AstrotalkUK

Not for profit website/blog on astronomy, space and my writing

Episode 93: Exploring the surface of Titan

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Prof. John Zarnecki

In the early hours of Christmas day 2004, a small probe called Huygens separated from larger spacecraft Cassini. Three weeks later on 14 January it descended through Titan’s atmosphere to make the most distant soft landing in the solar system to date. Huygens transmitted data during its 136 minute descent through the thick atmosphere and a further 130m minutes from the surface until Cassini disappeared below the horizon.

Prof. John Zarnecki was the principal investigator for the UK based team that built the instruments that first made contact on the surface of Titan, Saturn and the solar system’s largest Moon.

In this conversation, recorded in December 2020, prof. Zarnecki recalls the how the mission came about, the science Huygens revealed at the time and today, a decade and a half later. Cassini-Hugens was a joint mission between NASA and ESA. He also shares his views on the value of international collaboration in space.

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A video of this interview is available on Youtube.

Space and iconic scientists from history – Online Zoom series starting Jan 2021

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So 2020 is behind us but we do have some distance to travel down the tunnel before we see the light. I reckon March should do it.  Until then why not join me on a weekly Zoom session about the latest (a) developments in space and (b)  scientific contributions from people in history.

I will be running online sessions via Zoom starting next week. They are organised by the Workers’ Educational Association and are free or £57.60 depending on your personal status for each of the two 9-week “courses” (as the WEA calls them).  Both are online via Zoom. I usually run them as Zoom meetings with lots of discussion and interaction rather than as a webinar. 

C3844979 – Explorers of the Cosmos 
9:30 to 11:30 on Wednesdays from 20/01/2021 to 17/03/2021

Our modern understanding of the universe is the end product of centuries of scientific discoveries by many individuals around the world. Whilst most have been forgotten in history, some stand out like shining stars. What was their profound scientific contribution? Why were they able to make breakthrough when they did?

  1. Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543)
  2. Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) 
  3. Isaac Newton (1643–1727)
  4. Henrietta Swann Leavitt (1868–1921)
  5. Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
  6. Edwin Hubble (1899–1953)
  7. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910-1995)
  8. Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) 
  9. Jocelyn Bell (1943 – )

C3845094 Astronomy -The New Space Age

17:00 to 19:00  on Thursdays from 21/01/2021 to 28/03/2021

What value does space technology and exploration have for us as individuals, communities and countries? The series of talks has been developed and enlarged from the first successful run in 2020. Topics include:

  1. From the Space Race to the New Space Age. How has human space exploration evolved since the launch of Sputnik in 1957?
  2. Services from space. All those satellites in space, what impact do they have on the quality of lives of people on Earth? 
  3. The Private Space sector. It has been emerging for many years. Has it finally arrived?
  4. Managing the Space Environment.  Can the international community apply the lessons of climate change on Earth to the space environment around Earth and beyond?
  5. Rocket Science. A summary of rocket propulsion. How it all started and how it’s done now.
  6. Militarisation of space. Humans on Earth have always fought on land, sea and air. Is war in space inevitable?
  7. Humans in Space.  In this decade, will humans walk on the Moon again? Will this decade finally deliver the promise of space tourism?
  8. Exploration of the Solar System. Spacecraft have now visited all the 8 planets of the solar system, along with comets and asteroids. What have we learnt?
  9. The Search for Life. It’s been going on for more than half a century. How is it going?

India’s Forgotten Rocket Rocket Pioneer

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New Book – Now available

India's Forgotten Rocket Pioneer

If you are in the UK or Europe, you may be interested in signed copies direct from the author. Time-limited offer – 33% discount code of YYFEP4DR at checkout here. This code will not work on the links below.

The book is available globally via Amazon (ebook if you have a Kindle as well paperback).

Ebooks for other platforms are also available (Apple, Nook Barnes & Noble etc).

If you are based in India, please use www.pothi.com
ebooks here
paperback here
hardback here.

Yuri Gagarin in Manchester

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April 12th 2020 marks the 59th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s historic spaceflight. Gagarin received numerous invitations from around the world and Britain after his successful spaceflight. Exactly three months later he came to manchester.

Mr Yarotsky, Counsellor of the Soviet Embassy in London noted that “Gagarin had received invitations from over fifty individuals and organisations in this country including the mayor of Newcastle, several trades unions and British Interplanetary Society.” 


Yuri Gagarin arriving at Manchester Town Hall (Courtesy Fred Ritchie)

The 5 nights Gagarin spent in Britain were all in the USSR embassy in London. He spent all of his time in London with the exception to a day-trip to Manchester on Wednesday 12th July.

He accepted the invitation from the Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers and visited their HQ in Old Trafford in Manchester. Followed by a trip to Metropolitan Vickers in Trafford Park and a civic reception in the Town Hall where Bernard Lovell from Jodrell bank was also in attendance.

This was his only visit outside London.

Gagarin in Britain: Timeline 

Tuesday 11th July
10:30 Arrival at Heathrow
11:45 Soviet Embassy
15:00 Press conference in Fashion Hall Earl’s Court
16:15 BIS medal award at end of the press conference
16:30 Leave Earl’s Court
17:30 Evening reception at Soviet Embassy

Wednesday 12th July
10:00 Arrival at Ringway airport in Manchester
10:45 AUFW Medal Ceremony
12:45 Manchester Town Hall
16:30 Arrived at the airport for his return flight to London

Thursday 13th July
11:00 Mansion House – Lord Mayor of London
11:45 Tower of London – Gv. Sir Thomas Butler
13:20 Burlington House – Royal Society
15:00 Return to USSR Embassy
15:45 Meet PM at Admiralty House
16:30 Air Ministry in Whitehall – Secretary of State for Air
18:00 Hyde Park Hotel GB USSR Association
19:30 Muscovites-Association cancelled. Sightseeing tour instead
22:15 Back at USSR Embassy

Friday 14th July
12:50 Buckingham Palace
14:45 Soviet Embassy
15:30 Earl’s Court
16:00 Highgate Cemetery
16:40 Soviet Embassy – British Soviet Friendship Society
21:00 Earl’s Court Live BBC TV interview (at 21:30) from
Earl’s Court with Richard Dimbleby, Tom Margerison, science editor of the Sunday Times, and Yuri Fokin of the Soviet Television Service
22:15 Soviet Embassy

Saturday 15th July
11:00 Leave Soviet Embassy for Airport
11:45 Press conference at London Heathrow
12:35 Depart for the Soviet Union

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