Universe Today

April 22, 2008December 24, 2015 by Ian O'Neill

Soyuz Capsule Hatch Nearly Burned Up and Crew’s Lives Were on a “Razor’s Edge”

The blackened Soyuz descent capsule after re-entry (BBC)

First, Russian space officials tried to cover up the emergency landing of the Soyuz descent capsule on Saturday. Then they blamed the crew for changing their flight plan without communicating with mission control. Compounding the problem, an official cited a bad omen as a contributing factor to the hard landing. Within a couple of days, the truth behind the Soyuz “ballistic re-entry” began to come to light. Today, even more shocking revelations are being reported, including how the escape hatch nearly failed during the uncontrolled, fiery re-entry…

On Sunday, the Universe Today reported on the off-target landing of the Russian Soyuz descent capsule carrying South Korea’s first astronaut, Yi So-yeon, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and NASA record breaker (for most time spent in space) American Peggy Whitson back from the International Space Station (ISS). The capsule had landed short of its intended target, 20 minutes behind schedule. The authorities later blamed the mishap on a change in flight plan and suggested the crew were to blame. Then, surprisingly, Federal Space Agency chief Anatoly Perminov placed some of the blame on the female dominant crew, saying women on board space missions were bad luck.

Yesterday, I reported on some updates to the drama that had unfolded. Apparently, even before the rescue helicopters had located the capsule, the Russian space agency publicised the crew’s safe return, covering up the fact they had no idea where they were. What’s more, the helicopters had been sent to the wrong location, and it was by chance that the capsule’s parachutes were spotted. The capsule had landed in a zone reserved for emergency touch-downs and the crew suffered a “hard landing”. Not being able to send a signal to mission control, the crew remained upside down, strapped to their seats for 25 minutes. Malenchenko was able to unlatch himself to get outside to use a satellite phone. Some news agencies reported that the parachute had even caught alight and set the surrounding vegetation on fire.

Today, even more revelations have been reported. According to an unnamed Russian space official, the capsule had entered the atmosphere in an uncontrolled manner. Rather than the capsule’s heat shield taking the frictional re-entry burn, the escape hatch became exposed and bore the brunt of the high temperatures outside. The hatch sustained substantial damage. The antenna was also exposed to the heat, completely burning it up, explaining why the crew were unable to communicate with the ground. A valve that equalizes cabin with atmospheric pressure was also damaged.

“The fact that the entire crew ended up whole and undamaged is a great success. Everything could have turned out much worse. You could say the situation was on a razor’s edge.” – Anonymous Russian space official involved in the descent investigation.

Russian Federal Space Agency spokesman, Alexander Vorobyov, continued to downplay the series of events saying that antennae were regularly damaged during capsule re-entries. He rated Saturday’s event as a “3”, where “5” on the scale would be critical.

This troubled landing has naturally raised questions about the safety record of the Soyuz capsules currently being used. This is the second time in a row (and the third since 2003) that there have been serious problems during re-entry of Soyuz capsules. The official continued to say that there can be no guarantee that this will not happen again:

“Considering that this situation has repeated itself, it is obvious that the technological discipline in preparing space equipment for a flight is declining. There is no guarantee that the crew of a Soyuz spacecraft landing a half a year from now would not face the same difficulties.” – Anonymous Russian space official

During the confusion as to where the Soyuz capsule had landed, there are unconfirmed reports that the U.S. Defence Department tracked the off-target landing and pinpointed its location for Russian helicopters. NASA is reserving comment until the Russian Federal Space Agency finds the cause of the uncontrolled descent.

Investigators suspect that the ballistic re-entry was caused by an electrical short in the cable that connects the crew capsule’s control panel with the Soyuz descent hardware. A short circuit in this cable can automatically trigger the ballistic re-entry mode and there is little the crew could have done to prevent it.

Sources: The Associated Press, New Scientist

April 22, 2008December 24, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Will the Large Hadron Collider Destroy the Earth?

Question: Will the Large Hadron Collider Destroy the Earth?

Answer: No.

As you might have heard in the news recently, several people are suing to try and get the Large Hadron Collider project canceled. When it finally comes online, the LHC will be the largest, most powerful particle accelerator ever constructed.

