space:uk - Issue 31

8/6/2019 space:uk - Issue 31

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Spring 2011 Issue 31

space:uk

Seeing stars with the Worlds largest camera

Lifeline from space when disaster strikes

Plus: The tiny satellite with big ambitions, broadband from space,

ce mission success and what now for the UKs new astronaut?

Alone:Mars experiment

in Antarctica


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FROM THE EDITORCONTENTS

The UK space industry must be one of the countrys best-keptsecrets. When someone suggests to me that the UKs notinvolved in space, I cant stop myself enthusing about the

spacecraft we build or missions we lead. The satellites that helprescue efforts following disasters or provide broadband andsatellite navigation services. A British company is even buildingthe Worlds largest space camera. People sometimes startbacking away as I explain all this and its perhaps why I dontget invited to many parties.

The establishment of the new UK Space Agency has produceda genuinely exciting time for the space industry. Despite therecession, it shows every sign of flourishing. You can read aboutthe UKs involvement in a number of missions in this latest issueofspace:uk. We also find out why a teacher has been stuck onhis own, in a tent, in Antarctica (and what its got to do withspace) and discover what can you eat in orbit.

So, when youve finished reading this issue, I hope youll agreewith me that the UK does do space, and it does it very well.

Richard HollinghamEditor

01/07 NEWSNew UK broadband satellite, SpaceAgency update, test for spaceplane andwhat next for UK astronaut?

08/10 SEEING STARSSue Nelson meets the UK space scientistsand engineers at the heart of a newmission to map the Milky Way.

11/13WHEN DISASTERSTRIKESHow UK built satellites are helping tosave lives.

14/15 ANTARCTICA: LIFEON MARSThe UK physics teacher going to the endof the Earth.

EDUCATION & CAREERS

16/17 MISSION XA space adventure in the classroom.

18/19 ASK THE EXPERTSHow many stars? How long to build asatellite and what type of food do they eatin space?

20 TEACHING RESOURCES

21 CAREER FILEWorking on the cameras that fly in space.

PULL-OUT POSTER:OUR COSMICNEIGHBOURHOOD

Front cover image:Teacher Tim Mialls isolated tentin Antarctica

Credit:Tim Miall

C

redit:ESA,NASA

Credit:SSTL

The UK Space Agency is an agency of the Departmentfor Business, Innovation and Skills

space:uk is written and edited for theUK Space Agency by Boffin Mediawww.boffinmedia.co.uk

space:uk is designed and produced byRCUKs internal service providerwww.jrs.ac.uk

08/10

14/15

11/13


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www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency

NEWS

BROADER BROADBAND

Thousands of people living in Europes most remoterural communities will soon have access to broadbandthanks to a new UK-built satellite, Hylas-1. Launchedon a European Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana inNovember, the satellite is now undergoing a series of

orbital tests before it starts operating commercially.

Hylas-1 has been partly funded by the UK SpaceAgency and built by Astrium UK for AvantiCommunications. Europes first broadband satellite willbegin to bridge the digital divide, said AvantiCommunications Chief Executive, David Williams. Indoing so, it will create new wealth and employment inthe digital economy.

Hylas-1 will automatically allocate power and bandwidthto different regions within its footprint, reacting to dips

and peaks in demand. This means that up to 300,000users across Europe can be online via Hylas at the sametime.

Bringing innovative ideas to life requires the right mix ofspecialist knowledge, public support and opportunity,said Science Minister David Willetts, who also welcomedthe launch. Hylas is a great example of how strategicinvestment in space technology can yield benefits for thewider economy.

Avanti is currently developing a second satellite, Hylas-2,

which is due for launch in Spring 2012. Onceoperational, the combined capacity of both satellites willbe one million customers.

After a year in space, CryoSat Europes first mission tostudy our planets ice is performing well and sendingback useful scientific information. The satellite usesradar to bounce signals off the Earths polar regions andan international, UK-led, science team is using this datato produce a 3D view of ice cover and provide newinsights into our changing climate.

We have high hopes that CryoSat is going to provide uswith a higher resolution picture of the ice surface thanwe can see with current instruments, said SeymourLaxon, head of the Centre for Polar Observation andModelling at University College London (UCL). A teamfrom UCL is also about to go the Arctic to verify theaccuracy of the satellite measurements.

CryoSat is a European Space Agency (ESA) EarthExplorer mission. These also include the GOCE andSMOS satellites, both launched in 2009 and withsignificant UK involvement.

Data from SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity)

recently helped produce a map showing areas of soilsaturation during the floods in Australia. Meanwhile, itssalinity measurements are providing an insight intoocean circulation. Our achievements are twofold, saidMeric Srokosz, from the National Oceanography Centre,Southampton. We have measured salinity from spacefor the first time and we are now able to start mappingsalinity on a global scale.

GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean CirculationExplorer) is mapping variations in the Earthsgravitational field. Oceanographers are now using the

new and improved gravity field measurements todetermine ocean currents in unprecedented detail.

space:uk 01

The launch of Hylas-1

CryoSat is measuring the Earths ice cover

Credit:Hollingham/SAMS

Credit:Arianespace

EXPLORING EARTH


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The satellite has the capability to fill the small gaps inrural and urban areas where it is difficult to getreasonable fixed cable broadband. It will give manyhomes and businesses across the UK access tobroadband for the first time.

Someone who has blazed a trail in his own science andengineering career is the UKs Tim Peake whograduated from basic astronaut training with theEuropean Space Agency (ESA) in November. Selectedfor training in 2009, Tim was selected out of around8,000 other applicants and is a fantastic ambassador forthe UK and an inspiration to children and adults alike.Tim is certainly a popular topic of conversation when theAgency team visits schools to talk about space, and wewill follow his progress closely as he embarks on thenext stage of training.

