Mars, "Husband Hill" is 3.1 kilometers distant while "McCool Hill" is 4.2 kilometers away. Spirit took these images with the panoramic camera at the beginning of February, 2004, less than a month after landing on Mars. • The second image is a photo of the Martian landscape. (Sample, S. 2006)

  11. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System • Cassini’s Radar mapper instrument captured this photo of Titan (Moon of Saturn). This photo is 150km wide by 400 km long. • The darker areas shown are believed to contain liquids of methane and/or ethane which are reflecting Cassini’s radar beam (Piazza, E. 2006)

  12. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System • On May 20, 2006 Cassini flew by Titan and study its hazy atmosphere by transmitting radio waves to Earth as it flies behind Titan. • These radio waves are to pass through the atmosphere, revealing characteristics such as temperatures, structure, and winds. • A list of all flybys can be view at http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/events/index.cfm

  13. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System

  14. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System • The satellite named Galileo was sent to Jupiter to examine the atmospheric conditions on this enormous planet. • It also conducted observation to Jupiter’s moons; Europa, Ganymide, Callisto, and Io.

  15. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System • The best of the Jupiter system is pictured in this collage of images acquired by the Voyager and Galileo spacecraft. The four largest moons of Jupiter are known as the Galilean moons and are named Callisto, Ganymede, Europa, and Io. Inside the orbits of the Galilean moons are Thebe, Amalthea, Adrastea, and Metis. • At the lower right is shown the Valhalla region of Callisto. Ganymede is toward the bottom middle. Europa is a little above and to the right of Ganymede. Io is the top, left-most moon. Between Io and Jupiter are four little moons. The top-most little moon is Amalthea. Below and to the right of Amalthea are Metis and Adrastea. To the left of Adrastea is Thebe (Hamilton, J. C. 1998)

  16. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System • Deep Impact was a satellite that had four missions; • Observe how the crater forms in a comet. • Measure the craters depth and diameter. • Measure the composition of the interior of the crater and its ejecta. • Determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. (Martin, D. 2006)

  17. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System • Deep Impact is designed to study the comets compositions and how they have played a major role in Earth’s evolution. • It is believed that the comets brought water and a variety of organic molecules to Earth. • In July of 2005, the Deep Impact spacecraft will deploy a small probe to collide with the comet Tempel 1. The satellite Deep Impact took images as it flew by the comet at a distance of 310 miles (Martin, D. 2006).

  18. Unmanned Exploration of theSolar System Satellite Deep Impact

  19. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System • The satellite Deep Impact for the first time has detected ice on the comets nucleus. • As the comet approaches the sun, it releases gas and dust forming a cloud that blurs the nucleus from view.

  20. Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System

  21. References • Bolte, J. (2004). The Celestia Motherlode. Retrieved July 30, 2006 from http://celestiamotherlode.net • Hamilton, C. J. (1998). The Jupiter System. Retrieved from http://www.solarviews.com • Martin, D. (2006). Deep Impact. Retrieved July 30, 2006 from http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov • Munsell, K. (2003). Solar System Exploration. Retrieved July 30, 2006 from http://solarsystem.nasa.gov • Piazza, E. (2006). Cassini-Huygens: Mission to Saturn and Titan. Retrieved July 30, 2006 from http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov • Sample, S. (2006). Science Missions. Retrieved July 30, 2006 from http://science.hq.nasa.gov

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