Minutes of the January 10, 2023, AAAP Members General Meeting (hybrid)

Posted on February 5, 2023 by ST Editors

by Gene Allen, Secretary

Director Rex Parker convened the meeting at 1930 on Zoom due to the Peyton Hall auditorium being closed for an audio/video upgrade. After a brief introduction listing the threat to the historic Holmdel Horn, the Rocket Lab private mission to Venus, approaching comet C/2022 E3, and advances in fusion research, formerProgram Chair Member Ira Polans introduced speaker Alyssa Pagan, Science Visuals Developer in the Office of Public Outreach at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). She detailed the software and techniques she uses to transform raw black and white images taken at various frequencies by the James Webb Space Telescope into gorgeous color images. She made a JavaScript program they wrote to eliminate saturated star centers available to us.

NOTE: The recording of this and other AAAP talks can be found on the AAAP YouTube page at

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiJvXfK9DGCmGwiKK_Q6ieg

Some 75 attendees were noted during the talk.

Following a break, the meeting was reconvened at 2105.

The National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reported that for the first time ever they extracted more energy from a fusion reaction than was used to create it. The NIF is the world’s largest and most energetic laser system and the size of a sports stadium. They have been making more advances with laser heating and containment than have the folks at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in their tokamak. It’s been a few years since our AAAP after-hours tour and it was suggested that we see about inviting one of their staff as a speaker to bring us up to date.

There were appreciative comments about the Zoomed astrovideo sessions and a request to make them regular. That is difficult to arrange because of frequently bad weather and limited availability of those who are willing and able to contribute scopes. The discussion morphed into a request for an astro-imagers sub-group among AAAP members. The idea is for a collaborative education group of those actively engaged in taking astro photos or processing photos downloaded from the web. Member Dr. Michael DiMario stepped forward and offered to serve as Lead Facilitator. The Secretary offered to try to set up a separate group on the AAAP mail server, much like that for keyholders, and in addition it was proposed that Discord be used.

The trajectory of comet C/2022 E3 was reviewed and its closest passage to Earth on February 1 was noted, making January the best time to image it. Rex shared a video of the comet that he created by combining multiple FITS files into an .AVI using Maxim DL. He encouraged us to observe and image it.

Observatory Co-Chair Dave Skitt gave an update on the latest changes at Simpson Observatory:

 – An inexpensive hand truck was acquired and outfitted to move the donated 12” Dob out for use.

 – Larger monitors have been acquired and installed. All now connect via HMDI.

 – The noisy Hastings mount has been lubed but not exercised fully due to weather.

 – The water supply valve at the Nature Center has been holding so the line shows zero pressure.

Some park leadership personnel have left or retired, acting/temporary superintendent Lee German has been appointed, and money has been released for a new visitor center. It is a good time to make appeals for tree trimming and desperately needed decent gates and gravel on our evening entry route.

A Board Meeting will be held via Zoom on January 24. All members are welcome to attend.

The meeting was adjourned at 2230.

Our membership currently numbers 191. 59 joined in 2022, and 3 have already joined in 2023. We have had 125 renew in CY 2022 while 60 allowed their membership to expire, giving us a 68% retention rate.

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Minutes of the Board of Trustees Meeting, January 24, 2023,

Posted on February 5, 2023 by ST Editors

by Gene Allen, Secretary

The meeting was convened on Zoom by Director Rex Parker at 1930 with the agenda for the evening. Officers also in attendance were Program Chair Victor Davis, Outreach Chair Bill Murray, Observatory Co-Chairs Dave & Jen Skitt, and Secretary Gene Allen. The 11 others attending included Sidereal Times Editor Surabhi Agarwal and members John Miller, Ira Polans, Michael DiMario, Debbie Mayes, and Len Cacciatore.