On the science front, the Herschel and Planck satellitesare now giving a new insight to the origins of theUniverse, and a UK scientist also leads the science teamusing the CryoSat satellite to measure and monitor the

status of the Worlds ice sheets.

The economy and education will be two of our majorareas of focus over the coming months and will be atthe core of the inaugural UK Space Conference, whichtakes place in July. You can follow progress on this andall the other stories at our new website:



NEWS

WELCOME

David Williams (Acting) Chief

Executive of the UK Space Agency,

talks about recent highlights and

looks forward to the months

ahead

Welcome to the spring 2011 edition ofspace:uk. In thelast issue I explained the thinking behind the creation ofthe UK Space Agency and interest in the Agencyremains high across Government, industry and with thepublic. The team continues working hard towardslaunching, from April 2011, as a full executive agency ofthe Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Last autumn, the newly convened ParliamentaryScience and Technology Committee held an evidencesession to look at what we are doing. It concluded thatspace has an important role to play in the economy, inscience, and in encouraging children to seek careers inscience and engineering. The importance of space to

the economy was reinforced in the 2010 Size andHealth of the UK Space Industry report. The Britishspace industry grew by nearly 8% through the recessionand is now worth over 7.5 billion to the economy.

Broadcasting continues to be the primary application forspace technology but other areas are developing,including satellite broadband. I attended the launchevent in London last November to watch as Hylas-1 waslaunched on an Ariane 5 rocket. Partly funded by the UKSpace Agency and built by Astrium UK for Avanti, this isthe first dedicated broadband satellite to be launched

outside the United States. Hylas-1 is an excellentexample of how strategic investment in spacetechnology can yield benefits for the wider economy.

02 space:uk

Putting the finishing touches to Hylas-1

Cre

dit:AstriumUK

Credit:BIS

The British

space industry

grew by nearly

8% through

the recessionDavid Williams,Chief Executive (Acting)of the UK Space Agency


5/24

In April the UK Space Agency

becomes an executive agency of

the Department for Business,

Innovation and Skills. Over the

past year, the UK Space Agency

has operated as a shadow agency

to consolidate the space-focused

threads from former BritishNational Space Centre partners.

The UK Space Agency is taking over responsibility forthe majority of the UKs commitment to space scienceand exploration from the Science and TechnologyFacilities Council (STFC). Scientific advancement in spacetechnologies and exploration is one of the Agencysprime responsibilities and ensuring that the programmeteams are properly supported has been a priority.

Another Agency priority willbe to better understandour own planet fromspace, through Earthobservation spacecraftsuch as Envisat, GOCEand CryoSat. The UKsprogramme in this areahas been managed by theNatural EnvironmentResearch Council (NERC),and this is also transferring

to the UK Space Agency.

The Agency carries on working as it has done over thelast year to build links between industry and theresearch community and will continue working withother UK organisations such as the Technology StrategyBoard, the Research Councils, and the InternationalSpace Innovation Centre, as well as the Met Office andoverseas agencies such as ESA and NASA.

Once the transfer of resources is complete, theAgencys efforts will be targeted at areas that have the

greatest potential for delivering economic benefits,scientific excellence and national security. The realstrength of the Agency will be to provide a single voiceto link investment in long-term basic research and in


NEWS

SPACE AGENCY: UPDATE

near-term applications; harnessing the skills andexperience of universities, national laboratories andindustry to grow a stronger UK capability in space.

During these difficult economic times, the principaldriver of the UK Space Agency is economic growth growth through export and innovation, and supportingscience as an enabler for growth. It will also seek outnew opportunities for UK involvement across the sectorand will help to raise the profile of space across theGovernment, to deliver shared services more cost-effectively.

Perhaps most importantly, the Agency will provideinspiration and discovery through its involvement inprogrammes that explore the Universe and study planetEarth. For the next generation, the growth of space inthe UK will create opportunities for rewarding careers

and open students imaginations to the excitingpossibilities of tomorrow.

space:uk 03

Envisat image of the UK and Ireland

Credit:ESA

Mars Express took this picture of Melas Chasma, part of the huge Valles Marinerisrift valley on Mars

Credit:ESA

One of the new Galileo satellites under construction at Astrium UK

Credit:AstriumUK


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A typical satellite is complex, bulky and expensive but anational challenge is underway to make them simple,small and cheap. Cubesats are so small that they areabout the size of a shoebox, weigh some four kilogramsand cost only a few thousand pounds to build.

The UK is already a leader in small satellites but

Cubesats take the concept even further. Some 30Cubesats are currently in orbit and now a pilot mission,called UKube-1 (UK Universal Bus Experiment 1), isunderway to examine the benefits of a national Cubesatprogramme. These satellites give you the opportunity tohave fast access to space for new research at low riskcompared to traditional satellites, UKube ProgrammeManager Ronan Wall toldspace:uk. Theyre aplayground for innovation, if youve got an idea theyoffer an ideal way of testing it.

This pilot project is supported by the UK Space Agency

and is based around a satellite developed by Glasgowcompany, Clyde Space. Academic research groups andthe space industry have been encouraged to come upwith ideas for satellite payloads such as a scientificexperiment or instrument. The winners of the competition,due to be announced in March, get to fly their payloadsin space. If a national Cubesat programme is thenestablished, the aim is to include students in some ofthe projects enabling them to be involved in the designand construction of real space missions.

The final UKube-1 satellite will be piggybacked on the

launch of a larger satellite in 2012 and Wall said he wasenthusiastic about the concept: Cubesats are fast andcheap ways of demonstrating technology, investigatingscience and performing education outreach whywouldnt you want to build them?


NEWS

NEWS IN BRIEF BIG PLANS FOR TINYSATELLITES

UK Space Conference

A major conference bringing together space scientists,industry and Government is being held in the UK thissummer. Running from 4-5 July, the 2011 UK SpaceConference will highlight connections between thespace sector and other areas of the UK economy.The event will provide a platform for policyannouncements and the latest innovations and spacescience research. Students interested in space-relatedcareers will also have the opportunity to meet

representatives from the UK space industry.To register, visit the UK Space Agency website.

