AstrotalkUK

AstrotalkUK

By Gurbir SinghNatural Sciences
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AstrotalkUK episodes

  • Episode 78: ISRO’s early Earth Observation Cameras with former chairman Mr Kiran Kumar
    Dr Kiran Kumar. Credit ISRO
    Mr Kiran Kumar studied physics, physical engineering and electronics in educational institutions in India including the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore. He specialised in electro-optical imaging systems and, in 1975, was recruited by Dr Yash Pal (one of a few key individuals who played a pivotal role in the early days of India’s space programme) to ISRO’s Space Application Centre in Ahmedabad.
    During the 1970s, state-of-the-art imaging sensors consisted of photodiodes, vidicon tubes and photomultipliers. It was these analogue devices that he started working with before moving on to modern solid-state devices, such as Charged Coupled Devices (CCDs). He contributed to imaging systems for India’s first remote-sensing satellite (Bhaskara-1) and to deep-space missions to the Moon (Chandrayaan-1) and Mars (Mars Orbiter Mission).
    During the 1970s, state-of-the-art imaging sensors consisted of photodiodes, vidicon tubes and photomultipliers. It was these analogue devices that he started working with before moving on to modern solid-state devices, such as Charged Coupled Devices (CCDs). He contributed to imaging systems for India’s first remote-sensing satellite (Bhaskara-1) and to deep-space missions to the Moon (Chandrayaan-1) and Mars (Mars Orbiter Mission).
    A few highlights from the interview recorded on 22 September 2018
    Had considered medicine as a career, but, by 22 days, not meeting the age criteria, and with National College in Bangalore initiating a new Physics Honours course in 1968, he chose Physics.
    Strongly influenced by physicist and ardent rationalist Dr H.Narasimhaiah, who later became the vice-chancellor of Bangalore University.
    Has a clear memory of Gagarin’s spaceflight in 1961 and Apollo 11 landing on the Moon in 1969.
    Graduated in 1971, the same year that Vikram Sarabhai died. He never saw or met him.
    In 1975, he was working on his M.Tech at the IISc when India’s first satellite, Aryabhata, was launched. He worked on Bhaskara – initially known as Satellite for Earth Observation.
    In the mid-1970s, only four metropolitan areas in India had television reception. The SITE programme illustrated the benefits of satellite communication in delivering education to small rural communities across India.
    During 1995-1999 – ISRO had the highest spatial resolution imaging capability from space in the civilian domain.
    Using Commercial Off the Shelf products (or parts from COTS products) is not unusual for experimental space missions.
    Moving into the Chairman’s role was not onerous. Previous experience as director of an ISRO centre provided the required experience.
    Although Kiran Kumar stepped down from the chairman's role in January 2018, he remains active within ISRO.
    53 min
  • Episode 77: Satellite tracking – the early days
    Sven Grahn has been working in the space field in one way or another for over fifty years. Officially retired, he continues to work as a project leader of a student satellite at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
    He is perhaps best known for his work in tracking satellites launched by the secretive Soviet Union during the 1960s and 1970s.In those pre-internet days, his work along with others helped to identify individual mission characteristics such as mission types, members of the crew, take off and landing times. He recorded over 1000 conversations from orbiting spacecraft as they flew over Sweden.
    In this interview, he speaks about
    The impact of the space race on his choice of career
    His work on sounding rockets and meteorology in Sweden and beyond
    Satellite tracking. What he tracked, heard and recorded using radio and tape recorders.
    How he came to research and write about the  satellite tracking conducted at Jodrell  Bank radio telescope in England
    As an 11-year-old, Sven had seen Sputnik in the sky over Sweden with his own eyes. I started by asking him how the onset of the space race had impacted his choice of career?
    0 min
  • Episode 76: Space law
    Bayar Goswami
    One of the earliest characteristics of human civilisation (large populations living together in organised cities) was the creation of rules or laws that everyone who lived there agreed to abide by.
    The 50th anniversary of first humans to visit the Moon is celebrated later this year. In 1968 it was pretty much just two countries and a few space missions per year. Today, over 70 countries have something in the way of a space programme and along with a blossoming private space sector, space is likely to become very busy in the next decade or so. This surge of space activity will determine how the laws in space will apply and begin to set the scene for human civilisation beyond Earth.   On earth, most nations follow international laws most of the time.
    International rules for operating in space were defined by the UN in five treaties established between 1967 - 1984.
    1967 – The Outer Space Treaty: Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies.
    1968 - Rescue Agreement. Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space.
    1972 - The Liability agreement. Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects.
    1976 – The Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space.
    1984 – The Moon Treaty. Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies.
    How will these laws fair in space? For example, will all governments
    “authorise and supervise” their  “non-governmental entities” in space?
    comply with international liabilities for physical damages caused by their space objects?
    agree on who can build what and where on the Moon?
    establish mining and ownership rights to materials on the Moon and other celestial bodies?
    maintain the principles of human rights in space.
    These are some of the questions I discuss with  Bayar Goswami, a Doctoral student at the Institute of Air and Space Law, McGill University (IASL) in Canada. A TedX speaker, Bayar has an interest in space as well as law and I started by asking him what came first.
