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The
definitions provided are aimed at 4th-6th grade students who will attend
the Ames Exploration Encounter. Therefore, some definitions may have
been simplified
so they relate more directly to the Encounter experience.
Exploring Physics:
Basic
Galileo
(1564-1642) An Italian astronomer who discovered the
law of falling objects which states that objects of different
weights actually fall at the same speed.
momentum The
tendency of a moving object to keep moving.
moon A
natural object orbiting a planet.
Newton
(1642-1727) An English mathematician who came up with
the laws of gravity and motion.
orbit The
path of a satellite around a planet or of a planet around its star.
planet A
large, natural object that orbits a star.
revolve To
move in a circular orbit; such as the Earth going around the sun.
rotate To
turn around an axis or center point; which causes day and night
on the Earth.
satellite A
natural or manmade object which orbits a larger object; such as
the moon orbiting the Earth.
solar
system A system of a star and all the objects that orbit
it; our solar system includes the sun, 9 planets, their moons,
asteroids, and comets.
space The
area above a planet's atmosphere.
space
probe An unmanned spacecraft that explores the solar
system and sends data back to Earth.
star A
point of lightin the night sky. In the daytime only one star is
visible - the sun - which, like the other stars, is a ball of gas
which produces its own heat and light.
vacuum A
space containing no matter or air.
SPACE SCIENCES:
Advanced
gyroscope A
spinning wheel that tends to maintain its direction in space.
stability Resistance
of an object to a change in its position.
trajectory The
curve of the path of a spacecraft in flight.
velocity The
speed and direction of an object.
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