Part Seven VII › Division III III › Section 738 738

Technology of Earth and Space Exploration

Subject Outline

ATechniques and equipment of surface and underground exploration
- 1Types and purposes of exploration
  - aScientific exploration: the determination of the properties of the Earth's interior
  - bResource exploration: the discovery of sources of ores, building materials, fuels, water, and geothermal energy
  - cExploration for construction: the planning of tunnels, foundations, and other works
- 2Methods of exploration
  - aIndirect methods: geophysical and geochemical methods
  - bDirect methods: on-site testing by means of excavation, boring, and sampling of soil and rock
BTechniques and equipment of undersea exploration
- 1Platforms for exploratory work
  - aSurface vessels; e.g., deep-sea drilling ships and twin-hull vessels
  - bSubmersibles
  - cAircraft and satellites: application of remote sensing and satellite telemetry
  - dBuoys and other unmanned units; e.g., the Self-Propelled Underwater Research Vehicle (SPURV)
- 2Navigational methods and systems for establishing the precise location of discoveries
- 3Developments in oceanographic sampling and measurement techniques; e.g., acoustic methods and solid-state microelectronic ocean-current measuring devices
CTechniques and equipment of space exploration
- 1History of space flight prior to Sputnik I: early speculations and fictional accounts, development of space flight theory and technology during the 20th century
- 2Space programs since 1957
  - aSpace launch vehicles: rockets designed to provide orbital or escape velocity for manned or unmanned spacecraft
  - bUnmanned space probes
    - iThe use of sounding rockets to explore the upper atmosphere of Earth
    - iiThe use of orbiting satellites for scientific purposes; e.g., to study the natural phenomena of space, to test instrumentation and communication techniques
    - iiiThe use of unmanned spacecraft to probe the Moon and the planets and their satellites
  - cManned space programs: the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs of the U.S.; the Vostok, Voskhod, and Soyuz/Salyut programs of the U.S.S.R. and the Russian Federation
  - dThe use of Earth-oriented satellites: communications, Earth survey, and navigation satellites
- 3Elements of space flight
  - aThe environment of space: the definition of space, characteristics affecting space flight
  - bTechnology of spacecraft subsystems
  - cLaunch principles and techniques: staging of propulsion systems, acceleration rates
  - dMechanics and techniques of space flight
    - iTypes of trajectories: suborbital, Earth orbital, Earth escape, and interplanetary
    - iiNavigation in space
    - iiiRendezvous and docking
    - ivReentry and recovery
- 4Contributions of space exploration to advances in the physical sciences
DTechniques of life-support systems for exploration
- 1Systems used in undersea exploration