Universe Today

June 23, 2009April 26, 2016 by Nancy Atkinson

Gemini VI

This photograph of the Gemini 7 spacecraft was taken from the hatch window of the Gemini 6 spacecraft during rendezvous and station keeping maneuvers at an altitude of approximately 160 miles on December 15, 1965. Credit: NASA

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Gemini VI ended up launching after Gemini VII, making it the fifth manned mission of Project Gemini. The astronauts on board were Walter M. Schirra Jr., Commander and Thomas P. Stafford, Pilot.

The mission launched on Dec. 15, 1965 at 8:37 am EST, and the two-man capsule reached at altitude of 311.3km. The crew made 16 orbits and their flight lasted 1 Day, 1 hour, 51 min, 24 seconds.

The crew of Gemini VI, Stafford and Schirra. Credit: NASA

The original flight plan called for the Gemini VI to rendezvous with an Agena target vehicle in space to test out rendezvous and docking procedures. However the Agena launched on October 25 blew up on the way to orbit. After much discussion, NASA decided to launch Gemini VII first and have Gemini VI rendezvous the Gemini VII spacecraft. This required a quick one week turnaround of the launch pad, something NASA had never done before.

Gemini VII launched on Dec. 4, 1965 but the first launch attempt for Gemini VI on Dec. 12 was aborted, as the Titan II rocket ignited and then shut down a second later. As commander, Schirra had the option of ejecting the crew to safety, but he waited it out and did not pull the abort handles. That decision allowed a quick second launch attempt on Dec. 15 that went perfectly.

The primary objective was to rendezvous with Gemini-VII, which was accomplished successfully, making it the first manned rendezvous controlled entirely by the self-contained, on-board guidance, control, and navigation system. This system provided the crew of Gemini 6 with attitude, thrusting, and time information needed for them to control the spacecraft during the rendezvous. The two spacecraft came within 16 meters.

Secondary objectives were to stationkeep with Gemini VII, conduct visibility tests for rendezvous and evaluate reentry guidance capability. The crew had three planned experiments, but the Radiation in Spacecraft experiment was unable to be done because stationkeeping with Gemini VII interfered with it.

Gemini VI splashed down on December 16, 1965, landing at 23 degrees 35 minutes North and 67 degrees 50 minutes West, missing its target landing location by only 12.9 km. The crew was recovered by the USS Wasp, which had the crew onboard in 66 minutes.

NASA’s Gemini VI history page.

More images from Gemini VI.

June 23, 2009December 24, 2015 by Mark Mortimer

Book Review: Observing the Night Sky with Binoculars

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With warmer weather returning to the Earth’s northern hemisphere, we can again venture forth under the night sky for pleasant star gazing. If you’re just beginning this pastime and are planning to rely upon binoculars, then you should also consider Stephen O’Meara’s book, “Observing the Night Sky with Binoculars – A Simple Guide to the Heavens“. It will have you comfortably cruising the night’s starry sphere in no time with its straightforward techniques and handy mnemonics.

In a simple but effective layout, the book starts by providing background information. In particular, it has details on what’s good to look for and how to find it. Whether bright stars and variable stars, pink stars and blue stars, or galaxies and clusters, it gives the reader a set of distinctive parameters. Then, by describing the use of averted eyes, star charts and monthly calendars, it prepares the reader for getting the most from their night time sleuthing.

After this brief baselining, the book settles in to a monthly-specific rendition of what’s exciting and where to find it. Without getting hung up on whether a constellation, asterism or sign of the zodiac, it prepares the reader for locating common stellar appearances that occur in the mid-northern latitudes. Then, as if to urge on the reader, the text adds some star lore like the T Coronae Borealis being a recurring novae that flared in 1866 and 1946. And for those less inclined to the physical particulars, the text also includes artistic and historical pieces. Many snippets of related poetry begin chapters and epic Greek stories illustrate how star patterns influenced early cultures. Thus, each month broadens the reader’s understanding of night time skies and their knowledge of sky’s influence in earlier ages.

Also, clear illustrations appear throughout. Most drawings have an angular scale (i.e. one fist being about 10 degrees) for the reader to get their bearing. And, traces on photographic images should aid the reader to make order of what can be a very daunting, busy night time scene. Given these and the book’s focus upon having the reader enjoy their viewing time should prove an effective enticement for anyone rousing from a long winter’s nap.

So, don’t dismiss that little spark of interest when newly seeing a bright star in the evening sky. Grab binoculars and Stephen O’Meara’s book, ‘”Observing the Night Sky with Binoculars – A Simple Guide to the Heavens” to begin an adventure exploring an unlimited realm.