Baking Bepi

Crucial components for an international mission toMercury have been baked in a special testing chamberto simulate the harsh conditions the spacecraft willeventually have to face. BepiColombo is being led byESA in partnership with the Japanese space agency andwill be only the third spacecraft to visit Mercury in thehistory of space exploration. The spacecraft will have toendure intense sunlight and temperatures of up to 350C.

BepiColombo hassignificant UKinvolvement, withsatellitemanufacturerAstrium responsiblefor many of the keyelements of thespacecraft.

Docking success

Europes second cargo spacecraft has dockedsuccessfully with the International Space Station (ISS).The 20 tonne unmanned Automated Transfer Vehicle(ATV), which brought supplies to the station, is equippedwith docking sensors built by UK company e2v. The ATVwill remainattached to theISS until Junewhere it will serveas an additionalmodule for the

crew. Its engineswill be used toboost the entirecomplex to ahigher orbit.

04 space:uk

Cubesats are around the size of a shoebox

Credit:AstriumUK

Credit:ESA/NASA

ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli and his colleagueAleksandr Kaleri getting ready for the docking ofthe ATV

Credit: ESA

Testing BepiColombos Mercury MagnetosphericOrbiter


7/24


NEWS

WHAT NEXT FOR UK ASTRONAUT?

The UKs newly qualified ESA astronaut, Tim Peake, hasbeen talking tospace:ukabout his role now hesgraduated. Peake admitted that it will probably be someyears before he gets to fly in space but said he hasplenty to do in the meantime: Since graduating inNovember, life has not become any quieter!

Peake toldspace:ukthat he now has three main tasks:to train as a Eurocom the person who communicateswith astronauts on board the International Space Station(ISS); to help teach ground and flight crew aboutworking as a team; and to provide astronaut support toESAs medical division.

We all felt that our graduation was not just a personalachievement but also an enormous accomplishment forthe European Astronaut Centre as the only ISS partnersoutside of America and Russia to have completed theirown astronaut basic training, said Peake. The benefitnow is that we have the opportunity to put all of thattraining to good use, working alongside our colleagueswho have such diverse and interesting areas of

expertise.

Testing is well underway on a UK-built camera forHubbles successor: the James Webb Space Telescope.The sophisticated MIRI instrument, a key component ofthe new telescope, is designed to investigate the originand evolution of galaxies, stars and planetary systems.

The tests, at the Science and Technology FacilityCouncils Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire,involve subjecting MIRI to the sorts of conditions it willface during launch and orbit. The instrument must alsomeet its targets for scientific performance.

I am absolutely delighted with the progress we havemade, said MIRIs Lead Investigator, Gillian Wright, fromthe UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh.

MIRI passed its vibration tests after being subjected tothe equivalent of 80 times the force of gravity. Everyone

on the team is really pleased, said Wright, as it showsour instrument will be able to withstand the forcesduring launch.

The next phase the cryotest - involves cooling theinstrument to its operating temperature of just sevendegrees above absolute zero (7 Kelvin) and giving it

simulated stars to observe. The cryotest campaign is avery exciting time as we will start to learn how to reallyuse the instrument for science.

So when will he get a space mission? It could be a longwait, conceded the former helicopter test pilot.The good news is that there are plenty of interestingand exciting projects within ESA where I can use myprevious skills in addition to those learnt during basictraining, to good effect.

The training never really stopsI dont think Illget bored!

space:uk 05

Tim Peake during his survival training in Sardinia

Credit:ESA/Crobu

TELESCOPE TEST

The James Webb Space Telescope will have 18 of these mirrors

Credit: NASA


8/24


NEWS

NEWS IN BRIEF SEEING THE BIG PICTURE

Help from space

A global agreement that uses satellites to help respondto disasters is due to be led by the UK. In times ofemergency, the International Charter Space and MajorDisasters can be triggered by governments or the UnitedNations to deliver data from satellites, for free, to thoseaffected by natural or man-made disasters. Membernations take it in turns to lead the organisation. TheCharter has uniquely filled a need, said Alice Bunn,Assistant Director of Earth Observation for the UK Space

Agency. We are really looking forward to leading theCharter, she said. See feature on pages 11-13

Hi-tech space centre for Leicester

Universities and Science Minister, David Willets, hasofficially opened a new space research facility inLeicester. The buildings at the Space Research Centreinclude five new state-of-the-art laboratories for EarthObservation science, gamma-ray astronomy anddevelopment of detectors and electronics. A Space

Ideas Hub will also operate from the facility, bringingspace scientists and engineers together with businesses.

Comet mission okay

After a brief scare, ESAs Rosetta spacecraft has nowcompleted its final manoeuvres to send it on its way torendezvous with a comet. On 18 January, while itsthrusters were operating, it unexpectedly switched tosafe mode an automatic reset of the spacecraft. Afterseveral days work, the flight operations team managedto get it on its way again. Rosetta will shortly go into

hibernation before its arrival at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014. Rosetta comprises an orbiter anda small lander, which will anchor itself onto the cometsicy, dusty surface. One of the key instruments on boardwas built in the UK.

06 space:uk

Credit:clockworkremovals

The Charter was activated to help with the rescue efforts following Februarys earthquake inChristchurch, New Zealand

Two ESA space telescopes, both benefiting from UKscientific and industrial involvement, are producingexciting insights into the nature of our Universe.

The Herschel Space Telescope is the largest telescopeever launched into space. By studying distant galaxiesas they formed stars, it recently measured how muchdark matter is needed to help a galaxy form about 300billion times the mass of our Sun. The discovery wasmade by analysing images from the UK-led SPIRE(Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver) instrument.SPIREs Principal Investigator, Matt Griffin from CardiffUniversity, said: This is an important breakthrough inour understanding of mysterious dark matter and howit has influenced the birth and growth of galaxies likeour own.

