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Episode 93: Exploring the surface of Titan

By Gurbir Dated: January 14, 2021 Leave a Comment

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.

https://media.blubrry.com/astrotalkuk_podcast_feed/p/astrotalkuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Episode-93-John-Zarnecki.mp3

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A video of this interview is available on Youtube.

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Episode 92: Revisiting Panspermia with Prof. Wickramasinghe

By Gurbir Dated: January 1, 2021 Leave a Comment

Prof. Chandra Wickramasinghe

The idea of Panspermia, that life exists throughout the universe and spreads via asteroids, comets and cosmic dust, has been around for a long time. Two of the strongest advocates were Professor Fred Hoyle and Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe. 

In this episode I spoke at length with Professor Wickramasinghe about his long and distinguished career championing the idea of panspermia the covering the topics:

  • Initial difficulties in establishing Panspermia as a legitimate and respectable topic for scientific study.
  • Professor Wickramasinghe’s journey in 1960 form Cylon (as it was known at the time) to Cambridge as Hoyle’s Phd student.
  • His personal recollections of Fred Hoyle (initially his Phd supervisor and later collaborator) and Arthur C Clarke, who had made Cylon his home in the late 1950s.
  • His views on how the research on Panspermia has developed and where it stands today

https://media.blubrry.com/astrotalkuk_podcast_feed/p/astrotalkuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Episode-92-Wickramasingha.mp3

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  • Prof. Fred Hoyle 1962
  • Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe 1978
  • Fred Hoyle and Wickramasinghe 1980
  • Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe 2001
  • Home-made telescope late 1950s
Pictures curtesy of Prof. Wickramasinghe

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Episode 69: Mars Orbiter Mission

By Gurbir Dated: November 18, 2014 Leave a Comment

Dr Mylswamy Annadurai is the program director for the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) launched in 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation. He served as the program director for the 2008  Chandrayaan-I mission to the Moon and is continuing that role for the Chandrayaan-2 currently in development.

ISROThis interview  was recorded in his office at   the ISRO’s Satellite Centre  in Bangalore on 26th March 2014 after MOM had been launched but before it had arrived at Mars.

 

 

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India’s Mars Orbiter Mission

By Gurbir Dated: November 5, 2013 Leave a Comment

Mars Orbiter Mission - Photo - ISRO
Mars Orbiter Mission – Photo – ISRO

India launched its Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) with its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) launcher and everything, including the weather, performed as expected. The 1340KM Mars bound probe with a 15km  package of five science instruments will arrive at Mars in December next year.

Currently MOM is in Earth orbit where it will remain for another week.  Why? Because the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is still working on its more powerful launcher the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) so had to use the less powerful but extremely reliable PSLV. Hence the modest science package and the requirement of six orbits of Earth for gravity assist.    Several engine firings  on  November 6, 7, 8, 9 and  11 are required, each one  increasing MOM’s speed. A final burn on 16th November will finally supply it the speed it needs to reach Mars. With another critical engine burn is required for arrival in Martian orbit on 1st of December. If that burn, almost a year from now fails, MOM will fly past Mars and be lost in space.

India’s space program was founded almost 50 years ago on the principle that space technology is an essential instrument for national development. Although commercial, military and scientific elements have since crept in, improving the quality of life for the huge Indian population, remains its primary objective.

ISRO has designated this as a technology demonstrator, India is building on the its Chandryaan-1 mission from 2008 but the engineering and technical challenges are an order of magnitude higher. ISRO was successful in reaching the Moon on its first attempt, it is hoping to do likewise with Mars.

Here is a 4 minute clip of my audio interview on Voice of Russia. I am introduced as a science journalist which of course I am not. 

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