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July 2008

ASTRONOTES
Incorporating FRIENDS' NEWSLETTER Soyuz near-disaster The Phoenix has landed Harry Potter and the Stargazers of Araby The night sky this month ATV evolves for ESA's astronauts

ARMAGHPLANETARIUM


2 Astronotes July 2008

Russian through the air
By Naomi Francey, Education Support Officer In the morning of Saturday 19 April 2008 you may have been stargazing, coming in from a night out or perhaps just sleeping soundly in your bed, however 350 km (217 miles) above the Earth's surface something very different was going on. In the very early hours of the morning the crew of Expedition 16 were preparing to leave the International Space station in a Soyuz TMA spacecraft, a very much routine procedure. Expedition 16 consisted of Commander Peggy Whitson, Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and South Korea's first astronaut Yi So-Yeon. Over the past forty years, the Russian spacecraft Soyuz has made about 100 trips into space and it has proved to be a highly reliable method of transporting astronauts beyond our atmosphere.

The tiny re-entry module of the Soyuz The Soyuz and the similar but pilotless Progress vehicles have been the workhorses of the ISS programme, regularly shuttling people and cargo to the station. spacecraft. The recovery team found the Soyuz surrounded by nomadic herdsmen in a sea of burning grassland on fire as a result of the landing. The crew came out relatively unharmed after experiencing eight times the gravity on Earth (but Yi So-Yeon was hospitalised for a back injury on her return to Korea). The robust design of the Soyuz meant that the emergency landing was a success and the three crew on board have much to be thankful for. This is the second rocky landing in a row for the Soyuz TMA design. Another crew had a similar, less frightening but still very unpleasant experience last October.

"...upon re-entry things didn't run as smooth as hoped"
The undocking of the Soyuz spacecraft went well but upon re-entry things didn't run quite as smooth as anyone would have hoped. The Soyuz disappeared from mission control's screens during its descent and controller feared the worst but after increasingly alarmed searching the capsule was located 400 km (about 250 miles) from its intended landing place. Meanwhile the crew experienced a terrifying and painful re-entry. Communication with the spacecraft was lost and was only restored when Yuri Malenchenko was able to free himself from the capsule and use the reserve satellite phone. The Russians even declared the team home safe and sound before contact had been made with the crew and before the emergency services had located the

"The recovery team found the Soyuz surrounded by nomadic herdsmen"
Initially the crew were blamed for changing their flight plan without informing mission control, a charge which appear baseless. One Russian Federal Space Agency chief even blamed the dominant female crew on the Soyuz and said it was `bad luck' to have more females than

Image Credit: NASA


July 2008 Astronotes 3 due to explosive bolts or due to the force that impacted the spacecraft upon re-entry. But no matter how or what caused this incident, the three astronauts on board returned home safely after a very bumpy ride, and it will be investigated thoroughly by authorities to make sure something like this can be prevented in the future. (Editor's note: I am sorry to report that this is Naomi's last article for Astronotes. Naomi has departed Nearly a steppe too far A large area of grassland was set alight to the southern hemisphere by the Soyuz (just visible as a dark speck in the lower right). This is where she will be helping those another technical anomaly which is yet to be publicly explained. less fortunate than ourselves. In her time at the Planetarium she has made a huge males! But it later became clear that the descent impression on both our staff and visitors. We capsule failed to detach from the propulsion wish her well and will be following her advenmodule, and therefore both modules impacted tures at www.naomifrancey.com) the atmosphere before they had separated. It is still unclear whether they later separated