The Planck Surveyor is surveying the skies at longerwavelengths of light to observe the Cosmic BackgroundRadiation left over from the Big Bang. In January,Plancks first scientific results were released at a majorscience conference in Paris. This allowed scientists to

begin examining the coldest and furthest reaches of ourUniverse and 20 previously unknown clusters of galaxies.

For more on Herschel and Planck, see our pull-out

poster.

The UK-led SPIRE instrument observed an area of the sky called the Lockman Holein the northern constel lation of Ursa Major, The Great Bear. Almost every dot is anentire galaxy, each containing billions of stars

Credit:ESA


9/24


NEWS

SPACE FOR INNOVATION

The International Space Innovation Centre (ISIC) is dueto start operations in April at the heart of a cluster ofspace-related activities at the Harwell Oxford Scienceand Innovation campus. The Centre will bring togetherindustry, national laboratories, international spaceagencies and Government to maximise the benefits fromspace technology. ISIC will reinforce the UKs positionand spearhead national growth in the global spacemarket.

Establishing a centre like ISIC as part of the Harwellspace cluster can only help strengthen the thrivingspace sector in the UK, said Minister of State forUniversities and Science, David Willetts. Bringingtogether vital components of Earth observation, securityand resilience and space science know-how will make iteasier for small companies to grow more quickly andhelp manifest and drive innovative ideas.

ISIC will complement the work at Harwell of the Scienceand Technology Facilities Councils Rutherford AppletonLaboratory and ESAs new UK office, including its

Business Incubator Centre.

In the UK, academia and industry are working togetherproductively, rather than as separate elements, saidESA Director of Science and Robotic Exploration, DavidSouthwood. Were setting up here to learn how thingsare done in the UK and to spread that across Europe.

space:uk 07

Credit:STFC

TEST AHEAD FOR UKSSKYLONCrucial tests of key components for a UKspaceplane are due to take place this summer.The unmanned Skylon system is being developed tocarry more than 15 tonnes into orbit and take offand land using a traditional runway. The spaceplane

is designed by Reaction Engines in Oxfordshire witharound 20 per cent of the financial backing comingfrom the UK Space Agency and ESA.

A workshop was held in September, bringingtogether some 100 experts from around the Worldto review progress so far and scrutinise the technicaland economic case for the project. Although thefinal report is yet to be published, the review isconsidered to have been very successful.

Reaction Engines Managing Director, Alan Bondsaid: It was a frightening prospect having so manyexperts review our work in such detail but we areproud that Skylon came through with flying coloursand was shown to be a technical and economicallyviable route to a reusable fully commercial launchsystem.

This summer tests are due to be carried out on theair-breathing engines high performance heat

exchangers and other crucial engine technologies. Ifsuccessful, its hoped the project will attract furtherfunding to make Skylon a reality.

Skylon in orbit

Credit:ReactionEnginesLimited


10/24

Seeing

StarsImagine being able to pinpoint the exact locationof more than a billion stars, writes Sue Nelson.By gathering information about these and any

other stellar objects nearby, it would result in the

most accurate three-dimensional map of the

Milky Way ever seen and improve our

understanding of the Galaxy.

08 space:uk


11/24


It will find oodles of new planetary systems,Gerry Gilmore, Cambridge University

The European Space Agencys (ESA) Gaiamission is nothing short of ambitious and UKspace scientists and engineers are at theheart of its endeavours from engineeringwork on the spacecrafts propulsion,electronics and electrical systems, todesigning the crucial sensors that detect thestarlight.

The high-resolution survey will give thechemical elements, ages, speeds, massesand orbits for hundreds of millions of starsand other celestial objects to help determinethe composition, formation and evolution ofthe Milky Way.

Gaia will revolutionise studies of galaxies,

supernovae, planets, asteroids, quasi stellarobjects and active galactic nuclei, says GerryGilmore from Cambridge Universitys Instituteof Astronomy. It will find oodles of newplanetary systems and will tell us, for the firsttime, how massive they are.

Gilmore, a member of the original team thatproposed the mission, is understandablyexcited. Most of all, also for the first time,Gaia will measure how things move withaccuracy, he adds. This is unique. From

movements we derive gravity and dark mass.So Gaia will not only measure what we cansee, it measures everything else, too.

The Gaia spacecraft, due for launch in 2013,will be able to see objects 400,000 timesfainter than those seen with the naked eye.Its payload includes two optical telescopes

and instruments that will measure andanalyse the light from stars, minor planets,variable stars and supernovae.

Itll be the biggest camera in space, saysJon Kemp from e2v, the Chelmsfordcompany supplying the detectors for themission. Gaia will carry an array of onehundred and six (Charged Couple Devices)CCDs around twenty times more thannormal missions. These CCDs detect lightand convert it into electrical signals. Our

CCDs are also onboard Hubble and manyother missions.

Each individual detector, with its blueanti-reflective hafnium oxide coating, is onlyslightly larger than a matchbox. Each sensorwill take pictures of several stars, saysKemp. As a star moves across an imagearea you can gather signals from its firstlocation, and then the second and third,without losing any signal integrity.

Once known as the English Electric ValveCompany, e2v has a long and illustrioushistory with technology. Its image orthiconswere used to film the Queens Coronation in1953. It now specialises in the medical andspace science industries, first working withESA on the Envisat mission, and sinceproviding detectors for the STEREOspacecraft, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter,numerous ground-based telescopes andESAs Automated Transfer Vehicle recently

launched to the International Space Station.

