In this issue of SpaceTides

Dear SpaceTides subscribers

We can take a sigh of relief after the Shuttle Discovery landed safely on Earth.  Much depended on the mission's success: not only the future of the Shuttle program but also the construction progress of the International Space Station. The success did come at a price though: hundreds of millions of dollars were spent on making the shuttle safe, which lifted a few skeptical eyebrows. The viability of the Shuttle is now very much in dispute - should NASA continue to spend all these dollars on a (probably obsolete) Shuttle, or should they rather have started working on a replacement a long time ago?

In other news: the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been launched! This satellite carries highly sophisticated equipment and I think we can look forward to more interesting finds about Mars in the years to come...

Gerrit Penning
Editor

Total subscribers as at 18 August 2005: 262 (+49 from previous issue, no. 33)

1. Spaceflight news from around the world

Digitally rendered picture: MRO. NASA/JPL

 
Launch vehicle of the MRO. NASA/KSC

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launched
From JPL News release:   August 12, 2005

The much anticipated launch of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took place on 12 August 2005, putting the satellite on a 7 month journey to the mysterious red planet. The craft will focus on Mars using state of the art equipment and also assist future landers.

The orbiter is any gadget-man's dream machine: it carries six highly advanced scientific instruments for examining Mars's surface, atmosphere and subsurface in extreme detail from low orbit. According to the JPL website (link below), "its high-resolution camera will reveal surface features as small as a dishwasher. NASA expects to get several times more data about Mars from the orbiter than from all previous Martian missions combined."

The orbiter's studies will also include research on past water distribution on Mars and climate changes and will further assist in helping to answer the question whether Mars ever supported life or not.

MRO Homepage: www.nasa.gov/mro

Information obtained from:
www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2005-133
 

Discovery on runway. NASA/Carla Thomas



The International Space Station in August 2005 - NASA

Discovery Returns to Earth
From STS-114 MCC Status Report #28, NASA, August 9, 2005

The Space Shuttle takes on many forms during a standard mission. It launches like a rocket, ferries astronauts to space like a shuttle craft, orbits the Earth while in space like a satellite, returns to Earth like a glider and lands like an aircraft.

On August 9, 2005, Shuttle Discovery glided into Edwards Air Force Base in California, completing a successful mission to the International Space Station.

Thunderstorms at the primary landing site in Florida resulted in Discovery having to land at its Californian landing site. It will now have to be piggy-backed on one of NASA's special Boeing 747 transporter planes for a return flight to its homebase, the Kennedy Space Centre.

Astronauts Noguchi and Robinson did three successful spacewalks at the International Space Station and Discovery transported tons of equipment and supplies to and from the Station.


Information obtained from: www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/news/STS-114-28.html
More pictures, follow archive link from: www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/index.html

2. Astronomy news from around the world

Find high resolution images at: Hubble Heritage Site - 2005/20 Information from: Hubble Heritage Site

Image credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Another exquisite photo of galaxies taken by Hubble

(news release on 4 August 2005)

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope gazed deep into the Universe and captured another mind-boggling view of distant galaxies. The galaxies visible on this composite image are within the same tiny region of space and contains a variety of different galaxies with different characteristics.

The light coming from these galaxies started their journey billions of years ago. Here Hubble is looking billions of years back into the past! The image represents a typical view of our distant universe. Spiral galaxies, barred spirals, ellipticals and other exotic galaxies are all visible in this tiny area of the sky.

The image took nearly 40 hours to complete and is one of the longest exposures ever taken by Hubble.

3. Interesting Space Facts

- Space Shuttle: Each of the three Space Shuttle orbiters now in operation - Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour is designed to fly at least 100 missions. So far they have flown a combined total of less than one-fourth of that. http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/system/system_STS.html

- The Hubble Space Telescope: NASA named the world's first space-based optical telescope after American astronomer Edwin P. Hubble (1889-1953). Dr. Hubble confirmed an "expanding" universe, which provided the foundation for the Big Bang theory. http://hubblesite.org/reference_desk/facts_.and._figures/quick_facts/

- The atmosphere of Mars is composed primarily of carbon dioxide with small amounts of other gases.  Its air contains only about 1/1,000 as much water as Earth's, but even this small amount can condense out to form swirling clouds. http://www.solarviews.com/eng/mars.htm

 - We live in a giant spiral galaxy, called the Milky Way Galaxy. It is about 100,000 light-years in diameter (light takes 100,000 years to move from the one side to the other). Our Sun is about two thirds from the centre. Two dwarf galaxies ("satellites" of the Milky Way), are called the Small Magellanic and Large Magellanic Clouds and can be seen with the naked eye in the southern hemisphere. The nearest large spiral to the Milky Way Galaxy is called the Andromeda Galaxy and is about 2.2 million light-years away! The Andromeda Galaxy is the farthest object that you can see with your naked eye - being just above the evening's northern horizon in spring to early summer for its southern hemisphere observers.

4. Space Questions

Are there planets around other stars?

In our Milky Way Galaxy alone there are about 200 to 400 billion stars (compare that to 6.3 billion people on Earth...)  There are billions of galaxies in the Universe, each containing many billions of stars. Trillions of planets may orbit around these stars. In fact, astronomers have already discovered 155 such planets as at 13 June 2005. These planets are called "exoplanets". www.exoplanets.org
All those discovered thus far are believed to be huge gas planets like Jupiter and Saturn. Improved technology (including even orbital telescopes) will have to be used to detect rocky earth-like planets.  Image at left: Artist's impression - Art of Greg Martin

Rocket launch, NASA EED

How fast must an object move to escape the Earth's gravitational pull?

