Introduction to Exploring

While in space, you will want to explore your surrounding and take advantage of opportunities that are not available on earth. This Specialization has 4 Modules; (1) The Hubble Telescope; (2) Microgravity; (3) Probes and Observatories; and (4) Rocks. Below is an introduction to each of the 4 modules.

Hubble Telescope - The absorption of light in the atmosphere limits our ability to see far into the Universe. Outside of our atmosphere you will be uniquely positioned to point a telescope at other parts of the Universe. A space-based telescope that has been doing just that is the Hubble Telescope. As the Instrumentation Specialist , you will be able to set up an observatory of your own and give the Hubble telescope some competition.

Schematic of the Hubble Space Telescope. As you can see, there are many important parts. The article All About Hubble will tell you what all the different parts do.

Microgravity – Microgravity is the gravity that is experienced at the ISS, which is one millionth of the earth’s gravity. A lot of things that we do not stop and think about on earth, like the formation of bubbles when liquids boil, are different in microgravity. It is also possible to fabricate materials in microgravity that we could not fabricate on earth, such as very high purity glasses that can be used for intercontinental communications. At the moon the gravity is 17% that of Earth and on Mars the gravity is 38% that of the Earth’s. What kinds of opportunities and challenges will this present?

Probes and Observatories – Probes are small, unmanned, special purpose spacecraft that have special missions. They are loaded with instrumentation and send back data to earth. One of the probes that has been in the news lately is Cassini-Huygens, which is studying Saturn and its moon, Titan. Observatories are Probes that have a fixed location or orbit, Such as the Hubble Space Telescope. While in space you will be able to launch probes and observatories to explore your destination and other destinations in space.

Rocks – We brought back rock specimens from previous missions to the moon. The Moon is rather similar to the earth and there is an abundance of silicates and basalts. We have yet to get specimens of rocks from Mars and our knowledge of what Mars is made of is from unmanned missions. Viking and Mars Global Surveyor are some of the early missions to Mars. Presently there are two “geological” rovers, Spirit and opportunity that are very busy investigating the surface of Mars. What will Mars rocks be like? If you were to mine on Mars, what might you want to export to earth?

Your team role is that of Instrumentation Specialist . While working through the assignments, you will learn about space research and how it is performed. The assignments consist of questions that you will be answering in your notebook . You should keep in mind that what you are learning should also be used in the final team project. Talk with your team members from the start and decide what you will be responsible for. There are many extra credit assignments. You might want to do a few that pertain to your destination.

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