Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Types of Astronomical Spacecraft, Lab Reports of Science education

Download Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Types of Astronomical Spacecraft and more Lab Reports Science education in PDF only on Docsity! ASTRONOMY EP#5 1. Galileo’s telescope used simple lenses. What is the primary advantage of using a simple lens in a refracting telescope? The simple lens that is used in a refracting telescope is called objective lens. The primary advantage of this lens in a refracting telescope is that the curved surfaces will refract the light from the distant object. The refracted light will form an image on the telescope’s focal plane, that is perpendicular to the optical axis. The curved surface of simple lenses will cause the light at the outer edges of the lens strikes the surface more obliquely. This will result in the lens concentrating more on the light rays that enters the telescope that will result in a more sharp focus at a distance called a focal length. 2. Optical telescopes reveal much about the nature of astronomical objects. Why do astronomers also need information provided by gamma-ray, X-ray, infrared, and radio telescopes. Astronomers also need radio telescopes so that they can detect cool hydrogen in space, see through dust clouds that block visible light and detect certain objects invisible at other wavelengths. 3. Some people believe that we put astronomical telescopes on high mountaintops or in orbit because doing so gets them closer to the objects they are observing. Explain what is wrong with this popular misconception and give the actual reason telescopes are located in these places. Some people believe that we put astronomical telescopes on high mountaintops or in orbit because doing so gets them closer to the objects they are observing. Explain what is wrong with this popular misconception and give the actual reason telescopes are located in these places. - The reason large telescopes are built on tall mountains or put in space is to get away from the distortion of starlight due to the atmosphere. -  The main reason we put telescopes into space is to get around the Earth's atmosphere so that we can get a clearer view of the planets, stars, and galaxies. Our atmosphere acts like a protective blanket letting only some light through while blocking others. 4. Humans have sent various kinds of spacecraft – including flybys, orbiters, and landers to all of the planets in our solar system. Explain the Advantages and Disadvantages of each of these types of spacecraft. All the planets and some of their moons, as well as a few comets and asteroids, have been explored by spacecraft to provide the first close-up views of these distant worlds. However, Planetary Spacecraft has both advantages and disadvantages. Let’s examine some of these here. Each of these types of spacecraft has many advantages. To begin with, the advantage of a flyby is that it is used as a fast initial reconnaissance of something that can be explored later with more costly and technically complex missions. Other examples of flyby spacecraft include: Stardust Cometary Sample Return. Mariner 2 to Venus. Mariner 4 to Mars. Secondly, an orbiter's advantage is that you can gather a lot more information and get more accurate information about the object you're researching, namely a planet. Other examples of spacecraft orbiter include: Mariner 9 Mars Orbiter. Cassini Saturn Orbiter. Mars Global Surveyor. Lastly, Landers are able to study and take accurate geological and meteorological readings of the immediate environment. Mars has an increased loss rate. The highly successful Soviet Venera landers who survived the harsh conditions on Venus were examples of this. Furthermore, Rover's advantages over orbiting spacecraft are that they should make findings at a microscopic level and perform physical trials. Also, with atmospheric probes, it can resolve some extreme atmospheric conditions. However, these types of spacecraft also have some disadvantages. To start with, it would not be able to return