Speaker for February

The status of the audio/video upgrade to Peyton Hall is unknown but Program Chair Victor Davis has so far been unable to replace Dr. Jenny Greene who forgot or changed her mind about addressing us. There was apparently no hard copy evidence of her commitment to counter her present denial, but in any case, she will not be doing it. Member Ira Polans is unwilling to move up his program due to the unknown status of the a/v equipment. Member John Miller is a frequent visitor to Peyton Hall and he offered to try to encourage another faculty member to address us on short notice. The new Astro-Imagers Group is just forming and unable to present a program. Editor Surabhi Agarwal suggested putting together a program about fighting light pollution.

New Astro-Imagers Special Interest Group

Member Michael DiMario, who has agreed to lead the group, shared his concept of collaborative education/learning.

The group will meet on the 4th Tuesday of the month.

First meeting will be February 28.

Meetings will be planned to be 1-1.5 hours in length.

The name is to be Astro-Imagers to abbreviate to A-I rather than AI, to include EAA as well as astrophotography, and to focus on the participants rather than the subject matter.

Michael strongly prefers to use Groups.io rather than Discord for several reasons and will try it out.

No one offered to set up Groups.io, but Editor Surabhi Agarwal offered to research and compare them.

Director Rex Parker appointed Michael as Astro-Imagers Chair to provide him some authority in the role.

A Special Interest Group to Reduce Light Pollution was proposed by Editor Surabhi Agarwal but no action was taken.

At present there is no one tasked with member engagement. Member John Miller recalled how having a goodie table in the lobby outside the auditorium in Peyton Hall provided an opportunity to engage in conversation that has been missing for a decade. He suggested that someone organize one once again, tasking members to help by bringing snacks and sodas. Peyton could again provide a table that would be draped with our logo cloth. Secretary Gene Allen pointed out that Member Debbie Mayes has been regularly greeting visitors at the observatory and providing our Facebook presence, so she is already doing much of the job of a Promotion Chair. Director Rex Parker liked the idea and is considering appointing her to that role.

Observatory Maintenance & Equipment

Observatory Co-Chair Dave Skitt reported on continuing and new projects:

The water line that froze and ruptured in the bathroom last year due to a leaking supply valve in the Nature Center has been repaired and is holding.

No one has yet offered to coordinate professional installation of carpet.

He will purchase a small folding table for Promotion Chair Debbie Mayes to use on Public Nights instead of bringing one each time.

He still has dibs on two park benches at a building planned to be demolished.

Along with Member Tom Swords he is trying out offering wide and narrow fields of view using a 533 or 585 camera.

He will work back channels to try to get the park maintenance staff to re-gravel our entry road and take down some dead trees that impede our sky view, rather than approach the temporary, disinterested Superintendent.

We were reminded that our lease runs out in a couple of years, and the future is uncertain.

No one has heard anything about Communiversity 2023. Our participation is usually coordinated by Assistant Director Larry Kane, but his health issues have been especially challenging lately.

There is still some interest in a members gathering at Baldpate Mountain, but no action has been taken on it. It would be primarily a social event but could include some star gazing.

There is a wide consensus that we need to keep doing hybrid meetings from Peyton Hall.

The meeting was adjourned at 2110.

Posted in February 2023, Sidereal Times | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

New Member Daniel Mints

Posted on February 5, 2023 by ST Editors

Hi everyone!

My name is Dan Mints and I started getting serious into amateur astronomy and astrophotography since February 2022. Almost a year later, I find it to be such a rewarding hobby. I started off with a Celestron Nexstar 8se and as I got further into astrophotography I upgraded to an AVX mount.

In December, my wife and I welcomed a new child to our family, Andrew. As he gets older, I hope that I can introduce him to the hobby as well! I recently purchased an ASIAIR and guidescope, which has allowed me to both automate the astrophotography process and improve the quality of my photos immensely. Not only that, it lets me stay inside and spend time with my new son instead of poking around on a laptop outside in the cold! My next area of interest is wide-field astrophotography, so I am looking to get a Samyang 135mm F/2 setup and take pictures of targets I could only image a small portion of with my C8. 

