8la Ways of Exploring

8La
Ways of exploring
How has mankind explored space?
© Pearson Education Ltd 2014. Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. This material is not copyright free.
8La Gathering the evidence
Earth telescopes
Different types of
telescope can be
used to help us
explore space from
the Earth.
For example, some telescopes use light and

some use radio waves. They all help to build up a
picture of space.
Space telescopes
A space telescope
orbits high above
the Earth’s
atmosphere and
takes pictures of
planets, stars and
galaxies.
This is the Hubble space telescope. It was
launched in 1990 and is still sending back images
to Earth.
Space probe
A space probe is a
type of unmanned
spacecraft that is sent
through space to
gather scientific
information which is
fed back to Earth.
This is the New Horizons space probe that is on a
mission to Pluto and will be there in 2015.
Fly-by
A fly-by probe passes very close and very fast to a planet,

moon or comet to gather scientific information.
This is the Rosetta fly-by probe that was launched in 2004
and took ten years to catch up with the comet it was
designed to study.
Orbiter
An orbiter is a
spacecraft that is
designed to go
into a fixed orbit
around a planet
or a moon.
This image was taken by the Mars Reconnaissance

Orbiter in 2014.
The image shows a crater on the surface of Mars.
Landers and rovers

A lander actually
lands on the planet or
moon and is able to
gather data from the
surface.
Sometimes landers
can move around and
they are called rovers.
This image shows an artists impression of the InSight

lander that is due to be launched to Mars in 2016.
Crewed spacecraft
Some space
missions involve
sending
astronauts into
space.
The International Space Station relies on Soyuz

spacecraft to carry astronauts to and from the
Earth.
What do you think would be the advantages and

disadvantages of each method of exploring
space?
Earth telescopes
Advantages
These telescopes are cheaper than space telescopes to install
and repair.
Optical and radio telescopes can be made to a much larger
scale on the ground. If they are larger they can gather more
data.
Disadvantages
Optical telescopes can only be used at night and in good
weather conditions.
Stars and some other objects in space give out radiation that
is not visible light. This radiation can tell us even more about
the object. However, often this radiation is blocked by the
Earth’s atmosphere so Earth telescopes can not detect it.
Space telescopes
Advantages
A telescope in space orbits high above the Earth’s atmosphere.
The images of space are clear because they are not distorted
by the atmosphere.
These telescopes can gather some types of radiation that do
not reach ground-based telescopes. This is because radiation
is absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere.
They can operate during the day as well as at night.
Disadvantages
These types of telescope are expensive as they have to be
launched into space and cannot be repaired if they break.
Once they stop working they are just left in orbit around the
Earth as space junk.
Space probes
Advantages
An unmanned space probe is much cheaper and safer than
manned spacecraft.
They can withstand conditions which would be lethal to humans.
The probe does not need to be returned to Earth after its
mission.
Disadvantages
A probe is impossible to repair once out of the Earth’s
gravitational pull.
Usually parts of the mission cannot be completed if equipment
fails. Sometimes the whole mission can fail if one piece of
equipment breaks.
Fly-by
Advantages
It is the easiest and least expensive type of mission to another
planetary body.
These spacecraft can explore outside our Solar System.
The spacecraft is not captured by a planet’s gravitational pull,
so it can pass onto other planets or moons.
Disadvantages
The amount of data and information sent back by these types
of missions are very limited because they are a long way from
Earth.
Orbiter
Advantages
The entire surface of a planet or moon can be observed within
a matter of weeks or months.
Data can be collected about the same area over and over
again. This makes it easy to track any changes.
These missions are more likely to succeed than landing a
probe on the surface of a planet.
Disadvantages
Weather conditions on a planet can affect how well the surface
of a planet can be seen and analysed.
Lander
Advantages
A lander can analyse the chemicals which make up the surface
of a planet or a moon.
Landers are able to get onto the surface and gather information
about rocks and hills.
Disadvantages
A lander can only explore the tiny area around the landing site.
A lander is more expensive than an orbiter.
Lander missions crash more often because they have to go
through the atmosphere of a planet and land on it’s surface.
Rover
Advantages
A rover can also analyse the rocks that make up the surface of
a planet.
Rovers are able to move so they can gather more information
than a lander.
Disadvantages
A rover can not explore the whole surface of a planet.
Rovers are expensive and if they are damaged by their
explorations they are impossible to repair.
Crewed spacecraft
Advantages
Astronauts can make decisions during the mission if things
change. This often means better data can be collected.
Astronauts can make repairs to equipment and solve problems.
The crew can make their own observations rather than relying
on data that is being transmitted back to Earth.
Disadvantages
Manned missions are more expensive than unmanned
missions and carry much higher risks.
All the conditions that are needed for life have to be
transported to space.

8la Ways of Exploring

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

8la Ways of Exploring

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

8la Ways of Exploring

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

8La

How has mankind explored space?

For example, some telescopes use light and

A fly-by probe passes very close and very fast to a planet,

This image was taken by the Mars Reconnaissance

Landers and rovers

This image shows an artists impression of the InSight

The International Space Station relies on Soyuz

What do you think would be the advantages and

You might also like