Impact Craters Space is frequently referred to as the final frontier due to the fact that much of it is yet to be studied. If society is able to explore the vast expanse of space it will most definitely reveal possibly thousands of previously unknown ideas, theories, and technologies. Even though much of space is unexplored and unstudied, certain fields of study are easier to investigate and analyze, providing society with a sizeable amount of information. One such area of study that is relatively accessible and that is able to be analyzed, yielding results, is the occurrence of impact craters on planets, including Earth, or other masses located in space. These craters occur when an object crashes into a planet or other forms in space, …show more content…
This began when the Italian astronomer Galileo looked at the moon through a telescope and saw circular forms covering the moon’s surface. After observing the movement of shadows he determined that these features were indents on the surface, rather than mountains. Following this discovery, in 1610 Galileo published Sidereus Nuncius, also known as The Starry Messenger, which showed the first drawings of impact craters (Gaz 9) While Galileo did not have any opinion on how the craters were formed, other scientist did. Most followed the theory that they were formed by volcanic activity, as it was most common on Earth. The first scientist to speculate that the depressions were made by an impact was the British physicist Robert Hooke. He conducted an experiment that included him dropping objects into mud, creating craters similar to those on Earth. Unfortunately, during the time of these experiments, it was believed that space contained of only eight objects, and the rest was empty (Gaz 9). At the time, astronomers knew only of the sun, moon, and the planets Earth, Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Any other planets or asteroids were thought to have existed. Meteorites only began their believed existence after a meteorite shower came down on the town of L’Aigle, France in 1803. Following this event, a French astronomer known as Jean-Baptiste Biot explained how these rocks must have been of …show more content…
Here, a crater was found with a large content of iron surrounding the area. Because of this and the fact that there was nearby volcanoes, the crater was thought to be because of volcanoes. However, mining engineer Daniel Moreau Barringer thought otherwise. He believed that the indent was caused by a large mass of iron colliding with Earth’s surface, which was interred underneath the crater itself. He found that although there was no large, solid mass of iron underneath, there was breccia, which consist of other rocks in itself (Gaz 11). This breccia contained mostly of iron and nickel and was formed in an unorderly fashion rather than a layered one. Unfortunately, even with this experiment scientist still were not convinced. Even with the endless experiment laid out by scientist before, the impact theory remained unlikely by most scientist until man first step on the moon. After this, it was determined that any craters that could be soon from Earth were from impact and the idea that the moon had not been subjected to processes from volcanoes like thought before (Gaz 12). Today, most scientist realize the fact that impact is one of the most common act that has shaped Earth today (Gaz
Earthquakes are a natural part of the Earth’s evolution. Scientific evidence leads many geologists to believe that all of the land on Earth was at one point in time connected. Because of plate tectonic movements or earthquakes, continental drift occurred separating the one massive piece of land in to the seven major continents today. Further evidence supports this theory, starting with the Mid-Atlantic ridge, a large mass of plate tectonics, which are increasing the size of the Atlantic Ocean while shrinking the Pacific. Some scientists believe that the major plate moveme...
Ultimately the development of previous inferences and observations which have developed our current model for the Earth’s composition and interior structure are a key concept in understanding our future developments towards resourcing our planet and understanding how it works to a further degree.
The Nevada Test Site is an area designated by the United States Government for Nuclear Weapons testing. It is located in rural southern Nevada and is about the size of the State of Rhode Island. This location was founded in 1952 as one of 5 on land sites designated for this task. Above ground nuclear or atmospheric testing was conducted at the Nevada Test Site until 1958. There was a break in testing until the United States decided to begin underground testing in 1962. There were a total of 828 nuclear tests performed underground during these years. In 1963 a limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed by the United States that limited above ground tests world wide. These underground tests were performed until 1992, and nuclear testing in the United States seized all together in 1994 when the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed. The majority of the testing was conducted to further the efforts of the Cold War, as well as, to further general understanding of the effects and results of nuclear testing. This paper will discuss the history, geological aspects, and impacts of the Nevada Test Site on this and surrounding areas of Nevada.
One of the most well known theories claims that no blast crater exists on the moon. In the photos showing the landing of the lunar Lander, there should be a little crater underneath the rockets of the Lander caused by the 10,000 pounds of thrust the rockets produce, right? Wrong! "When someone driving a car pulls into a parking spot, do they do it at 100 kilometers per hour? Of course not. They slow down first, easing off the accelerator. The astronauts did the same thing" (Bad). The Lander slowed down to approximately 3000 pounds of thrust. Also, most believe that the thrust of the rocket would penetrate the area directly under it, but they are wrong! Since the moon has no air, due to the absence of an atmosphere, a vacuum is present. This means the pressure of the Lander spreads out(Bad). The next theory also has to do with the air on the moon.
