Aeronautics:
The Sciences of
Flight, all that involves Flight.
Asteroid:
A rocky space
object measuring anywhere from a few hundred feet to several hundred
kilometers.
Most asteroids in our solar system are in orbit in the asteroid belt
between Mars and Jupiter.
Atmosphere:
The layer of
gases surrounding a star or a planet.
Atom:
Building blocks of
matter; the microscopic elements that make up all matter consisting
of protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Axis:
An imaginary straight
line around which a planet or other body rotates.
Big Bang
Theory:
A scientific
theory explaining the origin of the universe; states that the
Universe began to expand after a super powerful explosion of space
and matter.
Black hole:
The leftover core of a
massive star after a supernova that has a strong gravitational field
requiring a force equal to the speed of light to escape its force.
Celsius:
A metric temperature
scale in which water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees.
Comet:
A frozen mass of dust
and gas that moves through the solar system in an orbit.
Command module:
The part of the
spacecraft where astronauts live, communicate with Earth, and
control flight.
Craters:
(impact craters)-holes
or depressions in a planetary body (planet, moon) caused by the
impact of a smaller body
Debris:
The broken, scattered remains (in astronomy-often of an asteroid,
etc.); rubble; pieces of rubbish or litter.
Density:
Mass per unit volume of a substance.
Electromagnetic
waves:
When an electric charge is accelerated, it produces these electric
and magnetic waves.
Elliptical:
A curved shape that is made by unbroken line, shaped like an egg,
but with equal ends.
Energy:
The ability of an object, organism, or system to perform work.
Escape
velocity:
The minimum velocity or speed necessary for an object to escape the
gravitational pull of a planet or moon.
Extravehicular
Mobility Unit (EMU):
NASA's name for a space
suit.
Fissure:
A long, narrow crack or
crevice in a surface.
Fusion:
A nuclear reaction
in which nuclei fuses with other nuclei, releasing large amounts of
energy.
Galaxy:
A cluster of stars,
dust, and gas held together by gravity, often containing billions of
stars.
Gravity:
The natural force
that draws objects toward the center of the Earth or that pulls two
objects together.
Gravity is influenced by the mass of the objects and the distance
between the objects.
Gravitational
field:
The space around an
object in which it exerts gravitational pull.
International
Space Station:
The laboratory, shared by space programs from 16 countries, that
circles the earth in space so that experiments can be done.
Ion:
An electrically charged molecule; can be positively or negatively
charged.
Kilometer:
Metric measurement of distance that equals 1000 meters. A kilometer
equals 0.6214 miles.
Light year:
The distance light can travel in one year equal to 9.46 trillion
kilometers.
Meteor:
Meteoroids which enter the Earth’s atmosphere, but burn up before
impacting on the surface.
Meteorite:
Fragments of metal or stone remaining from a meteor that fall from
space onto the Earth or other body.
Meteoroid:
A fragment of debris
traveling in outer space--can be of various sizes.
Microgravity:
Near weightlessness, almost zero gravity.
Nebula:
Seen as a hazy patch in the sky, it is a low-density cloud of dust
and gas in which a star is born.
Oort cloud:
A huge cloud surrounding our galaxy from which comets originate.
Orbit:
1. The act of constantly circling something.
2. The path or course followed by a moon, satellite, or other
heavenly body as it circles another body in space.
Parsec:
A distance equal to 3.26
light years.
Particle:
A very, very tiny piece of matter such as an electron, proton, or
neutron found inside of an atom.
Probe:
Space craft, often unmanned, designed to collect and relay data on
our solar system and beyond.
Many probes are not meant to return to Earth, and just collect
information during their one way trip to various regions of space.
Retrograde:
Moving in a direction opposite of other moving bodies; or--for
planets--around the sun in a direction opposite to that of the
Earth.
Revolution:
The circling of a smaller object around a larger object, as the moon
around the Earth or the planets around the Sun.
A revolution is also the time it takes to complete one orbit.
Rotation:
The spinning of an
object on its axis.
Rover:
A vehicle for exploring the surface of another planet or
satellite.
Satellite:
An object in space
that revolves around a larger primary body either naturally
occurring such as a moon, or man-made satellites and probes.
Solar eclipse:
When the moon moves between the sun and Earth causing a large shadow
on the surface of the Earth.
Solar flare:
A magnetic storm on the sun that emits rays and particles and seen
as increased brightness on the sun’s surface.
Solar system:
The Sun and all of the planets, comets, etc. which revolve around
it.
Supernova:
The explosion of a
star.
Telescope:
A scientific
instrument made with lens and mirrors that magnifies a faraway
object.
Ultraviolet
rays:
Invisible energy in
the form of rays given off by the sun; they are short
electromagnetic wavelengths.
Universe:
Space that includes all matter and energy that exists.
Vacuum:
1. A machine used for
cleaning that picks up dirt from floors and carpet.
2. Absence of matter; emptiness of space.
X-ray:
Form of electromagnetic radiation that has such short wavelengths
they can penetrate solid object;
energy that is used to take x-rays of the human body. |
