- Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Robert Goddard, and Hermann Oberthall came up with sim-
ilar ideas for improving rocket design. These included using liquid fuel and using
multiple stages. - A satellite is an object that orbits a larger object. Moons are natural satellites. Arti-
ficial satellites are made by humans. - Newton’s law of universal gravitation explains how the force of gravity works, both on
Earth and across space. Gravity hold satellites in orbit. - Artificial satellites are used for imaging Earth and other planets, for navigation, and
for communication. - The launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite started a Space Race between the United States
and the Soviet Union. - The United States’ Apollo 11 mission put the first humans on the Moon.
- The U.S. and Soviet Union also sent several probes to other planets during the Space
Race.
Review Questions
- Use Newton’s third law to explain how a rocket moves.
- List the three great pioneers of rocket science.
- What is the difference between a rocket and a satellite? How are they related?
- What is the name of Earth’s natural satellite?
- Explain why a satellite in polar orbit will be able to take pictures of all parts of the
Earth over time. - Describe three different types of orbits.
- What event launched the Space Race?
- What goal did John F. Kennedy set for the United States in the Space Race?
- What are the advantages of a multi-stage rocket instead of a single-stage rocket?
Further Reading / Supplemental Links
- http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/TRCRocket/history_of_rockets.
html - http://www.solarviews.com/eng/rocket.htm
- http://www.thespaceplace.com/history/rocket2.html
- Hermann_Oberth; Wernher_von_Braun; V-2_rocket; Satellites; Natural_satellite;
Newton_cannonball; Sputnik_1; Sputnik_program; Space_Race; Cold_War; John_F._Kennedy;
Apollo_program; List_of_planetary_probes. - http://www.thespacesite.com/space_contents.html
- http://www.thespaceplace.com/history/space.html
- http://www.aero.org/education/primers/space/history.html
- http://science.howstuffworks.com/satellite.htm