The extraterrestrial impact theory is that scientists have found logical evidence for if there was a large asteroid. The biggest point of evidence for it being an asteroid was that there was a 150 kilometer wide crater that was found off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula. Scientists calculated that the asteroid or comet was traveling at 30 kilometers per second. For months, scientists concluded that after the impact, clouds of dust blocked the sun and cooled the Earth to a deadly level for plants, and inturn many animals. After the dust settled, greenhouse gasses created a smolder...
Indicate the pressure sites in the earth's crust; the volcanic sites consistent with the pressure sites in the cortex where there are significant cracks and deep.
“3,2,1 Blast off!” The Apollo 13 spacecraft was launched into space on April 11, 1970. Apollo 13 was to be the third attempt to land on the moon. The crew was made up of three astronauts: Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and John Swigert. Little did these three crew members know, they were onboard the spacecraft that would one day would be considered NASA’s greatest failure. These astronauts were trained to handle any situation in space no matter how severe the case was. Although people have heard of this disaster, not many people have a clear understanding of the problems that occurred during that voyage. Fortunately, these three astronauts had the courage to solve the problems under immense pressure.
This explosion scatters different elements and stardust across the universe which now makes up planets such as Earth.
In 1609, Galileo Galilei, using “spyglass” which allowed one to see things closer than they appeared, made an early version of the telescope. With it, he observed the skies in a way no one had before. He discovered the moon isn’t perfectly globular, it has craters, the Sun has sunspots, Venus orbits the Sun (contrary to widespread belief in his time), and then he observed four “stars” around Jupiter (“Our Solar System”). Within days, he realized that these objects were not stars, they were moons. Io, Ganymede, Castillo, and Europa are known as the Galilean Moons or Satellites, collectively. During the 19th century, the first measurable physical studies of these moons became achievable when Simon de Laplace derived the satellite masses from their shared gravitational perturbations and afterward, other workers used a new generation of telescopes to measure the mass of these moons. The data collected showed that the density declined from the inner to the outer satellites. According to Adam Showman, “More recent observations of water ice on the surfaces of the outer three moons led to the inference that the satellite compositions range from mostly silicate rock at Io to 60% silicate rock and 40% volatile ices (by mass) at Ganymede and Callisto” ( 77). The Voyager flybys of Jupiter in 1979 exposed indication of extensive geological activity like Europa's fractured terrains, which probably result from tidal heating and bending...
There are five basic theories in the formation of our moon. The first is the "fission theory" which states that the moon was once a part of earth, but separated a long time ago. The second theory is called the "capture theory". This theory is says that the moon formed somewhere else, and was "captured" by earths gravitational pull. The third theory is called the "condensation theory" this theory states that the moon and earth were condemned together from the original nebula that formed our solar system. The fourth theory called the "Colliding Planetesimals Theory" states that the interaction between the earth orbiting the sun, and the sun orbiting planetesimals, which are large Astroid like rocks, led to the breakup and formation of our moon from the debris of these planetesimals. The fifth and final theory is called ...
Space debris is man-made objects in Earth’s orbit or objects that reenter the atmosphere, including parts that have finished their active existence and are no longer useful. This widely accepted official definition was adopted by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), an international governmental forum for the worldwide coordination of activities related to the issues of man-made and natural debris in space (Rossi, 2011).
The theory of the large impact hypothesis does correspond to reality and it does predict observations. What has long been believed about the origin of the moon seems to be what happened
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.
Space debris is the collection of useless objects in orbit around Earth. It includes all from erosion, spent rocket stages, old satellites, collisions, and fragments from disintegration. A large number of technical studies are currently developing concepts of active removal of space debris to protect space assets from on orbit collision. Since orbits overlap with new spacecraft therefore debris may collide with operational spacecraft.
“Why should we go into space? What is the justification for spending all the effort and money on getting a few lumps of moon rocks? Aren’t there better causes here on Earth?”- Stephen Hawking. Space is the everlasting, ever growing place where we happen to reside. From the beginning of intelligent life here on Earth, we have wanted to learn. Whether it be simply constructing a fire, or solving the riddles that still puzzle us to this day. Many of the questions we still have are pertaining to space. Are we alone? How did we get here? Where are we going? Many answers can come from exploring space. Getting a “few lumps of moon rock” can answer so many questions we asked ourselves for millennia. Can we truly belong in a place we do not know about? Space exploration will better us now and in the future for several reasons.