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Episode 39: March 19th 2011: Spacecraft Operations

By Gurbir Dated: March 19, 2011 Leave a Comment

Scroll to the bottom for the audio and video.

Since the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, thousands of unmanned spacecraft have been launched, mostly to Earth orbit, but many have gone to the inner and outer planets, and four of them have pretty much left the Solar System altogether.

European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft arrived at Mars in 2003 and is still operating almost a decade later. It is operated by people in a profession initiated by the space age itself. Spacecraft Operations Engineers are the individuals who quietly take over the responsibility of spacecraft after the nerve wrenching excitement of the launch is over.

Thomas Ormston, a Spacecraft Operations Engineer for VEGA Space GmbH, working at the European Space Operations Centre on the European Space agency’s Mars Express mission describes in this episode the steps involved in controlling Mars Express from over one hundred million miles from Earth.

The Hubble Space Telescope is the single instrument that has probably contributed more to science in the last decade than any other. Its success is not the size of its 2.4m mirror, there are many larger telescopes on Earth but its location.

Many amateur astronomers have captured images of Mars using a webcam. Such images are usually tiny but with integration techniques a surprising amount of surface details is visible. What would it be like if you could put that webcam in Martian orbit? Thomas and his colleagues have done just that.

Several ESA spacecraft have an attached Visual Monitoring Cameras (VMC),  usually installed for a very specific purpose. Mars Express had one to monitor the release of Beagle 2, after that it was switched off. Thomas describes the details behind the project that reactivated the camera in a paper published online and the fascinating video compiled from 600 images taken by the VMC webcam during the 7 hour Martian orbit on 27th May 2010. It continues to take images which are posted here.

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Today’s quote from John Lennon is about the critical importance of the role of human understanding in interpreting the real world, even when you have all the evidence that you could possible desire.

Reality leaves a lot to the imagination

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Audio

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Episode 39: March 19th 2011 – Spacecraft Operations from AstrotalkUK on Vimeo.

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Apollo astronaut in UK

By Gurbir Dated: March 9, 2011 Leave a Comment

Last year it was Dr Edgar Mitchell from Apollo 14 – video here.  This spring, Ken Willoughby has arranged  Captain Dick Gordon to visit Pontefract. Dick Gordon flew on Gemini 11 and Apollo 12. Details of Dinner and Lecture below. Click here to download the flyer.

Dinner – £60

Thursday, March 31, 2011; 7:30 PM

Wentbridge House Hotel,

Pontefract, WF8 3JJ

 

Lecture – £30 (Under 16’s = £15)

Friday, April 1, 2011; 7:30 PM

St. Wilfrid’s Catholic High School,

Cutsyke Road, Featherstone, West Yorkshire,WF7 6BD

Ultimate Combo Package – £85

Dinner AND Lecture and includes:

  • ASF Silent Auction of Space Memorabilia
  • Access to ASF Astronaut Store Mega Sale
  • FREE Professional Photo Op with Gordon
  • FREE Gordon Autograph on Professional Photo

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Episode 38: January 23rd 2011: Want to be an Astronaut? Book a ticket online

By Gurbir Dated: January 26, 2011 2 Comments

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Going in to space was nothing more than a dream for many of us for such a long time. But things are changing profoundly and fast. Once human spaceflight was only possible as part of a national government project. Then a decade ago Denis Tito (on 28th April 2001) became the first self funding astronaut by signing a cheque for $20 million.

Now in 2011, Spaceflight has never been easier or cheaper. Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic has now brought the price down to $200,000 for a brief suborbital flight. Imagine spaceflight for the price less than that of a small house in London. In the year that marks the 50th anniversary of human spaceflight, it is about time isn’t it?

A familiar name in the astronomical community, Nigel Henbest a writer, broadcaster and television producer took a not too deep breath and signed on the dotted line and is now on the road to his space experience in the next year or two.

As the private sector develops  perhaps the commercial spaceflight market will experience the same rapid innovation and price reduction we  saw in the personal computer market. Is it too speculative to imagine that within a few years the price of a sub orbital flight will come down perhaps to that of a family car?

In this episode Nigel, talks about why he wants to go in to space and the steps involved in the process of getting there.  Nigel has written about his flight here and to see a high resolution image of the huge Virgin Galactic brochure click the image.

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This episode’s quote

You see things and say why? But I dream things that never were and say why not?
George Bernard Shaw

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BBC Stargazing Live

By Gurbir Dated: January 5, 2011 Leave a Comment

5/1/2011: Today is the last of the  hour long “Stargazing Live”  programs on BBC2 at 8pm with a comic Dara O Briain and a scientist Professor Brian Cox. But it is not over today!  Events continue until at least 16th January nationwide – See bbc.co.uk/stargazing.

Free tonight and in the northwest? Pop down at about 8pm to  Manchester Astronomical Society or Salford Astronomical Society’s observatory and stargaze in person  (record the program and watch it later).

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