Essentially, there are two basic categories of spacecraft, inter-solar system spacecraft and extra-solar system spacecraft. The difference between the two spacecraft categories is inter-solar system spacecraft travel within our solar system only, and extra-solar system spacecraft travel between our solar system and other stars. This paper does not discuss extra-solar system spacecraft because the technology to travel from our Sun to other stars in our galaxy and back again has not even reached the infancy stage.
There are seven basic characteristics and four basic classes for inter-solar system spacecraft [Ref. 5]. The seven basic characteristics are:
1. Consists of a bus compartment and one or more payload compartments. (See Figure 1)
2. Is certified to be maneuverable in outer space.
3. Is certified to respond to manual, remote, or robotic command and control.
4. Is certified to survive the outer space environment.
5. Is certified to meet all spacecraft mission requirements.
6. Is certified to meet all operational safety requirements.
7. Is certified to meet all functional and physical design requirements.
Benefits
Plug and play open source spacecraft architecture designs consists of hundreds of drawings that are available to everyone. These drawings are packaged together in something called a Critical Design Review (CDR) [Ref. 6] package. Some of the parts and equipment in a spacecraft architecture design can be purchased “off the shelf,” so to speak, from commercial parts and equipment suppliers. Commercial off the shelf (COTS) [Ref. 7] parts and equipment are cheaper because they are already made and they only have to be delivered.” The more COTS in a spacecraft the better because that means here will be more hardware...
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...ussia, China, Japan, and Brazil really wanted to improve the standard of living of their citizens then one way of doing that would be to exempt their engineers from export control regulations while they are participating in international space systems working groups.
Summary / Conclusion
The advantage of plug and play open source spacecraft is that they cost much less than spacecraft built using proprietary designs because more than one company is allowed to build them at the same time. Like kitchen appliances, the more spacecraft that are built at the same time, the less each one will cost. However, just like commercial kitchen appliances, commercial spacecraft must be consistently safe and reliable when used. Otherwise, potential customers will not purchase them. In the case of spacecraft, consistently means that all of them are of the same level of high quality.
The research area of detecting exoplanets, planets outside our own solar system, is a huge area of interest and funding. The importance of being able to detect these planets is they can give us information and an insight into planetary formation, to help the search for ”Earth- like” planets in the habitable zone, and of course the ever-present question of extraterrestrial life. So on order to attempt to gather information about these things we must be have solid detection techniques in place for exoplanets. A few of the important methods shall be discussed here, including the radial velocity method, transit method, direct imaging and gravitational microlensing among others .
Dyson, Marianne J. Space and Astronomy: Decade by Decade. New York: Facts on File, 2007. 14+. Print.
Focus shall be on utilizing pre-production tools while developing the prototypes. Actual material, wherever possible, shall be used in the development of prototypes rather than having substituted parts. Make the prototypes as closer as possible to actual outputs.
Although Pluto was discovered in 1930, limited information on the distant planet delayed a realistic understanding of its characteristics. Today Pluto remains the only planet that has not been visited by a spacecraft, yet an increasing amount of information is unfolding about this peculiar planet. The uniqueness of Pluto's orbit, rotational relationship with its satellite, spin axis, and light variations all give the planet a certain appeal.
The Voyager Space Probes were originally designed as part of a multi-craft program known as the Grand Tour. The basic goal of The Grand Tour was to send multiple probes to throughout the solar system in a grand spirit of exploration. Despite the large dreams of its NASA designers, the Grand Tours soon became a victim of its own grand price tag. Budget cuts forced NASA to eliminate all but two of the planned Grand Tours spacecraft. Once the dust had cleared, what was left of the Grand Tour found itself reorganized as the Voyager Mission.
Outer space has always intrigued the human mind. Ever since humans inhabited the Earth, they have always looked to the heavens. Ptolemy, who lived over two thousand years ago, dreamed of being with the stars. He said, “I know that I am mortal by nature, and ephemeral; but when I trace at my pleasure the windings to and fro of the heavenly bodies I no longer touch the earth with my feet: I stand in the presence of Zeus himself and take my fill of ambrosia” (Tyson). At that time, reaching the “final frontier” was not even remotely possible.