Image Credit: NASA

The Phoenix has landed
By Nigel Farrell, Education Support Officer On May 25 (26 May in the UK) NASA's Martian lander Phoenix eventually completed its 680 million km (422 million mile)journey from Earth. Radio signals received at around 0053 BST confirmed that the lander had reached the surface of the Red Planet. Phoenix, the first spacecraft to make a successful landing in a polar region of Mars was clapped and cheered by engineers and scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver; and the University of Arizona as a flight controller excitedly announced, "Phoenix has landed - welcome to the northern plain of Mars". Within two hours of touchdown Phoenix had begun to transmit pictures to Earth confirming that the craft was in good health after its perilous descent. The radio signal confirming the successful touchdown and the first pictures were relayed to Earth from Mars at the speed of Light via the Mars Odyssey orbiter and were received on Earth at the Goldstone California antenna station part of NASA's Deep Space Network. In a planned manoeuvre Phoenix stopped transmitting one minute after landing in order to ensure its limited battery power was focused on opening its solar arrays and deploying some of its other crucial instruments. The first pictures subsequently confirmed that the solar arrays, essential for providing power to the craft had unfurled correctly and that the masts for the stereo camera and weather station had swung into position. Further images showed the craft's legs resting on the surface, and the Arctic Martian plain where Phoenix set down, with its backshell and parachute clearly visible in the distance. By 2 June the lander had begun to take its first samples of the Martian soil this first test "dig and dump" took place in an area where the robotic arm had first touched the surface on 31 May.


4 Astronotes July 2008 further investigation the soil on the Martian surface appears to be much clumpier than expected making delivery of samples tricky, particularly those intended for the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Anaylzer, or TEGA, which is designed to bake and sniff samples to identify some key ingredients.

Image Credits: NASA

Phoenix descending The lander is visible under its parachute in this amazing MRO image. Scientists jokingly named this area "Yeti" as the indentation left by the arm closely resembled a footprint. In the trench left by the scoop and within the sample itself scientists were able to identify a glint of bright material thought to be ice or salt.

Polar panorama Phoenix images its new home. To combat this issue a revised method for soil sample delivery was to be attempted whereby the scoop of the robotic arm is held at an angle above the delivery target and sprinkle out the sample material by vibrating the scoop to release the soil into one of the eight "ovens" that can be used to test samples. Although the probe has thus far failed to deliver enough material for analysis, scientists were not overly anxious, and stated that it would take a week or two of failure before they would start to explore alternative methods such as grinding up samples prior to delivery. The Mars mission, now almost one month old, is expected to last approximately three months, and is searching the subsurface for indications that the ice or minerals contained within could have had or continue to have the necessary

"Phoenix has landed welcome to the northern plain of Mars"

Confidence was high that the two successful test digs would give scientists and engineers the confidence to begin to deliver soil samples to instruments onboard Phoenix. However, upon

Image Credits: NASA

`Yeti footprint' Sadly not evidence for bare-footed martians.

Scoop of soil ready for analysis.

Image Credit: NASA

Image Credit: NASA


July 2008 Astronotes 5 ice has indeed been found on the surface of the red planet. At a press conference, Peter Smith, the principal investigator of the mission said, "It is with great pride and a lot of joy that I announce today that we have found proof that this hard bright material is really water ice and not some other substance,". The evidence for this announcement comes from white material discovered in a trench unofficially known as Dodo-Goldilocks, which Phoenix dug and photographed on the 20th day of its stay on Mars. When the trench was photographed again four days later some of the chunks of material had disappeared. Initial thoughts that the white material could have been salt were dispelled by Smith who said "these little clumps completely disappearing over a few days is perfect evidence that it's ice, salt can't do that". 4 sols later Tiny clumps of material in the bottom left of the trench on 15 June (left) are gone by 19 June (right). A sol is a Martian solar day of 24 hours, 39 minutes. conditions to support basic organic life. Just as I come to the end of this article scientists finally confirmed on 20 June that water Yet further confirmation of ice came from another trench known as Snow White 2, digging was halted when the robotic arm hit a hard surface just under the soil layer scientists now plan to collect and analyse soil samples from a third trench and will later examine the hard layer.