Main image: New stars are beingborn all the timeCredit: ESA/NASA

1. This Herschel image shows

the formation of hundreds ofnew starsCredit: ESA

2. Gaia, seen here with itssunshield deployed, will mapmillions of stars in our GalaxyCredit: ESA

3. Gaia will also be on the lookoutfor killer asteroidsCredit: ESA

space:uk 09

continues >

1

2

3


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Seeing Stars

continued

The data handling system is built around anextremely powerful piece of kit called a videoprocessing unit. Its essentially a bespokecomputer, Cordey says, which does all theimage pre-processing of stars on board the

spacecraft in order to convert the billion pixels- a thousand times more than an averagedigital camera into a manageable volume.We have to get all the data from Gaia into acommunications link that uses a bandwidth ofbetween 4 and 8 mega bits per second,similar to what people use on homebroadband.

As UK Principal Investigator for the Gaia dataprocessing consortium, Gerry Gilmore will bein charge of processing and delivering all thisreal time science data. Its a huge softwaretask, he admits. Bigger than anythingcomparable in astronomy yet attempted.

The processing centre is based in Cambridgeand currently involves 400 people acrossEurope. The team is experienced, havingprocessed data from Gaias predecessor,Hipparcos. This was the first spacecraftdedicated to measuring the positions andmotions of stars and set the stage for Gaia,

which will produce 10,000 times more data.

The UK is not only getting a lot of scienceout of Gaia, but UK PLC is making asubstantial return of high-tech high-interestwork, says Gilmore. Its triggering futureimproved products, profits and new futurecontracts.

The spacecraft is currently being put togetherin Toulouse. It passed a critical design reviewin October and has now started its flight

model assembly, integration and testing. Itsa very exciting stage, enthuses Astrium UKsCordey. Its not a paper spacecraft any moreits really coming together to make aspacecraft that will go into space.

According to Gerry Gilmore, the spacecraftcould also be a potential lifesaver. It is theonly way to find the seriously dangerous killerasteroids which orbit near the Sun and so areinvisible to us, being in the daytime sky, hesays. Gaia may even save the World!

For an insight into working at e2v, see the

Career File on page 21.

NASAs Kepler has the biggest detectorarray in space, adds Kemp. Gaias willtrump that.

All 106 detectors, assembled and packagedin five clean rooms in Chelmsford, have nowbeen delivered to University College LondonsMullard Space Science Laboratory, which ismaking the electronics to drive the devices.Other parts of the spacecraft are also madein the UK. Astriums Portsmouth team workedon the cold gas micropropulsion system. Theelectrical stuff the clever bit was led from

engineers here in Stevenage, says AstriumsRalph Cordey mischievously. That governsthe computing, the data handling, the attitudeand orbit control system, the control of theelectrical power and the engineering for thecommunications link back to Earth.

1. The Gaia spacecraft with

sunshield deployedCredit: ESA

2. The 1.4-ton EuropeanHipparcos satellite operated inspace from 1989 to 1993. Itsshown here being tested, priorto launchCredit: ESA

3. The Kepler Space Telescope isprepared for launchCredit: NASA

10 space:uk

Gaia may

even save

the World!Gerry Gilmore

1

3

2


13/24


14/24


When disaster strikes

continued

International Charter

When a country is affected by disaster it cancall on the combined resources of most ofthe Worlds space agencies to provide, for

free, images of the affected area. This is donethrough the International Charter, Space andMajor Disasters. Since it was set up in 1999,the Charter has helped in more than 300disasters for more than 100 countries.

Satellite images can make a tremendousdifference in the immediate aftermath of anemergency, says Alice Bunn, AssistantDirector of Earth Observation for the UKSpace Agency. Without the Charter it couldhave been many days before a satellite wasable to provide the images you need but byusing the Charter you have access to a vastrange of satellite resources.

Pictures taken from satellites can be used bygovernments to assess the extent of damageor by aid agencies to decide where to targettheir resources. Radar images can seethrough fire or smoke, and other sensors caneven monitor the spread of pollution. Whenthe information from satellites is combined

into charts and maps, it becomes even moreuseful to rescue teams on the ground.

Disaster satellites

Although the Charter can call on images froma wide range of satellites, six countries inparticular have together created a systemspecifically designed to respond to disasters.Built in the UK by Surrey Satellite TechnologyLimited, the Disaster Monitoring Constellation(DMC) can acquire detailed images of

anywhere on Earth at least once a day. Theconstellation celebrates its tenth anniversarythis year and currently comprises satellitesoperated by the UK, Algeria, China, Nigeriaand Spain. The DMC satellite operated by thesixth member of the consortium, Turkey, is nolonger operational.

We have achieved a great deal during thepast ten years, says Dave Hodgson,Managing Director of DMC InternationalImaging the company set up to manage

disaster response and distribute images. Bycoordinating multiple satellites we have beenable to respond to disasters more rapidly anddetect fast changing phenomena with dailyimages of anywhere on Earth.

Toowoomba, Queensland, January 2011A wall of water sweeps a car along what wasonce a road. The last remaining residentscling to the sloping roofs of their homes thewaves lapping at the windows. From the air,

the houses look like islands in a muddy sea.But its only when you look at the area fromspace, that the full extent of the disasterbecomes apparent, with vast areas of thecountry (the size of France and Germanyput together) - under water.

Its estimated that 30 people lost their lives inthe recent Australian floods. Tens ofthousands had their homes, possessions,crops and livestock destroyed. It was just oneof seven major global disasters in the first sixweeks of 2011. The rest of the list makesequally sombre reading: floods in Brazil andMozambique, an earthquake in Pakistan,landslides in Turkey, the worst snow in acentury in Korea and, after the floods, acyclone in Australia. Space technology cantprevent these disasters but satellites can helpthe authorities and rescue agencies get helpto where its needed most.