    The distinction between terms, such as signed, ratified and accessioned, is described here. A status of which nations have signed which treaty is maintained by the UN here. A summary of the five treaties is available here.
    0 min
  • Episode 75: China -back to the Moon with Chang’ E 4
    One mission two spacecraft, China is going back to the Moon with Chang'E 4 mission that I think is the most exciting lunar mission since the 1970s. By the end of 2018, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) will launch Chang'E 4 that will explore the far side of the Moon with a lander and a rover. Since it is on the other side of the Moon, it will be totally out of sight from the Earth. To facilitate communication, a relay satellite will be launched in advance of the lander/rover's arrival at the Moon.
    In addition to engaging private sector companies in China, Chang’E 4 will include a significant level of international collaboration, with payloads from Germany, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and Sweden.
    Ye Quan-Zhi is a postdoc astronomer who specialises in small bodies in the solar system. Like me, he started off as an amateur astronomer but now uses telescopes with apertures measured in meters rather than inches!  In addition to his research, he writes about space in the Planetary Society's blog.   As a Chinese national, Quan-Zhi has an interest in and insight into the Chinese Space Programme, and in this episode, we spoke about the upcoming Chang'e E-4 mission and the prospects of collaboration between India and China in space.
    Change' E 4 Mission - An overview
    Relay Satellite
    Named as "Queqiao" or magpie bridge, it will be launched in May 2018 and placed in the Earth/Moon L2 orbit (also known as a halo orbit) about 60,000km from the Moon (450,000 km from the Earth) in the opposite direction of the Earth. From there, it will always have a line of sight to the far side of the Moon and Earth at the same time. Its primary purpose is to act as a relay providing all the communications from the Lander/Rover that will land on the Moon in late 2018 or early 2019.
    The two microsatellites from the Netherlands are called “Longjiang-1" and "Longjiang-2”. They will enter an elliptical lunar orbit and conduct low-frequency radio astronomy experiments.
    Lander & Rover
    Due for launch in December 2018 or early 2019
    The lander and rover are backups to the highly successful 2013 Chang’E 3 mission. Whilst identical in most respects, lessons learnt from Chang’E 3 have been incorporated in modifications to Chang’E 4.
    Lander
    • Landing Camera (LCAM)
    • Terrain Camera (TCAM)
    • Low-Frequency Spectrometer (LFS) to investigate radiation bursts from the sun and cosmos.
    • Lunar Lander Neutrons and Dosimetry (LND), a neutron detector from the University of Kiel in Germany
    • A mini "lunar biosphere" experiment designed by 28 Chinese universities, consisting of a 0.8 litre capacity enclosure weighing 3 kilograms. The biosphere contains silkworm eggs and seeds for cress and potatoes. Once on the lunar surface, this mini biosphere will maintain a humidity and temperature (1 to 30 degrees centigrade) whilst the lunar surface temperature varies from +100 to -100 degrees centigrade. An HD camera will live-stream from the lunar surface, showing the hatching eggs and sprouting seeds during the first two weeks of the mission.
    Rover
    • Panoramic Camera (PCAM)
    • Ground penetrating radar (LPR) to investigate the lunar crust and mantle
    • Visible and Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (VNIS), for imaging spectroscopy
    • Advanced Small Analyser for Neutrals (ASAN), to investigate how solar particles interacts with the lunar surface.
    44 min
  • Episode 74: Space Debris and Sustainable use of Space
    Dr Brian Weeden
    Space, as the author Douglas Adams said, "is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is". After 6 decades of launching spacecraft, some orbits are now congested with space debris from collisions and poor end-of-life mission management. This has now become a serious hazard and even a danger to operational spacecraft. With plans to launch thousands of additional satellites, the Mega Constellations, in the coming decade, the need for some sort of "traffic management" in orbit has never been greater.
    The Secure World Foundation was established in 2002 by philanthropists Marcell Arsenault and his wife Cynda Collins Arsenault. Its vision of "sustainable and peaceful uses of outer space contributing to global stability and benefits on Earth" is timely. In the last decade, the urgency to address the profound impact of climate change on Earth has finally been (almost) heeded,  the next decade will focus on space. The SWF is informing and leading this debate.
    Dr Brian Weeden is the Director of Program Planning for Secure World Foundation. In the past, his responsibilities included intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) operations, working at Cheyenne Mountain and Vandenberg Air Force Base, and specialising in Space Situational Awareness in the US Air Force and Strategic Command's Joint Space Operations Centre (JSpOC).  In this episode, he talks about the key issues of space debris, preventing the militarisation of space, raising awareness of cyber threats to spacecraft, developing resources for the many nations now developing space programmes, and fostering standards and policies for commercial uses of space.
    The SWF produces some very interesting and readable resources. A selection below
    PDF - Weapons and Conflict in Space: History, Reality, and The Future. A really good primary from Brian Weeden and others
    PDF - Handbook for new actors in space
    PDF - Global Counterspace Capabilities: An Open Source Assessment
    PDF - Tomorrow's Battlefield: Emerging Areas of Military Competition - Space,
    PDF - Weapons and Conflict in Space: History, Reality, and The Future
    MP3 - Big Data, Big Space, Big Risk: Addressing Cyber Security Threats
    PDF - Preparing For a “Normalized” Space Domain - Secure World Foundation
    55 min

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