In the previous episode, we set foot in the infinite universe of space. And this, with the help of two experts; Christophe Galfard, physicist and writer and Mickael Rigault researcher in cosmology at the CNRS. In this second episode, we set out to conquer space. In the magazine What is space? Ouest-France invites you to explore space through augmented reality sections, games, interviews, maps …
What is the driving force behind the conquest of space?
Technical progress, the thirst for discovery but also the spirit of competition. 3, 2, 1, embarks on the history of the space race.
4 incredible but true images of the space conquest
A distant memory
What do you see in this photo?
Come closer. Look in the orange light line on the right. See that little blue dot, that tiny spot? It’s Earth, our planet!
The photo was taken on February 14, 1990 by the Voyager 1 probe. It was then 40 million kilometers from Earth. She has now passed the limits of the solar system, carrying with her a gold disc where images of life on Earth are recorded. In case she ends up crossing someone …
A well identified flying object
What, a car in space?
No you are not dreaming. SpaceX founder Elon Musk did send one of his cars into orbit around the Sun. It was in 2018, when his new rocket took off for the first time. It would have been a shame to make it go empty …
The Starman model therefore drives a convertible in space at more than 120,000 km / h. She must always be out there somewhere. In the fall of 2020, she passed by the planet Mars.
Storms as big as the Earth
On Jupiter everything is in XXL format
Its diameter is 11 times that of the Earth. Its atmosphere is 5,000 km thick. The Juno probe, sent there in 2011, had to carry 200 kg of shielding to withstand the radiation emitted by Jupiter.
Juno made it possible to discover new giant storms. We knew about the big red spot, a gigantic cyclone visible from Earth. Its little sisters at the two poles are Earth-sized storms. Not bad !
A golden telescope
Here is the next great space telescope: the James-Webb. Hubble’s successor has a much larger mirror: 6.5 meters in diameter (compared to 2.4 meters for Hubble). All covered with gold. Eh yes ! Gold metal reflects infrared light very well. And it is the one that the James-Webb will capture. This way, he will observe the very first stars formed after the Big Bang.
In reality, the mirror is only covered with a thin layer of metal. In total, there are only 48 grams of gold: the weight of an egg!
How the Apollo 11 astronauts got to the moon on July 16, 1969
In the last episode, we will discover the great discoveries of astronomers and how a rocket works.
To learn more:
The stars, the planets, the black holes, the galaxies, the cosmos, the extra-terrestrial life, the Solar system… What is it? How it works ? Christophe Galfard, Mickael Rigault, Philippe Achilleas and Michel Viso, space specialists, explain everything to you.
It’s all here, in your magazine What is space?
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