Under normal flight conditions, the Descent Module enters the Earth's atmosphere under an angle of 1.35 degrees toward the local horizon, at an altitude of around 100 kilometers above the Earth's surface. By maintaining its correct pitch angle, the capsule can generate some aerodynamic lift, wh...
During a total lunar eclipse, the lunar surface turns a rusty red color, earning the nickname "blood moon". The eerie red appearance is caused by sunlight interacting withEarth's atmosphere. When sunlight reaches Earth, our atmosphere scatters and filters different wavelengths. Shorter wavelengths ...
Slobo / Getty Images Key Takeaways Smoke detectors contain a light source and sensor positioned at 90-degree angles. When smoke enters, it scatters light onto the sensor, triggering the alarm. These devices are particularly effective at sensing smoky fires that smolder, like those that might ...
It covers about 70 percent of the Earth for a total of approximately 332.5 million cubic miles (1,386 million cubic kilometers) [source: U.S. Geological Survey]. If you're familiar with the lines "Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink" from the poem "The Rime of the Ancien...
Don't worry, it's not going to come hurtling into the Earth's atmosphere and through your roof. There's a process to collect waste too. Solid wastes are dried to remove all moisture, compressed and kept in airtight containers on-board. They're removed and disposed of once the space...
– a streak of light flashes across the sky, as a tiny piece of cometary debris enters and burns up in the earth’s atmosphere. Perhaps the reason meteor showers are so fascinating is because they remind us that there isa lotof stuff in space – more than we can see or imagine – an...
Fuel is squirted into the cylinders with air from the atmosphere. The piston in each cylinder compresses the mixture, raising its temperature so it either ignites spontaneously (in a diesel engine) or with help from a sparking plug (in a gas engine). The burning fuel and air explodes and...
Light from the sun is made up of all the colors in the rainbow. As the sunlight enters the Earth’s atmosphere, blue light is scattered in all directions, more than any of the other colors; during the day, this causes the sky to appear blue. ...
Water vapor plays a vital role in the Earth’s weather and climate systems. When liquid water evaporates, it becomes water vapor and enters the atmosphere. This process is essential to kickstart the water cycle, a continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth. ...
e. Wrote McGowan of the atmosphere in the arena as Clark broke the NCAA scoring record: In those few seconds between her ear-splitting shot and Michigan’s inbounds pass, Clark couldn’t help but embrace the atmosphere she created, flexing her once-self-described ...