A nother way to study the solar system is to actually go there on a trip called a crewed mission. A space shuttle can bring astronauts and their tools into space to perform experiments, launch satellites, and make observations.
by far the largest chemical group This group of minerals contains SiO44- as the dominant polyanion. In these minerals the Si4+ cation is always surrounded by 4 oxygens in the form of a tetrahedron. Because Si and O are the most abundant elements in the Earth, this is the largest group of minerals and is divided into subgroups based on the degree of polymerization of the SiO4 tetrahedra. rock-forming minerals
The Silicate Minerals. Photo (c) 2007 Andrew Alden, licensed to About.com ( fair use policy) The silicate minerals make up the great majority of rocks. Silicate is a chemical term for the group of a single atom of silicon surrounded by four atoms of oxygen, or SiO 4. They come in the shape of a tetrahedron.