DK Eyewitness - Astronomy

cooperation in space
The European Space Agency
(ESA) is an organization through
which 16 European countries
collaborate on a joint space
program. It provides the
means for a group of smaller
countries to participate in space
exploration and share the benefits
of space-age technology. ESA
has its own rocket, called Ariane,
which is launched from a spaceport
in French Guiana. In 2003,
this Ariane 5 rocket launched
the SMART-1 spacecraft on a
mission to orbit the Moon
and to test a new spacecraft
propulsion technology. In
addition to the US and Russia,
several other major countries
have their own space agencies,
including Japan and China.
External
fuel tank
The Space Shuttle
The first flight of a Space Shuttle was
in 1981. Since then, five Shuttles have
made a total of over 120 flights into
Earth orbit. Their tasks have included
launching satellites, repairing the
Hubble Space Telescope, and taking
parts and crew to the International
Space Station. Two of the Shuttles
have been destroyed in accidents
and the others will go out of
service in 2010.
The space shuttle
The Shuttle is boosted into space by
two huge, reusable, solid-fuel booster
rockets. They are jettisoned and then fall
back to Earth, slowed by parachutes, so
they can be retrieved. The Shuttle
returns to Earth and lands at
about 215 mph (350 km/h). It
is protected from the intense
heat of reentry by a shell
of thermal tiles.
Living in space
Construction of the International Space Station (ISS) began in
1998 and continues until 2010. It is a joint project between the US,
Europe, Russia, Canada, and Japan. The ten main modules and other
parts are being transported by the Space Shuttle or by an uncrewed
Russian space vehicle. The first crew arrived in 2000, and there
have been at least two astronauts on board ever since. The ISS takes
92 minutes to orbit Earth at an average height of 220 miles (354 km).
Underwater training
In space, astronauts
experience weightlessness,
or zero gravity. This is not
an easy thing to simulate
on Earth. The closest
approximation is to train
astronauts underwater
to move and operate
machinery. Even then the
effect of resistance in water
gives a false impression.
Benefits of SATELLITEs
Meteorological satellites can
monitor the changing patterns
of the weather and plot ocean
currents, which play a major
role in determining Earth’s
climate. Data gathered by
monitoring such vast expanses
as this Russian ice floe can
be used to predict climate
change. Resource satellites
are used for geological and
ecological research. For
example, they map the
distribution of plankton—
a major part of the food
chain—in ocean waters.
Solid-fuel
rocket booster
Shuttle orbiter
Felt protects parts
where heat does
not exceed
700°F
(370°C)
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