UNIVERSEH: The European Space University

Image

Image U.S. Air Force. (2010, November). F100 F-15 engine. Retrieved from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/F100_F-15_engine.JPG

Short Definition

A reaction engine is an engine that produces thrust by expelling reaction mass. It works in accordance with the third Newton's law of motion.

Detailed Definition

Reaction engines work in accordance with the third Newton's law of motion, stating that for every action force there is an equal by magnitude, but opposite in direction, reaction force. Thus, reaction engines apply force to the reaction mass, under which reaction mass accelerates and leaves the engine. As a result, the engine together with the vehicle are accelerated by the reaction force that makes the vehicle move. Jet engines and different types of rocket engines are reaction engines. In fact, this is the only engine capable of working in a vacuum, since there is nothing to propel a vehicle besides the fuel (reaction mass) carried by the vehicle itself, which makes those engines the only applicable to spacecrafts. Reaction engines have a broad application area that is not limited to space. For example, boats and ferries are often powered by reaction engines. But instead of a jet of heated gas, they expel water.

Etymology

Reaction – re- (back, again, anew) + action (from French réaction)Engine – from Middle English engyn or Anglo-Norman engine or Old French engin– skill, cleverness, war machine

Sample Sentences

The reaction engine utilized a combination of fuel and oxidizer to generate thrust for propulsion.

Translations from alliance partner languages:

References

The European Space Agency. (2020, December). System study results for SABRE-powered reusable launcher. Retrieved from https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Future_space_transportation/System_study_results_for_SABRE-powered_reusable_launcher

Petrescu, R. V., Aversa, R., Apicella, A., Petrescu, F. I. T. (2018, January). Romanian Engineering, "On the Wings of the Wind". Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3844/jastsp.2018.1.18

Source:https://www.airbus.com/sites/g/files/jlcbta136/files/styles/airbus_1440x1440/public/2021-10/Spacecraft_infographic.jpg?itok=IaLkM9ST)

Definition:

A mission under the supervision of the Surrey Space Centre of the University of Surrey (supported by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., Airbus Defense and Space, Innovative Solutions in Space, CSEM, Inria and Stellenbosch University) that aimed to find the best method of capturing and removing space debris. The project was based on a satellite containing several pieces of equipment (a net, a harpoon, a drag sail and vision-based navigation equipment, as well as a set of targets simulating space debris), which remained in orbit between 2018 and 2021.

The satellite platform for the project RemoveDEBRIS was launched using SpaceX Falcon 9, was delivered to the International Space Station and later deployed into orbit, where a series of experiments on debris removal were conducted, using several pieces of equipment:

• a space net (ejected by the DebrisSat-1 at the distance of 7 meters from the target, aiming to entangle the targeted debris)
  
• vision-based navigation equipment (the DebrisSat-2 is used to identify and track the debris)
  
• a harpoon (firing at a 10*10 cm target extending from the platform at the distance of 1,5 m)
  
• a drag sail (used to deorbit the platform itself – unfortunately, the sail was not fully deployed during the in-orbit demonstration)
  

Translations:

• French:
  
• German:
  
• Polish: Misja DEBRIS
  
• Swedish:
  

Links to Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLuHk5gWx3k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QUhCLTfXf0

Articles:

https://www.surrey.ac.uk/surrey-space-centre/missions/removedebris

https://www.airbus.com/en/products-services/space/in-space-infrastructure/removedebris

https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/r/removedebris

Image

Image NASA. (2000, January). RS-68 being tested at NASA's Stennis Space Center. Retrieved from https://www.nasa.gov/images/content/148709main_d4_testing_08.jpg Photograph of a rocket engine in operation, with a converging plume of hot gas streaming out from the nozzle

Short Definition

A rocket engine is a jet engine that discharges a jet of high-temperature gas as reaction mass, which was acquired from the propellant stored internally in a vehicle. Rocket engines, unlike general jet engines, can only use internally stored propellant to create a jet, because they have to operate in space, where there is no medium like air or water which can be used as a reaction mass in jet engines on Earth.

Detailed Definition

A rocket engine is an internal combustion jet engine that discharges a jet of high-temperature gas as reaction mass, which was acquired from the propellant stored internally in a vehicle. Rocket engines, unlike general jet engines, can only use internally stored propellant to create a jet of gas as a result of chemical reactions, because they have to operate in space, where there is no medium like air or water which can be used as a reaction mass in jet engines on Earth. The nozzle is always an integral part of a rocket engine because it makes the jet accelerate as gas moves through the nozzle, and the higher the speed of a discharged jet, the more efficient the engine. The de Laval nozzle is the most common type of nozzles used in rocket engines, as it accelerates the gas passing through it most efficiently. Gas, when burnt, moves at a low subsonic speed and accelerates as it moves through the nozzle, reaching supersonic speed by the moment it leaves the nozzle.

Etymology

Rocket – from Old Italian rochetto– a bobbinEngine – from Middle English engyn or Anglo-Norman engine or Old French engin– skill, cleverness, war machine

Sample Sentences

The rocket engine ignited with a powerful roar, propelling the spacecraft into space.

Translations from our alliance partners' languages:

References

Braeunig, R. A. (2012). Rocket propulsion. Retrieved from http://www.braeunig.us/space/propuls.htm

Oberth, H. (1972, January). Ways to spaceflight. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/nasa_techdoc_19720008133/page/n35/mode/2up

Definition:

Russian state corporation formed in 2015 and responsible for various aspects of the country’s space exploration activities (space equipment, infrastructure, international cooperation, etc.). The corporation is a legal successor of the Soviet space program which existed from 1955 to 1991 and Russian Space Agency founded in 1992.

