HAMDAN BIN MOHAMMED HAMAD AL MANSOURI PROFESSOR MELIKECHI A NEW EARTH

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Hubble Space Telescope
Space Shuttle Discovery
Pioneer 10
The Hubble Telescope has provided the
most detailed images of far off stars
and galaxies we have ever laid eyes
on. The telescope raised the profile
of space in a way no other spacecraft
could, by providing stunning clarity to
images of the universe, and allowing the
human race to start to comprehend the
size, the splendour, the instability and
the beauty of the environment we find
ourselves flying through at 67,000 miles
per hour. The Hubble Telescope was only
predicted to last 15 years in its orbit,
and yet a quarter of a century later it
continues to send back groundbreaking
images, and shows no sign of slowing
down. A triumph for human engineering,
and human endeavour, the Hubble
Telescope’s most lasting legacy in terms of discovery was the accuracy with which it was able to demonstrate the
formation and expansion of the universe with unwavering accuracy.
Hubble Space Telescope Stats:
Launch Date: 24th April 1990
Cost: $2.5 billion
Mission Duration: 24.5 years
Space Agency: ESA, STScl & NASA
Maximum Distance from Earth: 355 miles
Galileo
Galileo was the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter, the largest
planet in our Solar System. The unmanned NASA probe was
launched in October 1989, with the mission of studying Jupiter
and some of its 63 moons. In 1995, after six years, Galileo
reached its subject and began its analysis of the atmosphere of
the gas-covered planet. One of the most significant discoveries
Galileo uncovered came not on Jupiter, but on one of its moons
– Europa. The evidence gathered by Galileo strongly points
towards water being present underneath the thick sheet of ice
enveloping the surface of Europa, as well as the presence of
minerals seemingly not unlike clay. To this day, the discovery
remains one of the most fascinating examples of organic
material we have ever found outside of the Earth. In 2003, the
mission ended as NASA sent Galileo plummeting into the atmosphere of Jupiter at a speed of 108,000 miles per hour.
Galileo Stats:
Launch Date: 18th October 1989
Cost: $1.4 billion
Mission Duration: 7.7 years
Space Agency: NASA
Maximum Distance from Earth: 490 million miles
The iconic Space Shuttle Discovery
captured the imagination of a
whole new generation of space
enthusiasts, as its spectacular and
numerous launches coincided with
a higher definition of television
coverage, making the impact and
sheer magnitude of a space launch
really become apparent in homes
across the world. It has logged more
flying time than any other spacecraft
in history, and successfully completed 39 missions during its 28-year long
career. Discovery logged more than 148 million flight miles, and has a portfolio
brimming with a selection of the most remarkable space exploits ever seen.
These include the launch of the Hubble Telescope and the Ulysses space probe,
as well as being the spacecraft that carried the first Arab into space. As a
trusted and reliable spacecraft, the Space Shuttle Discovery clearly stands head
and shoulders above the rest of its predecessors, and most of those that have
been commissioned since. Space Shuttle Discovery was finally retired in March
2011, and is now on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre in Virginia.
Space Shuttle Discovery Stats:
Launch Date: 30th August 1984
Cost: $1.5 billion
Mission Duration: 27 years
Space Agency: NASA
Maximum Distance from Earth: 330 miles
Vostok 1
The Vostok 1 took Yuri Gagarin into space
in 1961, making him the first man in space.
Still to this day this is one of the most
spectacular achievements by the human
race, and was made all the sweeter for
the Russians as they beat the US by three
weeks. Changing the course of history, and
showing the world that anything is possible,
the Soviet-built Vostok 1 deserves recognition for everything it accomplished
in its 1 hour 48 minute mission. Not only did Gagarin become the first man
to go into an orbit of the Earth, he also made it safely back to the ground,
although he did end up over 5,000 miles away from home as he crash-landed
in Angola. The remains of the spacecraft are on display at the RKK Energiya
museum just outside Moscow.
Vostok 1 Stats:
Launch Date: 12th April 1961
Cost: $4 million
Mission Duration: 1 hour 48 minutes
Space Agency: Soviet space program
Maximum Distance from Earth: 203 miles
Pioneer became the first
spacecraft to enter the asteroid
belt on its way to Jupiter, and
represented NASA’s first attempt
at navigating a probe through the
precarious rock belt, something it
did successfully. This opened up
the floodgates for the American
space agency to send numerous
missions to the farther reaches
of our Solar System. Launched in
1972, Pioneer 10 gave us our first
detailed images of Jupiter, and
also allowed us to discover that
the planet radiates more heat
than it receives from the Sun.
After sending back more than
500 images of Jupiter, Pioneer 10
continued into the outer reaches
of space, and although the
mission was officially ceased in
1997, Pioneer 10 kept in contact
up until the signal was lost in
2003. The spacecraft is now in
deep space, approaching Proximi
Centauri, the nearest star to our
Solar System.
Pioneer 10 Stats:
Launch Date: 3rd March 1972
Cost: $150 million
Mission Duration: 30.9 years
Space Agency: NASA
Maximum Distance from Earth:
7.46 billion miles
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