June 23, 2009April 26, 2016 by Nancy Atkinson

Buzz Aldrin Raps with Snoop Dog About Apollo 11

Buzz Aldrin and Snoop Dog. Credit: FunnyorDie.com

Some things you just have to see to believe. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin recently cut a hip-hop song along with rappers Snoop Dogg and Talib Kweli. The website Funny Or Die has the music video of the song, “Rocket Experience. They also have the “making of” video of Buzz’s song. Quincy Jones and Soulja Boy also make appearances. It’s fun to watch, and Buzz really lets it all hang out – he’s a very cool dude! And let’s face it, everyone wants to see Buzz Aldrin rapping about traveling in space, right? My favorite part is when Buzz is rapping while standing next to the famous cardboard cut-out of him standing on the Moon. (I have one of those…) Enjoy the video!

Also available: Download the song “Rocket Experience” on iTunes. A portion of the proceeds from the song sales of” Rocket Experience” will go to ShareSpace Foundation, to further benefit and support the work of the National Space Society, the Planetary Society and the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.

June 23, 2009December 24, 2015 by aalla

Continental Drift Theory

In elementary school, every teacher had one of those pull-down maps of the world to teach geography. On occasion, I thought the largest land masses, known as continents, reminded me of pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. They just seemed like they should fit together, somehow. Not until I took Earth Science, in 8TH grade, did I discover my earlier idea was correct. My teacher explained about a phenomenon, known as, The Continental Drift Theory. He said that some German had the same idea I did.

The man my teacher mentioned, Alfred Wegener (Vay gen ner), developed The Continental Drift Theory in 1915. He was a meteorolgist and a geologist. His theory basically said that, at one time, there existed one large supercontinent, called, Pangea, pan, meaning all-encompassing, and, gea, meaning the Earth. He went on to suggest that, seismic activity, such as erthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis, also called tidal waves, eventually created fissures, or cracks in the Earth. As these fissures became larger, longer, and deeper, 7 pieces of Pangea broke off and, over time, drifted to the places where they are now. These 7 large pieces of land are what we now call, continents. They are: North America; South America; Europe; Asia; Africa; Antarctica; and, Australia. Some people refer to the country as Australia, and the continent as, Oceania. They do this because there are other countries, such as New Zealand, included as a part of that particular continent.

At the time, people thought Wegener was, well, “nuts.” Only in the 1950s did people begin to take his idea seriously. According to the United States Geological Survey (the USGS), thanks to the use of the submarine and the technology developed during World War II, scientists learned a lot about the Ocean Floor. When they found out that it was not as old as the Crust, or Surface, of the Earth, sicentists had to ask themselves, “Why?”

The answers have to do with earthquakes, volcanoes, and magnetism. When the Earth cracks, molten magma, from the middle of the Earth, known as the Mantle, works its way to the surface, where it becomes known as, lava. That lava melts away some of the older layers; then, when the water cools that lava, it forms a new layer of Earth. For that reason, if scientists tried to determine the age of the Earth from samples taken from the Ocean Floor, they would be very wrong.

That same equipment also helped scientists recognize that heavy amounts of basalt, a volcanic rock that contains high amounts of iron, could throw compasses off course. This information provided one more pieces to the puzzle. Now, scientists recognize that the North and South Poles were not always where they currently are.

The Earth changes every day. Although we might not notice it, the continents move all the time. We don’t only revolve, or spin, around the Sun. We also drift across the surface of the planet.

The United States Geological Survey has some excellent information on this topic.

University Today has some other fabulous material about this and related topics, including Earth, Barely Habitable?, by Fraser Cain begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting, and Interesting Facts About Planet Earth.

You can also read or listen to Episode 51: Earth, of Astronomy Cast, also produced by Universe Today.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_drift
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/wegener.html
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/historical.html

June 23, 2009December 24, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

LRO Successfully In Lunar Orbit; LCROSS Provides Flyby Video

LCROSS flyby video capture. Credit: NASA

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The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter fired its braking thrusters for 40 minutes early today, successfully inserting the spacecraft into orbit around the Moon. Over the next several days, LRO’s instruments will be turned on and its orbit will be fine-tuned. Then LRO will begin its primary mission of mapping the lunar surface to find future landing sites and searching for resources that would make possible a permanent human presence on the moon. Also, early Tuesday, the companion mission Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) sent back live video as it flew 9,000 km above the Moon, as it enters its elongated Earth orbit, which will bring it on course to impact the Moon’s south pole in October.

The two spacecraft reached the Moon four-and-a-half days after launch. LRO’s rocket firing began around 9:20 GMT (5:47 a.m. EDT) and ended at 10:27 GME (6:27 a.m. EDT), putting the spacecraft into an orbit tilted 30 degrees from the moon’s poles with a low point of 218 km (136 miles) and a high point of 3,000 km (1,926 miles). Over the next five days, additional rocket firings will put the spacecraft into the correct orbit for making its observations for the prime mission, which lasts a year — a polar orbit of about 31 miles, or 50 kilometers, the closest any spacecraft has orbited the moon.

