Abstract Intelligent systems are becoming increasingly important in deep space missions, especially missions to Mars. This paper covers three intelligent technologies: (1) The intelligent space ship 'Deep Space One' and its autonomous navigation system; (2) The Mars global surveyor and the deep space terminal and (3) The 'Sojourner' and Rocky 7 and 8 rovers.
The paper includes illustrations.
From the Paper "Deep Space One marked the first mission of NASA's New Millennium Program which is aimed at testing highly advanced technologies for low-cost planetary missions [3]. The key component being tested by the mission was its AutoNav system. AutoNav is made up of three main tools: the Nav Main (simply Nav), the Nav Executive (NavExec) and the Nav Real-Time (NavRT). Nav and NavRT have architectures very similar to those of expert systems where decisions are based on algorithms built on sets of well defined rules. As well its decisions are supported by information gathered autonomously. In that respect it is very similar to the path planning software used in planetary rovers, which will be discussed later."
Abstract This paper identifies the aspects of a planet's atmosphere that influence its temperature. It also explains how these factors are linked to global climate change.
Abstract This paper examines the recent interest in life on Mars. Since the discovery of an asteroid of Martian origins with potentially organic fossils in it in the Antarctic in 1996, this theory has been revived. Scientists now cast doubt on this theory but five missions to Mars are still planned for 2003.
Abstract Examines the relationship between velocity and time for a falling body and Galileo's employment of the hypothetical-deductive method to study the science of motion.
From the Paper "Galileo's mathematical-experimental method was used to test the relationship between velocity and time for a falling body:
V ? T (Cohen, 1985). Since V could not be measured, he used a combination of mathematics and experimentation to verify this ..."
Abstract Of all the planets in our solar system, Mars has long seemed to be the most habitable besides Earth. Many scientists believe Mars may have had oceans of water, a warmer climate, and rich vegetation billions of years ago. This paper examines the hazards that inhabitants would face if Mars was to be made habitable again and some of the solutions that scientists are working on to reduce problems of living on the Red Planet.
From the Paper "Mars' atmosphere is so thin, there is little protection from the ultraviolet radiation from the Sun, and this would pose yet another hazard to anyone who wanted to live on the planet. Anyone living on the planet would have to be protected from the constant radiation by either a space suit, or living inside a protective habitat. Clearly, colonizing Mars would be an extremely expensive endeavor, and until the first person actually steps on the planet, it is impossible to tell exactly what the conditions are like, and what threats they pose."
Abstract This paper discusses how the Big Bang theory is considered by many to be the most plausible model concerning creation and how modern educational institutions, especially from elementary school to undergraduate university level, continue to teach the Big Bang without question or qualification. It provides an overview of the physics of the theory and also looks at other theories, such as the Steady State theory, which have departed form the original model.
From the Paper "From the beginning of the recording of human consciousness, man has looked up to the skies of heaven and pondered the creation of the universe. The earliest recorded writings on the subject addressed the universe, and its nature, from the most basic origins. These writings included the questions of whether a "higher power/omniscient being" was responsible for its creation, if the universe was based on a singular "event" that resulted in its evolution, to the most basic, and seemingly logical idea (to many ancient sources, anyway) that the universe was simply infinite, uncreated, and forever unchanging."
Abstract This paper begins with a definition and description of the planets within our solar system and then goes on to discuss extra-solar planets and the ongoing search for them. The paper describes some of the technology and techniques employed in this search, a discovery of an extra-solar planet by scientists at the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland, and recent advances in locating extra-solar planetary objects.
From the Paper "The word planet means "wanderer" in Greek. It derives from the fact that planets within our solar system seem generally to wander eastward about the so-called ?fixed stars across the zodiac constellations (Kolb). There is no clear consensus precisely defining what constitutes a planet, as distinguished from brown dwarfs, which are the material remnants of burned out ancient stars whose masses where too small to form white dwarfs or collapse completely, forming black holes in the manner that stars much larger than ten solar masses, or ten times the mass of our sun (Hawking)."
Abstract This paper discusses the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the first Earth-orbiting reflecting telescope. The paper examines how the Hubble Space Telescope serves a vital function in increasing our knowledge of the universe. The paper explains that since its launch in 1990, despite several crucial problems, it has revealed a universe full of mysterious bodies, nebula, star systems and galaxies and has expanded the possibilities that humankind is not alone in the universe.