Here are a few of my favorite shots done with the C8 over the past year:

Thor’s Helmet
M33
Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF
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From the Lens of Lisa

Posted on February 5, 2023 by ST Editors

by Lisa Ann Fanning

Hello again! Once again the clouds were the main attraction, with just a few windows of clear skies.

Photobombed! 1/3/23
My bff, an airplane enthusiast, helped me surmise  this is Jet Blue flight (6396) Embraer 190 from Raleigh to JFK.

Exploring the moon

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) … iPhone 13 – 10 second exposure through Swarovski Optik Scope.  Better views desired! Jan 27, 2023

An incredible sunrise from the Cape May, NJ – Lewes, DE Ferry Jan 15, 2023

Here’s to clear skies and a brightening comet!

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Items for Sale

Posted on February 5, 2023 by ST Editors

Michael DiMario has items for sale.

For Sale As Is; Rarely Used. SBIG-2000XM Imaging Camera: 2 Megapixel, 1600-1200 pixels, SBIG CFW-8A Color Filter Wheel. $20

SBIG ST-4 Imaging Camera Auto Tracker.  $10

Please send inquiries to Michael at k2mjd@outlook.com

Posted in February 2023, Sidereal Times | Leave a comment

Snippets

Posted on February 5, 2023 by ST Editors

compiled by Arlene & David Kaplan

-BBC

Mysterious ‘whirlpool’ appears in the night sky above Hawaii An observatory in Mauna Kea, Hawaii captured footage of a flying spiral making its way through the night sky in the early morning hours of 18 January. Scientist believe the phenomenon is connected to the launch of a SpaceX satellite…more

-BBC
-NYT

Earth’s Inner Core: A Shifting, Spinning Mystery’s Latest Twist Imagine Earth’s inner core — the dense center of our planet — as a heavy, metal ballerina. This iron-rich dancer is capable of pirouetting at ever-changing speeds. That core may be on the cusp of a big shift…more

-NYT

A New View of the Most Explosive Moon in the Solar System Io, the third largest of Jupiter’s moons, is caught in a pressurized, explosive dance. Orbiting near Ganymede and Europa, two of the other largest Jovian moons, and the planet itself, Io’s mineral composition is constantly pulled and pushed by gravity, creating frictional heat deep inside the moon. …more

-NYT

Where is Physics Headed (and How Soon Do We Get There)? The future belongs to those who prepare for it, as scientists who petition federal agencies like NASA and the Department of Energy for research funds know all too well. The price of big-ticket instruments like a space telescope or particle accelerator can be as high as $10 billion…more

-BBC

Yorkshire Dales: Dark sky sites set for added protection measures Strict new light pollution rules have been proposed to help protect some of the darkest skies in England. Harrogate Borough Council wants to bring in fresh controls for all new outside lights in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)…more

-NYT

Are We Living in a Computer Simulation, and Can We Hack It? If you could change the laws of nature, what would you change? Maybe it’s that pesky speed-of-light limit on cosmic travel — not to mention war, pestilence and the eventual asteroid that has Earth’s name on it. Maybe you would like the ability to go back in time —…more

-BBC

Winchcombe meteorite: Is this the UK’s most important fireball? A PhD student looking into what scientists regard as the most important space rock ever to be recovered in the UK has said: “It’s pretty exciting”. Niamh Topping, 23, is in her first year at the University of Leicester, studying water and rock reactions in the early solar system…more

-NYT

Europe’s mission to Jupiter’s icy moons ready for launch Europe is about to undertake one of its grandest ever space missions, to explore the icy moons of Jupiter. The Juice satellite is going through final testing in Toulouse, France, after which it will be shipped to the launch site in South America…more

-BBC

JCan humanity’s new giant leap into space succeed?ames Hugely technically challenging and costly goals have been touted, not least the aim of people living and working on other worlds, possibly within ten years – but in a divided world where international good will is scarce, are they realistic?Nasa’s return to the Moon has begun with its Artemis programme…more