If there’s something wrong with it, the LHC might have the power to damage itself, but it can’t do anything to the Earth, or the Universe in general.

There are two worries that people have: black holes and strange matter.

One of the goals of the Large Hadron Collider is to simulate microscopic black holes that might have been generated in the first few moments of the Big Bang. Some people are worried that these artificial black holes might get loose, and then consume the Earth from within, eventually moving on to destroy the Solar System.

The physicists are confident that any black holes they create will evaporate almost instantaneously into a shower of particles. In fact, the theories that predict that black holes can be created also predicts that black holes will evaporate. The two concepts go hand in hand.

The other worry is that the Large Hadron Collider will create a theorized material called strangelets. This “strange matter” would then be able to infect other matter, turning the entire planet into a blog of strange matter.

This strange matter is completely theoretical, and once again, the same theories that say it might be produced in the Large Hadron Collider also rule out any risks from it.

One of the most important considerations is the fact that the Moon is struck by high energy cosmic rays that dwarf the power of the Large Hadron Collider. They were likely blasted out of the environment around a supermassive black hole.

These have been raining down on the Moon for billions of years, and so far, it hasn’t turned into a black hole or strange matter.

You can read more about the Large Hadron Collider lawsuit here. Or how it might create wormholes, a view into other dimensions, or unparticles.

April 22, 2008December 24, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Why are Distant Galaxies Moving Away Faster?

Question: Why are more distant galaxies moving away faster?

Answer: As you know, the Universe is expanding after the Big Bang. That means that every part of the Universe was once crammed into a tiny spot smaller than a grain of sand. Then it began expanding, and here we are, 13.7 billion years later with a growing Universe.

The expansive force of dark energy is actually accelerating the expansion even faster. But we won’t bring that in to make things even more complex.

As we look out into the Universe, we see galaxies moving away from us faster and faster. The more distant a galaxy is, the more quickly it’s moving away.

To understand why this is happening, go and get a balloon (or blow one up in your mind). Once you’ve got it blown up a little, draw a bunch of dots on the surface of the balloon; some close and others much further away. Then blow up the balloon more and watch how the dots expand away from each other.

From the perspective of any one dot on the surface of the balloon, the nearby dots aren’t expanding away too quickly, maybe just a few centimeters. But the dots on the other side of the balloon are quite far away. It took the same amount of time for all the dots to change their positions, so the more distant dots appeared to be moving faster.

That’s how it works with the Universe. Because space itself is expanding, the more further a galaxy is, the faster it seems to be receding.

Thanks to Cassandra for the question.

April 22, 2008December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

What to Look at With Binoculars

Last week we gave you advice on how to choose a pair of binoculars for astronomy. This week we help you put them to use by viewing some great binocular astronomy targets. Now that the Moon is quickly leaving the early evening skies, we’re ready to begin. Just give yourself ample time to allow your eyes to dark adapt. No matter what size binoculars you have, or what your binocular astronomy experience may be, there are things I think you’ll enjoy viewing. All you’ll need to do is follow the instructions, wait for some clear skies and use the rough location binocular star charts provided. Remember, if you don’t have success the first time, try again! Now, if you’re ready, then dust off your optics and let’s step outside…

Binocular Astronomy Targets for Small Binoculars

For those using binoculars in the 5X25, 10X25, 5X30 and 10X30 range, there’s many cool objects that you can see. For now, lets start in the constellation of Cancer. For most observers, the Cancer is terribly dim and difficult to spot in light polluted skies – but it’s deep space objects aren’t. If you cannot locate Cancer’s primary stars visually, begin scanning the skies equidistantly between Gemini and Leo. Our first binocular object is seen as a hazy visual patch at a dark sky location and will leap out in small binoculars.

M44 – Galileo was one of the first to view this open star cluster with a visual aid. When you find it, you will know the “Beehive” because it is literally a swarm of stars! At about 577 light years distant and an estimated 730 million years old, this bright cluster averages a magnitude of 3.5 and will cover about 1/3 the field of view. While only about 20 or more stars will be readily visible to small aperature, the cluster contains more than 200 of the 350 stars in the area which have been confirmed as members.

