Contents

• Definition of space
• Space technology and its uses
• Present space technology
• Future space technology
 What is Space?
• Space is a zone that
occurs about 100
kilometers (60
miles) above the
planet, where there
is no appreciable air
to breathe or to
scatter light.
 Space Technology and its uses
• Space technology is technology that
is related to entering, and retrieving
objects or life forms from space
• Every day technologies such as weather
forecasting, remote sensing, GPS
systems, satellite television, and some
long distance communications systems
critically rely on space infrastructure.
 Present space technology

Hubble Space Telescope:

Launched into orbit in 1990, the Hubble truly is
one of the greatest space instruments in the history
of humanity.
Powered by sunlight, equipped with multiple
instruments and cameras for capturing images of
deep space,
 NASA estimates that over 10,000 scientific papers
have been written based on data gathered by
Hubble.
 Present space technology

Curiosity rover:
The Curiosity rover is the
most powerful robot ever to Curiosity, also called the
set wheel upon the Martian Mars
regolith.
Science Laboratory (MSL),
The Curiosity rover landed has one mission: to study the
on Mars in 2012, aided in habitability of Mars.
its descent by a
breakthrough landing .
technology dubbed a sky
crane.
 Present space technology
Kepler Spacecraft
This low-cost orbital telescope
was launched in 2009 with the
sole purpose of locating
exoplanets in the Milky Way
galaxy.
Since that time, it has
discovered, according to
NASA, "2,740 potential planets
orbiting 2,036 stars."
 Future space technology
Antimatter-powered rockets

An antimatter rocket is a proposed class of

rockets that use antimatter as their power
source.
Antimatter is far better in comparison to
conventional fuel rockets because they are
lightweight and have a faster impulse rate.
But only tiny quantities of antimatter are made
and trapped each year in particle collision
experiments. To make antimatter rockets
practical, a much bigger source of antimatter
would be needed.
 Future space technology
Laser and microwave-powered
rockets

An alternative propulsion method could

be to beam laser or microwave energy at
the rocket from stations on Earth.

These would heat propellants on board

to greater temperatures than is possible
with conventional rockets, boosting
efficiency.
 Future space technology
Sun-powered rockets

The sun gives off energy for free, and a

new way to harness this energy in space
could propel spacecraft of the future.

According to this concept, called solar

thermal propulsion, mirrors or lenses
would focus sunlight to heat methane or
other propellants. The hot gas would
then propel the vehicle forward.