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From The Director

Posted on January 1, 2023 by ST Editors

by Rex Parker, PhD director@princetonastronomers.org

Denizens of Planet Earth Declare a New Year!
There are good reasons to have a little more hope this new year than the last few. The best development for AAAP in 2022 came late in the year as we returned to in-person meetings at our long-time base, the auditorium in Princeton’s Peyton Hall — home of the Astrophysical Sciences Dept.  In 2023 we will conduct monthly “hybrid” in-person live plus remote Zooming meetings to give members and public the choice of how to attend.   Of course, we want you to come in person when you can.  However, note that the January 10 meeting will be remote by Zoom only.  This is actually good news, as Peyton auditorium will be closed for the month for significant audiovisual hardware upgrade work by the university.  This should make the technical part even better for our return on February 14 (monthly meetings are always the 2nd Tuesday at 7:30pm).  

With the new year comes opportunity to improve. Though the club made progress last year in running virtual meetings and increasing membership, there are two areas that could be improved upon to enhance member experience and our effectiveness as a science-outreach organization.

  • Increase participation and contribution by members in regular monthly club meetings
  • Provide opportunities for learning and doing astro-photography in its many forms

One way to approach these goals is to take part in AAAP’s observing activities, for example the “AstroVideo Live!” sessions being held again this winter as they were on several occasions last year.  You can participate even if you don’t have your own equipment, indeed the point is to show and demonstrate how it’s being done with the technology and equipment within reach of amateurs today.  Announcements for these members-only sessions (plus family and friends) are sent by e-mail to the full membership.  We look forward to seeing you in person either on campus or on Zoom over the next several months.

The “Un-journal Club” Wants You
AAAP’s monthly meetings feature a guest speaker, usually a professional, followed by highlights of club activities and member conversations.  We’re developing a tradition called the Un-journal Club, brief informal presentations given in the second half of the meeting by members.  “Un-journal” means this is not grad school, and these short episodes don’t need scholarly journal-like topics, they only seek to engage members with what you care about in astronomy.  You can use PowerPoint slides, JPEG’s, astro-images, travel pictures, book reviews, whatever you want (if desired, bring a USB memory stick or your own laptop).  To get on the schedule for an upcoming meeting, please contact me or program chair Victor Davis.

“Robin’s Egg” Planetary Nebula NGC 1360 in the southern constellation Fornax.  The distinct blue colors (image below) indicate high levels of ionized oxygen illuminated by the central white dwarf star, now known to be a binary star.  The reddish arc indicates a jet of matter ejected from the suspected binary star during nebula formation.  Distance ~1800 light years, angular size ~11×7.5 arc-min.  Did this nebula come from a binary star system as discussed in the section below?  Astro-photo by Rex Parker taken with the 16” Planewave PROMPT-2 telescope at Cerro Tololo in the Chile Andes.

Will Our Sun Become a Planetary Nebula?
Among the most beautiful celestial objects we can see and image in our telescopes are the colorful planetary nebulae, for example the Robin’s Egg Nebula above.  These are not planets of course, the name is a hold-over from the hazier views of astronomers centuries ago.  The prevailing theory for their formation is that stars of a certain size range will eventually become planetary nebulae as their nuclear fusion fuel runs low.  It has been thought that in the fullness of time our sun, sol – a G-type main sequence star – is destined to become a red giant engulfing the inner planets including earth. The subsequent physics are pretty well understood.  As nuclear energy release diminishes, the core of the red giant collapses into a super-dense white dwarf, followed by expulsion of the outer layers of gases away from the surface, ergo a planetary nebula forms. 

Writing these lines led me to do a little review, and I was startled to read that the thinking is changing.  This may not be our future glorious doom after all.  Sol is now being reclassified as a yellow dwarf star (G-type stars with mass range 80-100% of sol), which may be too small to drive the physics needed to enter the red giant/nebula sequence. At least our sun is big within its peer group, though I prefer to associate “dwarf’ with JRR Tolkien rather than our sun.  The thinking now, though still debated of course, is that G-type stars need to be at least one-fifth heavier than our sun in order to drive the planetary nebula process.  The proposal is that most planetary nebula we see in our galaxy actually formed from binary star systems.  Think about this next time you observe a planetary nebula in your telescope.  Oh well… where would humanity be without classifying and theorizing?  Ask Linnaeus, the 18th century scientist who developed the classification mania whose influence still grips the way natural sciences operate. 

