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Space Vocab
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Rotation | The spin of an object in space |
Revolution | The elliptical motion of a body as it travels around another more massive body in space |
Orbit | The elliptical PATH an object takes in space while revolving around another object |
Gravity | Attracting force due to mass or rotation |
Atmosphere | Mixture of gases that surrounds a planet |
Sun | A medium sized star; the center of our solar system |
Planet | Body that orbit around the sun or a star and does not produce its own light |
Terrestrial Planet | A small, dense, rocky planet similar to Earth (Inner planets) |
Gas Giant | A large, gaseous planet of the outer solar system with no known solid surface (Outer planets) |
Natural Satellite | Smaller body that orbits around a larger body |
Moon | A natural satellite of a planet |
Artificial Satellite | Any human made object placed in orbit around a body in space |
Comet | A small body of ice, rock, and cosmic dust loosely packed together |
Asteroid | A small, rocky body that revolves around the sun |
Meteoroid | A very small, rocky body found in space |
Meteorite | A meteoroid that reaches Earth’s surface without burning up completely |
Meteor | A bright streak of light caused when a meteoroid or comet dust burns up in the atmosphere |
Thrust | The force that accelerates a rocket |
Orbital Velocity | The speed and direction a rocket must have in order to orbit Earth |
Escape Velocity | The speed and direction a rocket must have in order to completely break away from a planet’s gravitational pull |
Centripetal Force | The force that causes an object to follow a curved path |