Universe and Space Science

UNI T 8

UNIVERSE AND SPACE SCIENCE

Learning Objectives

After the completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

* know about the parts of rockets and the types of rocket fuel.

* understand the principle behind launching of rockets.

* list out the achievement of Indian space programmes, Chandrayan and Mangalyan.

* know about NASA and the contributions of Indians in NASA.

Introduction

Have you ever watched the clear sky in the night? We will be delighted when we see countless number of stars and the beautiful Moon. The science, which deals with the study of stars, planets and their motions, their positions and compositions, is known as astronomy. The stars, the planets, the Moon and many other objects like asteroids and comets in the sky are called celestial objects. The Sun and the celestial bodies which revolve around it, form the solar system. A collection of billions of stars, held together by mutual attraction, is called ‘Galaxy’. Our Sun belongs to a galaxy called ‘Milky Way’. Billions of such galaxies form the universe. Hence, the solar system, the stars and the galaxies are the constituents of the universe. In the recent years many countries are showing interest to explore the space and they are sending manned and unmanned rockets to the Moon and other planets. Our country also has launched a number of rockets into the space and achieved a lot in space research. In this lesson we will study about launching of rockets, types of rocket fuels, Indian space research programmes and NASA.