Come fly with me/Glossary Grade 7-9

GLOSSARY

ablation
 * the vaporization of an outer covering used to keep the inner part cool (as on Apollo mission capsules)

abort
 * to cut short a mission or flight because of a malfunction

acceleration
 * the rate of a change in velocity over time; usually expressed in meters per second per second (m/sec2)

aerodynamics
 * the science of the motion of air around or against a body like a plane or rocket and the behavior of a body moving through air

aeronautics
 * the science or art of designing, making and operating aircraft

aerospace
 * the earth's atmosphere and the space beyond

aileron
 * a movable hinged section on the trailing edge of the wing of an airplane used to control the rolling movements of the plane

aircraft
 * a machine which flies in the air supported by its own buoyancy or by the action of air over its surfaces

airfoil
 * a part of an aircraft (flat or curved) which is designed to keep the craft up or to control its movements through the air

airship
 * a self propelled, lighter than air craft which can be steered (blimp or dirigible)

airspeed
 * the speed of an aircraft relative to the air rather than to the ground

altimeter
 * device for measuring the relative altitude of an aircraft by measuring atmospheric pressure

animometer
 * device for measuring the velocity of the wind

apogee
 * the point in an orbit farthest from the center of attraction; in an orbit about the Earth, the point farthest from the Earth

Apollo
 * United States program with the objective of earth-orbiting a space laboratory, launching astronauts to the vicinity of the moon, and landing a man on the moon, then returning him to earth

astro
 * a prefix meaning "star" or "stars" and, by extension, sometimes used as the equivalent of "celestial," as in astronautics

Astronomical Unit (AU)
 * a unit of distance in astronomy; the mean distance between the center of the Earth and the center of the Sun (149.6 x 10 km or 92.9 x 10 mi or 499.01 light seconds)

azimuth
 * the initial angle or direction between true North and a great circle course

balloon
 * an airtight bag filled with heated air or with a gas lighter than air so as to rise and float above the ground

bank
 * to incline an airplane laterally when turning

barometric pressure
 * the pressure of the atmosphere as indicated by a barometer

beacon
 * a signal light or radio transmitter emitting signals for guidance of airplanes

Bernoulli's principle
 * as the speed of a confined fluid increases, the fluid pressure decreases

bioastronaut1cs
 * aeronautics considered for its effect upon animal life or plant life

boosters
 * the first stage of a multistage rocket providing thrust for the launching and the initial part of the flight

calorie
 * a unit of thermal energy; the energy required to raise one gram of water one degree Celsius

capsule
 * a small pressurized compartment for an aviator or astronaut for flight or emergency escape

ceiling
 * the greatest height at which an airplane can maintain level flight or operate efficiently or the base of a cloud cover

Celsius
 * metric measure of temperature (centigrade) (freezing = 0°; water boils at 100°)

center of gravity
 * the point through which the resultant forces of gravity act no matter how the body is oriented

centrifugal force
 * the force that tends to impel a thing or parts of a thing outward from the center

cockpit
 * a space in the fuselage of an airplane for the pilot or the pilot and crew

constellation
 * any of 88 groups of stars forming patterns or an area of the sky covering one of those groups

contact
 * direct visual observation of the earth's surface made from an airplane

deceleration
 * negative acceleration, that is, slowing down

descent
 * moving from a higher level to a lower level

drag
 * the retarding force acting on a body (as an airplane) moving through a fluid (as air) parallel and opposite to the direction of motion

EAA
 * Experimental Aircraft Association

electromagnetism
 * the science dealing with the relationship between electricity and magnetism

elevator
 * a movable airfoil usually attached to the tail section of an airplane for producing a change in pitch (motion up or down)

empenage
 * the tail assembly of an airplane

escape velocity
 * the minimum velocity that a moving body (as a rocket) must have to escape from the gravitational field of the earth

exosphere
 * the outer fringe region of the atmosphere

extraterrestrial
 * from outside the Earth

FAA
 * Federal Aeronautics Administration

Fahrenheit
 * the English unit measure of temperature (freezing = 32°; water boils at 212°)

flight line
 * a parking and servicing area for airplanes

flight path
 * the path of the center of gravity of an airplane in flight

flight plan
 * specified information relating to the intended flight of an aircraft that is filed orally or in writing with an air traffic control facility

front (weather)
 * the boundary between two different air masses

fuselage
 * the main structure or central section of an airplane which houses the crew, passengers, cargo, etc.

