From Stargazing to Space Travel

From Stargazing to Space TravelOur brief history into space

Science in the NewsElaine Garcia

Angela She

November 4th, 2015

Why do we care?

Gives us perspective• What did our forefathers think of the Heavens?

• Why did they think that?

• How did theories change throughout time?

Gives us purpose• Mystery drives inquiry and discovery.

Important Lessons were Learned and will Continue to be Discovered!

Keywords

Astrology – The study and interpretation of the movements and

positions of celestial bodies in relation to Earth and Earthly affairs.

Astronomy – The study of physical objects in space: gas, dust,

stars, planets, moons, comets, and other non-Earthly mass and

phenomena.

• Astrophysics – The study of the physical nature and energy

of cosmic mass.

• Cosmology – A branch of study that theorizes about the

origin and nature of the universe.

l

Outline

1. Star Gazing• Theories about why, where, and how

2. Star Studying• Technology to study the unknown

3. Star Reaching• Demo on space exploration

Outline

1. Star Gazing• Theories about why, where, and how

2. Star Studying• Technology to study the unknown

3. Star Reaching• Demo on space exploration

What are stars’ purpose?

Are they the actions, moods, or warnings of

celestial beings?

Star Worship

Is their existence independent and separated

from Earth’s existence and purpose?

Star Navigation and Measurement

Millennia of Lessons

1750+ BC

570 BC

427 BC

384 BC

90

O310 BC

276 BC

1700

1600


1750+ BC

The earliest records of

astronomical observations

and mathematics.

Greek Rule

Zeus King of Gods

Hera Queen of Gods

Poseidon God of the Sea

Hades God of the Underworld

Helios The Sun God

Ares God of War

Aphrodite Goddess of Love

Eros God of Love

Athena Goddess of Wisdom

Hephaestus God of Fire/Forge

Wikicommons.com

What season is it?

Zodiac surrounds the Earth, noting the Seasons

Wikicommons.com


1750+ BC

The earliest records of

astronomical observations

and mathematics.

570 BC

Pythagoras was born

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Pythagoras

Pythagoras founded a school

• Reality is Mathematical

• Philosophy can be used for

spiritual purification

• All students of the school

should observe strict

loyalty and secrecy

• MUSIC

MATH

PHILOSOPHY


Pythagorean Theorem

A

C

B

A2+B2=C2


1750+ BC

570 BC

427 BC

Plato was born

• The heavens are

combinations of

geometric shapes

• Geometry is key to

understanding the

universe

• Stars rotate around the

Earth in simple circular

paths

Pixabay.com


1750+ BC

570 BC

427 BC

384 BC

Aristotle was born


Geocentric Theory vs

Heliocentric Theory Where are we?


Plato Aristotle


Geocentricism

• If the Earth did move, then one ought to

be able to observe the stars shifting.

• Constellations would change shape and

not repeat year after year.

• In fact, the Earth DOES move, but the

stars are much father away than

imagined thus making their shifting

undetectable.


1750+ BC

570 BC

427 BC

384 BC

310 BC

Aristarchus was born

• Known as the first person to

have proposed heliocentricism

• Wrote “On the Dimensions

and Distances of the Sun and

Moon”


90

O

Ptolemy was born


The Epicycle explains

planetary movements

• Sometimes it was seen

that stars (which were

really planets) did not

move from East to West

• This movement was

attributed to an epicycle

• Even though he was

wrong, he wrote 30

volumes on the

subject!



1700

1600

1400

Nicolaus Copernicus

• Published his book

“On the

Revolutions of

Celestial Spheres”

• Triggered the

Copernican

Revolution, making

an important

contribution to the

Scientific

Revolution



1700

1600

Galilei Kepler Newton


Heliocentricism is SupportedG

alil

eo

Ga

lile

i • Supported Heliocentric Theory

• Supported Circular Orbits

• Made significant discoveries in fundamental science (motion) and applied science (strength of material, optimizing the telescope

• Died under house arrest

Jo

ha

nn

es K

ep

ler • Incorporated religious

reasoning into his work

• Elliptical orbit calculations are more elegant than circular orbit calculations

• He published a 3 part work “Epitome of Copernican Astronomy” which described planetary motion

Issa

cN

ew

ton • Formulated the

laws of motion and universal gravitation

• Used these laws to support elliptical planetary orbits and other things, thus removing doubts to heliocentricism

• Built the first practical reflecting telescope


QUESTIONS?