From the Paper "The first scientific idea for a telescope such as the HST came about in 1946 when Lyman Spitzer issued a proposal for a space telescope with a primary mirror between sixteen and fifty feet in diameter. Throughout the 1960's and 1970's, with the ultraviolet observatories OAO-2, OAO 3 and the IUE in the planning stages, the space telescope remained only a dream, due to the lack of technology. Yet Spitzer did not give up, for by the 1970's he had offered another proposal for a space telescope which would be able to provide images of very faint objects as contrasted to ground-based telescopes which suffer from distortion due to the Earth's atmosphere. According to Spitzer, such a telescope would not "supplement our present ideas of the universe we live in, but rather would uncover new phenomena not yet imagined and perhaps would modify profoundly our basic concepts of space and time" (42)."
Abstract This paper examines the history of science in terms of changes in astronomy from the time of Ptolemy to Galileo, based on the book "Science without Limits" by James Perlman. The writer notes how the ancients saw science as a form of philosophy, while by the time of Galileo, observation was being joined with experimentation to examine concepts and find the truth.
From the Paper "The history of astronomy shows the development of science as a discipline from the ancient world to the Renaissance, from the time of Ptolemy to the time of Galileo. Over that period, astronomy began to shift from a philosophy to a science. Science in the ancient world was not created out of whole cloth and was based on observations and the application of reason. Mathematics were also used to develop ideas about the universe. Mathematics is itself an application of reason, though aspects of mathematics have also been developed through observation and testing. By the time of Galileo, however, science was gaining a more experimental structure, and Galileo himself tested many ideas directly. His astronomy was also based on observations, but he was able to observe more directly and closely with the telescope. Perlman notes that "science in large part . . . is a matter of testing assumptions"."
From the Paper "People who study extraterrestrial life [life on other planets in our solar system or even in others] are called Exobiologists. They try to find out if any living thing exists, today, on another planet. Exobiologists investigate how the development of stars and the solar systems led to the survival of planets appropriate for living, how life came to exist on Earth and maybe anywhere else, and which aspect influenced evolution. By understanding this, exobiologists learn of how life takes place and progresses in the universe. "
Abstract This paper exames the possibility that life does exist in other star systems in this galaxy and argues that it is very likely.
From the Paper "A helpful tool used to estimate the number of technological civilizations that might exist among the stars was developed in 1961 by Dr. Frank Drake. Called the Drake Equation, it identifies specific factors thought to play a role in the development of such civilizations. Some of the things taken into consideration is the rate of formation of suitable stars on which life might exist, the fractions of those stars with planets, the fraction of planets where life develops, and other such things (The Drake Equation)."
Tags: alien, drake, equation, extraterrestrial, galaxy, life, mars
Abstract A detailed survey of the planets. The author looks at the space age and how knowledge has developed over time. Includes a detailed discussion of each era from 1957 when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik to the present.
From the Paper "Think of how exciting it must have been to live in the days when the telescope was first turned to the heavens. Every part of the sky offered a new surprise. The planets were transformed from specs of light to globes with unique characteristics. Could there be a more thrilling time of planetary discovery than those days of Galileo and the first telescopes? Yes, we live in such a time. How could the glimpses those early telescopes gave compare in richness to the dozens upon dozens of photographs and storehouses full of other data collected in the past few decades? Thanks to the spacecraft, we have finally started to know the planets as real places, both like and unlike Earth."
Abstract This paper questions the veracity of unidentified flying objects. The author discusses the origins of claims of contact with extraterrestrial life. Also covered are some of the 'evidences' offered to back up claims of the existence of UFOs.
From the Paper "The publicity of encounters with UFOs started in the late 1940?s. There had been reports before that time, but they had not received much exposure by the media. It all started in 1947. One day Kevin Arnold, who was flying his single engine plane, reported that he had seen objects flying around that could not be explained. He estimated their speed to be three times what was possible at that time. He described their motion was similar to that of a saucer skipping across water. The term flying saucer was born. The debate of the validity of these claims was also born (Randles 2)."
Abstract This is a paper on planetary discovery. The author traces the short history of manned and unmanned trips to the moon, Mars, Venus, Jupiter etc. All the Apollo journeys are discussed, along with Viking and Space Shuttle trips.
From the Paper "Think of how exciting it must have been to live in the days when the telescope was first turned to the heavens. Every part of the sky offered a new surprise. The planets were transformed from speaks of light to globes with unique characteristics. Could there be a more thrilling time of planetary discovery than those days of Galileo and the first telescopes? Yes, we live in such a time. How could the glimpses those early telescopes gave compare in richness to the dozens upon dozens of photographs and storehouses full of other data collected in the past few decades? Thanks to the spacecraft, we have finally started to know the planets as real places, both like and unlike Earth."
