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 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.

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

Our 21st Century World

We now see the world through different eyes. Whether it's global warming and the Europe-wide thunderstorms or the middle-eastern crisis. Whatever it is... we can't help but look at our world through different eyes. So today, I thought as part of the Summer of Science I'd put a collection of my favorite pictures of Earth together. 

And no, this picture hasn't been photoshopped!! 

Just for good measure - one of the coolest astronaut selfies!


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

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 ISS: "Making the Invisible, Visible"

Currently we are using the equivalent of 1 and a half planets worth of resources in order to survive on earth. With the advancement of medical technology and discoveries, we have an ever increasing population. In the near future we will need to find another planet to live on.   

Previous Expedition 34 of the ISS

The ISS is carrying out investigations, testing out the conditions that humans would have to withstand to live on a planet such as Mars to solve this problem, without having to risk money and human health by sending shuttles to Mars or other prospective planets. Other experiments that the ISS carries out are in various fields, for example biology, human biology, physics, astronomy and meteorology (which is the study of the weather)

The ISS may be circling the earth at 7,706.6m/s at 370km, but the International Space Station does a lot more than that. The ISS was sent into orbit on the 20^th November 1998.The ISS has spent a staggering 5243 days in orbit, 4530 of them have been spent occupied, that’s nearly 12 and a half years.

The cost of construction of the ISS mounted up to a massive 150 billion US dollars. The size of the ISS is approximately the size of an American football field and it is the largest man made machinery that orbits the earth.  The ISS has been visited by astronauts and cosmonauts from 15 different nations

View of a spiral cloud from the ISS (@Cmdr_Hadfield 

The technology onboard the ISS allows pioneering research to be carried out, most of which could very well be put to good use within our lifetime. One of the many experiments is tissue culture. This is where living cells can be grown in an environment where the results are not distorted by the force of gravity. These results could be used to test for treatments of deadly diseases and illnesses like cancer, without risking harm to patients whilst the treatment is still in the production stages. NASA has already developed a Bioreactor device on earth that can be used to simulate these effects that happen in space.  Every so often the ISS needs to be serviced, like a car, to do this a Soyuz space shuttle is sent out to service the ISS and deliver any essential equipment or materials to the station. Recently on the 29^th March the Soyuz shuttle managed to reach the ISS in less than 6 hours, compared to the usual 2 days. This brings forward new prospects of space travel, potentially making journeys to planets such as Mars possibly achievable in a reasonable timespan.

The crew on board the ISS changes regularly. On-board the ISS currently is Commander Chris Hadfield and Flight Engineers Tom Marshburn and Roman Romanenko who began their stay when they docked their Soyuz TMA-07M which transported the crew to the ISS on Dec. 21, 2012.The crew on Expedition 35 is scheduled to remain on-board until May 2013.

You can see when the ISS passes are online here for June http://www.meteorwatch.org/iss-international-space-station-uk-passes-june-2013/

. Follow @VirtualAstro on twitter for more information on astronomy or  @Cmdr_Hadfield for amazing photos from the ISS