Outline

1. Stargazing:• Theories about why and where

2. Star Studying• Technologies to study the unknown

3. Star Dreaming:• Demo on space exploration

Outline


2. Star Studying:• Technologies to study the unknown


Studying the Stars

A) Telescopes: Seeing the Sky

B) Rocket Science: Reaching for the Moon and

Beyond

What do we use telescopes for?

https://pixabay.com

To make things easier to see; to make the invisible, visible.

How do telescopes work?

https://pixabay.com

Telescopes work by collecting much more light than our eyes can

and focusing it.

Resolving images that are far away

Flickr: stewartde, August 2, 2008

http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1118a/

Jupiter

Europa

Io

Ganymede

Callisto

Two types of telescopes

refracting telescopestelescopes that use lenses

to focus light

reflecting telescopestelescopes that use mirrors

to focus light

Encyclopedia Britannica Kids

A History of Looking Up

?1500s

Inventor: a lens maker

(probably)

1608Hans Lippershey

Patents 3x magnification


He who patents first gets the credit.


?1500s


(probably)

1608Hans Lippershey



1609Galileo Galilei

Presented design to

Venetian Senate

He who speaks the loudest gets the

most recognition.

What did Galileo see?

Flickr: stewartde, August 2, 2008

Galilean moons

Jupiter

Europa

Io

Ganymede

Callisto

Photo Credit: NASA


?1500s


(probably)

1608Hans Lippershey



1609Galileo Galilei

Presented design to

Venetian Senate

1611Johannes Kepler

Refracting telescope

with convex lenses

Some Discoveries made by Early Refracting

Telescopes

Saturn’s rings and Titan

Christiaan Huygens (1655-1659)

Photo Credit: NASA

Sunspots

Christoph Scheiner (1612)Orion nebula

Nicolas-claude Fabri de Peiresc (1610)

Christiaan Huygens (1659)

Photo: Andrew Common (1883)

Chromatic aberration

Photo Credit: Public DomainFlikr: DopefishJustin, Sept. 7, 2012

a phenomenon that occurs when a lens in unable to focus all colors of light to

the same convergence point, resulting in "fringes" of color along boundaries

that separate bright and dark parts of an image

The Bigger the Lens, the More We Can See

Yerkes Observatory, University of Chicago, 1896


Improvement: using two different types of glass to correct chromatic aberration









Is the lens big enough?


?1500s


(probably)

1608Hans Lippershey



1609Galileo Galilei

Presented design to

Venetian Senate

1611Johannes Kepler


with convex lenses

1668Isaac Newton builds

telescope with mirrors

Some Discoveries made by Early Reflecting

Telescopes

Spiral Galaxies

William Parsons, Earl of Rosse (1845)

Uranus

William Herschel (1781)

Measurement of distances to nearby stars

Hale Telescope, Mt.Wilson (1909)Expansion of the Universe

Hubble and Humason (1929)


Improvement: mirror making technology and coating the mirrors with silver

60 in. 100 in.

Reflecting Telescopes Today (Adaptive Optics)

Keck Telescopes

Mauna Kea, Hawaii


Photo Credit: Paul Hirst, 2006

Reflecting Telescopes Today (Adaptive Optics)

Keck Telescopes

Mauna Kea, Hawaii


Black hole at the

center of the Milky

Way

Formation of planets

Demotion of Pluto

Dark energy


?1500s


(probably)

1608Hans Lippershey



1609Galileo Galilei

Presented design to

Venetian Senate

1611Johannes Kepler


with convex lenses



1839John William Draper takes

first successful picture of the moon

Astrophotography

Henry Draper

1880

Andrew Ainslie Common

1883

Hubble Space Telescope

2006

Orion Nebula

Electromagnetic Spectrum



?1500s


(probably)

1608Hans Lippershey



1609Galileo Galilei

Presented design to

Venetian Senate

1611Johannes Kepler


with convex lenses





1932Karl Guthe Jansky

builds the first radio telescope

at Bell Laboratories

Bell Laboratories, 1964


Arno Penzias

and

Robert Woodrow Wilson

Holmdel Horn Antenna



Arno Penzias

and


Echo 2 Balloon Satellite



Arno Penzias

and


Cosmic Microwave Background


The oldest light in the universe

Telescopes around the worldMore than 400 research telescopes around the world

BICEP2 telescope +

South Pole Telescope

(studies of early universe)

Photo Credit: David Walker

Cerro Tololo Inter-American

Observatory (CTIO)

(discovery of new southern star systems)


?1500s


(probably)

1608Hans Lippershey



1609Galileo Galilei

Presented design to

Venetian Senate

1611Johannes Kepler


with convex lenses





1932Karl Guthe Jansky



1971USSR launches first

space observatory,

Orion 1, into space

Telescopes in space: Hubble

Photo Credit: NASA

Telescopes in Space: Chandra (X-ray)

We have a lot left to learn.

