Discovering The Planets and the Asteroid Belt

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Where to Start your exploration?

Asteroid

Terrestrial Planets

Jovian Planets

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Jovian planets picture: http://aschy.kicks-ass.net/solsys/raw/misc/Jovian.jpgNeptune: http://www.solarviews.com/raw/nep/neptunes.jpgSaturnhttp://www.harrisburgacademy.org/computer/decade%20project/20062007/2007%20students/6th%20grade/luke/space%20webpage/Saturn.jpgUranus http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/image/uranus_voy2.jpgJupiter http://wallpapers-sky.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Planet-Jupiter-wallpaper.jpgMercury http://twittface.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/solar-mercury2.jpgVenus:http://sos.noaa.gov/images/Solar_System/venus.jpgMars:http://www.parabolicarc.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/marsglobe2.jpgAsteroid belt http://www.indiana.edu/~geol105/images/gaia_chapter_2/asteroids_compare4.jpgEVAhttp://ipadwallpaper.eu/wallpapers/2/eva-wall-e.jpg

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Sputnik:http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/catalog/images/screenshots/various/satellites_Sputnik_1_1__Kukanotas.jpgRovers:http://www.scientificamerican.comCassini:http://forum.celestialmatters.org/userpix/7_cassini_1.jpgNASA Research about all planets and exploration: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?Sort=Target&Target=SolarSys&MCode=JWSTMessenger: http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/catalog/images/screenshots/various/spacecraft_Messenger_1__Cham.jpg

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Knowledge and skill: (11) Earth and space. The student understands the organization of our solar system and the relationships among the various bodies that comprise it. The student is expected to:(A) describe the physical properties, locations, and movements of the Sun, planets, Galilean moons, meteors, asteroids, and comets;(B) understand that gravity is the force that governs the motion of our solar system; and(C) describe the history and future of space exploration, including the types of equipment and transportation needed for space travel.

Mercury

Mercury the Closes Planet to the Sun It is also the smallest Planet As you can see Mercury ‘s surface is covered with craters.

Craters are formed when large comets and asteroids plummet onto the surface of mercury

The reason you can see so many craters on Mercury is because Mercury is what Astronomers call a “Dead World”. “Dead world”- Means that the planet is no longer volcanically active

Early exploration of

MercuryIt wasn’t until the Space age of 1950s that astronomers got the opportunity to see the surface of Mercury. This is because mercury is about 57 million miles at it’s closest distance to the Earth.Mariner 10 was the first mission to go to Mercury.

Mariner 10 Flew past Mercury 3 times in 1974.

Mapped 57% of its surface

Since mid-March, NASA has a spacecraft called Messenger in orbit around Mercury. Messenger main purpose was to

gather more information about the interior structure of Mercury

Future Exploration: ESA (European Space Agency) is

currently building a spacecraft called BepiColombo, to send to Mercury in collaboration with the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA

Current and Future exploration of Mercury

Venus is the second planet form the sun .It is the warmest of the Terrestrial planets due to it’s thick atmosphere. There are very few impact craters found on Venus this is because

around every 500 million years the entire planet’s temperature rises so high that the rocky surface of Venus completely melts .

Exploration of Venus

ESA currently has a spacecraft in orbit around Venus called Venus Express The main goal of the

mission is to gather long-term studies of the Venusian atmosphere.

Earth is the 3rd planet form the sun.

It’s distance form the sun is ideal for supporting life

Moderately thick atmosphere There are few crater on Earth

because it is an active planet. “Active planet”- Volcanically

active

Interesting Fact about space exploration

Sputnik was the first satellite in space launched by the Soviet Union

Mars is the 4th Planet from the Sun.

It is also Earths closest neighboring planet

When we look at Mars’ surface we can see what look like river valleys.

Mars is the Largest of the Terrestrial Planets

Mars is our primary focus of exploration

Beginning Exploration of Mars

Mars has always fascinated the people of earth

The first successful mission to Mars was a satellite named mariner 4

Rovers on MarsSpirit

While spirit was driving around one of it’s wheels broke so it began to drag the wheel From dragging it’s wheel along

the surface Spirit discovered that underneath Mars’ dirt surface is a layer of ice and snow.

Rovers on MarsOpportunity

Opportunity landed on Mars on January 25, 2004

Opportunity’s task on Mars was to take samples of the dirt and examine them for water molecules. It found that in the deeper

craters there was evidence of a large body of water once was there

Future Rovers to land on Mars

Curiosity is the next rover destined to landed on Mars’ surface

It is the largest rover sent to Mars today Curiosity will have on board with it:

The first colour cameras with zoom lenses, that are capable of video imaging

It will be searching for fossilized organic compounds (such as plants and bacteria… anything that resembles life)

Jupiter

Jupiter is the 5th Planet from the sun.

