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Science Vocab 16 words

January 17, 2010 By Miles T. (Woodland Park, CO)

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Definitions Notes & Examples Words Only
  1. solar panel
    electrical device consisting of a large array of connected solar cells
    In the unlikely case the Phoenix rises from the ashes frost, it is programmed to use the electricity generated by its solar panels to attempt communication with Odyssey or the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
  2. orbiter
    man-made equipment that orbits around the earth or the moon
    The Mars Odyssey orbiter will pass over the lander’s position (highlighted in the image above) 10 times a day for three straight days, listening for any sign that the craft survived the Martian winter’s freezing temperatures.
  3. solar energy
    energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy
    The amount of solar energy hitting its high-latitude location is now roughly the same as it was when it shut down.
  4. Mars
    (Roman mythology) Roman god of war and agriculture; father of Romulus and Remus; counterpart of Greek Ares
    NASA will attempt to reestablish contact with the Mars Phoenix Lander on Monday.
  5. Martian
    of or relating to the planet Mars (or its fictional inhabitants)
    The Mars Odyssey orbiter will pass over the lander’s position (highlighted in the image above) 10 times a day for three straight days, listening for any sign that the craft survived the Martian winter’s freezing temperatures.
  6. phoenix
    a legendary Arabian bird said to periodically burn itself to death and emerge from the ashes as a new phoenix; according to most versions only one phoenix lived at a time and it renewed itself every 500 years
    Read More http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/01/nasa-listens-for-sign-mars-phoenix-survived-winter/#ixzz0cphkGTgs
  7. NASA
    an independent agency of the United States government responsible for aviation and spaceflight
    NASA will attempt to reestablish contact with the Mars Phoenix Lander on Monday.
  8. solar
    relating to or derived from the sun or utilizing the energies of the sun
    In the unlikely case the Phoenix rises from the ashes frost, it is programmed to use the electricity generated by its solar panels to attempt communication with Odyssey or the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
  9. telecommunication
    (often plural) the branch of electrical engineering concerned with the technology of electronic communication at a distance
    However, if Phoenix is transmitting, Odyssey will hear it,� said Chad Edwards, chief telecommunications engineer for the Mars Exploration Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a press release.
  10. antenna
    one of a pair of mobile appendages on the head of e.g. insects and crustaceans; typically sensitive to touch and taste
    It would cycle through its communication tools, trying out its two radios and two antennas.
  11. electronics
    the branch of physics that deals with the emission and effects of electrons and with the use of electronic devices
    Phoenix’s electronics weren’t designed to live through the period, so NASA officials aren’t hopeful that they’ll hear anything.
  12. laboratory
    a workplace for the conduct of scientific research
    However, if Phoenix is transmitting, Odyssey will hear it,� said Chad Edwards, chief telecommunications engineer for the Mars Exploration Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a press release.
  13. electricity
    a physical phenomenon associated with stationary or moving electrons and protons
    In the unlikely case the Phoenix rises from the ashes frost, it is programmed to use the electricity generated by its solar panels to attempt communication with Odyssey or the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
  14. latitude
    an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator
    The amount of solar energy hitting its high-latitude location is now roughly the same as it was when it shut down.
  15. planet
    (astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto in order of their proximity to the sun; viewed from the constellation Hercules, all the planets rotate around the sun in a counterclockwise direction
    Mars Phoenix (aka @MarsPhoenix) was a wildly popular robotic lander that operated on the surface of the Red Planet for five months until November 2008 when its solar panels stopped receiving enough energy to keep it working.
  16. temperature
    the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity)
    The Mars Odyssey orbiter will pass over the lander’s position (highlighted in the image above) 10 times a day for three straight days, listening for any sign that the craft survived the Martian winter’s freezing temperatures.