MECÂNICA ORBITAL – PROJETO EARTHKAM

Participo (on-line) do projeto EarthKAM (Terra conhecimentos adquiridos pelos alunos do ensino Médio) - é um programa educacional da NASA que permite aos estudantes, professores e ao público em geral aprender sobre a Terra a partir da perspectiva única do espaço. Durante as missões EarthKAM , estudantes do ensino médio em todo o mundo pedem para tirar fotos de locais específicos na Terra. A coleção inteira de imagens EarthKAM está disponível no projeto. Esta coleção de imagens e de guias de acompanhamento de aprendizagem e atividades, são extraordinários recursos para envolver os estudantes fazendo-os interagir com as disciplinas Física, ciências espaciais, geografia, estudos sociais, matemática, comunicação e arte.

FOTO ISS EarthKAM Photografy - Créditos a NASA e EarthKAM Photografy.

O projeto foi iniciado pelo Dr. Sally Ride em 1995 e chamado KidSat. A câmera KidSat vôou em três missões do ônibus espacial (STS 76, 81 e 86) para testar a sua viabilidade. Em 1998, o programa foi considerado bem sucedido e renomeado para EarthKAM. A câmera EarthKAM voou em dois vôos adicionais do ônibus espacial (STS 89 e 99) antes de passar para a Estação Espacial Internacional (ISS) em 2001. A câmera EarthKAM, desde então, tem sido uma carga permanente a bordo da ISS e suporta cerca de quatro missões por ano.

Eis um teste fácil, do projeto EarthKAM, sobre mecânica orbital. É uma chance de você treinar seu inglês técnico. Em breve colocarei as respostas. Estudem e postem (comentem) as respostas  (a, b, c, ou d) em português.

Orbital Mechanics Quiz

• Galileo Galilei studied the characteristics of falling objects. He discovered that:

	a) all masses of only the same size fall at the same rate when dropped from the same height.
	b) all masses, regardless of their size, fall at the same rate when dropped from the same height.
	c) all masses are held on a Sunday morning in a Church.
	d) all masses, regardless of their size, are afraid to fall from a great height.

• A satellite is:

	a) a good way to get premiere tv channels.
	b) any object in orbital motion.
	c) a sun, moon, spacecraft or ISS.
	d) both B and C.

• Below are four correct and one incorrect explanation as to how the ISS stays in orbit. Find the one incorrect answer.

	a) If a spacecraft is given enough speed to put it in orbit around the Earth, gravity will keep it in this orbit.
	b) The object's forward motion is still slow enough that gravity causes the flight path to curve downward faster than the rate that the surface of the Earth curved downward.
	c) The ISS uses the caffeine in six cans of Coke for energy to keep it in orbit.
	d) The object's forward motion is fast enough so that gravity causes its flight path to curve downward at the same rate that the Earth's surface curves downward. The object is in a circular orbit.
	e) The object's forward motion is fast enough where the Earth's surface curves downward faster than the object's flight path. The object is in an elliptical orbit and initially gains altitude even though it was not thrown upward.

• The six Classical Orbital Elements that tell us everything about an orbit and a satellite's place in it are: the semi-major axis, eccentricity, inclination, longitude of ascending node, argument of perigee and true anomaly. These elements help to describe an orbit's:

	a) size, shape, patience and temper.
	b) size, shape, energy and spunk.
	c) size, shape, attitude and mood.
	d) size, shape, orientation and location.

• The portion of the Earth that the spacecraft flies directly over during its orbital path around the world is known as the:

	a) field of view.
	b) perigee.
	c) apogee.
	d) groundtrack.

• The ISS normally flies in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This orbital altitude is generally in the range of:

	a) 100-300 miles.
	b) 300-500 miles.
	c) 500-700 miles.
	d) 700-900 miles.

• All Earth-orbiting satellites must orbit in space:

	a) so its engine doesn't stall.
	b) because it's a fun, carnvial-like ride for astronauts when the satellites are manned.
	c) to avoid collisions with air molecules from the atmosphere around the surface of the Earth.
	d) to keep things interesting.

• Fill in the blank. The Earth's __________ determines the size and shape of the orbit of a nearby spacecraft.

	a) gravity
	b) weight
	c) density
	d) color

• Kepler's First Law states that:

	a) the orbits of planets are ellipses with the Sun at the center.
	b) the orbits of planets are ellipses with the Sun at one focus.
	c) the orbits of planets is a game of tag divided into ringed and nonringed teams.
	d) the orbits of planets enjoy little freeway congestion.

• Nicolaus Copernicus erroneously believed that:

	a) parrots were the first animals sent into space.
	b) planets orbit in uniform circles.
	c) there are five planets in the solar system.
	d) money buys happiness.