g force
 * the force of acce1eration due to gravity; at sea level on Earth, about 9.8m/S2 or 32 feet per second per second (32 ft/Secs)

glide
 * sustained forward flight in which speed is maintained only by the loss of altitude

glider
 * a heavier-than-air aircraft, the free-flight of which does not depend upon a power-generating unit

gravity
 * the force of attraction between two bodies; the force that makes a body, if free to move accelerate toward the center of the earth

ground speed
 * the speed of the aircraft relative to the ground

ground visibility
 * prevailing horizontal visibility near the earth's surface as reported by the National Weather Service or an accredited observer; (the average of the visibility measured N, E S, and W)

heading
 * the direction in which the nose of the airplane points during flight

humidity
 * the measure of water vapor content in the air

hypoxia
 * oxygen deficiency in blood cells or tissue

inclination
 * the maximum angle between the plane of an orbit and a reference plane

Instrument Flight Rules
 * IFR - rules governing flight within the atmosphere when visibility of reference points on the ground is restricted

inertia
 * the tendency of a body to remain as it is, either at rest or in motion, until acted upon by some outside force

latitude
 * angular distance from a primary great circle or plane; on earth, the distance in degrees North or South of the Equator

light year
 * the distance light travels in one Earth year (5,878,000,000,000 miles)

lift
 * the force on an airfoil, perpendicular to the relative wind, exerted normally upward, opposing the pull of gravity

longitude
 * the distance in degrees of a plane through the polar axis from the prime meridian measured East and West

mass
 * the quantity of matter in a body

meteorology
 * the study of atmospheric phenomena (weather)

Newton's Laws
 * the three laws of motion which explain most motions of planets and satellites

orbit
 * to send up and make revolve in an orbit (orbit a satellite)

parabolic ref1ector
 * a curved reflective surface which brings parallel light or radio waves striking the surface to a focus point

paraglider
 * a flexible-winged, kite-like vehicle designed for use as a recovery system

parallax
 * the difference in direction of a celestial body as measured from two points on earth

perigee
 * the orbital point nearest the center of attraction, nearest the Earth when the Earth is the body being orbited

pitch
 * the blade angle of a propeller; rotation of an aircraft about the crosswise axis

radiometer
 * a devise which detects and reacts to radiant energy

reentry
 * the action of reentering the earth's atmosphere after travel in space

roll
 * rotation about the lengthwise axis of a plane

RPM
 * revolutions per minute; how fast something spins

runway
 * a strip, either paved or improved, on which takeoffs and landings are effected

satellite
 * an object or vehicle which orbits the Earth, the moon, or other celestial bodies

solar cell
 * a device which converts solar energy striking it into electrical energy

solar system
 * the sun and the planets, asteroids, comets and meteors that revolve around it

spacecraft
 * a vehicle designed to navigate outside the atmosphere of the earth

spin
 * a prolonged stall in which an airplane rotates about its center of gravity while it descends

stability
 * the tendency of an airplane in flight to remain in straight, level, upright flight

stabilizer
 * the fixed airfoil of an airplane used to increase stability

stall
 * the flight maneuver or condition in which the air passing over and under the wings stops providing lift

standard temperature lapse rate
 * a temperature decrease of approximately 2° Celsius for each 1,000 feet increase in altitude

thrust
 * the forward force on an airplane in the air provided by the engine

torque
 * any turning or twisting force

track
 * the flight path made good over the ground by an aircraft

traffic pattern
 * the traffic flow that is prescribed for aircraft landing at, taxiing on, and taking off from an airport

trajectory
 * usually refers to the open-ended flight path of a missile as opposed to an orbit which is closed

turbulence
 * irregular motion of the atmosphere produced when air flows over a comparatively uneven surface

variation
 * the angle difference at a given point between true north and magnetic north (dec1ination)

velocity
 * a measure of the rate of change in position; has the dimensions of magnitude (speed) and direction (expressed in meters per second or mi1es per hour for example)

Venturi
 * a tube which has a smaller diameter in the middle than at the ends; the pressure of a fluid passing through the tube decreases and the speed increases as the diameter of the tube decreases

vertigo
 * sensory confusion, usually expressed as dizziness or ability to tell which way is up

visual flight rules
 * VFR - when weather conditions are above the minimums prescribed for visual meteorological conditions, pilots may fly with visual reference to the ground

wind sock
 * a cloth sleeve, mounted aloft at an airport to use for estimating wind direction and velocity

wind tee
 * an indicator of wind direction for takeoff and landing

wing
 * an airfoil whose major function is to provide lift

wing flap
 * a movable section of an airfoil used to change the effect of air flow over the airfoil (usually allows the plane to fly slower)

yaw
 * to turn about the vertical axis

zero-g
 * the condition of weightlessness

Zulu time
 * Universal time; local civil time in Green which, England, used throughout the world in navigation