For an object to be able to escape the Earth's gravitational pull (e.g. a rocket), it must be moving at or above the Earth's escape velocity. Escape velocity is the speed an object needs to achieve to escape the gravitational pull of another object. Earth's escape velocity is about 11 km/s. If a cricket batsman can hit a ball so hard that it moves at an unrestricted 11 km/s through the atmosphere, the ball should be able to enter an orbit around the Earth.  A black hole for instance, is an object so compact that, within a certain distance of it, even the speed of light is not fast enough to overcome its escape velocity! Info from:  http://hubblesite.org/reference_desk/faq/answer.php.id=60&cat=exotic

5. Sky Observation Log

Left: The planet Jupiter, image compiled from various stacked photos taken with an LPI Imager. Credit: Shaun Twigge, ASSA Bloemfontein Centre.

Planets in the evening, a planet in the morning

Shining brightly in the evening sky (August 2005) is the planet Venus  near the western horizon during and just after sunset (you cannot miss it!). Venus is also referred to as the "evening star" or "morning star". It is though, not a star at all, but the planet second farthest from the Sun. Telescope owners can even attempt to observe the "phases" of Venus.
Just to the north-east ("upper right") of Venus, is the largest planet in our solar system, namely Jupiter (see image at left). Jupiter is currently situated in the constellation of Virgo, between the stars alpha and gamma Virginis (Spica and Porrima).
Shining brightly in Aries is the planet Mars. Mars fills the morning sky with its peculiar red colour and cannot be missed. For the early birds: have a look outside and see if you can catch a glimpse of Mars!

6. Astronomy in Southern Africa

Go to HartRAO's website at:
http://www.hartrao.ac.za/

Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory

The Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) is located to the west of Johannesburg in a valley in the Magaliesberg hills. It operates under the auspices of the National Research Foundation (NRF).

It is the only major radio astronomy observatory in Africa.  It began as Deep Space Station 51, built in 1961 by NASA. The station tracked many unmanned US space probes. The station was handed over to the CSIR in 1975 and was converted to a radio astronomy observatory.  The main reflecting surface of the telescope is 26 metres in diameter (left) and the installation weighs 260 tons.

7. Astronomy Events in the City of Bloemfontein

Explore Boyden Observatory:  www.assabfn.co.za/friendsofboyden/explore.htm
One of the most publicly accessible observatories of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, also housing SA's third largest telescope.  The next open evening is on 10 September 2005 (Saturday). To arrange group visits to the Observatory, phone Dr. Matie Hoffman at 051-401 2924 for more information, or send an e-mail to him at: HoffmaMJ.SCI@mail.uovs.ac.za

The Friends of Boyden:  www.assabfn.co.za/friendsofboyden
A public interest group for Boyden Observatory and for people interested in joining the astronomical community of  Bloemfontein, but not make astronomy their "full-time" hobby.  Next Friends of Boyden meeting: Saturday, 20 August 2005. Phone 084 429 9080 for more information.

Contact Braam van Zyl at 051-436 7555 (h) or visit the website above for more information regarding the Friends. Anyone can become a member. R50 membership fee per year for a whole family. Members receive the latest information on astronomy events in Bloem, attend the Friends' presentations free of charge and receive the "Naghemel" quarterly newsletter compiled by ASSA Bloemfontein by post.

ASSA Bloemfontein Centre:  www.assabfn.co.za
Affiliated with the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa, the Bloemfontein Centre of ASSA is an active organization of amateur astronomers meeting on a regular basis to discuss and practise astronomy. Activities include solar-, lunar-, deep sky- and comet & meteor observations, as well as historical research, telescope building, tours and away-weekends under dark skies. Send an e-mail to mail@assabfn.co.za or visit the website. Interested persons can also contact Phillip Coetzer: 084 627 7626.

8. Web links & Net nodes

• Space Links:

- MSSS: http://www.msss.com/ - Malin Space Science Systems website where you can find loads of Mars photos.
- Astronomy Picture of the Day: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html - one of the most famous astronomy webpages on the internet...
- Digital Blasphemy Top 10: http://www.digitalblasphemy.com/top10.shtml - exquisite 3D rendered images, which includes a few eye-catching astronomy pictures.

- SEDS Space Images Archive:  http://www.seds.org/images/ - huge amount of space pictures.
- Astronomy - Free Software: http://freeware.intrastar.net/astronmy.htm - database of astronomy related software programs.

• Other links/news on the web:

- World Standards:  http://users.pandora.be/worldstandards/index.htm - a fascinating website which looks at the importance of standardization in an ever increasing globalized world. It is also edutaining and fun, loaded with interesting facts and information!
- The Gamer Generation: http://www.tmtd.biz/2005/07/15/the-gamer-generation/#more-262 - can companies perhaps get a competitve advantage by specifically employing a few star computer gamers? A topic increasingly being researched...
- World Wide Words:  http://www.worldwidewords.org/index.htm - Now THIS is impressive. International English from a British perspective...
- Guinness World Records: http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/index.asp - the name says it all.
- Hybrid Cars: http://www.hybridcars.com/ - Hybrid cars are quickly becoming affordable by the man on the street. A boon for the environment.

- Do you talk to your plants? Thought not. More on this Ask Yahoo webpage.
- Have you considered taking out insurance against being abducted by an alien? I hope so... http://www.sir-huckleberry-ins.com/ng/p-al-e.php3?coop=