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Word of the Week

Space Psychologist

Examines the mental and emotional health of astronauts during long missions.

Previous Words of the Week:

Orbital Decay

The slow fall of a satellite as it loses energy due to atmospheric drag.

Orbital Insertion

The process of placing a spacecraft into its intended orbit after launch.

Orbital Velocity

The speed needed for an object to stay in orbit around a planet.

Outer Planets

The large, gaseous planets beyond the asteroid belt: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.

Parallax (Astronomy)

The apparent shift in position of a nearby star compared to distant ones, used to measure distance.

Parallax (Measurement)

The apparent shift in a star’s position when viewed from different points in Earth’s orbit, used to calculate distance.

Payload

The useful cargo carried by a rocket—such as instruments, satellites, or crew.

Payload Bay

The compartment of a spacecraft or shuttle where instruments or cargo are stored.

Payload Engineer

Designs and manages instruments or cargo carried aboard spacecraft.

Perigee

The lowest point in a satellite’s orbit around Earth.

Phantom Twins

Phantom Twins, Helga & Zohar are mannequins taken on board Artemis 1.

Photon

A particle of light that carries energy but has no mass.

Photosphere

The visible surface of the Sun that emits the light we see.

Planck Time

The smallest possible unit of time that has meaning in physics (~10⁻⁴³ seconds).

Planet

A large body orbiting a star, massive enough to be round and clear its orbit of debris.

Planetary Scientist

Studies planets, moons, and other objects in our solar system.

Plasma

A state of matter made of charged particles — found inside stars.

Polar Orbit

An orbit passing over the Earth’s poles, allowing full global coverage.

Power Supply Unit

The component that stores and regulates electricity on board a spacecraft.

Pressure

Force divided by area — measured in pascals (Pa).

Projectile Motion

The curved path followed by an object launched into the air.

Propellant

The chemical mixture of fuel and oxidiser burned to produce thrust.

Propulsion

The act of driving or pushing a vehicle forwards using engines or motors.

Propulsion Engineer

Designs rocket engines and propulsion systems.

Protostar

A young, forming star before nuclear fusion begins.

Pulsar

A rapidly spinning neutron star that emits beams of radiation.

Quark

A fundamental particle that makes up protons and neutrons.

Quasar

A very bright and distant object powered by a supermassive black hole.

Quasar

A brilliant, energetic object powered by a supermassive black hole at the centre of a galaxy.

Radio Galaxy

A galaxy that emits large amounts of radio waves due to active black holes or jets.

Radio Telescope

A dish-shaped antenna that detects radio waves from space.

Re-entry

When a spacecraft re-enters Earth’s atmosphere from space, heating up due to friction.

Reaction Force

The force that acts in the opposite direction to an applied force.

Reaction Wheel

A motor-driven flywheel used to turn a spacecraft precisely without using fuel.

Recovery System

Equipment (like parachutes) that ensures a safe landing for a spacecraft or rocket part.

Red Giant

A star in the late stage of its life that expands and cools as it runs out of hydrogen.

Redshift

The stretching of light waves from an object moving away from us, making the light appear redder.

Relativity (Einstein’s Theory)

Einstein’s theory that space and time are linked as “space-time” and that gravity is the warping of space-time by mass.

Relic Radiation

Another name for cosmic microwave background radiation - leftover energy from the Big Bang.

Remote Command

Instructions sent to spacecraft from Earth to operate systems or adjust orbits.

Remote Sensing

Collecting data about Earth or other planets from a distance using satellites or probes.

Rendezvous

Two spacecraft meeting and matching orbits in space.

Resolution (Optics)

The ability of a telescope or camera to show fine detail clearly.

Resultant Force

The single force that has the same effect as all individual forces combined.

Revolution

One full orbit of a planet around the Sun.

Robotic Arm (Canadarm)

A movable mechanical arm used on spacecraft to capture satellites or handle equipment.

Robotics Engineer

Builds robotic systems for spacecraft, rovers, and automated missions.

Rocket

A rocket is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air

Rocket Engine

A motor that produces thrust by expelling hot gases at high speed.

