@Bristol Space Odyssey

by Laura Rogers

Ever wanted to play on all the exciting exhibits at the At-Bristol science centre, but felt too embarrassed as they are surrounded by children? Ever wanted to stargaze on the roof overlooking Millenium Square? Ever wanted to drink alcohol whilst at a museum? Well, adult-only nights at the At-Bristol are the perfect excuse.

I was lucky enough to attend ‘A Space Odyssey’, the adult-only night that enabled you to adventure into the depths of the sky and discover how we explore them. The night was from 6:30 to 10:00pm, however, this was not enough time to explore the whole venue and experience everything they had to offer. An insightful talk was given, in which experiments were conducted to show how satellites work. A personal favourite was when a spring was placed in hot water and immediately straightened. This phenomenon was applied to a model of a satellite, enabling it to open its wings via a current being passed through the wire, heating it up and straightening it. The welcoming Bristol Astronomical Society exhibited their telescopes, allowing us to observe stars in the sky. It was fascinating to see how a tiny spec in the sky was actually 2 stars, one orange and one blue. We had the chance to explore a recreated Martian landscape and analyse rock samples which was incredible.

At-Bristol has hundreds of interactive exhibits including: a giant hamster wheel, a walk in tornado, various water activities, exhibits to learn about the human body and many more. They were great fun to play with and helped to develop my scientific curiosity. We aimed to play with as many interactive exhibits as possible; my favourite was ‘startle’. This involved air suddenly spraying into your face, the reactions were recorded and played back in hilarious slow motion.

One of the latest exhibits, in the Zone, gives information on the science behind being a top athlete. It involves completing 5 challenges where you are set against an opponent. It was enjoyable and exciting, however, the only challenge I won was the final sprint finish! 

If you have seen the strange silver ball in Millennium Square, you may or may not know it is in fact a planetarium. You can take my word that it is much larger inside than it appears outside (Bristol’s Tardis) with a majestic screen spreading over the top of the sphere. We were transported from a view of the sky affected by light pollution to an astonishing view of the sky from a nearby countryside area. Just by listening to the audience’s ‘ooo’ and ‘ahh’ it was clear that everyone found the view spectacular. The autumn constellations were shown and a fantastic Astronomer, Lee, described the constellations and their associated Greek myths. This experience was breath-taking and is something I would highly recommend. I even recognised some constellation patterns and can now show off as I know the names and stories. 

The adult-only nights are great fun and enable you to experience the thrills of science through interactive exhibits, talks and demonstrations. The next adult only night is on Monday 9th December so keep an eye out for it.

Earth’s close call

Owen Gethings

As far as close shaves go, this Friday the 15^th the Earth will be sailing pretty close to the wind. The small Near Earth asteroid, 2012 DA14 is currently hurtling towards us at 25,791mph (or 11.53km/second) and will pass Earth at a distance of 17,200 miles. That doesn’t seem very close but let me put that into perspective. The asteroid will pass within the ring of geosynchronous communication and weather satellites currently orbiting at 22,200 miles above the equator. Although NASA’s NEO program, that currently monitors around 9697 Near Earth Objects, with 961 of these being larger than 1km, say the asteroid will not hit us, it does give researchers an opportunity to study the large object. The asteroid will be visible through binoculars, albeit a very faint spec of light crossing the sky. The asteroid will be visible in the constellation leo, travelling towards the plough at around 7:30pm UK time.

The trajectory of DA14

Curious activity and interplanetary jet lag

Hannah Bruce Macdonald

Curiosity, NASA’s Mars rover, has become the first instrument to carry out X-ray diffraction on another planet. Curiosity has paused on its journey to ‘Rocknest’ to perform its first test on the soils, while simultaneously removing any contaminants from Earth which it might have taken with it on its journey to space.

This comes after the team’s relief of shifting to normal working days for their study of Mars, after spending the first 90 days of the mission following a Martian time frame with 24 hour 39 minute days. Now those working on the project have recovered from interplanetary jet lag, they have set Curiosity to start shifting the sand to isolate the particles smaller than 150 micrometres and analyzing it.

The results of x-ray diffraction have shown significant amounts of feldspar, olivine and pyroxene. The sands themselves have been formed from sandstorms, meteorite collisions, or by the chemical breakdown of rocks through the action of water or oxygen. This soil sample is comparable to basaltic soil found in Hawaii, a volcanic island. These deposits have come from the Gale crater, which the scientists predict was an area that has passed from a wet environment to a dry one. The minerals are consistent with this, indicating limited interaction with water.

This research is all carried out with the notion that Mars could have supported microbial life, which makes the comparison to sands found on Earth and the suggestion of water interaction such an exciting one.

Your journey

Did you know that by just sitting at your computer all day in your room you will travel ~40,075km?