1. UK DMC2 being preparedfor launchCredit: SSTL

12 space:uk

We have

achieved agreat deal

during the

past ten

years,Dave Hodgson

1


15/24


Events where the constellation has played animportant role during the past decade includethe aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (2005), theAsian Tsunami (2004) and the UK floods of2008, amongst others. The latest satellites tobe launched into the DMC are UK-DMC2 andSpanish-owned Deimos-1. Both these newgeneration satellites feature improvedcameras, enhanced memory capacity andfaster communications. They can takepictures of much larger areas in a single passthan previous satellites.

Fortunately, there arent enough disasters tokeep the DMC occupied full-time and itshumanitarian mission is supported by othercommercial applications. In recent yearsthese have included high resolution mapping

of the Amazon rainforest to monitor illegallogging, and a project to provide highdefinition images and maps of sub-SaharanAfrica in a shorter time period than everbefore. Pictures from the satellites are evengood enough to be used to monitor thegrowth of crops on the regular basis neededfor efficient, modern agriculture.

The international nature of the constellationhas proved to be one of its strengths withcountries able to use it as a springboard to

establish their space capabilities. DirectorGeneral of the Nigerian Space Agency, S.O.Mohammed said: In joining the DMC we

1. More than two million people

were affected by flooding inColumbia in November 2010.UK-DMC2 captured this image ofthe disaster areaCredit: DMCii

2. DMCii used the satellite imagesto put together these maps tohelp rescue effortsCredit: DMCii

3. NigeriaSat-2 nears completionCredit: SSTL

space:uk 13

have not only developed our knowledge ofNigerias resources but also formed thefoundations for our growing national spaceprogramme.

Future plans

Later this year, the Nigerian Space Agencywill launch two new satellites: NigeriaSat-2and NigeriaSat-X. Built by SSTL, NigeriaSat-2will be one of the most advanced smallsatellites ever launched. NigeriaSat-X hasbeen built by the West African countrys

engineers as part of a training programme.Both will join the DMC. As new satellites andnew members join the constellation we lookforward to expanding its capabilities long intothe future, says Hodgson.

As well as leading the development of theDMC, later this year the UK will take its turn(once again) to chair the International Charter.Alice Bunn from the UK Space Agency seesthis as an opportunity to improve access tothe Worlds satellite resources. The UK

would like to see more countries benefitingfrom the Charter, says Bunn. For instance,some of the British Overseas Territories areparticularly prone to disasters as they lie nearfault lines or hurricane paths. There istremendous potential for them to benefit fromthe Charter but we have to do more to ensurethe right links are in place.

From tracking the path of extreme weather,floodwater or pollution to dealing with theaftermath of earthquakes, tsunamis, oil spills

or hurricanes, information from space hasmade a crucial difference in responding todisasters. Although its impossible to put afigure on it, satellites have undoubtedlyhelped to save many lives.

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competition funded by the UK SpaceAgency (through its Space for Allprogramme) and the Science and TechnologyFacilities Council. It was the culmination offour gruelling but exhilarating weeks, whereI swapped the classroom for the glaciers ofAntarctica to carry out a variety of spacerelated experiments designed by studentsfrom across the UK.

Lying in the tent, the first thing that struck me

was how quickly I lost my perception of time.Twenty-four hours of sunlight and theovercast conditions gave no hints as to howmuch time had passed. Each hour I radioedwhat I thought the time was to base camp

Here I was, completely alone, in a tentsurrounded by a cold and barren landscape.I had no watch, books, iPod or otherentertainment. All I was allowed was a smallamount of food, a sleeping bag and a 2-wayradio in case of emergencies. Astronautsexploring the Solar System may have tospend months, if not years, on their own ontheir way to distant planets. Because of this,students from Twyford School and EllenWilkinson School wanted to see what it

would feel like to spend twenty-four hours inremote isolation.

This isolation experiment was part of theAntarctica: Mars on Earth science

14 space:uk

The hostile environment of Antarctica is an ideal testing

ground for equipment and technology that will be used

for future missions to Mars. Physics teacher Tim Miall

has just returned from the frozen wilderness where he

found out what it might be like to be an astronaut.

Antarctica: Life on Mars

Credit:TimM

iall


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but was soon totally out of sync. It was clearthat my body clock wasnt working properly;what I thought was 5pm was in fact 7pm andwhen I phoned in at 7pm, it was actually9.30pm. The first couple of hours I keptmyself occupied by sorting out equipmentand adjusting the tent but time soon startedto drag and my mind began to wander. It is

amazing how hard it is not to think aboutloved ones at home, with thoughts ofreunions upon my return coming to the frontof my mind.

Mars on Earth

When I was at school the most excitingphysics experiments involved rolling smalltrolleys down ramps, or circuits that neverquite worked as they should. Fortunately, thishas now changed and its in this vein of

change that the Fuchs Foundation AntarcticaExpedition was organised. The Foundationwas set up in the memory of AntarcticExplorer Sir Vivian Fuchs who inspired ageneration of young people into science andadventure and the organisation aims to dothe same by sending teachers to harshenvironments. A month on the stunningglaciers of a largely unexplored part of thecontinent, called the Ellsworth Mountains,really gave me a taste of what it would be liketo experience life on Mars.

Camping at temperatures as low as -40Cand hauling tents and equipment across thefrozen wilderness was a major challenge,especially when you have to do theseactivities in a huge protective suit and surviveon freeze-dried food. However, it is theseharsh and challenging conditions that makeAntarctica a great double for an inhospitableplanet like Mars, where the averagetemperature is -133 degrees celsius.

Antarctica has less rainfall than the Saharadesert and is often referred to as Mars onEarth because of its cold and dry conditionsand its increased levels of ultraviolet radiation- a fact that scientists from NASA and ESAare taking advantage of in the planningstages for future missions. About a yearbefore the robotic arm of NASAs PhoenixMars Lander began digging into the red soiland subsurface ice of an arctic plain of Mars,six scientists travelled to Antarctica for soil

and ice studies that would end up aidinganalysis of the Mars data.