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From the Program Chair

Posted on January 1, 2023 by ST Editors

By Victor Davis

The January meeting of the AAAP will take place virtually only (via Zoom) on Tuesday, January 10th at 7:30 PM. As usual, the meeting is open to AAAP members and the public.

Please take note that due to renovations to our customary meeting room in Peyton Hall, we will not have access to meet in person there this month. Virtual participants will be able to log in to the meeting as early as 7:00 pm to chat informally with others who log in early. We’ve had some security concerns during a past broadcast, so we’re re-instituting the Zoom waiting room. Please be patient for the host to recognize you and grant you entry into the meeting. Be aware that you must unmute yourself to be heard by other participants.

For the Q&A session, you may ask your question using Zoom’s chat feature or you may unmute yourself and ask your question directly to the speaker. To address background noise issues, we are going to follow the rules in the table below regarding audio. If you are not speaking, please remember to mute yourself. You are encouraged, but not required, to turn your video on.

Former Program Chair Ira Polans will introduce this month’s guest speaker, as I will be on vacation the week of the meeting.

We expect to resume in-person meetings (with hybrid Zoom option) at Peyton Hall next month.

Alyssa-PaganAlyssa Pagan
Science Visuals Developer
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
apagan@stsci.eduFeatured

The Art and Science of Visualizing Webb Imagery

Last Christmas, The James Webb Space Telescope began its journey toward its gravitationally stable L2 vantage point nearly a million miles from Earth, flawlessly unfolding its 18-panel hexagonal mirror and unfurling its tennis-court-sized sunshade along the way. It was an inspirational feat, surmounting enormous technical challenges and budget woes that nearly put an end to the whole ambitious project – several times. Fast forward nearly seven months to July 12, 2022 when the first science images from JWST were revealed to the public. From the start, it was clear that JWST is fundamentally altering our view of our cosmos. But JWST is not a point-and-shoot camera. The workflow from raw data to sock-dropping images is non-trivial to say the least. As our guest speaker will explain, creating color imagery is a delicate balance between art and science, which is guided by the fundamental goals of astronomical imagery; to educate, inspire, and engage.

Ms. Pagan will give us an in-depth look at the process of taking raw, black-and-white astronomical data and translating it into color imagery that reveals both astronomical insights and great beauty. Using real data from the Webb telescope, she will demonstrate the varying stages in processing Webb imagery from acquiring data, scaling brightness values, detector artifact correction, and assigning colors that adhere to aesthetic and scientific principles.

30-Doradus

30 Doradus         Credit: NASA/STScI/A. Pagan

Alyssa Pagan
Alyssa Pagan is a Science Visuals Developer in the Office of Public Outreach at the Space Telescope Science Institute. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Art and Design from Towson University, and subsequently a degree in Astronomy from The University of Maryland, College Park. Leveraging her talents in art and science, Ms. Pagan produces color images of astronomical objects that are both scientifically informed and aesthetically compelling, striving to make the Universe and our understanding of it more accessible, inspiring, and engaging.

AAAP webcast:  This month’s AAAP meeting, beginning with Rex’s opening remarks and ending at the beginning of the business meeting, will be webcast live on YouTube and recorded for subsequent public access on AAAP’s YouTube channel. Be aware that your interactions during this segment, including questions to our guest speaker, may be recorded for posterity.

Join YouTube Live to listen to the speaker Ms. Alyssa Pagan using the link below –

Logo-with-play

YouTube  Dr. Avi Loeb, The Galileo Project: In Search of Technological Interstellar Objects

This session will be recorded and saved on YouTube. Send me an email at program@princetonastronomy.org if you have any concerns

Using Zoom: While we are social distancing, the AAAP Board has chosen to use Zoom for our meetings, based on our belief that many members have already used Zoom and have found it easy to use. One of its great features is you can choose whether you want to install the software on your computer or use it within your browser.

