Acceleration: Experiencing a change in velocity (velocity).
Atmosphere: The envelope of gases that surrounds Earth, another planet, or the Moon.
Atom: The basic unit of a chemical element. Atoms consist of a dense nucleus containing positively charged protons and uncharged neutrons. The nucleus of an atom is orbited by a cloud of negatively charged electrons.
Atom: Pertains to the atom, which is the smallest unit that makes up a chemical element.
Chemical: A substance formed from two or more atoms that combine (combine) in a certain proportion and structure. For example, water is a chemical produced when two hydrogen atoms combine with one oxygen atom. Its chemical formula is H2O. Chemical can also be used as an adjective to describe the properties of materials that result from various reactions between different compounds.
constant: Continuous or uninterrupted. (in mathematics) A known and unchanging number. Usually based on some mathematical definition. For example, π (pi) is a constant equal to 3.14. . . It is defined as the circumference of a circle divided by its diameter.
cosmos: (adjective: universe) A term referring to the universe and everything within it.
Dimension: A descriptive characteristic of something that can be measured, such as length, width, or time.
Engine: A machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. An engine is sometimes called a motor. (in computer science) A computer program that performs a specific narrow range of functions.
Engineer: A person who uses science and mathematics to solve problems. As a verb, “engineering” means to design a device, material, or process that solves some problem or unmet need.
exoplanet: Abbreviation for extrasolar planet, a planet orbiting a star outside the solar system.
fiction: (adjective. fiction) An idea or story that is invented rather than a depiction of actual events.
Force: An external influence that can change the motion of objects, move them closer together, or cause motion or stress in a stationary object.
Friction: The resistance experienced by one surface or object as it moves over or through another substance (such as a fluid or gas). Friction generally causes heating and can damage the surface of one material as it rubs against another.
Fuel: A substance that releases energy during a controlled chemical or nuclear reaction. Fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, oil) are common types that release energy through chemical reactions that occur when heated (usually to the point of combustion).
Fusion: (v. to merge) The joining of two things to form a new combined entity. (in physics) the process of forcing atomic nuclei together. This fusion is the phenomenon that powers the Sun and most other stars, generates heat, and creates new, heavier elements.
Gravity: A force that attracts objects with mass or volume to other objects with mass. The greater the mass of something, the greater its gravitational force.
Interstellar: Between the Stars.
Ion: (adjective: ionized) an atom or molecule that has a charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons. An ionized gas or plasma is a state in which all electrons are separated from their parent atoms.
Lever: A rigid bar on a pivot. It is used to move heavy or tightly secured loads when pressure is applied to one end. Or it may be part of some device and act like a switch to turn the system on or off.
Light year: The distance that light travels in one year, approximately 9.46 trillion kilometers (nearly 6 trillion miles). To understand this length, imagine a rope long enough to wrap around the Earth. Its length will be just over 40,000 kilometers (24,900 miles). Place it straight. Then, immediately after the first, place another 236 million pieces of the same length from end to end. The total current distance is equivalent to 1 light year.
Mars: The fourth planet from the Sun and the only planet beyond Earth. Like Earth, it has seasons and humidity. However, its diameter is only about half that of Earth.
Mass: A number that indicates how much an object resists acceleration and deceleration. Basically, it is a measure of how much material an object is made of.
Momentum: A measure of something’s motion, obtained by multiplying its mass and velocity. Changing an object’s speed or direction also changes its momentum.
Atomic energy: Energy obtained from processes that produce heat by splitting atomic nuclei (fission) or forcing them together (fusion). Nuclear power plants use that heat to drive turbines and produce electricity.
Oxidizer: A substance that produces oxygen and causes the combustion of another substance, such as a fuel.
Particles: small amounts.
Photon: A particle that represents the smallest possible amount of light or other type of electromagnetic radiation.
Physics: The scientific study of the nature and properties of matter and energy. Classical physics explains the nature and nature of matter and energy based on descriptions such as Newton’s laws of motion. Quantum physics, a field of research that emerged later, is a way to more precisely describe the motion and behavior of matter. Scientists who work in such fields are known as physicists.