Now, move the binoculars slowly southeast and you’ll spy our next target:

M67 – Discovered before 1779 by Johann Gottfried Koehler, the open cluster is one of the oldest known at 3.2 billion years. Charles Messier independently rediscovered M67, resolved it into stars, and cataloged it on April 6, 1780 and you can see why its faint signature could have been mistaken as cometary for small astronomy binoculars can’t quite resolve it either! Believe it or not, M67 is about the same age as our solar system and has about the same order of magnitude when seen from space. Enjoy its small, galaxy like appearance.

Time to head over to the Big Dipper and star our hunt for another two difficult to recognize constellations – Canes Venetici and Coma Berenices. Our two binocular targets in this area are also very bright, but not easy to find under bright skies. Using Ursa Major as your guide, follow the arc of the handle to the east for Arcturus. Got it? Good! Now look at the end of the handle again and you will see a faint star just a couple of fingerwidths away… That’s Cor Caroli. Move your binoculars between these two stars and our next target will smack you right in the eye…

M3 – Outstanding globular cluster M3 was discovered 1764 by Charles Messier and contains roughly a half million stars. It was Messier’s first original discovery and he logged it on May 3rd, 1764. If you’ve ever seen a comet, then you’ll know why this particular object closely resembles one. In smaller optics, you simply cannot resolve the stars in this 33,900 light year distant globular cluster. In small binoculars it will appear as nothing more than a small, round smudge… But what a smudge! It could be as big as 22 light years across and as old as 26 billion years.

Now begin moving south for another one… When the entire field of view explodes into stars? You’ve found it…

Melotte 111 – Is a real binocular beauty and belongs to a different study class of open clusters. First cataloged by Ptolemy and cataloged again by P.J. Melotte in 1915, these big, loose open clusters took a lot of study to prove the involved stars were truly associated. While apparently the Coma Berenices cluster is essentially “sitting still” in space from our perspective, it just leaves us a much longer time to enjoy this triple handful of bright stars.

Binocular Astronomy Targets for Large Binoculars

If you’re using binoculars that range into the 10X50 or larger size, then a whole new world of binocular astronomy opens up to you. While all of the above binocular targets are equally grand in your view as well, there’s even more waiting to be discovered. If you’re like I am, a challenge of my observing skills and equipment is always welcomed. That having been said, find some dark skies and head towards Leo. Just remember, as more binocular targets come into play, the more wide field star charts become crowded! Head for the area just south of the triangle that marks Leo’s hips…

M65, M66 and NGC 3628 – Depending on the field of view size of your binoculars, this trio of galaxies will be visible in about one third to one fourth of the area you see. Don’t expect them to walk right out, but don’t sell your binoculars short, either. The M65 and M66 pair have higher surface brightness and sufficient size to be noticed as two opposing faint smudges. NGC 3623 is spot on the same magnitude, but is edge on in presentation instead of face-on. This makes it a lot harder to spot, but chances are very good your averted vision will pick it up while studying the M65/66 pair. The “Leo Trio” makes for a fine challenge!

M105 – Now back to Leo’s belly and let’s find M105. Discovered by Pierre MÃ©chain on March 24, 1781, M105 is the brightest elliptical galaxy in the Leo I or M96 group of galaxies. Again, it’s a challenge object that requires good skies and decent binocular aperture to make out this egg-shaped contrast change. It you think it’s boring, the be sure to brag to the folks at work that your binoculars are capable of seeing something 38 million light years away!

M96 – Not more than a binocular field south, is M96 – the brightest spiral in the group. Pierre MÃ©chain discovered M96, together with M95, on March 20, 1781. While spiral structure is not something you’ll pick out as well in binoculars as a telescope, take your time when you view and you’ll notice the shape of M96 is far more round than that of M105 and that it won’t appear as condensed. If this challenge isn’t enough for you, see if you can spy M95 just to the west. It’s a magnitude fainter!

As always sky conditions play a great role as to what you can see and when. What appears to be a clear night might hold a fine layer of cloud haze that blocks you from seeing M44 unaided, or makes a galaxy harder to see when you know your binoculars are capable. Have patience, get plenty of practice and you’ll enjoy binocular astronomy just like a pro!

