Scott Kelly's Return to Earth | #TimPeakeUpdate

Tim Peake's had some major changes on board the ISS recently - early this morning Commander of the Space Station, Scott Kelly returned to earth after a staggering 340 days in space. He left Earth early last year and hasn't been back since. The job now lies in figuring out Earth - and the minor change of gravity!


Only one person has beaten this record of 340 days which Scott shares with two other Russian crewmates - Valeri Polakov who spent 14 months aboard the Mir Space Station. What's even more special about Scott's time in space is that now, NASA can look at what 11 months in space does to his body, with Scott's identical twin and all because Scott's twin is genetically identical they can directly compare what 11 months in space does to your body.


Across his year in space, he's tweeted 1,000 images, worked on hundreds of experiments, carried out many space walks and above all he's looked at our planet in a totally new way. Follow @StationCDRKelly as he rediscovers planet Earth.

The Space Flower | #TimPeakeUpdate

The ISS crew have made another breakthrough with their scientific exploration - they've grown a space flower. This is actually the first ever flower which has bloomed in space. This particular flower is a Zinnia flower. In December, ISS Commander - Scott Kelly tweeted an image of the plant wilted and mouldy, but the crew successfully worked their magic - and it bloomed! :) You might think, what's the point? Some plants are grown on the ISS for educational outreach - like this one! Others are grown as food for the crew - in actual fact  they grew lettuce which was ideal for the crew because they could have fresh lettuce! It might not sound like much, but when you've been eating space food for a while, fresh lettuce must taste amazing! It also opens up a whole load of avenues when it comes to maybe feeding a growing population.

Tim Peake's Space Walk | #TimPeakeUpdate

Tim Peake during training, today, he flew the Union Jack for the
first time in the vacuum of space.

Today, at 12:55 GMT Tim Peake stepped out of the airlock and into the darkness of space, moments after his colleague Tim Kopra did just the same. They're main job, was to replace the SSU unit  - a major power channel of the ISS. They completed the important bit of the space walk well ahead of schedule, even with time to take a space selfie! The next part of the space walk involved laying a series of cables and carrying out a couple of replacements to enable future units to be installed on the ISS - not vital work. 

Just over four hours into the space walk, Tim Kopra reported that there was a small volume of water which had collected in his helmet. The mission director, as a matter of precaution, terminated the space walk. They made their way back to the airlock after collecting their tools. Both crew members remained absolutely fine - the termination was purely a matter of precaution. Ground control also - rightly so, believed that it was right to bring in both crew members in daylight, rather than potentially leaving Tim Kopra's helmet to fill with more and more water in the dark. Once the crew members returned, Scott Kelly, accompanied by Russian Cosmonauts measured the water in Tim's helmet to  be 15ml- perhaps from their cooling system. This might seem like a comparatively small amount - but in the uncertainty of space, this proved to be the best decision. Overall - it appears that the space walk was a triumph for Britain but for NASA, this is the third time astronauts have reported water in their helmet. 

Of course this space walk was an extremely proud moment - yet I'm sure nerve wracking at times for his parents, wife and children. His parents said "For us, we have immense pride, but also immense gratitude to all the people who are supporting Tim and the other astronauts."  Tim Peake also took pictures of his family on his wrist - his wife thanked him for flying their boys in space. 

Tim's space walk may have ended early, but he made history by becoming the first official British citizen to carry out a space walk. Once the problem of Tim Kopra's helmet became evident - ground control handed over the role of EVA1 (space walk leader) to Tim Peake to ensure their safe return, particularly in case the water increased in volume. The odds are now 2/1 on Tim Peake being Knighted before 2020 - what do you reckon? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Tim Peake is scheduled to return 5th June 2016

What is the ISS? | #TimPeakeUpdate

With the arrival of British Astronaut, Tim Peake on board the ISS last year (December 15th!), every month I'll be doing an update on what he's been up to on board the ISS. The first post in the installment will be on January 25th, but first I thought I'd explain a little bit more about the ISS, what it is and what it does.