Image Credit: NASA

The Sky in July
By Tracy McConnell, Education Support Officer When stargazing in the summer months, remember that you will have to stay up later as the days are longer, and the nights shorter. Remember to allow yourself about 15 minutes for your eyes to become accustomed to the dark. I would suggest starting by facing south, and I'll attempt to guide you through some of the most recognisable patterns. At around 11pm to midnight, very low in the sky is the constellation of Sagittarius, which is represented by a centaur, but when looking for it, look for a little teapot pattern. If you can see steam emerging from the spout of the teapot and going up over your head, you are seeing our Milky Way Galaxy; it's a beautiful sight and this is the best time of year to get a clear look at it. Around 15 July, Sagittarius will be obscured by the waning gibbous moon, but I suggest keeping an eye out around 19 July as you could get a treat. Just above our teapot and slightly to the left, you will spot a very bright object. This is the

"...you will discover three bright stars: the Summer Triangle"
giant planet Jupiter, who was the king of the Roman gods. He was also known as the king of the gods in Greek mythology, where he went by the name of Zeus. However, if you live in a built up area, Sagittarius and Jupiter may not be visible as they are so low in the sky at this time of year.


6 Astronotes July 2008 to the upper right of Deneb, called the North American Nebula. It is large but faint so you will need good seeing conditions.

Image Credit: Colin Johnston, created with Starry Night

"Vega is the brightest star in the sky at this time of year"
Greek Mythology tells that Zeus disguised himself as a swan in order to seduce Leda, the beautiful young Queen of Sparta. Later that night Leda also spent the night with her husband, the king. Nine months later Leda produced two enormous eggs. One hatched to reveal twin boys, Castor and Pollux (the Gemini twins) and from the other hatched twin girls, Clytemnestra and Helen (who later became Helen of Troy). Pollux and Helen were fathered by Zeus and the other two children were sired by the King. I have to say the Greeks did love their soap opera! The base point of the Summer Triangle is Altair in the constellation of Aquila. Aquila was Zeus' pet eagle, who was known to carry his thunderbolts, and who was ordered by Zeus to kidnap Ganymede the shepherd boy to act as his servant.

The Summer Triangle This asterism cannot be missed in the night summer sky. Turning slightly to face SSE and you will discover three bright stars in the form of the "Summer Triangle". In the upper right-hand point of the Triangle is Vega is in the constellation of Lyra the harp. Vega is the brightest star in the sky at this time of year and is only 25 light years (7.7 parsecs) away from us. The upper left-hand star is Deneb, the brightest in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan. Unlike other constellations, Cygnus does bear a considerable resemblance to its namesake and you can easily identify the long neck of the swan and its outstretched wings. Deneb is actually very far away and is shining with 60 000 times the power of our Sun. Using a telescope, you can see an interesting nebula

"Deneb shines 60 000 times as brightly as our Sun"
On the right of Lyra, facing in a SSW direction, is a constellation which resembles a squashed spider, and has a central polygon reminiscent of a flower pot. This is the constellation of Hercules, who was the product of another of Zeus' many affairs, with a mortal woman named Alcmene. If you turn east you should be able to see clearly in the middle of the sky a large square pattern, known as The Great Square, which makes up the centre of Pegasus, the winged horse, who was born from the blood of the beheaded snake-haired Medusa. Contrary to the Disney

Image Credit: Richard Crisp via http://www. narrowbandimaging.com/ngc7k_150mm_cm10_ s2hao3_page.htm

North American Nebula Also known as NGC7000, this emission nebula is about 2200 light years (675 parsecs) from Earth.


July 2008 Astronotes 7 version, in Greek myth, Pegasus was given to the hero Bellerophon by the goddess Athene, and not to Hercules by his father Zeus. Pegasus later returned to Mount Olympus to serve Zeus by carrying his thunderbolts. There is a Globular Cluster just in front of the muzzle of Pegasus, M15, which is visible through binoculars. In the in the general direction of North, there are several familiar patterns. Ursa Major, The Great Bear, part of which is known as "The Plough"; Cassiopeia "The Vain Queen" is very recognisable as the Celestial W at this time of year. Enjoy your stargazing and I look forward to helping you find some other new sights next month.

