Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The sound barrier or sonic barrier is the large increase in aerodynamic drag and other undesirable effects experienced by an aircraft or other object when it approaches the speed of sound. When aircraft first approached the speed of sound, these effects were seen as constituting a barrier, making faster speeds very difficult or impossible.
Space psychology refers to applying psychology to advise human spaceflight.This includes applying industrial and organizational psychology to team selection, individual and team mental preparation, team training, and ongoing psychological support, [1] and applying human factors and ergonomics to the construction of spacecraft to ensure sufficient habitability.
Psychological and sociological effects of space flight are important to understanding how to successfully achieve the goals of long-duration expeditionary missions. Although robotic spacecraft have landed on Mars , plans have also been discussed for a human expedition , perhaps in the 2030s, [ 1 ] for a return mission.
Sites for launching large rockets are often equipped with a sound suppression system to absorb or deflect acoustic energy generated during a rocket launch. As engine exhaust gasses exceed the speed of sound , they collide with the ambient air and shockwaves are created, with noise levels approaching 200 db.
Until the creation of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS), the Space Shuttle endured a 30-minute blackout. The TDRSS allowed the Shuttle to communicate by relay with a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite during re-entry, through a "hole" in the ionized air envelope at the tail end of the craft, created by the Shuttle's shape. [1]
The pictures above demonstrate the still amazing visual effects that occur as military aircraft punch through the sound barrier and travel faster than sound itself. More from Business Insider:
The NASA website hosts a large number of images from the Soviet/Russian space agency, and other non-American space agencies. These are not necessarily in the public domain. Materials based on Hubble Space Telescope data may be copyrighted if they are not explicitly produced by the STScI. See also {{PD-Hubble}} and {{Cc-Hubble}}.
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!