The ISS, or International Space Station orbits Earth all day, every day. It orbits around 400 km above Earth. Putting it simply, it's essentially an orbiting scientific laboratory carrying out research in the micro gravity environment. This is a particularly useful tool as it allows scientists to look at the effects of micro gravity. When you're in space, your bone density decreases. This is what happens in some diseases like osteoporosis - the benefit of this is that scientists can look at what happens to astronauts on board the ISS to find out more about diseases such as osteoporosis and put the information they gain into research and possible treatments.

Check out one of my very first posts which was all about the ISS. click here

Tim Peake's Christmas Card | #SciSparksAdvent

Happy Christmas Eve! As we're only one sleep away from the big day - I thought I'd share Tim Peake's Christmas card this year!

As Tim said on Twitter, this is a Christmas card he never thought he'd send!  Having said that I reckon he needs to improve his space somersault skills! :)

Tim Peake's Launch | #SciSparksAdvent

Day 15




Today, at exactly 11:03, the first Briton to work on board the ISS launched. He waved his friends and family off from the launch pad in Kazakhstan - as Dallas Campbell put it, what a way to get to the office! Once Tim and the other two crew members have completed the 6 hour journey to the ISS, Tim's main role will be to complete experiments but he also wants to make the most of his time up there - he really wants to inspire kids and adults alike and show them the wonder of space and science.


At exactly 17:33 GMT, the Soyuz docked with the ISS after they'd completed a manual docking -  a couple of hours later, pressurisation checks had been completed - the hatch was opened and him and the crew floated into their home for the next 6 months.
The flight was relatively problem free - launch was completed in probably the best conditions possible. When it came to docking however, there was a slight issue which meant they had to complete a manual docking. We're still not sure what the issue was - this caused a delay in opening the hatch as the crew sent back data before putting the Soyuz in 'sleep mode'. This is such an important step because the Soyuz is their 'lifeboat' if there's an issue on board the ISS the crew can transfer to the Soyuz and quickly return to Earth.





Tim has embarked on an amazing adventure for himself and Britain - good luck Tim!


18/12 update: Tim has recently revealed on Twitter that his first space meal was a hot bacon sandwich and he'd also just found his tea - some things never change, wherever you are! :)

Gravity...Houston, we have a hit | Film Review

It's been exactly two years since the multi-award winning film, 'Gravity' was released in the UK. But here's my opinion of the hit film.

On the 28th January 1986 everything changed for America. The US news network, CNN carried live pictures of the routine challenger space shuttle launch. Although what was far from ordinary was the shuttle carried the first female civilian to go into space, 37 year old teacher Christa McAuliffe, chosen from over 11,000 applicants. What captured the collective imagination of the American people,soon, 73 seconds later ended in a tragic disaster. All seven crew members were killed and never made it into space.

The event, watched eagerly by millions worldwide shocked and tramatised the nation, just as the 9/11 attacks did some 15 years later. But the smash hit Gravity has the same ingredients, a female in space, Dr Ryan Stone played by Sandra Bullock going about her business with colleague Dr Kowalski played by George Clooney, when an onslaught of space debris hits the international space station (the ISS). First tethered to safety, the race is on to save the space station and more importantly to save their lives.

With the tilted Earth shimmering like a blue marble, circling them below, the film is a cinematic virtue and there's some science too.

The average space station commander logs around 4,000 hours at a time on board the football-field sized vehicle. Hollywood has officially accomplished the mission to make your children think space is cool.

Space Drones | #FutureGadgets

Amazon are currently trialing the idea of delivering your parcels in record time with the help of drones, but NASA think they have potential in space. Some might say that actually anything unmanned in space is a drone but NASA want them to work on the space station. This might seem like a waste but it may well speed up the process of experiments on board the ISS - improving our lives on Earth a lot quicker than it would otherwise do! This could mean that we get quicker experimental results and faster scientific advancements, meaning revolutionary technology could be hitting your home very soon!