Meanwhile, at 12:20 GMT (8:20 EDT) on Tuesday, LCROSS made a relatively close flyby of the Moon, sending back live streaming video. Watch the replay here.

LCROSS on its way to impact. Credit: NASA

LCROSS is now in its “cruise phase” and will be monitored by the mission operations team. During the flyby, the science team was able to obtain the data needed to focus and adjust the cameras and spectrometers correctly for impact.

LCROSS will never actually be lunar orbit, but is working its way to an elongated Earth orbit which will eventually bring it to the correct orientation for meeting up with the south pole of the Moon later this year. LCROSS will search for water ice on the moon by sending the spent upper-stage Centaur rocket to impact part of a polar crater in permanent shadows. The LCROSS spacecraft will fly into the plume of dust left by the impact and measure the properties before also colliding with the lunar surface.

June 23, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Kid’s Astronomy: Bootes – The Ancient Herdsman

Hey, kids! Are you ready to spend another warm, northern summer evening out under the stars? Then perhaps you’d like to introduce yourself to the Celestial Farmer and his family. Before the Moon comes back and steals away our dark skies, begin when night falls and watch overhead for the appearance of a bright, orange-looking star. Congratulations! You’ve just found Arcturus and you’re on your way to learning our next constellation lesson. Now, sit back and listen to the voice of the wind and the night as it tells you a story…

“Some say that Bootes is the most ancient constellation in the sky, yet no one is quite sure where his legend came from. The set of stars that marks the ancient herdsman has played a role in many cultures and one of its first written histories belongs to “The Odyssey” – an epic poem by Homer written almost three hundred years ago. As a herdsman, he is accompanied by his working dogs, Asterion and Chara, who form the northern constellation of Canes Venatici. They are accompanied by the bright orange star called Arcturus, whose ancient name “Arktos” meant watcher of the bear. One legend says that egend says that Bootes was the son of Zeus and Callisto. Hera changed Callisto into a bear who was almost killed by Bootes when he was out hunting. Luckily, she was rescued by Zeus and he took her into the sky where she is now Ursa Major, the Great Bear.”

Another myth says Bootes was the son of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. Supposedly he was placed among the stars for inventing the plow. It is also said that Bootes was a grandfather of Virgo, the goddess of the wheat or corn. Not far from the beautiful, bright, blue-white star that marks her crown is one of the most famous galaxies of all – the Sombrero. Perhaps it was Bootes who rescued the beautiful hair of Queen Berenices and placed it in the sky? After all, she gave up her long and lovely locks to see the safe return of her husband from war.”

“The Romans called Bootes the Herdsman of the Septemtriones, that is, of the seven oxen represented by the seven stars of the Big Dipper, yet he is also associated with the constellation of Hercules, too. The ancient Greeks saw Hercules as a shepherd of great strength and a son to Bootes. He is most often pictured with a lion skin slung about his shoulders and holding an upraised club as he guards his flocks.”

We hope you had a wonderful time identifying these new constellations, but don’t go too far away… Because you’re about to learn some more!

Our awesome images are: Bootes map courtesy of Windows to the Universe, constellation chart courtesy History of Science Collections, University of Oklahoma Libraries, Bootes Uranometria, Virgo Image by Johfra Bosschart and Hercules Uranometria. We thank you!

June 22, 2009December 29, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Carnival of Space #108 — Solstice Edition!

This week’s Carnival of Space is hosted by Ethan Siegal at Starts With a Bang.

Click here to read the Carnival of Space #108.

And if you’re interested in looking back, here’s an archive to all the past Carnivals of Space. If you’ve got a space-related blog, you should really join the carnival. Just email an entry to [email protected], and the next host will link to it. It will help get awareness out there about your writing, help you meet others in the space community – and community is what blogging is all about. And if you really want to help out, let Fraser know if you can be a host, and he’ll schedule you into the calendar.

Finally, if you run a space-related blog, please post a link to the Carnival of Space. Help us get the word out.

June 22, 2009April 26, 2016 by Nancy Atkinson

Gemini IV

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The second mission of Project Gemini was Gemini IV. The mission launched on June 3, 1965 at 10:15 am local time, from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The two astronauts on board were James A. McDivit, Commander and Edward H. White II, Pilot.

A Titan rocket boosted the Gemini capsule to an altitude of 296.1 km. McDivit and White made 62 orbits, and the duration of their flight was 4 Days, 1 hour, 56 min, 12 seconds. The Gemini spacecraft weighed 3574kg.

The highlight of the mission was an EVA (extra vehicular activity) by Ed White, where he climbed out of the spacecraft and while tethered, floated for 23 minutes, not nearly long enough for White. He later said the spacewalk was the most comfortable part of the mission, and said the order to end it was the “saddest moment” of his life.

