AstrotalkUK

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

Episode 60: Square Kilometre Array

By 1 Comment

Artists impression – from http://www.skatelescope.org/

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is a global science and engineering project to build a revolutionary new radio telescope with extraordinary scientific ambitions.

With funding from ten nations the building of the SKA will start in 2016 and be fully operational in 2024. It will tackle some of the profoundest questions of cosmology associated with organic molecules, gravitational waves,  pulsars orbiting black holes and light from the earliest stars that illuminated the universe. To do this the SKA will require super computers,  innovative new power stations and high speed communication links  that currently do not exist.

This interview with Professor Michael Kramer was recorded in March 2012 at the National Astronomy Meeting in the University Manchester two months prior to the announcement that the Square Kilometre Array will be built in South Africa along with  Australia & New Zealand.

Professor Kramer from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany that manages the 100m Effelsberg Radio Telescope  is  a former associate director at Jodrell Bank and still professor  there, talks about the technical, political and economic concerns associated with the SKA project.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.5KB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | RSS | More

 

 

 

A public event to commemorate Manchester’s first rocket pioneers

By Leave a Comment

Manchester has a world renowned international airport, and if had a group of rocket engineers had had their way, could Manchester have had a spaceport to launch rockets, too?

A group of rocket engineers lead by Eric Burgess formed the Manchester Interplanetary Society in 1936. Working closely with the Sci Fi community, their headquarters were initially on Ashton New Road before moving to member  Harry Turner’s house near Plymouth Grove where the young Arthur C Clarke attended meetings.   Their ambitious choice in naming their society was reflected in the name of their bi-monthly publication – “The Astronaut” published a quarter of a century before Yuri Gagarin made the first flight in to space. It was probably the first time the word “Astronaut” and the idea of human spaceflight entered the Mancunian vernacular.

A brass plaque will be unveiled to a commemorate the Manchester Interplanetary Society on the original site they used to test launch rockets they designed and constructed seventy five years ago. If you would like to attend, download this ms word summary which includes a map.

When: 15:00 – 15:30 Monday 14th May 2012

Where: Clayton Vale, near the city of Manchester stadium.  Download leaflet. Postcode of the nearby Bay Horse Public House is M40 1GR.

Refreshments: will be available for small charge. Limited free parking.

Who is invited: Local astronomers, writers in science and sci fi, press, local politicians, members of the local community and members of Salford Astronomical Society & Manchester Astronomical Society and anyone with an interests in history of spaceflight.

Clayton Vale, a stone’s throw from the velodrome in East Manchester, is now a small picturesque park with the river Medlock running through its length.  In 1936 and 1937 it was undeveloped and used by the MIS members as launch site to test rockets they designed and built.  Their achievements were limited by the prevailing legislation which forced them to use inherently inefficient, solid rocket fuel. Their contemporary rocketry groups in Germany, the Soviet Union and the USA experienced huge success by using liquid fuels.

Clayton Vale March 1937 - The cine film was shown at local cinemas over the following weeks

On 14th May 1937, the key member of the MIS found themselves in court accused of making explosives. Explaining that they were testing propulsion techniques for rocket engines, the judge dismissed the case. About the same time, Philip Cleator, who had founded the British Interplanetary Society in Liverpool in 1933, lobbied the government to repeal the 1875 Explosives Act, without success.

At the Chingford home of R.A.Smith (then HQ of the British Interplanetary Society) on Sunday 17 July 1938 L to R: J.H. Edwards, Eric Burgess, Harry Turner, Guest of Honour Midshipman Robert C. Truax, USN, holding an experimental liquid-fuel rocket motor, R.A. Smith, Maurice Hanson & Arthur C. Clarke. Source: http://www.htspweb.co.uk/fandf/romart/het/footnotes/fanpix/bis1938.jpg

Eric Burgess wrote many books including one of the earliest dedicated to rocket propulsion. In one, Satellites and Spaceflight published in early 1957, he  published images taken with the 8” telescope currently used by the members of the Manchester Astronomical Society, which he had joined in 1936. He also published images of the Moon taken by the 18” telescope now in the observatory at Salford Astronomical Society but at the time located at Jodrell Bank.