The Solar Eclipse

Before I start I will mention a huge safety warning - don't look directly at the sun without protection, this may damage your eyesight!

Tomorrow, we will have a solar eclipse, where the sun's light is partially obscured (or totally obscured) by the moon, here in England, around 94% of the sun's light is expected to be obscured, although in typical British fashion it's meant to be cloudy which makes viewing the eclipse very difficult! Having said that, we will still be in relative darkness for about 90 minutes. It's the first time this has happened for 15 years. 

If you're interested in actually viewing or photographing the eclipse then take a look at this information - http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zcytpv4

If you're hoping the next one is fairly soon, it's actually in over 10 years time! You can view the next 7,000 years worth of solar eclipses here- http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/solar.html, although you might be in for a bit of a wait for the next one! 

3D Printing in Space #SciSparksAdvent Day 18

NASA scientists have managed to use a 3D Printer to make a spanner in space all from instructions sent up by email to the International Space Station. This marks the first time that this has ever been achieved, it happened because NASA were responding to a request from Barry Wilmore for a spanner. This even marks the first time a sequence of 21 prints were combined to make the first products manufactured off the surface of Earth. More objects were designed before the 3D printer and now have been shipped on a supply flight!

Views from the ISS #SciSparksAdvent Day 12

Ever wondered what the view of Earth is like from the ISS? Well now you know..:)




You can actually view the ISS live here - http://www.ustream.tv/channel/live-iss-stream

What would wi-fi look like if we could see it?

How do we know what the Milky Way looks like?

You're right, it's really difficult to deduce the shape of the Milky Way, the main reason of course being that we're in it! On the other hand, astronomers can map the distribution of the stars and motion of them really easily. This research indicates that we're orbiting a 'central bulge' , this means the planets and stars are distributed along a thin plane. The most convincing evidence for the structure of the Milky Way comes from the studies of gas clouds - here they measure the velocities and positions of these clouds. So although we know we have spiral clouds - we have no idea how many spiral arms there are!

Follow the rest of my #SummerofScience and me on Twitter @Sci_Sparks. Don’t forget to download my charity eBook, Science Bites: A Short Tour of the Universe HERE. 

Making Straw Rockets!

Over Space Week, I made Straw Rockets with year 7's who absolutely loved them, so I thought I would share with you how to make them! 

 1. This is all the equipment you'll need.

- Paper (I used lined just because it's easier to cut in  a straight line, but use any paper you like. Some people where using card which is okay, but difficult to roll)

- Post it Notes These just make it really easy to make the fins with as it's manipulatively VERY easy.

- Scissors

-A Straw (it's not shown in the picture as I don't have any)

- A pen (or wooden pencil) to roll your straw rocket around

2. Cut the ripped bit of the paper off if it's from a notepad :)

3. Cut a strip of paper, about the width of your little finger. The length isn't too important, just make sure it's not too short! If necessary you might need to chop it down. Get your pen ready as I've shown in the picture. 

4. Have the paper at an angle then begin to roll it around you pen/pencil. Make sure it's not too tight. Once you've reached the end of the pen/pencil and if you have paper left over then chop the excess off. 

5. Add sticky tape in three places ; each end and the middle. This should keep things secure. 

6. If you take it off the pen/pencil, at one end you should be looking at something like the picture. 

7. Pinch the end and fold over the triangle, then secure it with sticky tape. 

 8. Get 3 of the Post it Notes ready.

9. Fold them in half diagonally, then cut it. This should leave you with three right angled triangles with one of the shorter sides all sticky. 

10. If you've made your rocket quite small then you might want to cut down the size of the fins, do this by cutting down the longest side of the triangle. 

11. Stick each of the fins on so it should look something like the picture. It's easiest to do this with the pen/pencil still in place. 