White was attached to the capsule by a 25 foot umbilical cord. He initially used a gas powered gun held in his hand to maneuver. After the first three minutes the fuel ran out and White moved around by twisting his body and pulling on the cord.

The other main objectives of the mission were to evaluate the effects of prolonged space flight which included checking out the performance of a spacecraft during a four-day mission, and evaluating the procedures for crew rest and work cycles, eating schedules, and realtime flight planning.

Secondary objectives included attempting to stationkeep and rendezvous with second stage of Gemini Launch Vehicle and perform 11 experiments.

All the primary objectives were achieved except one: computer controlled reentry was not able to be used because of inadvertent alteration of computer memory. All secondary objectives were met except that due to excess fuel consumption, all the stationkeeping and rendezvous maneuvers were not able to be done.

Gemini IV splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean on June 7, 1965 27 degrees 44 minutes North and 74 degrees 11minutes West, about 81.4km from attempted landing zone.

More images from Gemini IV

NASA’s history page on Gemini IV

June 22, 2009April 26, 2016 by Abby Cessna

Life on Other Planets

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For centuries, men have pondered the possibility of life on other planets and tried to prove its existence. Even before the first shuttle or probe was launched, stories of life on other planets and life invading our own planet, were published prolifically. Whether it’s a desire to connect with others or a burning curiosity to know whether we are truly alone, the question of life on other planets fascinates people from every walk of life.

An article on extraterrestrial life would not be complete without discussing Mars. Mars has been the biggest focus of the ongoing search for life on other planets for decades. This is not just a wild assumption or fancy; there are several reasons why scientists consider Mars the best place to look for extraterrestrial life. One reason why many people, including scientists, look to Mars as a possible source of life is because they believe there may be water on the planet. Since the telescope was first invented, astronomers have been able to see the channels in the terrain that look like canals or canyons. Finding water on a planet is vitally important to proving that life exists there because it acts as a solvent in chemical reactions for carbon-based life.

Another reason astronomers consider Mars as a likely location for life is because there is a good possibility that Mars is in the habitable zone. The habitable zone is a theoretical band of space a certain distance from the Sun in which conditions are optimal for the existence of carbon-based life. Unsurprisingly, Earth is in the middle of the habitable zone. Although astronomers do not know how far this zone could extend, some think that Mars could be in it.

Most astronomers are looking for life that is carbon-based and similar to life on Earth. For instance, the habitable zone only applies to favorable conditions for supporting carbon-based life, and it is definitely possible for forms of life that do not need water to exist.

Astronomers do not limit themselves to our Solar System either, suggesting that we should look at different solar systems. Scientists are planning to use interferometry–an investigative technique that implements lasers, which is used in astronomy as well as other fields– to find planets in the habitable zones of other solar systems. Astronomers believe that there are hundreds of solar systems and thousands of planets, which means that statistically the odds are favorable for finding another planet that supports life. While NASA develops better probes, the search for life continues.

There are a number of sites with more information including life on other planets from Groninger Kapteyn Institute astronomy students and NASA predicts non-green plants on other planets from NASA.

Universe Today has a number of articles concerning life on other planets including searching for life on non-Earth like planets and single species ecosystem gives hope for life on other planets.

Take a look at this podcast from Astronomy Cast on the search for water on Mars.

June 22, 2009December 24, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Watch Live Streaming Video From LCROSS Lunar Swingby Tuesday

Graphic showing LCROSS's orbit. Credit: NASA

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On Tuesday morning, the LCROSS spacecraft will fly by the Moon only 9,000 km above the lunar surface and send back live streaming video for about an hour. This relatively close encounter with the Moon, will help put LCROSS in the correct position to impact the lunar surface in October. LCROSS will never actually be lunar orbit, but is working its way to an elongated Earth orbit which will eventually bring it to the correct orientation for meeting up with the south pole of the Moon later this year. LCROSS will search for water ice on the moon by sending the spent upper-stage Centaur rocket to impact part of a polar crater in permanent shadows. The LCROSS spacecraft will fly into the plume of dust left by the impact and measure the properties before also colliding with the lunar surface. Live video streaming of the flyby begins at approximately 12:20 GMT (8:20 EDT) on Tuesday, June 23, 2009. Click here to watch.

The LCROSS instrumentation will send back data to Earth for approximately one hour. The first 30 minutes will contain a view of the lunar surface from an altitude of approximately 9,000 km. The video feed is set to display one frame per second. During the latter 30 minutes, the spacecraft will perform multiple scans of the moon’s horizon to calibrate its sensors. During this latter half hour, the video image will update only occasionally. The 3D visualization stream will show the spacecraft position and attitude throughout the swingby.

Watch this video of the LCROSS mission overview.

Source: LCROSS