April 22, 2008December 24, 2015 by Fraser Cain

How Can Galaxies Recede Faster than the Speed of Light?

Question: How Can Galaxies Move Away Faster Than Speed of Light?

Answer: Einstein’s Theory of Relativity says that the speed of light – 300,000 km/s – is the maximum speed that anything can travel in the Universe. It requires more and more energy to approach the speed of light. You could use up all the energy in the Universe and still not be traveling at light speed.

As you know, most of the galaxies in the Universe are expanding away from us because of the Big Bang, and the subsequent effects of dark energy, which is providing an additional accelerating force on the expansion of the Universe.

Galaxies, like our own Milky Way are carried along by the expansion of the Universe, and will move apart from every other galaxy, unless they’re close enough to hold together with gravity.

As you look at galaxies further and further away, they appear to be moving faster and faster away from us. And it is possible that they could eventually appear to be moving away from us faster than light. At that point, light leaving the distant galaxy would never reach us.

When that happens, the distant galaxy would just fade away as the last of the photons reached Earth, and then we would never know it was ever there.

This sounds like it breaks Einstein’s theories, but it doesn’t. The galaxies themselves aren’t actually moving very quickly through space, it’s the space itself which is expanding away, and the galaxy is being carried along with it. As long as the galaxy doesn’t try to move quickly through space, no physical laws are broken.

One sad side effect of this expansion is that most of the galaxies will have receded over this horizon in about 3 trillion years, and future cosmologists will never know there’s a great big Universe out there.

You can read more about this in an article I did called the End of Everything.

April 22, 2008December 24, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Apollo 8 Astronaut Bill Anders Reflects on Earthrise Picture

Earthrise Apollo 8. Image Credit: Bill Anders, NASA

In December of 1968, the Apollo 8 capsule had successfully gone into orbit around the moon and the crew was busy taking pictures of the lunar surface. On the third orbit, as the Apollo spacecraft was coming around from behind the moon, commander Frank Borman lookup up and called out, â€œWow! Look at that!â€ The Earth was â€œrisingâ€ over the stark lunar horizon. Borman had a camera with black and white film, and he actually took the first picture of Earth rising over the moon. But Bill Anders had a color camera with a long lens, and he took the color photo thatâ€™s become an icon, known simply as â€œEarthrise.â€

On Earth Day, Bill Anders reflected on the famous picture thatâ€™s become one of the most frequently used images ever.

Anders said even though it wasnâ€™t in the original flight plan to take pictures of Earth, it didnâ€™t take much time for him to realize how striking this view of the Earth was, and quickly snapped the celebrated image.

â€œI instantly thought it was ironic; we had come all this way to study the moon, and yet it was this view of the Earth that was one of the most important events for Apollo 8,â€ said Anders in an interview on NASA TV.

â€œThere are basically two messages that came to me,â€ Anders said of the picture. â€œOne of them is that the planet is quite fragile. It reminded me of a Christmas tree ornament. But the other message to me, and I donâ€™t think this one has really sunk in yet, is that the Earth is really small. Weâ€™re not the center of the universe; weâ€™re way out in left field on a tiny dust mote, but it is our home and we need to take care of it.â€

Anders said it didnâ€™t take long after the crew had returned home for this photograph to become iconic for the environmental movement.

â€œBack in the 60â€™s it gave us a sense that the world was a place we all shared together,â€ Anders said. â€œWe couldnâ€™t see any boundaries from space.â€

In addition to the important pictures of Earth, the Apollo 8 crew also photographed many smaller lunar features, that were previously undiscovered. Those features are located principally on the farside of the Moon in areas that had been photographed only at much greater distances by early robotic spacecraft. The Apollo 8 mission yielded more than 150 photographs of the Earth and more than 700 photographs of the Moon.

