Space Exploration Unit 3

Overview

  • Course Title: NATS 1530: The Science of Spaceflight and Exploration

The Space Age

  • Unit 3 Focus: The Space Age, highlighted through notable images such as Apollo 12, lunar modules, and astronaut Alan Bean.

Rocket Development in the 1950s

  • Rocket development concentrated in Canada, the United States, the Soviet Union, and England.

  • Advancements were primarily based on the V2 rocket technology from Germany.

  • Pre-orbital images from space were captured.

UK and Australia Rocket Development

  • UK's Perspective: Rocket development was critical, influenced by experiences with V2 rockets during WWII.

  • Testing Facilities: Established in Woomera, South Australia, launching military and scientific rockets since the 1950s.

Skylark Launches at Woomera

  • Second busiest rocket launch facility in the 1950s and 1960s.

  • Capability still exists for launching orbital missions.

  • Notable Launch: WRESAT, Australia’s first satellite, on November 29, 1967.

Canada's Contributions

  • Black Brant: Developed at CARDE for probing the upper atmosphere and enhancing long-range communication.

  • Launched from Churchill, Manitoba, with the first suborbital flight in September 1959 and over 3,000 launches thereafter.

Alouette-1 Satellite

  • Launched on September 29, 1962, marking Canada as the fourth country to operate a satellite, operational for 10 years.

The Beginning of the Space Age

  • The anticipation was that the US would lead by launching the first artificial satellite into orbit, however, this was not the case.

Sputnik 1

  • Launched on October 4, 1957.

  • Carried a simple radio transmitter, generating a continuous beeping sound without further instrumentation.

  • International reactions ranged from elation to fear due to the implications of its launch.

Technical Details of Sputnik 1

  • Mass: 83.6 kg; dimensions: 58 cm sphere.

  • Radio transmissions received for 21 days.

  • De-orbited on January 4, 1958, marking the start of the Space Race.

Sputnik 2

  • Launched on November 3, 1957, coinciding with the Bolshevik Revolution anniversary.

  • Carried the first living creature into space, Laika the dog, whose survival in space was tested, but the dog's life was lost due to malfunctioning environmental systems.

US Response to Soviet Successes

  • The political and prestige factors were significant in early space developments.

  • Vanguard TV-3: Attempted US satellite launch failed on December 6, 1957.

Explorer 1

  • Successfully launched in early 1958 using the Juno 1 rocket, revealing the Van Allen radiation belts.

Van Allen Radiation Belts Diagram

  • Structure: Inner and outer radiation belts, organized by their magnetic axes.

Ongoing Challenges in 1958

  • Both the US and Soviet Union faced failures in launching rockets into space primarily aimed at reliability.

Formation of NASA

  • Following several challenges, NASA formed in response to the need for coordinated US space efforts, officially starting operations on October 1, 1958.

Mercury 7 Astronauts

  • NASA's first astronaut selection was announced on April 9, 1959, introducing the Mercury 7, all military test pilots.

  • Key figures: Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Ed White, Gus Grissom, etc.

Luna 2 and Luna 3 Missions

  • Luna 2: First human-made object on the Moon, launched September 12, 1959.

  • Luna 3: Returned images of the Moon's far side on October 4, 1959, overcoming the issue of tidal locking.

Space Race Milestones

  • Intense competition between the US and Soviet Union focused on launching humans into orbit.

Yuri Gagarin

  • First human in orbit on April 12, 1961, in Vostok 1; celebrated globally as