Moon Phases, July 2008
Thurs Thurs Fri 18 Fri 25 3 July 10 July July July NEW MOON First Quarter FULL MOON Last Quarter

Star Names: from Ptolemy to Harry Potter
By Orla O'Donnell, Education Support Officer Star's names have acted as a great inspiration for artists and musicians and this article reviews the history of these awe inspiring celestial objects. A few weeks ago a friend and I were discussing a Harry Potter book and, yes I'm a little too old to have read them. One of the characters in the books is named Sirius Black, Sirius is the' dog star' the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, the larger of Orion's two hunting dogs . The character of Sirius Black transforms into a dog which makes the name suit him very well. J.K Rowling's books are littered with characters whose names relate to stars and constellationsespecially members of the Black family. The Black family tree includes characters with names

"Sirius Black's family tree is full of star names including his brother Regulus, cousin Bellatrix and uncle Alphard"
such as Sirius' brother Regulus, his cousin Bellatrix and his uncle Alphard. These are all of course star names (can you name their constellations?answers at the end of this article). Rowling is not

Claudius Ptolemy (c 83- 161 AD) There are no contemporary depictions of this great astronomer, geographer and mathematician, so this is a European illustration from the 1600s. He certainly did not wear the clerical garb he is shown in here, and, born in Egypt, he was probably considerably more dark-skinned too. Today there are craters on the Moon and Mars and an asteroid named after him. alone, many modern authors, for example Philip Pullman, call on the stars as inspiration for naming their novel's protagonists. Outside of literature star names have even been the inspiration for the name of a car manufacturer, Subaru was named after the star cluster

Image Credit: via wikimedia.org


8 Astronotes July 2008 Pleiades which is Subaru in Japanese. The manufacturer's logo is represented by six stars which is one less than the actual constellation which has seven. Deciphering the exact origin of star names can be a complicated business, after all stars have been around for a very long time. Many of the star names that we are most familiar belong to the brightest stars which are clearly visible to the unaided eye. These stars' names are mainly Arabic in origin, over the years the spelling and pronunciation of these star names has been corrupted and changed. The star name is usually

"Over the years the spelling and pronunciation of star names have been corrupted and changed"
related to its constellation for example Dubhe translates to `back of a bear' and Dubhe is part of the constellation Ursa Major or Great Bear. Another Arabic example is Deneb which translates to 'hen's tail' which is related to its location in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan. Not all star names are derived from Arabic, the very well-known star Aldebaran`s name originates from medieval times and means `to follow' which refers to its closeness to the Pleiades. Some stars have Greek or Latin names, Regulus in the

A busy night at Istanbul Observatory Inspired by Tycho Brahae's Uraniborg, this research facility was built in 1577 but destroyed for reasons that remain murky in 1580. The astronomers are using a range of equipment to assist their observations, but no telescopes. They would not be available for another thirty years. constellation of Leo the Lion is perhaps the best example of a Greek star's name, it means `little king'.

"Bayer's star atlas contained 1564 stars and introduced a new designation system "
Claudius Ptolemy collected the first real catalogue of star names in 150 AD, the Al-magest, while living in Egypt, the influence of the star names in his text were from early Babylonian and Arabic sources. The nomadic Bedouin tribes of the Arabic deserts would have a perfect terrain and lifestyle for stargazing and often stars as a guide through the desolate desert. Later in the middle ages the many newer star names would have been added to the older star names which are passed down orally. The spread of Islam in the 6th century increased the power and influence of Arabic culture on star names. Ptolemy's book was translated into Arabic in the 8th century, this allowed Islamic culture to spread it across the world and thus their star name usage was spread too. There was, how-

The Prisoner of Azkaban Sirius Black first appeared in this novel (but he was mentioned earlier in the saga)

Image Credit: Amazon.co.uk

Image Credit: via wikimedia.org


July 2008 Astronotes 9 ever, always a mixture of western and eastern cultures, Arabic star names were indeed widely used but Grecian mythological influenced constellation names. The next significant period for star names was the Renaissance which saw the growth of science. Astronomers became more interested in creating complete catalogues of stars rather than using their traditional names. In 1603 German astronomer Johannes Bayer created a star atlas, which contained 1564 stars and introduced a new designation system for stars. Each star is identified by a Greek letter followed by the name for the constellation this is still used today. Bayer's system listed the stars by their brightness rather than by the traditional names. Star names have changed over the years and have taken on influences from all over the world from the nomadic tribes of Arabic deserts to the scholars in Greece. Star names may have changed over the years just as the stars themselves have aged but the stars and their fascinating names will continued to awe and inspire us for generations to come. (Black family answers: Regulus is in Leo, Bellatrix is one of the brightest star in Orion and Alphard is the brightest star in Hydra)