Original News Source: NASA TV

April 21, 2008December 24, 2015 by Ian O'Neill

New Facts Emerge from Soyuz Emergency Landing

The capsule after making an emergency landing (AP)

The facts behind the “ballistic re-entry” of the Soyuz descent capsule are beginning to come to light. According to several news sources, after the capsule made an unusual steep descent through the atmosphere, putting it at least 400km off-target, the parachute was set alight causing a small bush fire on landing. The crew, who had to wait upside down, reported smoke inside the capsule. Although the Russian space agency overseeing the rescue helicopters reported that the crew were safely on the ground, in reality they were struggling to find their location. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko had to unhook himself from the askew craft, get outside and use a satellite phone to confirm they were alive and well. Tough questions are now being asked as to why mission control lost track of the capsule in the first place and why they covered up the reality of the landing till so long after the event…

As previously reported on the Universe Today, something went wrong with the Soyuz descent capsule as it completed its return mission from the International Space Station on Saturday. Back then, the Russian space authority reported the capsule had undergone a ballistic re-entry (rather than the planned “guided descent”) after the crew changed the flight plan without communicating the alteration to mission control. This was the sole (official) reason given for the hard landing the three crew members suffered. South Korea’s first astronaut, Yi So-yeon, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and American Peggy Whitson endured forces exceeding nine-G (nine-times Earth gravity) as they tumbled through the atmosphere.

One Russian space official cited an old naval superstition that having women on board the flight was a “bad omen” and that planners would reconsider having a female-dominant crew in the future. These remarks understandably caused a stir.

According to one news source, it is more likely that the capsule’s autopilot failed, causing the ballistic re-entry. On the ground, Russian officials guessed that the capsule had overshot the landing zone and sent rescue helicopters to a location far east. By chance a helicopter in the west (a location reserved for emergency landings) reported seeing the parachutes of the capsule, but no contact was made with the crew until 30 minutes after landing. Way before contact was made (via satellite phone), the Russian space agency had been publicising the safe return of the Soyuz crew to divert attention from the problems they were having.

Perhaps the most worrying report is that the descent parachute caught fire and burnt surrounding vegetation. Apparently smoke even got into the capsule. This would have undoubtedly caused a lot of stress to the crew.

In a recent interview with South Korea’s first astronaut Yi So-yeon, the 29 year-old bioengineer remembered her ordeal and admitted she was “really scared” as the capsule began its emergency re-entry:

“During descent I saw some kind of fire outside as we were going through the atmosphere. At first I was really scared because it looked really, really hot and I thought we could burn.” – Yi So-yeon

The shaken crew members were still shaken as they gave a press conference on Monday. Malenchenko remained adamant that none of the crew were to blame for the ballistic re-entry. “There was no action of the crew that led to this,” he said. “Time will tell what went wrong.”

This incident highlights the risk involved with space travel, and whilst access to space is becoming more and more routine, the fact remains that things can go wrong. Many news sources are highly critical of the Russian space agency, arguing that they are incompetent. This might be a little strong, but in matters such as the safe return of astronauts, absolute clarity is needed. Attempts to cover up technical faults, citing of “bad omens” and misinformation will not help the Russian efforts in space.

Sources: AP, MSNBC, Yahoo!, Space.com

April 21, 2008December 24, 2015 by Ian O'Neill

The “Best Engineering Tool” in Space: Duct Tape

The fender on the Apollo 17 moon buggy was repaired with duct tape (NASA)

The uses for duct tape seem to be endless. From the Apollo missions in the 1970’s to the International Space Station today, duct tape has been used as quick fixes and semi-permanent solutions to a variety of tasks. In a story released today from NASA documenting the events of the Apollo 17 in 1972, duct tape became the saviour of astronauts Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt as they sped around on the lunar surface in their moonbuggy. Damage to the buggy’s wheel arch could have put the pair at risk and may have curtailed the surface mission (pictured). But with a flash of inspiration and “can do” attitude Cernan and Schmitt found the answer in a roll of grey sticky tape…

It would seem duct tape holds the world together as it is, and it is becoming clear that the tape may hold the frontier of space together too. I recently came across the NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day with a view from the ISS looking over Rick Linnehan as he carried out an EVA during the STS-123 mission in March. As many blogs commented, “wow, even the space station is held together with duct tape!“, duct tape and Velcro did indeed appear to be the best way for astronauts to attach things, fix things and cover up things. In the Great Moonbuggy Race in Huntsville, Alabama, Prof. Paul Shiue of Christian Brothers University even joked that duct tape was his team’s “best engineering tool”. It seems the space station crew agrees with Prof. Shiue as is evident in the photo below.

