1. As of today, how many extra-solar planets have been found? How many are earth-like? What does earth-like mean?
2. What are LISA and LIGO? What do their acronyms stand for? What do they measure? Do either exist today?
3. How was the solar neutrino problem solved? What special material was used? When and where was the discovery made?
4. In 2000, a satellite, called MAP
(currently WMAP), was launched to study the beginnings of the universe. In
the recently released results:
a) What does WMAP
stand for?
b) How old in the
Universe?
c) How long after
the Big Bang did stars start to form?
d) What is the composition
of the universe?
5. What was the MSU experiment on board the last Columbia flight studying?
6. Write a few sentences about Mars Odyssey. Mention why its recent discoveries put a damper on human missions to Mars.
7. Mercury has a highly eccentric orbit. Describe the motion of the sun in Mercury's sky over the period of one Mercury year. Include where it rises, sets, apparent size change, and any strange movements.
8. Discuss why you think Pluto/Charon are Kuiper belt objects or actual planets. What mission is planned to learn more about Pluto, Charon, and the Kuiper belt?
9. RHESSI:
a) What does it
stand for?
b) When was it launched?
c) What questions
is it addressing?
d) How does the
sun produce the X-rays and Gamma rays RHESSI observes (give me the atomic
specifics)
Happy Researching!