The experiments that I took to Antarctica fellinto the categories of engineering, physiology,

biology and psychology. As well as testing theeffect of the harsh Mars-like conditions on thebody, the mind, and man-made materials,I looked at the types of life that can survive insuch an extreme environment. But mygreatest challenge was one that bothastronauts and Antarctic explorers have to

face. As I settled in to my expedition, theextreme conditions and the vastness of theAntarctic landscape soon made me feel quiteisolated. Just think what it will be like forfuture astronauts stuck in space capsules formonths on end.

1. Working on Mars would betoughCredit: NASA

2. Tims isolated tentCredit:Tim Miall

space:uk 15

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1

Tims Antarctic diary

can be found on the

Fuchs Foundation

website. He is now

preparing teaching

resources that will be

freely available over the

coming months.


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If you have a questionabout space, well track

down the right person to

answer it.

This time our questions

come from Mission X pupils

at Birchanger Primary

School in Essex.

18 space:uk

careerseducation &

Ask the experts

Becky Parker

Director, Langton Star Centre, Kent

Ed Brown

Head of Mechanical, Thermal &

Propulsion Systems,Astrium UK

Anu Ojha

Director, Space Academy

National Space Centre

1

How many suns are there and how big

are they?

Our Sun is a star and the planets rotate round it. In the night skynearly all the objects you see twinkling are stars, bodies like our Sun.In our galaxy, the Milky Way, there are about a 100 billion stars. Ifevery star in the Milky Way was a grain of salt, they would fill anOlympic sized swimming pool. Now this is the number of stars in ourgalaxy. How many galaxies are there? If you put your thumb up tothe night sky the area of sky you will block out with your thumbnailwill contain about 50 million galaxies. There are billions of galaxies inthe Universe, each one with billions of stars.

The sizes of the stars vary. The largest known star is VY CanisMajoris in the constellation Canis Major, which has a radius abouttwo thousand times the size of our Sun. Wolf 359, in theconstellation Leo, is one of the faintest and lowest mass starsknown at about 0.16 times the radius of the Sun. Sirius, thebrightest star in the night sky located in Canis Major, is nearly twicethe size of our Sun. Theres so much more to find out about stars.

Becky Parker


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space:uk 19

1. The international STEREO satellite took this spectacular image ofthe Sun there are around 100 billion stars in our galaxy aloneCredit: NASA

2. A satellite under test at AstriumCredit:Astrium UK

3. Space Shuttle astronaut Richard Searfoss grapples with his lunchCredit: NASA

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3

How long does it take to make a

satellite?

It all depends on the type of satellite. At Astrium webuild a number of communications satellites every year,which beam television, radio and broadband internet

signals worldwide from a distance of 36,000 km abovethe Earths surface. These six tonne spacecraft takeabout two and a half years for us to build from designto launch.

The design phase is where we work out what isrequired from the satellite in order to meet ourcustomers requirements. This could include deliveringon-demand TV programmes to homes across SouthAmerica or providing broadband internet access toremote parts of Europe. This phase usually takes abouta year to complete.

Once the design has been agreed, we then have toactually build the satellite. We do this by manufacturingand bringing together the satellites overall structure, lifesupport systems and most importantly its payload thesatellites brain. This process takes around one year.

Before a satellite is launched, we have to put it througha rigorous test campaign to make sure it can survive inthe harsh environment of space. Testing takes about sixmonths and during this phase we vibrate the satelliteand expose it to loud noises to simulate a rocket

launch; we put it into a thermal vacuum chamber,where we simulate the temperature extremes andvacuum of space; and expose the satellite to a seriesof radio-frequency tests to ensure all systems areworking correctly.

Scientific or Earth observation satellites are a bit trickier.This is due to the fact that each mission is oftencompletely different, whether it is imaging the stars inour galaxy, exploring Mars or mapping the Earths polarice caps - each spacecraft needs to be designed fromscratch. For something like this it can take us anythingfrom five to 15 years from design to launch.

Ed Brown

What type of food do they eat inspace and why?

Just like on Earth, the food that people eat in spaceneeds to provide all of the necessary proteins, fats,carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals necessary for abalanced diet. In the early days of the human spaceprogramme, most food was pretty unappetizing andeither squeezed out of tubes or in small bite-sizedchunks. These days, astronauts get the opportunity toselect from a pretty varied menu and although some

of the food is dehydrated (think of eating a pot noodle!)or tinned, advances in food technology mean that pre-packaged thermostabilised meals (like those in militaryration packs) can be pretty tasty especially when youthink about how supermarket ready meals havedeveloped over the years.

astronauts report that one interesting effect of being ina weightless or microgravity environment is that foodtastes pretty bland (perhaps due to fluid-inducedcongestion in their head) and so there is a realdemand for spicy extras such as chilli sauces,

horseradish, garlic and pepper (which is dissolved inliquid so that granules dont float all over the place). ASpace Shuttle astronaut reported that on one missiona colleague had such a craving for spices that he evenadded taco sauce to his breakfast cereal!

Anu Ojha


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20 space:uk

The UK space education office (ESERO-UK)promotes the use of space to enhance andsupport the teaching and learning of Science,Technology, Engineering and Mathematics(STEM) in schools and colleges throughoutthe UK. Funded by ESA and the Departmentfor Education, the office has been establishedat the National STEM Centre at the Universityof York.

ESERO-UK aims to share good practice andbecome the place to go for teaching andlearning resources that use space as acontext to enrich lessons. Key to this is thenetwork of space education ambassadorsthat has been established throughout the UK.The ambassadors are all affiliated with space-related education offices, such as theNational Space Centre in Leicester or theArmagh Planetarium in Northern Ireland.