Photo Credit: NASA

Summary


?1500s


(probably)

1608

Hans Lippershey


1609

Galileo Galilei

Presented design to

Venetian Senate

1611

Johannes Kepler


with convex lenses

1668

Isaac Newton builds


1839

John William Draper

Takes first successful

picture of the moon

1932

Karl Guthe Jansky



1971

USSR launches first

space observatory,

Orion 1, into space

Questions?

Studying the Stars

A) Telescopes: Seeing the Sky

B) Rocket Science: Reaching for the Moon and

Beyond

Photo Credit: NASA

“Interplanetary Rocketry”

1865 1898

The Exploration of Cosmic

Space by Means of

Reaction Devices

-Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

(1903)


Lift Off!!

Robert H. Goddard: Father of Rocket Science

Rocket fuel: 1914

1940s: World War II and Rocket Engineering

V2 RocketPhoto Credit: Public Domain

First animals in space:

fruit flies (1947)

V2 Rocket carrying Albert

II, first monkey in space

Rocket Science + Engineering


Photo Credit: Costyn, Wikicommons

Space Race (1955-1972)

1939-1945World War II

1947Cold War

Begins


Supremacy in spaceflight capability

necessary for national security



1947Cold War

Begins

1957

USSR launches

Sputnik1 into orbit

1958USA launches

Explorer 1




1947Cold War

Begins

1957

USSR launches

Sputnik1 into orbit

1958NASA

1959USSR

Luna 1

Orbited the sun




1947Cold War

Begins

1957

USSR launches

Sputnik1 into orbit

1958NASA

1959USSR

Luna 2

Impacted the moon




1947Cold War

Begins

1957

USSR launches

Sputnik1 into orbit

1958NASA

1960USA launches

Tiros-1 (Weather satellite)

Discoverer XIV (Recognizance satellite)




1947Cold War

Begins

1957

USSR launches

Sputnik1 into orbit

1958NASA

1961Yuri Gagarin

First man in space

1961Alan Shepard

First American in Space




1947Cold War

Begins

1957

USSR launches

Sputnik1 into orbit

1958NASA

Sending humans into space

1961

1962-1968

John Glenn Valentina

Tereshkova

L. Gordon Cooper




1947Cold War

Begins

1957

USSR launches

Sputnik1 into orbit

1958NASA


1961

1962-1968


Tereshkova

L. Gordon

Cooper

Mariner 2

(Venus)

Ranger 7

(Moon)

Mariner 4

(Mars)




1947Cold War

Begins

1957

USSR launches

Sputnik1 into orbit

1958NASA


1961

1962-1968


Tereshkova

L. Gordon

Cooper




1947Cold War

Begins

1957

USSR launches

Sputnik1 into orbit

1958NASA


1961

1962-1968


Tereshkova

L. Gordon

Cooper

1969Moon Landing




1947Cold War

Begins

1957

USSR launches

Sputnik1 into orbit

1958NASA


1961

1962-1968


Tereshkova

L. Gordon

Cooper

1969Moon Landing


The Planets

Pluto, as seen by New Horizons

2015Photo Credit: NASA

Deep Space Exploration

Space Travel:

It’s not just rocket science

Sustenance Energy Health

Summary

1939-1945

World War II

1947

Cold War

Begins

1957

USSR launches

Sputnik1 into orbit

1958

NASA


1961

1962-1968


Tereshkova

L. Gordon

Cooper

1969

Moon Landing

Questions?

Outline


2. Star Studying• Technologies to study the unknown


Outline


2. Star Studying:• Technologies to study the unknown

3. Star Dreaming:• Demo on Space Exploration

Seven Minutes of Terror

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki_Af_o9Q9s

Thank you!

SITN would like to acknowledge the following organizations for their generous support.

Harvard Medical SchoolOffice of Communications and External Relations

Division of Medical Sciences

The Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS)

The Harvard Graduate Student Council (GSC)

The Harvard/MIT COOP

Documents

From Stargazing to Space Travel