ASTRONOMY IN THE SPACE AGE
"THE sky is dark, very dark, and the Earth is blue. I can see everything clearly. The outlines of the continents, islands, big rivers and mountains are all visible. In space, the light of the sun is tens of times more intense than on the Earth. I can see the stars very clearly; they are bright and shining." These words are now almost immortal, although they were uttered hardly more than thirty years ago, on the 12th April 1961.
These words were words of awe - uttered by a man who saw the Earth from space with his own eyes for the very first time, a sight no man before had been able to see. This man was Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, a major in the Russian air force. His solitary 108-minute flight on board the spacecraft Vostok 1, which took Gagarin up to 327 kilometres above the Earth, opened the great book of man's exploration of space. Just over three years later, on Monday, 21st July 1969, man had landed on the moon. The most moving movement in the space race was undoubtedly when the American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human being to step on the moon. Descending from the ladder from the Apollo 11 lunar module, impeded by his bulky spacesuit but lightened by the reduced gravity of the moon, Armstrong put his left foot on the arid soil of the moon and uttered the words which millions of people heard directly on Earth, and which have now become part of history: "That's one small step for a man, one giant step for mankind."
The adventure of space travels had begun centuries before, when man had started to wonder what lay beyond the confines of Earth. From then on, space had become the province of both scientists and dreamers. The colourful diversity of science fiction works attests to the fertile imagination of the human mind. Some of the works the dreamers of past centuries are now becoming reality, proving that sometimes, dreams do come true. Take for example the book "Dream", written by the astronomer Kepler in 1634, about exploration of the moon. If we read the story today, wee will be surprised at how accurate his forecasts were. As we look towards the future, we can look forward to many more dreams turning into reality. As the novelist Jules Verne wrote in the novel "From The Earth To The Moon" in 1865: "In spite of the opinions of those people of limited outlook who would like to imprison the human species within the confines of this globe, as if it were a magic circle from which they could never escape, we shall one day travel to the Moon, the planets and the stars with the same ease, speed and safety with which we can today travel from London to New York."
Indeed, it thrills the heart to think of the boundless possibilities of space and beyond, but for the moment, our knowledge and expertise is very limited. Although astronomy has been a science since the dawn of civilization, real progress towards exploring its potential has only been achieved in the last half century or so. Without doubt, one of the major practical development of astronomy towards mankind is the invention of the artificial satellite. Today, there are thousands of objects in space around the Earth, varying from actual satellites to scraps and fragments of vehicles launched by man and abandoned, after fulfilling their missions. The first artificial satellite in history was the Sputnik 1, weighing just 83.5 kilogrammes. It carried simple scientific instruments. Since then, with advances in space technology, satellites were put much use, and have affected our lives to a very large extent.
In the field of international communication, satellites have been a big step forward for mankind. On the 19th July, 1962, "Telstar", the forerunner of a satellite system intended eventually to make worldwide transmissions possible, was launched from Cape Canaveral on a Thor-Delta carrier rocket. A matter of hours later, it relayed the first test transmission across the Atlantic from North America to Europe. The invention of satellites to transmit messages across wide expenses of land and ocean has done much to develop closer ties among world nations. Countries thousands of miles away can communicate and exchange messages easily, contribute towards world unity.
Today, there are satellites which allow television programmes to be transmitted from one point of the Earth to another. Live telecasts of the CNN news, the CHOGM meetings and other events of importance can be viewed with consummate ease around the world. Most Malaysian will remember the euphoria of our country winning the Thomas Cup for the first time in twenty-five years in 1992. Citizens all over the country joined in the celebrations with the players and supporters in the national Stadium. Throughout the country, people celebrated deep into the night to mark this historic event. Without doubt, live telecasts have done much to fan our country's spirit of togetherness and unity.
In the political and diplomatic arena, the contributions of artificial satellites have been invaluable. Possibly, satellites have helped avert impending wars in the world. This is due to the fact that any attempt at mobilizing military forces can be easily detected by the many reconnaissance satellites that scrutinize the Earth with all-seeing eyes. The transfer of technology is also made much easier, and satellites have helped transform many undeveloped countries into thriving nations. This is only the tip of the iceberg. In the economic field, it is essential to have instant, open communication at all times. Time is important and certainly, the ease of communication has opened up many avenues, including joint ventures between countries and between private conglomerates. Also, better communication will result in much better organization, and this is important in a time where huge companies are spreading their tentacles throughout the business world.
