It's no longer news that after a daring five year journey, Juno, the spacecraft launched by NASA finally went into orbit around Jupiter - the largest planet in our solar system. For the next two years, Juno will orbit round Jupiter as it gathers information that will help scientists understand how Jupiter and other planets [...]
If you have seen movies like Star Trek, Gravity, Sunshine, you may have wondered what would happen to someone who loses his spacesuit in space? Will the person explode? Is there a possibility of survival? But first, let's understand how a spacesuit works. How Does a Spacesuit Work? The principal functions of a spacesuit are [...]
1. INTRODUCTION Satellites have changed our perception of the Earth, helping us to realise that it is small, fragile, and unique in the immensity of space, and as such must be preserved. Satellites help us to learn more about our planet and to improve how we use its limited resources. They also revolutionise the way [...]
As part of an experiment to determine the sustainability of life in space; returning astronaut, Scott Kelly returned with seeds of a vegetable - the salad leaf rocket - which had been carefully sorted and packed in space, and are to be distributed to 8,500 schools, children's clubs and societies that have signed up for [...]
1. What is the International Space Station? The International Space Station (ISS) is like a giant floating laboratory. Inside is an impressive jumble of modules, with computers and instrument panels hanging from every wall. It has got everything the astronauts need to live. There is a gym, cooking facilities, sleeping areas and toilets. 2. How [...]
Global Positioning System Satellite (GPS) orbiting round the Earth I know what you are thinking. You are thinking along the lines of your DSTV satellite dish, or the type you see in Science documentaries, and movies like Gravity, and The Martian. Well, you may not be too far from the truth. A Satellite [...]
If you're the sort of person who worries about asteroids, a new map from NASA's Near Earth Object Program is unlikely to offer much reassurance. It shows that during the 20-year period from 1994 to 2013, the Earth's atmosphere was hit by small asteroids resulting in fireballs (bolides) on at least 556 separate occasions--or essentially [...]
Fact One Earth is the only planet in the Solar System to have water in its three states of matter: as a solid (ice), a liquid (sea, rain, etc.) and as a gas (clouds). Water is, of course, the most important liquid for life. Fact Two Earth is almost five billion years old, although life [...]