The space ambassadors will engage withschools and colleges in their region, offeringstudent events, continuing professionaldevelopment for teachers and educationresources. They will also facilitate a regionalnetwork of groups interested in promoting

Teaching resources

Resource spotlightChoosing a Telescope for a Schoolis a

video produced by ESERO-UK, workingwith colleagues at space ambassadorDan Hilliers Royal Observatory inEdinburgh. The video gives a briefdemonstration on how to use a simple70mm refractor telescope and isaccompanied by a short factsheet writtenby space ambassador Paul Roche of theFaulkes Telescope Project in Wales (withsupport from the Institute of Physics)looking at some of the things to considerwhen purchasing a telescope. The

resource is a great starting point for anyteachers considering investing in a schooltelescope and can be found here:http://stem.org.uk/rxtx

space in the classroom. Schools are encouraged to get in contact with

their local space ambassador to find out how they can work togetherto improve their delivery of STEM education. Full contact details andbiographies for the space ambassadors can be found on the ESERO-UK website (see below).

The UK space education office will also highlight top space educationresources for teachers to use with their students. The resources areavailable online via an eLibrary accessible through the ESERO-UKwebsite. The eLibrary has been tailor-made to be as useful as possiblefor teachers, allowing you to search by type of resource (eg video, quizetc), age range, key stage, publisher, date of publication and muchmore. The eLibrary also contains resources for subjects such asbiology, mathematics, engineering and physics. This treasure chest ofresources provides great opportunities for cross-curricular subjectdevelopment and lesson planning.

The ESERO-UK website also contains links to other useful spacewebsites, and a list of activities and space education providers (suchas planetaria, observatories, robotic telescopes etc) searchable byregion to help give you inspiration for innovative approaches tolessons.

www.esero.org.uk

For more information, or to submit space education resources to theeLibrary, contact Dr Allan Clements:[email protected]

Resources include a virtual mission to the International Space Station

Credit:NASA

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Do you also get to travel a lot?

This year Ive travelled to Russia, India,France and Ireland. I have visited several keygovernment space and research facilities andI get to work with world class scientists andengineers from different cultures. I find it

fascinating to see how science andtechnology has evolved in very differentpolitical climates.

What is it about space that so

interests you?

Working on satellite instrumentation presentssignificant challenges, they have to bedesigned to survive the harsh launchingconditions, work first time and be 100%reliable once it is launched you cant makeany changes!

How did you end up with this job?

Ive always had an interest in how thingswork, I studied physics, chemistry and mathsfor A-Level before going on to study physicsat university. I remember not having a clearidea of the career that I should follow but Ienjoyed physics and it provided a very widerange of options.

What advice would you give someone

considering a career in space?

Study core science and maths subjects.Choose a good university and be proactive inyour search for the right job. You need tostand out from the crowd, so show initiativewherever possible.

What does your job involve?

I focus on winning imaging sensor businessfor e2v. This involves detailed discussionswith space agencies and instrumentmanufacturers around the world to help themcreate the highest performance cameras andscientific instruments possible.

What do these sensors do?

Image sensors are the electronic equivalent ofphotographic film. They detect light andconvert it into electrical signals. The largestcameras that use e2v image sensors arefound in telescopes. One of the mostprestigious cameras weve worked on is for isthe Hubble Space Telescope, which hastaken some of the most famous photographsin astronomy.

Closer to home, satellites use image sensorsto take pictures of the Earth. They can alsobe used to monitor gas concentrations in ouratmosphere, investigate Solar activity or evenlook for life on other planets. Technology wedevelop could help answer the big question:are we alone?

What are you working on at the moment?

I am currently working with a team developing

instruments for ExoMars, a billion-dollar ESAmission to land the next generation of roveron the surface of Mars. The ExoMars Roverwill search for past and present signs of lifeby analysing samples taken from the surface.

1. ESAs ExoMars will look forsigns of lifeCredit: ESA

2. ESAs Envisat took this imageof Mount EtnaCredit: ESA

3. Hubble image of theSombrero GalaxyCredit: ESA/NASA

space:uk 21

CAREER FILE

Fancy a job in space? In every issue of space:ukwe talk

to someone who has a career in the UK space industry

Phil Brown

is an Applications

Engineer with UK

company e2v.

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p

Skylark

Skylark was a sounding rocket, meaning the rocketsounded the atmosphere or tested it as it rosetowards space. It was built for ballistic flight, like a missile,and carried experiments to investigate astronomy, theatmosphere and the effects of microgravity. Each rocketexperienced around six minutes of weightlessness. As itfell back towards the Earth, the capsule containing theexperiments was released and landed using a parachute.

Skylark was conceived by British scientists in the mid-

1950s and was first launched from Woomera in Australia,several months before Sputnik. The early single-stagerockets were around eight metres long and launchedfrom a gantry made from leftover steel bridge panels.Over the years, Skylark became more sophisticated withmultiple stages enabling the spacecraft to reachextremely high altitudes. A three-stage Skylark could fly tosome 1000km five times as high as the Space Shuttle.In 1965, a total of seven rockets was launched in a singleday this remains an unbeaten record.

Skylarks experiments range from observations of the

upper atmosphere to X-ray astronomy, and frommeasurements of the Earth to the effects ofweightlessness on muscle tissue. Many young scientistsstarted their careers working on Skylark before going onto contribute to major international space missions.

The Government stopped funding the Skylark programmein 1977. However, UK companies continued tomanufacture the rockets and they were sold to Germanyand Sweden. Skylark flew for the final time in 2005,although sounding rockets are still used by researchers allover the World.

A podcast about Skylark is available on the UK Space

Agency website, search for space 50 podcasts.

Skylark was one of the most

successful rockets ever built. Over a

period of nearly fifty years, 441 Skylark

rockets carried a total of some 1000

experiments into space.

Tests being carried out prior to launch on anearly Skylark payload at Woomera

UK

SPA

CEPION

EERS

Credit:KenPounds

Creditforallimages:Astrium

Documents

space:uk - Issue 31