There is a brief description of each of the terrestrial and jovian planets. It should now be easy to see the differences in composition and features of these different types of planets. And should now also be easy to determine the similarities between two terrestrial planets or two jovian planets.
NASA New Frontiers is a program that is dedicated to deep observation of the solar system (discoverynewfrontiers.nasa.gov). Lockheed Martin is an advanced technology development company that built Juno for NASA (lockheedmartin.com). Though Lockheed Martin did build the spacecraft, Juno’s parts were gathered from all over the world (missionjuno.swri.edu). Juno was also tested in designated rooms to see if Juno could withstand the possible conditions of its trip and if it would need to be adjusted.
In the 1960’s NASA started to conduct studies into a large space telescope and after being denied funding multiple times because of the estimated $500 million price tag to build the Hubble telescope it finally received congressional approval in 1977, after reducing the estimated cost to $200 million. Five companies were awarded contracts to begin work on the Hubble telescope. Marshall Space Flight Center did the design, development and construction of the Hubble, Goddard Space Flight Center designed, developed and constructed the science instruments, Perkin-3lmer Corporation built the telescope assembly and Fine Guidance Sensors, Lockheed Martin built the structure and supporting systems and also put the telescope all together and tested it. (http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/hubble_essentials/#work)
In the past years, many space probes have been launched for many different reasons. They have visited all of the planets in our solar system besides Pluto. The earliest space probes to be launched in the United States were the Mariner Series. They investigated Mercury, Venus, and Mars. The Mariner II flew within 35,400 km of the surface of Venus. (1) It sent information back to Earth about Venus’s atmosphere, rotation period, and information on its magnetic field. Mariner 10 has been the only space probe to reach Mercury so far. Another space probe, Helios I came within
Encouraging software reuse improves the dependability of a product, as a reusable software unit is tried and tested. It reduces the risk of developing a large component from scratch, as it is easy to estimate the cost of using a large reusable software unit. Apart from ensuring quick product delivery, it enables the architects to reuse patterns and architectures suitable for particular situation, and the developers to use a set of program libraries, which eventually reduce the time for development.
Space exploration can lead to the possibility to find useful resources throughout the galaxy for human gain. Many severe problems on earth could be solved through space exploration such as world hunger, overpopulation, and dwindling fuel sources. Things such as fuel could be harvested from planets for power generation and propulsion technology, and land to cultivate for growing food, as well as land for building living areas for the growing population. These potential resources...
“Sheltered as we are by Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field, which deflect lethal radiation from space, we are like coddled children who have never ventured into a tough neighborhood” (Folger 2). Humans have been fascinated with space since the beginning of our time. Just like children and rough neighborhoods, we have tackled obstacle over obstacle to make it home again. In the end, we have a better knowledge and strength than before. The future of space exploration can assist us in answering the everlasting question of how the universe came to be. The more we explore the infinite galaxies, the more we can scientifically discover and create new technologies as science advances. As we continue to discover, we can create new fields and occupations for aspiring young students like myself.
The modern day space environment is no longer a mystery to humans. Yuri Gagarin of Russia was the first person to experience space adventure in 1961. Since then, technological advances have enabled space exploration, with new discoveries being made from time to time. Scientists have significantly contributed to the development of space tourism. Noteworthy inventions by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have transformed human life through increasing accessibility to space. The agency has made it possible for astronauts to go to the moon and also to walk around planet Mars with robotic automobiles. The invention of the tri-axis control design has had a significant influence on modern space explorations, helping astronauts to effectively focus their satellites on the target. This has been important in increasing efficiency and precision in astronomical discoveries (Birchard, 2003).
Space has always been a pivotal and utmost important subject for many years. In the past, scientists have made monumental advances in this field such as sending people into orbit and landing a man on the moon. Of course, this has only barely been explored and we still have a lot more to see of the ever-vast outer space. One of the most significant topics of all of science has only been touched and there’s still more to come.