I think people are surprised that such a common, everyday tool can be utilized in space too, but I’d argue that this kind of versatile and strong tape should be in space doing its bit for space exploration. It seems NASA thinks the same thing. Back in 1972, the use of duct tape turned a potentially dangerous situation into mission success for the Apollo 17 astronauts.

During Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt’s Moon walk, they employed the use of a moonbuggy to get around the dusty terrain. As is becoming abundantly clear, Moon dust will be one of the biggest challenges to mankind’s efforts on the Earth’s only natural satellite. For starters, this fine Moon “regolith” (dust formed from pulverized rock after countless meteorite impacts) will get everywhere. It is so fine that that it will likely obscure vision and could cause a host of respiratory problems. But the critical issue facing the Apollo astronauts was the dark Moon dust getting stuck to their spacesuits. The moonbuggy was designed to suppress the dust from being kicked up from the surface and spayed over the passengers. Should the spacesuits have a layer of dust over the top, solar electromagnetic radiation would be absorbed very efficiently, causing the astronauts to overheat. At all costs, spacesuits and equipment would need to be “dusted off” to prevent any problems.

Within two hours of the Lunar lander Challenger landing on December 11th, 1972 (at 02:23:35 UTC), Cernan and Schmitt were busy loading the moonbuggy with geology tools and experiments. In a seemingly minor error, the hammer strapped to Cernan’s suited leg caught the buggy’s rear fender and ripped it half off. It may not sound like much; after all who needs a fender on the Moon? But this was a big problem. If they were to use the buggy in this condition, huge plumes of dust would be kicked up (known as “rooster tails”) and showered over the astronauts, sticking to their suits, possibly causing serious overheating issues. Lunar dust is also very abrasive and static, should it get wiped off visors, the glass will get scratched, impeding vision. Joints, latches and hinges would also get severely damaged by the stuff.

Fortunately the astronauts had packed duct tape and were able to do a make-shift job at fixing the fender. Unfortunately the harsh vacuum of space, the continuous exposure to the Sun and the ever present dust caused the tape to lose its “stick”. A more permanent solution was required. After communication with mission control, a solution was found. Using a combination of duct tape and laminated maps, the fender could be reconstructed. The EVA continued and the mission was a success.

See the NASA video of Gene Cernan carrying out duct tape repairs on the Moon »

The Apollo 17 mission is the last time man walked on the Moon, and remains the most extreme place where duct tape was called into use.

For the complete and absorbing story about the duct tape repair job by Gene Cernan, check out the full NASA article…

April 21, 2008December 19, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Space Questions for the Week Ending April 21st, 2008

Here is a round up of all the space questions answered on Universe Today for the week ending April 21st, 2008. If you have questions for our team, visit this page.

How Big Do Planets Get?
What is the Distance to the Moon?
What is the Far Side of the Moon?
What Kind of Star is Our Sun?
How Big is Apophis?
Why Do Stars Die?
Why are there Black Holes in the Middle of Galaxies?
Why Do Some Scientists Consider Pluto to Not Be a Planet?
Why Haven’t Planets Been Detected Around Alpha Centauri?
Why Can’t We Land on Mars?

April 21, 2008 by Fraser Cain

Space Questions Answered

As you can probably imagine, I get an enormous amount of email, both through Universe Today and Astronomy Cast. I read it all, and I try to answer it all – so far, so good; although, I’m a little behind right now.

Instead of just emailing people back answers to their questions, I figured the information would be helpful to many of you. So I’m writing up little mini-articles to answer the questions, and I’m filing them under a special Questions section of the website.

The problem is that I’m going a lot of these, and I’d like to do even more (two birds, one stone). But I don’t want to overwhelm the main page of the site and the RSS feed. I think it would dilute the news focus of Universe Today.

So I’ve got a listing of all the latest questions over on the right-hand side of the page, and they’re in their own Questions section. And I’ll probably provide a summary list of questions once a week in the main feed so you can read any that interest you.

If you’ve got a better idea… I’m all ears. I’ll follow this story with an example of a summary.

If you’ve got a question, here’s where to go.