Basic awareness of our current understanding of the universe.
Awareness of the benefits of satellites: GPS, weather forecasting, communications, scientific discovery and space exploration (for example Hubble telescope, ISS).
Knowledge that geostationary satellites have a period of 24 hours and orbit at an altitude of 36 000 km.
Knowledge that the period of a satellite in a high altitude orbit is greater than the period of a satellite in a lower altitude orbit.
Awareness of the challenges of space travel:
travelling large distances with the possible solution of attaining high velocity by using ion drive (producing a small unbalanced force over an extended period of time)
travelling large distances using a ‘catapult’ from a fast moving asteroid, moon or planet
manoeuvring a spacecraft in a zero friction environment, possibly to dock with the ISS
maintaining sufficient energy to operate life support systems in a spacecraft, with the possible solution of using solar cells with area that varies with distance from the Sun
Awareness of the risks associated with manned space exploration:
fuel load on take-off
potential exposure to radiation
pressure differential
re-entry through an atmosphere
Knowledge of Newton’s second and third laws and their application to space travel, rocket launch and landing.
Use of an appropriate relationship to solve problems involving weight, mass and gravitational field strength, in different locations in the universe.