BEYOND THE BLUE

What is “Beyond the Blue”?

Stars have fascinated the people since ancient times, but wasn’t until the 20^th century that exploring space became possible. In recent decades we have sent astronauts to the moon, robotic space crafts to the outer reaches of the solar system and used the telescopes to peer across the vastness of the Universe. Exploring beyond the blue sky became a reality to the mankind.

Observing the skies

For centuries, astronomers have observed the heavens with their eyes alone or used simple telescopes that magnify the view. But the visible light we see is just one part of a much bigger spectrum of electromagnetic rays that reaches the earth from space. Stars and other objects also emit invisible radio waves, x-rays, infrared, and microwave rays. Modern telescopes can see all of these, and each type of radiation reveals something different.

Capturing the light

Telescopes come in many different styles and designs, but basically all do the same thing: collect electromagnetic radiation from space and focus it to create an image. Earth’s atmosphere can block or blur the image, so some telescopes are located on high mountain tops or even launched into space. Some known telescopes among them are;

Radio telescopes : Huge, curved dishes are used to focus radio waves  given out by sources such as galaxies, pulsars and black holes

Microwave telescopes : Microwaves are short radio waves. By capturing these rays, telescopes can see ancient radiation from the Big bang.                          

Optical telescopes : Using large lenses or mirrors, optical telescopes gather faint visible light and can see much further than the human eye.

Infrared telescopes : These instruments, some of them are sent into space, detect the heat from the objects such as clouds of gas and dust. 

Mapping the stars    

Because Earth is surrounded by space, when we look at the night sky it seems as though all the stars are pinned  to the inside of a gaint sphere. Astronomers call this a celestial sphere and use it to map the positions of stars and planets. Vertical and horizontal lines are used to divide the celestial sphere into a grid, just like the grid of latitude and logitude lines used to map the Earth’s surface. Some among them are,

1.        Celestial north pole- This is the point directly above the north pole.

2.       Celestial south pole- This is the point directly above the south pole.

3.       Declination line- These split the sky into north south segments.

4.       Right ascension lines- These divide the sky into east west segments.

5.       Celestial equator- This imaginary line over the equator divides the sky into  
       north south hemispheres.

Exploring the planets

The planets are too far for manned missions, so robotic spacecrafts are sent instead. The first visit to another planet was made by ‘Mariner 2’, a US craft that flew past Venus in 1962. Since then, and despite number of failures, hundreds of spacecrafts have visited the solar system’s planets, moons, asteroids and comets. Most spacecrafts either fly past or orbit their target, but some also release landers that touch down on the surface.

An ORBITER is the one which flies around a planet repeatedly giving it plenty of time to study its target. Orbiters have visited the moon and all the planet except Uranus and Neptune.

A  PENETRATOR  is one which is designed to hit its target at high speed and bury itself. In 2005, satellite ‘Deep impact’ penetrated the surface of a comet.

A ROVER is a robotic lander with wheels that can drive about. Rovers sent to mars have studied its rocks for signs  of ancient life.

12 years and 43 days- the time it took the spacecraft ‘Voyager 2’ to reach Neptune from Earth.

Parts of a satellite.. 

• 1      Ultraviolet sensor
• 2       Generator
• 3       Magnetometer
• 4       Infrared sensor
• 5       Communication dish
• 6       Asteroid detector

 Launch vehicles                                                                                         

     

Space is only 100 km above earth’s surface and takes less than 10 minutes to reach in a rocket. Although the journey is short, it takes tremendous power to escape the pull of earth’s gravity. Launch vehicles are built to make the journey only one time, and most of their weight is fuel

World’s largest rockets

Saturn V, which sent astronauts to the moon was the largest rocket ever built. Some large rockets are..

     Delta heavy-72m

  

             Saturn V  -111m and N1-105m       

Long march 2F-62m

Arine 4-59m

Launch sites

Many countries have space flight launch sites. Sites closer to the equator can launch heavier cargo, because rockets are given a boost by the speed of Earth’s spin.

                                                            Major launch sites. 

Living in space

Astronauts must adapt to a zero gravity environment when living in space. Although floating weightlessly can be fun, it can also cause medical problems. Space stations are cramped places with few luxuries. Astronauts eat ready-made food that are either freeze-dried or served in pouches. All waters are recycled, including water vapour from human breath. Astronauts clean themselves with special shampoos and soaps that don’t need water, and they use space toilets that suck away waste rather than flushing with water.

Effects on the body

When the human body spend a long time in space, it changes. Without gravity pulling the spine, the body gets about 5cm taller. Body fluids that flow downwards on earth build up in head. This gives astronauts swollen faces and blocked noses, making food seem tasteless. When astronauts come back to the earth, the return of gravity can make them feel extremely weak

• Brain and balance: Without gravity, the inner ear’s balance system no longer works which can make astronauts sick.

• Muscles: Movement is easy when you are weightless, and muscles waste away if not used. Workout in on-board gym help to stop this happening.

• Bones: Bones weaken and become less dense. Regular excersice is essential to keep them strong.

Conclusion:

Space exploration has given us new technologies and now inspires new ideas for the program. Even though it has many good effects, the exploration contributes to global warming, there are ozone depleting substances and man-made debris in the earth orbit which must be controlled. Explorers and scientists are trying to sort out the problems of pollution and effects of harm nowadays.

SUBMITTED BY:

SHAYANA

SUJITH

LALAN

THILAKA

1st M.Sc {1st Semester} 

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