Knowra Spacecraft Spacecraft A vehicle designed to travel through outer space, carrying people, instruments, or other payloads. Spacecraft may operate crewed or autonomously and can be designed for travel, observation, communication, or exploration.
Rocket engine : An engine that produces thrust by expelling propellant, enabling motion in space without atmospheric air. Rocket engines provide the thrust spacecraft need to launch, maneuver, and change orbit.
Payload : The cargo, instrument, or passengers carried by a vehicle for its intended mission. A spacecraft's payload sets many requirements for its structure, power, pointing, and communications.
Crewed spacecraft : A spacecraft designed to transport or support people in space. Crewed missions add life support, human safety, and habitation requirements to spacecraft design.
Satellite : An object that orbits a larger body; artificial satellites are human-made objects placed in orbit. A spacecraft may become a satellite, but spacecraft also travel without entering orbit around a body.
Sputnik 1 : The first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. Sputnik 1 marked the beginning of the space age and demonstrated orbital spacecraft technology.
Orbital mechanics : The study of how gravity and motion determine the paths of objects in space. Spacecraft trajectories follow orbital mechanics, whether circling a planet or traveling between worlds.
Spacecraft bus : The supporting structure and service systems of a spacecraft, excluding its mission payload. The bus supplies the shared platform that supports and operates the payload.
Space probe : An uncrewed spacecraft sent to investigate celestial bodies or regions of space. Probes extend spacecraft exploration to destinations too distant or hazardous for crews.
Aircraft : A vehicle designed for flight through Earth's atmosphere, typically using aerodynamic lift. Aircraft depend on atmospheric flight, whereas spacecraft must operate beyond the atmosphere.
Apollo 11 : The 1969 NASA mission that first landed humans on the Moon and returned them safely to Earth. Its crewed spacecraft carried people to the lunar surface and back.
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