The study of foreign bodies in space has made us so much more aware of the workings of planet Earth. This seems to be a paradox, but one that is very true. Scientists have made important discoveries pertaining to the atmosphere, soil, climate and physical structure of the neighbouring planets. This has helped us understand the uniqueness of our planet that enables it to contain life. In this way, we are made more aware of the importance to ensure that life-sustenance is always possible on Earth. The study of the make-up of neighbouring planets like Venus and Mars have also done much to explain the origin of the planets. By knowing the pattern of the solar system's evolution, we can make logical predictions as to our planet's likely future, and how we are to cope with it. The study of heavenly bodies have resulted in the formulation of the "Big Bang Theory", which enables scientists to follow the birth of the Universe from the beginning of time itself ! Even if this theory is disproved in the future, the study of it certainly would not be an exercise in futility.
Radio astronomy has also brought about many startling discoveries. The sky is no longer an uncharted and mysterious region. Nevertheless, man continues to be amazed by the many wonders that lie beyond our visual scope. Using radio telescopes and "dishes", we can detect the disturbances caused by the radio waves emitted from the sun, the galaxies, quasars or supernovas. From time to time, dark patches appear on the photosphere of the sun. These are sunspots and represent areas of comparatively low temperatures. Sunspots are caused by the radioactivity of the sun, and their emergence follow a definite cycle, peaking every eleven years. The study of sunspots in the sun has been a great help in explaining Earth's own activity. Earthly phenomena that can be predicted at times of maximum sunspot activity include magnetic storms, freak radio effects and magnificent auroral displays. Consequently, we can better explain and anticipate these previously "unexplainable" phenomena. This will make mankind more secure and more in control.
Astronomy has enabled us to chart the orbit and movement of foreign entities such as comets and meteorites. On 11th March 1960, "Pioneer V" was launched from Cape Canaveral. This multi-purpose launch was designed to probe inter-planetary space between the orbits of the Earth and Venus, to conduct long-range communication experiments, to study methods of measuring astronomical distances and to collect data on various subjects such as cosmic radiation and micro-meteorite impact. Many other satellites have been launched to calculate and monitor the orbit, time and distance of foreign objects relative to Earth. This is very important to know whether or not Earth will be threatened by the "invasion" of a foreign object and if that is the case, when and where it will happen. By knowing the time and place of a meteorite's landing, for example, we will be able to take the necessary precautions to that destruction is minimized. Most important of all, many lives will be saved.
Until recently, information on weather out at sea was very little. The little there was originated from weather-ships permanently stationed at certain locations with the sole task of taking measurements of the atmosphere. Data was sent in be merchant ships using instruments provided by meteorological centres. Nevertheless, observations were often missing from places where forecasts most wanted them, because ships usually try to avoid hurricanes and low-pressure systems with their associated strong winds. It was these sort of problems that were solved with the advent of meteorological satellites, which takes regular pictures from above the clouds to supplement observations from ships and remote land areas. These satellites can cover the whole globe without differentiation between land and sea, resulting in much clearer pictures of the cloud systems of the world. The satellites "Tiros 1" was launched into space by a three-stage Thor-Able rocket on the 1st of April, 1960. The objective was to test television equipment for a worldwide meteorological information system. The experiment was highly successful, for the two television cameras it contained sent back more than 22,000 cloud pictures to Earth during the satellite's useful life of 78 days.