Etymology

The name of the corporation “Роскосмос” consists of two elements: “Рос” (abbreviation for “Russian”) and “космос” (“space”).

Translations:

• French:
  
• German:
  
• Polish: Roskosmos
  
• Russian: Роскосмос    [ˌroˈskosməs]
  
• Swedish:
  

Image/Video/Audio Source: Author: Kamila Kopacz

Short Definition:

Detailed Definition:

Etymology:

Sample Sentence(s):

Translations of Terms/Concepts into Partner Languages [Multiple fields for entering the translation of the term in each partner language, additional languages can potentially be added, e.g. Russian, Chinese, Portuguese]

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Polish:

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Source: NOAA Images (2015, August 18). Hurricane Katrina as seen by NOAA satellite. flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/77790740@N08/20676559362

Definition:

Satellite data, also referred to as satellite imagery, provides information about Earth and other planets in space, which are collected by man-made satellites in their orbits. Satellite data allow us to observe the Earth, as satellites deliver information about the surface and weather changes on the planet Earth.

Satellite data is generated via remote sensing technologies. In fact, it is very useful for providing authentic information about the atmospheres, oceans and land masses by constantly collecting  data from joined satellites.

Etymology:

The english word satellite derives from Latin satelles which means "accomplice, follower, attendant, or guard." There are natural satellites, e.g. the planet Moon which is following the Earth on a fix route, but also several artificial satellites which fulfill certain task, e.g. scientific or commercial.

Data is the classical plural of Latin datum which means (thing) given. In classical use originally ". From 1897 the term is referred to as "numerical facts collected for future reference."

Translations:

• French:
  
• German:
  
• Polish: dane satelitarne
  
• Swedish:
  

Links to Videos/Articles:

Satellite etymology in English | Etymologeek.com

data | Etymology, origin and meaning of data by etymonline

Short Definition
A solar eclipse is a natural phenomenon that occurs when the new moon is positioned between the Sun and Earth. A solar eclipse is visible when the Moon’s surface covers the Sun fully or partially casts a shadow on Earth.

Detailed Definition
A solar eclipse is a natural process during which the Sun is completely or partially obscured by the Moon's surface, creating a shadow over Earth. However, this shadow is not large enough to be visible from all parts of the world in the same way. For this reason, each successive solar eclipse can be observed from different sides of Earth, but never in all places at once.

We distinguish four types of solar eclipses:

1. A partial eclipse occurs when the Moon only partially eclipses the Sun.
2. An annular eclipse occurs when the entire Moon is not large enough to conceal the entire Sun. In this case, a ring of light can be observed around the shadow.
3. A total eclipse occurs when the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon. This can only be seen when the Moon is closest to Earth and only where the Moon’s shadow is the darkest.
4. An annular total eclipse (also called a hybrid eclipse) occurs when during the same eclipse it changes from the annular eclipse to the total eclipse or the other way around. This is the rarest type from all of those phenomena.

Etymology
Eclipse (Noun), originated from ancient Greek ἔκλειψις (ékleipsis) which means “the abandonment” or “the darkening of a heavenly body”.

Sample Sentence(s)

A solar eclipse cannot be visible from all the places on Earth all at once.

Translations of Terms/Concepts into Partner Languages

French
Éclipse solaire

German
Sonnenfinsternis

Italian
Eclissi solare

Polish
Zaćmienie Słońca

Swedish
Solförmörkelse

Links to Videos/Articles:

Source: Midjourney (2023, May 31). . midjourney. midjourney.com

Short Definition:

Solar sails (also known as light sail or photon sail) are a method of spacecraft propulsion using radiation pressure exerted by starlight on large mirrors. Solar sails can be used instead of traditional fuel consumption. First proposed in the 1980s as alternative propulsion method for low-weight long-distance spacecrafts, the first real usage of the solar sail system was in JAXA’s IKAROS mission, launched in 2010.

Detailed Definition:

The Solar sails use a phenomenon called solar pressure, which is the force produced by the impact of sunlight photons on the surface of the spacecraft. Normally, solar pressure is affecting all spacecrafts during flights and must be accounted for in trajectory planning, but in that specific case it is used as thrust. Vessels using solar sails must be lightweight as the total force exerted on an eight hundred by eight hundred meters solar sail is about 5 Newtons at Earth's distance from the Sun, so this propulsion method requires specially constructed spacecraft. If solar sails are implemented in space vessel it can produce propulsion without need of fuel usage and thus can be great for small satellites to travel to distant objects without great amount of storage for fuel and engines. The negative side of this technology is significantly small force compared to traditional liquid fuel engines and fragile sail build. Also, this system cannot be used far away from “propulsion” star, as thrust generated by the solar sail is inversely proportional to the square of the distance.

Etymology:

Solar - From Latin sōlāris, from sōl (“sun”),
Sail - From Middle English saile, sayle, seil, seyl, from Old English seġl

Sample Sentence(s):

“The IKAROS probe is the world's first spacecraft to use solar sailing as the main propulsion system.”
“Solar sail is the more effective the closer it is to the star.”

Translations:

French: 

Voile solaire

German:

Sonnensegel

Polish:

Żagiel słoneczny

Swedish:

Sol segel

Links to Videos/Articles:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305884757_Solar_sail_technology-A_state_of_the_art_review
https://global.jaxa.jp/projects/sas/ikaros/
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdm/solarsail/index.html