1. Exploring Space
Section 3: Current Space Missions

2. A. Current Space Travel
1. Currently many nations work together in space
travel
2. The International Space Station:
a. A cooperative effort between many countries to build
an extraterrestrial habitat used for research. Started
in 1998 and the first person inhabited it on 2000.
There have been people there ever since 2000.
3. Missions to Mars:
a. Several countries are working towards a joint mission
b. Possibilities of a Martian base are also being considered

3. INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION

5. B. Reusable Space Crafts
1. NASA (National Aeronautics & Space
Administration) realized multistage rockets are
expensive and wasteful.
2. They designed the Space Shuttle
a. A reusable craft capable of carrying people,
satellites, and experiments.
b. Made up of 3 Main Parts.
1. Orbiter: Plane like ship
2. External Fuel Tank: Largest tank filled with liquid
Oxygen and Hydrogen.
3. Two solid rocket boosters: Produce thrust
required to launch.

8. Shuttle Endeavor launch on March
10th, 2008 @ night

9. LANDING

10. PARTS OF THE ORBITER

12. C. Shuttle Launch
1. Upon launch the solid rocket boosters fire
producing lift.
a. At 45 km (27 miles) they are depleted and
eject (Parachuting back to Earth)
b. Recovered and then reused.
2. Shuttle flies of fuel from External Tank
a. Once it is empty it is ejected (crashing into
the ocean).
b. External tanks are not reused. (scrapped &
recycled)

13. C. Shuttle Launch
3. Once in space the shuttle orbits the Earth.
a. Experiments conducted, satellites deployed,
etc.
b. Upon completion of missions the orbiter
returns to Earth.
c. Glides into a runway, landing like an Airplane.

14. D. Space Stations
1. Space ships have limited resources and
cannot stay in space for long periods of
time.
2. Space stations are massive complexes that
allow humans to stay in space for extended
periods of time.
a. Provides living quarters, work, and exercise
areas for astronauts.
b. Carries all equipment and support systems
needed for sustained life.

15. D. Space Stations
3. Sky Lab
a. US Space Station launched in 1973
b. Crews stationed for 84 day tours.
c. Purpose: perform experiments on effects of
living in space.
d. Scrapped in 1979 (Placed in decaying orbit
and burned up in Earth’s atmosphere)
4. Mir (Russian Space Station)
a. Cosmonauts stayed for 438 days (still a
current record for days in space)

16. E. Cooperation in Space
1. Countries realize that pooling resources is
cost efficient. (less expensive)
2. 1995: US and Russia begin working
together on projects.
3. Americans now travel in Russian rockets
and Russians travel in our Space Shuttles.
4. The Atlantis was the first space shuttle to
dock with Mir.

17. E. Cooperation in Space
5. The International Space Station
a. Project began in 1997 (on going)
b. A dozen nations are cooperating to build the
station.
c. Main components are built on Earth and
transported into space.
d. The component are assembled in space.

19. F. International Space Station
1. Three phase project
a. Phase 1: Shuttle and Mir docking missions.
1. Stockpiling of supplies
b. Phase 2: Assembly of main body (Bilateral
Station Alpha)
c. Phase 3: Crews will permanently inhabit and
operate station.
1. NASA will keep astronauts on station for several
months at a time.
2. Producing materials to be used on Earth.
3. Potentially begin building space ships for trips to the
Moon or Mars.

20. G. Disasters of the Space Program
1. 1986 – Space Shuttle
Challenger exploded
killing all 7 astronauts
on board. Christa
McAuliffe was to be
the first teacher in
space.
2. The shuttle exploded
because of a fuel leak
that reached the
engines

23. 3. In 2003 upon re-entry
into our atmosphere COLUMBIA
the Space Shuttle
Columbia exploded,
killing all 7 astronauts
on board.
4. When the Columbia
lifted off so foam
damaged the heat
tiles. So when reentry
happened the heat of
the atmosphere
caused the orbiter to
explode.

24. H. APOLLO 13
Apollo 13 was the third manned lunar-landing
mission, part of Project Apollo under NASA in the
United States. It launched on April 11, 1970. Two
days after the launch, the Apollo spacecraft was
crippled by an explosion, caused by a fault in the
oxygen tank. The explosion damaged the Service
Module, resulting in a loss of oxygen and electrical
power. The crew used the Lunar Module as a
“lifeboat”. They of course made it back to earth
safely.

25. Apollo 13 as it looked upon landing in
the ocean

28. Future Space Missions