Ignorance is Bliss: Sound Barrier Damaged Beyond Repair as Thrill-Seeker Goes Supersonic

Ryan Hamnett

In what is believed to be the first case of its kind, Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner has been charged with extravehicular speeding after jumping from the edge of space, sources confirmed last Sunday. Extravehicular speeding, or, speeding without the use of a motorised vehicle, is an offence previously reserved for comic books, Jamaican sprinters, and Lance Armstrong going downhill at peak “fitness”. Therefore, it was believed that the judge would be lenient with his sentencing, given the obscure nature of the crime. However, the thrill-seeking skydiver, who was unlucky to be caught by an orbiting meteorological satellite, was able to deal some considerable damage on the joyride, breaking the sound barrier which he claims he “didn’t even see” as he smashed through it at 834 mph, or Mach 1.24.

"Baumgartner's new Facebook profile picture, with an estimated 3 likes"

In a strange echo of a previous highest dive, achieved by Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu in 2004, the case took a turn for the worse for Baumgartner when a blood test revealed dangerous amounts of stimulants in his body at the time of the jump, primarily caffeine. When reached for a comment, Baumgartner claimed “I was under the impression it would give me wings.”Clearly he did not realise that the limited atmosphere at his height would render wings useless.


Although falling from a height of 128,100 feet, 39,400 metres, 24.2 miles, or “a bit further than Paula Radcliff can generally run” may seem impressive, many have questioned the skill actually required. NASA, currently believed to be at the forefront of balloon technology, are apparently delighted with the result of sending a man into space and actually returning. However, sources close to the balloon itself suggest it is not happy with the lack of limelight it is receiving: “Any idiot can fall. I’d like to have seen him get up there without me.” Diver and British sportsman Tom Daley has criticized Baumgartner as well. “While the sheer height and number of flips were impressive, he wouldn't have got many points for technique or water entrance, although admittedly there was no splash,” added the bronze medallist.

Members of the public have also stated their lack of awe at the stunt. “I once dived off the high board at Riverside,” said one American, speaking of his local pool. “And I didn't even need all that safety equipment.” Upon seeing the fall, some seemingly uni-ocular members of the public asked “Is it a bird? Is it a plane?”, evidently having no clear sense of depth perception. Meanwhile, Rangers FC are apparently annoyed that their recent free-fall record was broken so soon, having fallen four tiers in the Scottish Football League in the summer of 2012.

                Is it too late to change my mind?

The Diamond Planet

Hannah Bruce Macdonald

While it may sound like it’s drawn from science-fiction, scientists have shown that the imaginatively named planet, 55 Cancri e, may consist of up to a third diamond. Initially, when first discovered in 2004, it was considered to be Earth-like and it was believed that the surface of 55 Cancri e was covered with supercritical fluids (a gas with fluid properties at high-pressure) flowing from its rocks. However, further calculations on its density have allowed scientists at Yale University to establish that the planet is mainly carbon-based. This carbon is present in both diamond and graphite forms, with the other constituents of this rocky planet including silicates, silicon carbides and iron.

   

This extra-solar planet, orbiting the sun-like star 55 Cancri A, has a diameter around twice that of the Earth and its mass is 7.8 times larger. A third of this planet is made of diamond, which is equal to 2.5 times the mass of our Earth. Our relatively carbon redundant Earth only mines 26,000 kg annually! 

While it sounds like an ideal source of wedding ring stones, and mining may seem like a promising venture, this ‘Super-Earth’ is 40 light years away; a distance of 8,968,390,660,000 marathons, within the constellation of Cancer. Its ‘year’ lasts only 18 hours and it is so close to its star, that it can reach 2,1000 Celsius! To add to the impossible heat there is predicted to be little water and that any life would be unsustainable in this environment. So if you’re after your own Star of Africa, you will probably have more luck stealing the crown jewels than reaching this diamond in the sky.

Check out this video:

Reach for the stars

NASA astronaut and flight engineer Sunita Williams appears to touch the Sun in this amazing photograph snapped from space. It was taken during the 32nd expedition to the International Space Station after an epic 6 hour spacewalk on September 5th 2012. The astronauts had been making routine repairs and installing a Main Bus Switching Unit (MBSU). Earlier this week two astronauts at the international space station were forced to make repairs with a $3 toothbrush, they saved around $100 billion of damage. The Space Station is currently home to six astronauts: Sunita Williams and Joe Acaba of NASA, Aki Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka, Yuri Malenchenko and Sergei Revin.

Explore the Universe

Glorious gas giant

Tom Stubbs

This spectacular photo shows Saturn’s legendary rings and two of its moons. The photo was snapped by NASA's Cassini spacecraft as it orbited the gas giant. It allows scientists to get up-close and examine the shifting motions and intricacies of Saturn's rings. The Cassini spacecraft arrived at Saturn in 2004, it recently changed orbit gaining this new perspective. Saturn is currently shining bright in the night sky so see if you can spot it.

For more information on the Cassini mission:

NASA - http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/