12. The post it notes may not be too secure, if that's the case then secure it with a piece of sticky tape. 

13. Your finished! Feel free to decorate it! You can either use it as you would a paper rocket/plane or put a straw in then blow into the straw to launch it! 

Keep following my updates on #SummerofScience (@Sci_Sparks) and download my charity kindle book - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Bites-Short-Tour-Universe-ebook/dp/B00LHOXRO4

http://howsciworks.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/summer-of-science.htm

Space Week - To infinity and beyond!!

A trip into space can be yours for $250,000 USD. It may sound a little science fiction, but it’s soon to become science fact. Over 700 astronauts have already booked their place on board Virgin’s next project: Virgin Galactic – furthering the space frontier. Once you’re confirmed you become one of the selected few to visit Necker Island with Sir Richard Branson, that’s after you’ve completed g-force training.  You could be treated with one of the select few – normal, everyday people to go into space. In 2023, the Mars One mission will send its first ever manned spacecraft along the 8 month journey to the Red Planet – 4 normal people from four separate continents out of more than 200,000 first time applicants. They’ll leave Earth without the promise of a return ticket – quite literally travelling into the unknown.

I’ve been doing a Gold CREST Award communicating space and space travel to predominantly teenagers. This led to Space Week that started on the 30th June.  I began Space Week by organising three talks from Professor Carolin Crawford, who is a Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College in London. In 2009 her outstanding science communication abilities were recognised when she received the “Women of Outstanding Achievement Award” by the UK Resource Centre for women in science. She spoke to a year 8, 10 and 12 group on Saturn, The Red Planet – Mars and the Age of the Universe.

I also taught two year 7 lessons covering the history and future of space travel – the impact it will have on your lives and your children’s. They started learning about the space race, where I had them making straw rockets – which I think they found great fun!! On the second lesson they learnt about the present of space travel; even designing a meal for British astronaut Tim Peake to eat on board the ISS (The international Space Station).  We then talked about the prospects of life on Mars and the Mars one mission – aiming to put a human colony on Mars. By the end of the lesson I convinced about half of the group that they would want to live on Mars – although the prospect of free Wi-Fi was a huge incentive!

Throughout the week I ran a competition to design an astronaut’s suit fit for life on Mars. All the entries that I received were amazing – creative and extremely well researched. Congratulations to the winner, who had a portable drinks machine attached to her astronauts suit and radars to receive warnings from Earth!

To end the week I released an eBook; “Science Bites: A Short Tour of the Universe” for £1.51. All the proceeds are going to Keech Hospices. I’ve sold around 130 copies so far so please download it and leave feedback! Overall I think it was a great week, hopefully I’ve managed to convince a couple of people to change their mind about science and get them interested in space travel.

 You can also see the press write up in the Herts and Essex Observer - http://www.hertsandessexobserver.co.uk/Education/School-Report/Space-week-at-Stortfords-Herts-and-Essex-High-School-20140705145305.htm . Don't forget to download my eBook, Science Bites. Follow my #SummerofScience and me on Twitter @Sci_Sparks

Come back tomorrow for instructions on how to make the Straw Rockets. 

Channel 4 - Live in Space

As promised - this is the 2nd post in my #WeekofScience series. Last night Channel 4 - with Dermot O'Leary broadcast live from Houston's Mission Control linking live to the ISS (International Space Station). Astronauts on-board the ISS showed the nation around the football-pitch sized orbiting laboratory to give us an insight into how it works. Throughout the show in 102 minutes they completed a lap of the planet- showing us some incredible live images of the Earth from the Cupola Module of the ISS.  One of the astronauts, Mike landed back on Earth after a six months stint aboard the ISS, we were shown the footage of his re-entry into the atmosphere. Here are some pictures from the ISS.