Weather satellites take two types of pictures. A "visual" picture, similar to that taken by an ordinary camera, shows the positions of clouds at day time. The usefulness of these pictures is greatly enhanced by making infra-rayed images, which effectively measure the temperature of the surface at which the camera is directed. Infra-rayed pictures show colder surfaces as being whiter. Hence, the whiter a cloud appears on an infra-rayed image, the colder it is at the top. As clouds normally get colder when they are higher, the positions of the clouds in the atmosphere can be determined. Consequently, clouds which appear very bright in both images are probably thick and rain producing, whereas clouds that are barely observable on the infra-rayed image are probably low and shallow - stratus or fog clouds. A combination of infra-rayed and visual images, together with information from other sources, can also be used to determine wind velocity. Meteorological satellites are used to measure microwave radiation emitted by carbon dioxide that is evenly spread out in the lower atmosphere. The radiation measurements can be converted into atmospheric temperature. Undoubtedly, the ability to forecast weather is invaluable to many of us, particularly to those who are at the mercy of the weather. Who knows, someday, we may be able to control the weather itself !.
Since time immemorial, seafarers, travellers, used the night sky to guide them. To this day, many ships and people who have travelled off-course have been saved by those twinkling objects in the sky. Astronomy has also taught us much about many of our natural phenomena. It is now a well known fact that high and low tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon on the Earth. Using the relevant information, much can be learnt about tides, including the types of tides that are created. For instance, when the sun and moon are pulling Earth's water in the same direction, the tides tend to be higher than normal and are termed as "spring tides." If the sun and moon are at right angles with each other, the tides are less than normal. These are called "neap tides". The knowledge of tides is invaluable in many fields today.
One major breakthrough in astronomy is the invention of the space-lab. Flexibility of design of the space-lab allows it to be used for many observations and experiments, ranging from astrophysics, geophysics and earth surveying to biological sciences and processing materials. Experiments that make use of the conditions of near-perfect vacuum at zero gravity in orbit may someday form the basis of subsequent orbital industries, if and when its feasibility has been tried and proven. Perhaps, this is the solution to our pollution woes.
While its contribution to psychology is much more subtle, astronomy has actually done a lot to dispel many superstitious beliefs. In ancient times, stars, the moon and the sun were feared, revered, even treated like gods. Star-gazers look up into the sky and see "signs" to predict the future. Indeed, as science advances, foreign entities have lost much of their mysticism. Many glass ceilings have been removed by technology, thus breaking many bonds that had held Man captive. We have achieved a better understanding of outer space, and are no longer living in fear of it. Hence, future generations would be spared the frightening and fanciful stories of space, including "The Man In The Moon" - a part of growing up that they can do without ! At the same time, upon discovering the immense area of space with its many wondrous phenomena, we have been given a good lesson in humility. We begin to understand that we are but mere specks in the Universe. The very attempt to comprehend the vastness of the Universe would be enough to deflate Man's great ego. This will certainly help to keep things in perspective, resulting in a more rational human race.
As astronomy continues to make many breakthroughs in the space age, we can look forward to many more significant changes in our lives. Scientists are already optimistic about the day where whole artificial ecosystems can be put into orbit around the Earth, where men and women can live in perfect Earth conditions. At present, many space-labs have been planted in space to conduct experiments to test the feasibility of such an existence in space. In the more distant future, one can imagine the colonization of nearby asteroids or planets in the bid to overcome overpopulation. As we look towards the twenty-first century, we can brace ourselves for a century of thrills and revelations as Man spreads his wings beyond the confines of our planet. Nevertheless, the learning process will never end. Man will continue to learn and gain form the many mysteries locked in the deep recesses of space. Yes, astronomy has already contributed much to mankind, but the best is yet to come.
TSC 4S1
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| http://colonelspeaks.wordpress.com/tag/neil-armstrong/ |
The adventure of space travels had begun centuries before, when man had started to wonder what lay beyond the confines of Earth. From then on, space had become the province of both scientists and dreamers. The colourful diversity of science fiction works attests to the fertile imagination of the human mind. Some of the works the dreamers of past centuries are now becoming reality, proving that sometimes, dreams do come true. Take for example the book "Dream", written by the astronomer Kepler in 1634, about exploration of the moon. If we read the story today, wee will be surprised at how accurate his forecasts were. As we look towards the future, we can look forward to many more dreams turning into reality. As the novelist Jules Verne wrote in the novel "From The Earth To The Moon" in 1865: "In spite of the opinions of those people of limited outlook who would like to imprison the human species within the confines of this globe, as if it were a magic circle from which they could never escape, we shall one day travel to the Moon, the planets and the stars with the same ease, speed and safety with which we can today travel from London to New York."