Rocket Equation (Tsiolkovsky)

A formula showing how a rocket’s speed depends on exhaust velocity and mass ratio.

Rocket Launcher

The mechanical system or frame used to hold and launch a rocket safely.

Rocket Technician

Assembles, tests, and maintains rocket components before launch.

Rotation

The spinning of a planet on its axis.

Rotation Curve

A graph showing how fast stars move in a galaxy — evidence for dark matter.

Satellite

A satellite is any body, natural or artificial, in orbit around a planet.

Satellite Bus

The main body of a satellite that carries power, communications, and control systems.

Shock Wave

A sudden change in pressure caused when an object moves faster than sound.

Singularity

A point in space where density and gravity become infinite, often at the centre of a black hole.

Singularity (Cosmological)

The point at the beginning of the universe where density and temperature were infinite.

Solar Flare

A sudden, intense burst of radiation from the Sun’s surface.

Solar Panel

A device that converts sunlight into electrical power for spacecraft.

Solar System

The Sun and all objects orbiting it, including planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.

Solar Wind

A stream of charged particles flowing out from the Sun into space.

Solid Fuel Rocket

A rocket powered by solid propellant that burns until exhausted.

Space Capsule

A small, often reusable spacecraft for transporting astronauts or cargo.

Space Debris

Defunct satellites, rocket parts, or fragments orbiting Earth.

Space Doctor (Space Medic)

Studies the effects of space travel on the human body and develops countermeasures.

Space Observatory

A telescope placed in space to avoid atmospheric interference (e.g. Hubble, James Webb).

Space Probe

An uncrewed spacecraft sent to study planets, moons, or other celestial bodies.

Space Psychologist

Examines the mental and emotional health of astronauts during long missions.

Space Radiation

Space radiation is a mixture of high energy, charged particles that originate from the Sun and other solar systems.

Space Shuttle

NASA’s reusable spacecraft (1981–2011) that carried crew and cargo to orbit.

Space Tourism

Commercial travel by private individuals into space for short missions.

Space-Time

The four-dimensional framework combining three dimensions of space and one of time.

Spacewalk (EVA)

When an astronaut leaves their spacecraft to work outside in space.

Spectral Class

The classification of stars by their colour and temperature (O, B, A, F, G, K, M).

Spectrometer

A device that analyses light to determine the composition or motion of stars and planets.

Spectroscope

An optical instrument that splits light into a spectrum of colours or wavelengths.

Spectroscopy

The study of light spectra to learn about the composition and motion of celestial objects.

Speed

The distance travelled per unit time — measured in m/s.

Spiral Galaxy

A galaxy with arms spiralling out from a central bulge, like the Milky Way.

Stability

The ability of a rocket or aircraft to maintain controlled flight.

Staging

The process of discarding used rocket stages to reduce weight during ascent.

Standard Candle

An astronomical object (like a Cepheid or supernova) with known brightness, used to measure distance.

Star Cluster

A group of stars that formed from the same cloud of gas and dust.

Star Tracker

An optical sensor that determines orientation by comparing visible stars to a database.

Steady State Theory

A rejected theory that the universe has always existed and looks the same at all times.

Stellar Evolution

The life cycle of a star, from formation to death.

Streamlining

Designing objects with smooth shapes to reduce air resistance.

String Theory

A theoretical idea that all particles are tiny vibrating strings, possibly linking gravity to quantum physics.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit

A polar orbit timed so a satellite passes each point at the same local solar time daily.

Sunspot

A dark, cooler area on the Sun’s surface caused by magnetic activity.

Supercluster

A giant group of galaxy clusters linked together by gravity.

Supermassive Black Hole

A black hole with millions or billions of solar masses, found at galaxy centres.

Supernova

A massive explosion that occurs when a large star runs out of fuel and collapses.

Telemetry

The automatic transmission of data from a spacecraft to Earth.

Telemetry Data

The stream of numerical information about spacecraft performance sent to Earth.

Telescope (Optical)

An instrument that gathers and focuses light to make distant objects appear closer.

Terminal Velocity

The constant speed reached when drag balances weight in free fall.

Test Flight

A trial launch used to evaluate performance or safety before full missions.