This has to be one of the coolest 'selfies' out there! This is one of the Astronauts on a Christmas Eve space walk

Tim Peake's Mission Needs a Name

The European Space Agency is asking people to choose a name for British astronaut Tim Peake's next mission. Any person within Europe can take part  and the winning entry needs to be snappy and it will be the official mission name, incorporated into the logo.

Major Tim Peake is due to go to the ISS towards the end of 2015 and will spend six months carrying out scientific experiments in a zero gravity environment. This actually happens each time a European astronaut goes into orbit. They encourage names that reflect an astronaut's nationality are encouraged, but they should also have a wider European flavour, and be easy to pronounce.

Tim Peake also wants to prioritise getting other people involved and engaged in the mission similar to how Chris Hadfield, former Commander of the ISS did during his stay aboard the ISS.

How far into space have radiowaves travelled?

We've been broadcasting our existence into deep space via 'radio leakage' for more than 100 years, Travelling at the speed of light: 3 x10^8 that encompasses a sphere that spans more than 200 light years across and dozens of planetary systems the signals in theory have reached extreme deep space, but any artificial intelligence would need antennae to receive the signal hundreds of kilometres across to pick up the signals.

Chris Hadfield's Journey to Space...

The YouTube sensation Chris Hadfield first reached the headlines in December 2012 when he blasted off into space on board the Soyuz rocket to the ISS (International Space Station), his mission was to last nearly 6 months orbiting Earth at 17,500 miles per hour seeing a sunrise or sunset every 92 minutes. What's even more astonishing is that it only took 8 minutes and 42 seconds to reach the ISS.

Overall Chris Hadfield has spent 166 days in space, and has completed two space walks. He was even the first Canadian to ever walk in space.  Chris Hadfield was first inspired to be an astronaut when he was raised on a corn farm in Ontario, he watched the Apollo moon landing in 1969. At the time Canada didn't have a space agency so Chris went on to gain his glider pilot licence under the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. he joined the Canadian Armed Forces and he earned an engineering degree at the Royal Military College. As part of an exchange programme with the US Navy he also obtained a degree in  aviation systems at the University of Tennessee Space Institute.

In 1992 Chris Hadfield was one of the first astronauts ever to be excepted onto the Canadian Space programme. In November 1995 he took his first space flight to the Russian Space Station, Mir, where he flew as a 'Mission Specialist'. In April 2001 he flew again on the STS-100 and visited the ISS, here he helped to install the Canadarm2. He took his third and final space flight in December 2012 where he joined Expedition 34. In March 2013 he then took over command of the space station as part of Expedition 35. As part of the mission he was in charge of five astronauts and dozens of experiments on board the space station, on many different things including the impact of low gravity on human biology. During the mission he gained popularity by chronicling life aboard the space station. He also took many pictures of Earth and posted them through Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr to many people worldwide. His mission ended in May 2013 when he safely returned to Earth. Shortly after returning he announced his retirement, ending a 35-year career as a military pilot and astronaut


Chris Hadfield has since written a biography titled: 'An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth' about his 4,000 hours he has clocked up in space and a whole lot more.

 

The Andromeda Galaxy

This  is the Andromeda Galaxy, which I was lucky enough

 to take as part of the GCSE Astronomy that I do every

Wednesday evening at school

This is the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) which lies around 2.5 million light years away from Earth and it our closest spiral galaxy. Observations taken in 2006 by the Spitzer Space Telescope suggests that the Andromeda Galaxy contains around 1 trillion stars. The Andromeda Galaxy is estimated to be 7.1×10¹¹  solar masses. This means that the mass of the Andromeda Galaxy is 7.1×10¹¹ times heavier than the Sun. The mass of the Sun being approximately two nonillion kilograms. The value of this constant was found by Henry Cavendish in 1798 at the University of Cambridge. He did this with a torsion balance which is designed to measure very weak forces. The invention of the torsion balance is usually credited to Charles - Augustin de Coulomb who invented it in 1777.