Toilet troubles on the ISS
By Nigel Farrell, Education Support Officer Cross-legged Astronauts on board the International Space Station recently had to endure a bit of a wait for plumbing supplies, after the sole on board toilet began to malfunction towards the end of May. Just imagine the emergency call out charge for that job! The three crew, all male, eagerly awaited the arrival of the Space Shuttle Discovery which launched on 31 May on a 14 day mission to the ISS. The seven shuttle crew, were tasked with the delivery of not only a giant cylinder for Japan's Kibo science lab but also with a replacement pump for the clapped out loo. The Russian supplied ASU ­ Waste Management System- is a pretty straight forward mechanism, basically it sucks an air/urine mix through a funnel into a container. The air is then recycled into the ISS's atmosphere through a deodorising filter, while the waste liquid is stored in a tank. Solid waste is likewise sucked into the system via a nozzle for bagging and later disposal.

"Equipment was removed from the Shuttle to make room for toilet components."
Fortunately for those on board it was the urine collection unit rather than the solid waste unit which malfunctioned. NASA reported that the ISS crew first became aware of the problem when they "heard a loud noise and a fan stopped working". Repairs to the unit were attempted and the crew actually replaced many of the toilet's working parts, however they had to admit defeat and were forced to operate the toilet manually for a time. The crew had several back up options available and were also able to use the facilities on board the Soyuz capsule docked at the ISS.

Image Credit: NASA

The plumbers are here Treated as a comic story in the media, the ISS toilet failure was no joke for the crew.

NASA said that a staff member was rushing from Russia to Florida with the required spare parts in time for the Shuttle launch on 31 May.


10 Astronotes July 2008 Consequently other equipment due to go on this shuttle launch had to be removed in order to make room for the desperately required toilet components. The new parts were successfully delivered to the ISS on Monday 2 June. After several tests NASA reported that the toilet facilities appeared to be functioning normally, however, reports that the Astronauts were "flushed with happiness" as yet remain unconfirmed

The smallest room in the space station The Waste Management System is housed in the ISS's Zvezda crew accommodation module .

...Quattro...trois...dos... eins...zero!
By Colin Johnston, Science Communicator European astronauts are always passengers. The European Space Agency has no manned spacecraft of its own, so `euronauts' travel into space and return to Earth onboard either NASA's Space Shuttle or Russia's Soyuz. The Shuttle will be phased out by 2010 to be replaced by the Orion CEV from 2014. Soyuz (which is currently under a cloud- see `Russian through the air' elsewhere in this issue) may be replaced (or not) by the still nebulous Kliper or Crew Space Transportation System spacecraft. There is no technical reason why the wealthy and technologically adept ESA nations should not have their own manned spacecraft. (When I say `manned' I mean of course it will be capable of carrying persons of both genders. Nowadays the preferred term appears to be `crewed spacecraft', a term I avoid as it sounds like `crude spacecraft', presumably something made out of oil drums.) European aerospace giant EADS Astrium is suggesting that ESA sponsor development of a vehicle to transport its astronauts to and from the ISS and perhaps beyond. Readers with long memories and a taste for astronautical minutiae may recall we have been along this road before. Hermes was a proposed spaceplane studied by firstly the French government and later ESA between 1975 and 1993. This craft was initially planned as a multi- purpose reusable `space truck' capable of deploying satellites and carrying up to six ESA astronauts into orbit. It would have been essentially a miniature version of the US Space Shuttle. However detailed engineering studies showed this original concept to be beyond the contemporary state

Image Credit: NASA

"Hermes could only launch two Frenchmen, a Belgian and a packed lunch into space said cynics"
of the art, especially when the 1986 Challenger disaster brutally showed the necessity for adding a heavy emergency escape system for the crew. Inevitably the design was scaled back. A cynic said that this less capable Hermes would only be capable of launching two Frenchmen, a Belgian and their packed lunch into space. The now-unviable project was allowed to fade away before any Hermes craft were built.