Indeed, it thrills the heart to think of the boundless possibilities of space and beyond, but for the moment, our knowledge and expertise is very limited. Although astronomy has been a science since the dawn of civilization, real progress towards exploring its potential has only been achieved in the last half century or so. Without doubt, one of the major practical development of astronomy towards mankind is the invention of the artificial satellite. Today, there are thousands of objects in space around the Earth, varying from actual satellites to scraps and fragments of vehicles launched by man and abandoned, after fulfilling their missions. The first artificial satellite in history was the Sputnik 1, weighing just 83.5 kilogrammes. It carried simple scientific instruments. Since then, with advances in space technology, satellites were put much use, and have affected our lives to a very large extent.
In the field of international communication, satellites have been a big step forward for mankind. On the 19th July, 1962, "Telstar", the forerunner of a satellite system intended eventually to make worldwide transmissions possible, was launched from Cape Canaveral on a Thor-Delta carrier rocket. A matter of hours later, it relayed the first test transmission across the Atlantic from North America to Europe. The invention of satellites to transmit messages across wide expenses of land and ocean has done much to develop closer ties among world nations. Countries thousands of miles away can communicate and exchange messages easily, contribute towards world unity.
 |
| http://www.universetoday.com/42198/how-many-satellites-in-space/ |
In the political and diplomatic arena, the contributions of artificial satellites have been invaluable. Possibly, satellites have helped avert impending wars in the world. This is due to the fact that any attempt at mobilizing military forces can be easily detected by the many reconnaissance satellites that scrutinize the Earth with all-seeing eyes. The transfer of technology is also made much easier, and satellites have helped transform many undeveloped countries into thriving nations. This is only the tip of the iceberg. In the economic field, it is essential to have instant, open communication at all times. Time is important and certainly, the ease of communication has opened up many avenues, including joint ventures between countries and between private conglomerates. Also, better communication will result in much better organization, and this is important in a time where huge companies are spreading their tentacles throughout the business world.
The study of foreign bodies in space has made us so much more aware of the workings of planet Earth. This seems to be a paradox, but one that is very true. Scientists have made important discoveries pertaining to the atmosphere, soil, climate and physical structure of the neighbouring planets. This has helped us understand the uniqueness of our planet that enables it to contain life. In this way, we are made more aware of the importance to ensure that life-sustenance is always possible on Earth. The study of the make-up of neighbouring planets like Venus and Mars have also done much to explain the origin of the planets. By knowing the pattern of the solar system's evolution, we can make logical predictions as to our planet's likely future, and how we are to cope with it. The study of heavenly bodies have resulted in the formulation of the "Big Bang Theory", which enables scientists to follow the birth of the Universe from the beginning of time itself ! Even if this theory is disproved in the future, the study of it certainly would not be an exercise in futility.
Radio astronomy has also brought about many startling discoveries. The sky is no longer an uncharted and mysterious region. Nevertheless, man continues to be amazed by the many wonders that lie beyond our visual scope. Using radio telescopes and "dishes", we can detect the disturbances caused by the radio waves emitted from the sun, the galaxies, quasars or supernovas. From time to time, dark patches appear on the photosphere of the sun. These are sunspots and represent areas of comparatively low temperatures. Sunspots are caused by the radioactivity of the sun, and their emergence follow a definite cycle, peaking every eleven years. The study of sunspots in the sun has been a great help in explaining Earth's own activity. Earthly phenomena that can be predicted at times of maximum sunspot activity include magnetic storms, freak radio effects and magnificent auroral displays. Consequently, we can better explain and anticipate these previously "unexplainable" phenomena. This will make mankind more secure and more in control.