Jupiter is the Largest Planet in our solar system

It is a Jovian planet because it is composed entirely of gas

Jupiter also has the largest Moons orbiting it known as the Galilean Moons

Exploration of Jupiter

The voyager missions (voyger1 and Voyger2) were the first missions to Jupiter in the 1970s The Voyager missions found

active volcano on Jupiter’s moons

The Galilean mission was sent to discover more about these moons.

Most of the exploration dealing with Jupiter is focused on it’s Galilean Moons.

Galilean Spacecraft

Saturn

Saturn is the 6th planet from the Sun.

Saturn is BEST known for its magnificent ring system.

The rings are formed form different material such as, water particles and carbon dioxide, orbiting the planet. Various small Moons orbiting

give the Rings their structure

Exploration of Saturn

The first mission sent Saturn was Pioneer 11 It discovered that Saturn has

many more rings then what we can seen from Earth

Cassini is the current mission heading to Saturn Its primary gold is to discover

more information on Saturn's Atmosphere Cassini

Uranus

Uranus is the 7th planet from the Sun

Uranus is a very abnormal planet because: It’s north and south poles are

the Warmest part of the planet

It spins on its side with one of the Poles facing the Sun at all times

Exploration of Uranus

The first clear pictures of this planet were taken by Voyager 2 After Voyager 2 studied

Jupiter and Saturn it went on to the other Jovian Planets

There are currently no future missions headed to Uranus due to: Uranus’ distance from Earth The lack of funds

Neptune

Neptune is the 8th and furthest planet in our solar system

It is an extremely cold planet due to its distance form the Sun 2.68 billion miles

Neptune has extremely high winds Up to 1025.26 Miles/hour These highs winds cause

storms such as the Great Dark Spots to form on Neptune

Exploration of Neptune

The first picture ever seen of Neptune was taken by Voyager 2 Voyager 2 discovered the

Great Dark Spot . Currently there are no future

missions planed for Neptune due to: Distance from Earth The lack of funds

What is an Asteroid?

Asteroids are small atmosphere free worlds that orbit the Sun Due to Asteroids relatively small size they can not be called

planets Asteroids are irregular in shape , they do not have enough

gravity to form a unified circle, like the planets.

Asteroid Belt

The majority of the Asteroids in our solar system are found in the Asteroid Belt

The Asteroid Belt is located between Mars and Jupiter

Exploration of Asteroids

Asteroids are highly difficult to study from the Earth due to their small size

Thankfully every mission that has gone to Jupiter and beyond has had the opportunity to visit some of the Asteroids in the belt Such as the Galilean Mission

Exploration of Asteroids cont.

Dawn is the first mission to an Asteroid and is on its way to the asteroid Vista Vista is the 4th largest Asteroid in the Asteroid belt

After visiting Vista Dawn will contuse on to study Ceres Ceres is the largest Asteroid

Question 1

What is a Dead World?

A. A place where people dieB. A planet that is no longer volcanica

lly activeC. A planet where people once lived b

ut have now become extended D. A lost Planet

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Question 2

What was the name of the first satellite to orbit Mars?

A. Mariner 4B. Sputnik C. RoverD. Odyssey

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Question 3

What is the name of the future Rover mission to Mars?

A. Spirit B. Rover 2C. SputnikD. Curiosity

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Question 4

Which Terrestrial planet has the highest surface temperatures?

A. EarthB. MarsC. Venus D. Mercury

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Question 5

Which Jovian planet has the Galilean Moons orbiting it?

A. JupiterB. SaturnC. Neptune D. Uranus

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Question 6

What is the name of the current mission to Saturn?

A. Voyager 1B. Pioneer C. Cassini D. Voyager 2

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Question 7

Which planet rotates with the poles facing the Sun?

A. Neptune B. Venus C. Uranus D. Mars

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Question 8

Which planet is the primary focus of future exploration?

A. MarsB. Earth C. Saturn D. Mercury

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Question 9

What is the 2nd planet from the Sun?

A. EarthB. Venus C. Mercury D. Jupiter

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Question 10

What is the furthest planet from the Sun?

A. PlutoB. Venus C. Neptune D. Jupiter

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Question 11

What are Asteroids?

A. Major PlanetsB. Uniformed in shapeC. Small atmosphere free worlds D. Rocks larger than the planets

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Question 12

Where is the Asteroid Belt located in our solar system? Between_____

A. Mars and Earth B. Mercury and Venus C. Mars and Jupiter D. Saturn and Uranus

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Question 13

What is the largest Asteroid in the Asteroid Belt?

A. CeresB. Ables C. Vista D. Spirit

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Discovering The Planets and the Asteroid Belt

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