July 2008 Astronotes 11 ATV-Evolution). Sent into space by an Ariane 5, the current ATV is used to carry more than seven tonnes of cargo (but not passengers) to the ISS and use its rocket motors to boost the space station into a higher orbit. Despite its prosaic purpose the ATV is a very advanced vehicle indeed, and represents the current high point in European space vehicle design.
Image Credit: ESA

Dream of the past A decade ago European space travellers could have orbited Earth in their Hermes spaceplane but it was not to be. The Hermes design went through many iterations before the project was cancelled so artist's impressions of the craft can look very different depending on when the artwork was prepared Despite this less than inspiring history Hermes has had a huge influence on European space activities right up to the present: the mighty Ariane 5 rocket, central to ESA's access to space, was originally designed to launch the Hermes into space. After Hermes was cancelled, Ariane 5 development continued. Being designed to carry a 21 tonne spaceplane explains why the rocket is rather large for a mere commercial satellite launcher. This has worked out well for all concerned, as the Ariane 5 has since been cleverly adapted to deploy multiple satellites in a single launch. In theory Ariane 5 should be among the most reliable of launch vehicles as it was designed to be `man-rated', that is built to a higher standard of safety to protect its passengers.

The ATV-Evolution would replace the current vehicle's cargo container with a conical pressurized re-entry capsule able to seat three crewmembers. Above this would be a Crew Escape System, similar to that on a Soyuz or Apollo, consisting of booster rockets to pull the crew capsule away from the launcher in an emergency. This escape system would be jettisoned at high altitude before the craft enters orbit.After a successful mission into Earth orbit or possibly even lunar orbit, the vehicle's propulsion system would be jettisoned and the craft would enter the atmosphere protected by a heatshield before descending under parachutes to a landing at sea. For all intents and purposes the ATVEvolution is a scaled down version of the classic Apollo spacecraft. Developing this craft will cost 1 billion euro or more, and if funded could be a reality by 2017. EADS Astrium unveiled a mock-up of the craft at the recent Berlin Air Show and hope that European space ministers will consider sponsoring further research into it at their meeting in the Hague in the autumn. If the politicians say yes, who knows, we may yet see intrepid European astronauts ascending skyward in a spaceship of their very own.
Image Credit: EADS Astrium

"The new European craft is a scaled down Apollo"
However to date no one has ever blasted off from ESA's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Every Ariane 5's nosecone ever launched has contained machines rather than astronauts. This could change if the EADS Astrium proposal is followed through. The European manned spacecraft would be an evolution of the current Automated Transfer Vehicle (hence its name

Dream of the future A decade from now European space travellers orbit Earth in their ATVEvolution. Hopefully by then the vehicle will have gained a more charismatic name.


12 Astronotes July 2008

Image of the Month
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Acknowledgment: D. Carter (Liverpool John Moores University) and the Coma HST ACS Treasury Team

We haven't gone too far from home in this issue of Astronotes, in fact we've rarely left the Solar System, so let's finish off by diving into deep space. Over 300 million light years (92 mega parsecs) from Earth is deepest space by anyone's reckoning. Here we find the Coma Cluster of galaxies shown in this beautiful Hubble Space Telescope image. The cluster is vast, more than 20 million light years (6.1 Mpc) across, and we see only about a third of it here. It contains thousand of galaxies, each a slowly spinning island of billions

of stars. Undoubtedly there are trillions of unseen planets in the field of this image. I wonder if there are any alien eyes looking back at us from these worlds. The bright spiral galaxy in the upper left appears bluer than the galaxies around it, yet its reddish spiral arms show prominently against the galaxy's whiter disc, suggesting that this whole galaxy has been ruffled by a neighbour brushing past it in some distant aeon. (Caption by Colin Johnston, Science Communicator)

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Astronotes, Incorporating Friends' Newsletter is published monthly by Armagh Planetarium, College Hill, Armagh, Co. Armagh BT61 9DB Tel: 02837 523689 Email: cj@armaghplanet.com Editor: Colin Johnston Assistant Editor: Alyson Kerr ©2008 Armagh Planetarium All rights reserved