Today Astronomical Societies in Manchester, Salford, Didsbury, Altrincham, Bolton, Heaton Park, Altrincham and others continue to inspire the northwest to look up and dream. Arthur C Clarke achieved international success for his science fiction and non-fiction. He wrote both in equal measure. In the 1950s, he permanently moved to Ceylon – today Sri Lanka.   About the same time Eric Burgess emigrated to America and worked for NASA and the space industry.

The inscription on the plaque reads

Ambitions of Spaceflight


Manchester Interplanetary Society

tested their early rockets here in Clayton Vale from 1936

Their legacy is alive today

14 May 2012

British Interplanetary Society

Manchester Astronomical Society

Salford Astronomical Society

The outbreak of World War two brought dramatic developments in rocket technology around the world and to the fortunes of the members of the MIS. In early 1945 as the war approached its end, Burgess, Clarke and others rapidly consolidated the disparate rocket societies around the UK in to a single unified organisation – The British Interplanetary Society – which continues to flourish to this day.

National Astronomy Meeting 2012 – A great success

By Leave a Comment

Nationl Astronomy Meeting - Manchester 2012Although I did not manage to speak to everyone I had hoped to, no one ever said no to my request. Thanks to all of you especially Professor Natalie Batalha  with whom I could not find a matching time slot. Also thanks to Robert Massey and the RAS, all the individuals in the NAM2012 t-shirts and especially JBCA staff including  Professor Phillipa Browning  who as I saw at the last plenary session – pretty much exhausted.

It was also great to see so many familiar faces from Manchester Astronomical Society and Liverpool Astronomical Society who brought their solar telescopes to take advantage of the now typical Mancunian sunny skies. A great week for astronomy and Manchester congratulations to all who made it happen.

I did some recordings on Thursday and Friday as listed below.  I will put out the podcasts in coming weeks.

 

* * *

Thursday 29th 

Nik Szymanek One of the country’s most familiar names in astrophotography.  For someone who spends much of his time staring at the heavens Nik is a very down to Earth kind of guy.  Amongst other things, Nik spoke about his new adventure, a remote telescope based in Spain. I first spoke to Nik back in 2008 in episode two.

 

Friday 30th

Professor David Southwood as a former ESA director of Science is a familiar face in UK space and astronomy meetings. I first came across him in 2008 to for this video interview.

My chat with him this time was equally unplanned and unrehearsed. Now that he has retired, I thought it would be fun to play a game of Dessert Island Space Discs, celestial bodies that perhaps he has been in some way associated with during his carrier, where he may wish to be shipwrecked. He played along. We only had time for four, his first choice.. was Enceladus. Great fun.

Professor Albert Zijlstra :  Although he is the director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics over 20 miles away, I recorded the interview in his office in a new building on Upper Brook street. We spoke about the very broad approach of NAM2012. Schools, amateur astronomers and the public seemed to be an integral element from the start.

Mark Purver from the Jodcast team provided a brief overview of how the Jodcast got started. If you missed NAM2012 altogether, check Jodcast archive  for a flavour of the whole week. Mark and the team put together an episode per day during the meeting.  There is a whole lot else there too.

Professor Mike Bode  has been the driving force behind the Liverpool Telescope project from the beginning. A huge telescope built and operated to professional standards is also available to school kids and amateur astronomers.

 

National Astronomy Meeting 2012

By Leave a Comment

Moon, Venus and Jupiter just after sunset 27 March 2012

A cram packed week – so much going on and the weather for the first half of this week is particularly cooperative for visitors to Manchester and observing the night sky.  The weather can’t possibly last. I chose to miss out a couple of the evening events and do some observing.

I was not able to get to all the talks I wanted (there really is so much going on!) but did the following three audio recordings

My thanks to all three and I will tweet once the podcasts are online. Now back to NAM2012..