Astronomy has enabled us to chart the orbit and movement of foreign entities such as comets and meteorites. On 11th March 1960, "Pioneer V" was launched from Cape Canaveral. This multi-purpose launch was designed to probe inter-planetary space between the orbits of the Earth and Venus, to conduct long-range communication experiments, to study methods of measuring astronomical distances and to collect data on various subjects such as cosmic radiation and micro-meteorite impact. Many other satellites have been launched to calculate and monitor the orbit, time and distance of foreign objects relative to Earth. This is very important to know whether or not Earth will be threatened by the "invasion" of a foreign object and if that is the case, when and where it will happen. By knowing the time and place of a meteorite's landing, for example, we will be able to take the necessary precautions to that destruction is minimized. Most important of all, many lives will be saved.
 |
| http://spaceplex.com/2010/04/01/satellite-weather-tracking-celebrates-golden-anniversary/ |
Weather satellites take two types of pictures. A "visual" picture, similar to that taken by an ordinary camera, shows the positions of clouds at day time. The usefulness of these pictures is greatly enhanced by making infra-rayed images, which effectively measure the temperature of the surface at which the camera is directed. Infra-rayed pictures show colder surfaces as being whiter. Hence, the whiter a cloud appears on an infra-rayed image, the colder it is at the top. As clouds normally get colder when they are higher, the positions of the clouds in the atmosphere can be determined. Consequently, clouds which appear very bright in both images are probably thick and rain producing, whereas clouds that are barely observable on the infra-rayed image are probably low and shallow - stratus or fog clouds. A combination of infra-rayed and visual images, together with information from other sources, can also be used to determine wind velocity. Meteorological satellites are used to measure microwave radiation emitted by carbon dioxide that is evenly spread out in the lower atmosphere. The radiation measurements can be converted into atmospheric temperature. Undoubtedly, the ability to forecast weather is invaluable to many of us, particularly to those who are at the mercy of the weather. Who knows, someday, we may be able to control the weather itself !.
Since time immemorial, seafarers, travellers, used the night sky to guide them. To this day, many ships and people who have travelled off-course have been saved by those twinkling objects in the sky. Astronomy has also taught us much about many of our natural phenomena. It is now a well known fact that high and low tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon on the Earth. Using the relevant information, much can be learnt about tides, including the types of tides that are created. For instance, when the sun and moon are pulling Earth's water in the same direction, the tides tend to be higher than normal and are termed as "spring tides." If the sun and moon are at right angles with each other, the tides are less than normal. These are called "neap tides". The knowledge of tides is invaluable in many fields today.
One major breakthrough in astronomy is the invention of the space-lab. Flexibility of design of the space-lab allows it to be used for many observations and experiments, ranging from astrophysics, geophysics and earth surveying to biological sciences and processing materials. Experiments that make use of the conditions of near-perfect vacuum at zero gravity in orbit may someday form the basis of subsequent orbital industries, if and when its feasibility has been tried and proven. Perhaps, this is the solution to our pollution woes.
While its contribution to psychology is much more subtle, astronomy has actually done a lot to dispel many superstitious beliefs. In ancient times, stars, the moon and the sun were feared, revered, even treated like gods. Star-gazers look up into the sky and see "signs" to predict the future. Indeed, as science advances, foreign entities have lost much of their mysticism. Many glass ceilings have been removed by technology, thus breaking many bonds that had held Man captive. We have achieved a better understanding of outer space, and are no longer living in fear of it. Hence, future generations would be spared the frightening and fanciful stories of space, including "The Man In The Moon" - a part of growing up that they can do without ! At the same time, upon discovering the immense area of space with its many wondrous phenomena, we have been given a good lesson in humility. We begin to understand that we are but mere specks in the Universe. The very attempt to comprehend the vastness of the Universe would be enough to deflate Man's great ego. This will certainly help to keep things in perspective, resulting in a more rational human race.
As astronomy continues to make many breakthroughs in the space age, we can look forward to many more significant changes in our lives. Scientists are already optimistic about the day where whole artificial ecosystems can be put into orbit around the Earth, where men and women can live in perfect Earth conditions. At present, many space-labs have been planted in space to conduct experiments to test the feasibility of such an existence in space. In the more distant future, one can imagine the colonization of nearby asteroids or planets in the bid to overcome overpopulation. As we look towards the twenty-first century, we can brace ourselves for a century of thrills and revelations as Man spreads his wings beyond the confines of our planet. Nevertheless, the learning process will never end. Man will continue to learn and gain form the many mysteries locked in the deep recesses of space. Yes, astronomy has already contributed much to mankind, but the best is yet to come.
TSC 4S1
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