Planet: A large celestial body that orbits a star, but unlike a star, it does not produce visible light.
Plastics: A group of materials that are easily deformed. or synthetic materials made from polymers (long strings of component molecules) that are lightweight, cheap, and resistant to deterioration. (adjective) A material that can be adapted by changing its shape or, in some cases, its function.
Polymer: A substance made from long chains of repeating groups of atoms. Polymers produced include nylon, polyvinyl chloride (better known as PVC), and many types of plastics. Natural polymers include rubber, silk, and cellulose (found in plants and used to make paper, for example).
Pressure: A force applied uniformly across a surface. It is measured as force per unit area.
Propulsion: The act or process of using force to move something forward. For example, a jet engine is one of the propulsion sources used to fly an airplane.
Red Planet: Nickname for Mars.
Reflective: An adjective that refers to something’s ability to strongly reflect light. Such objects can produce strong bright glare when sunlight reflects off of them. Examples of reflective objects include mirrors, smooth metal cans, car windows, glass bottles, ice, snow, and lake surfaces.
Rocket: Something propelled into the air or into space, sometimes as a weapon of war. Rockets typically ascend due to the exhaust gases released when some of the fuel is burned. (v.) Something that flies into space at high speed, as if fueled by combustion.
Science Fiction: A field of literary or cinematic stories that takes place in a fantasy setting. It is usually based on speculation about how science and engineering will develop in the distant future. Many of the plots of these stories focus on exaggerated changes resulting from space travel, otherworldly (or otherworldly) evolution and life.
sea: Ocean (or area that is part of an ocean). Unlike lakes and streams, sea water, or ocean water, is salty.
Society: Generally, an integrated group of humans or animals who cooperate and support each other for the greater good of all.
Sun: It has to do with the sun or the radiation it emits. It comes from the Latin word sol, meaning sun.
Solar System: The eight major planets and their moons orbiting the Sun, as well as smaller celestial bodies in the form of dwarf planets, asteroids, meteoroids, and comets.
solar wind: a stream of charged particles (including atomic nuclei) emitted from the surface of a star such as the sun. It has the potential to penetrate the solar system. When emitted by a star other than the Sun, this radiation is known as a stellar wind.
Speed of light: A constant commonly used in physics, equal to 1.08 billion kilometers (671 million miles) per hour.
Stars: The basic building blocks of galaxies. Stars develop when clouds of gas are compressed by gravity. When a star gets hot enough, it emits light and sometimes other forms of electromagnetic radiation. The sun is the closest star to us.
System: A network of parts that work together to accomplish some function. For example, blood, blood vessels, and the heart are the main components of the human body’s circulatory system. Similarly, trains, platforms, tracks, road signals, and elevated tracks are among the potential components of a country’s railway system. Systems can also apply to processes and ideas that are part of a method or ordered sequence of steps for completing a task.
Technology: The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry, or the devices, processes, and systems resulting from such efforts.
Thrust: The force that moves an object forward.
Thruster: An engine that pushes or drives with force by emitting a jet of fluid, gas, or a stream of particles.
Unique: Something that doesn’t exist anywhere else. The only one of its kind.
Universe: The entire universe: Everything that exists beyond time and space. It has been expanding ever since it formed during an event known as the Big Bang about 13.8 billion years ago (which may take hundreds of millions of years or more).
Venus: The second outermost planet from the Sun, it has a rocky core like Earth. Venus lost most of its water a long time ago. The sun’s ultraviolet radiation split these water molecules, allowing their hydrogen atoms to escape into space. Volcanoes on the Earth’s surface spewed out high levels of carbon dioxide, which accumulated in the Earth’s atmosphere. Currently, the atmospheric pressure on the surface of Venus is 100 times higher than on Earth, and the atmosphere keeps the planet’s surface at an unforgiving temperature of 460 degrees Celsius (860 degrees Fahrenheit).
