Observatories in Space-
With the coming of the Space Age, observation&equipped with
telescopes and cameras could be placed right in space, beyond the Earth's
atmosphere. An observatory in space may be in the form of an orbiting satellite
like the Unmanned Orbiting Solar Observatories, Orbiting Astronomical
Observatory, Skylab, Einstein Observatory, IRAS (Infra Red-Astronomy Satellite)
and many others. An observatory may also be stationed on the Moon or any other
planet having suitable temperature and other conditions. Instruments are also
put aboard high flying balloons, rockets and aircraft to record observations.
These observatories can record radiation from a cosmic object in the regions of
the spectrum such as the IR, UV, gamma rays and X-rays that do not penetrate
the Earth's atmosphere.
Visiting the Neighboring Worlds-
As space research came of age, it became possible for us to send
spacecraft to other planets and even land men and instruments on the Moon.
These ventures also provided a rich stock of information about the Solar
System. For instance, astronauts of the Apollo mission to the Moon in the
nineteen seventies brought back lllnar rocks and soil samples, photographic of
the lunar surface' and Left several instruments there for further study. We
have been able to send spacecraft, also called probes, across the Solar System
to know more about our planetary neighbors. Space probes have visited a number
of planets and a host of their moons, and successfully landed and operated on
the surfaces of Mars and Venus.
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