NOTE: The Zoom site has many training videos. If you’re unsure how Zoom works you might want to view the videos on how to join a meeting or how to check your computer’s audio and video before the meeting.

How to Participate:

  • Please make sure you have Zoom installed on your computer. You do not need a Zoom account or to create one to join the meeting. Nor are you required to use a webcam.
  • Please see below for the link to the meeting, or visit our website.

Join Zoom Meeting Link,   Meeting ID: 885 9000 6330   Passcode: 027924

There is no “Unjournal Club” presentation scheduled this month. As you may know, guest speakers receive a baseball cap with the AAAP logo embroidered upon it as a “thank you” for making a presentation to us. We’re expanding the hat giveaway to members who contribute an “Unjournal Club” presentation to encourage participation.

We hope to make these short presentations a regular feature of our monthly meetings. We’d like to know what members are doing or what members are thinking about in the broad range of topics encompassed by astronomy. A brief ten-minute (or so) presentation is a good way to introduce yourself and the topics you care about to other club members. If you are interested in presenting a topic of interest, please contact either director@princetonastronomy.org or program@princetonastronomy.org.

A look ahead at future guest speakers:

February. 2023Jenny Greene, Princeton University Professor of Astrophysics Jenny recently wrote an article on middleweight black holes for Sky & Telescope. She will discuss the contents of her article.
March 14, 2023Joe DePasquale, Space Telescope Science Institute Joe is Senior Data Imaging Developer in the Office of Public Outreach at the Space Telescope Science Institute. A colleague of Alyssa’s, Joe will describe his work turning JWST data into images.
April 11, 2023Ira Polans, former Program Chair of AAAP Rising nearly 400 feet above the desert floor in a remote section of ancient Anasazi territory in New Mexico is a sacred Native American site that a thousand years ago revealed the changing seasons to Anasazi astronomers. Ira will present a documentary film about the “Sun Dagger” and talk about indigenous people of New Mexico. Note that this film is solely for viewing by in-person members, as copyright restrictions will not permit broadcasting it on the internet.
May 9, 2023Gary Rendsburg, Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies and History at Rutgers Prof. Rendsburg will talk about “The Jewish Calendar,” with emphasis on its astronomical connections to lunar months, intercalated month to adjust to the solar year, festival days, and new moon observances.
June 13, 2023Bill Murray, AAAP’s Outreach Director and staffer at NJ State Museum planetarium Bill will give his traditional planetarium show at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton.

As always, members’ comments and suggestions are gratefully accepted and much appreciated.

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Minutes of the December 13, 2022, AAAP Members General Meeting (hybrid)

Posted on January 1, 2023 by ST Editors

by Gene Allen, Secretary

Assistant Director Larry Kane convened the meeting at 1933 in the Peyton Hall auditorium and on Zoom and YouTube. We continue to work out the technical details to make our meetings hybrid by transmitting the in-person gathering. Mega thanks to Observatory Co-Chair Dave Skitt for shouldering this challenge, with the assistance of his wife, Observatory Co-Chair Jen, and Member Tom Swords.

At 1935 Program Chair Victor Davis introduced speaker Dr. Joshua Winn, Professor of Astrophysical Sciences and Director of Graduate Studies, Princeton University. His topic was Exoplanets: Science and Science Fiction.

NOTE: The recording of this and other AAAP talks can be found on the AAAP YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiJvXfK9DGCmGwiKK_Q6ieg

Dr. Winn fielded questions from 2032 to 2055.

His Introduction to Astrophysics is a 24 lesson course that gets great reviews. It is available for purchase as one of The Great Courses but was also found for free on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlYNC4O28vU&list=PLez3PPtnpncRhW89Told-72l3d_pYO1sT.

About 30 attended the talk in person and about 40 watched on Zoom.

The meeting was reconvened at 2101.

Everyone is reminded that the January meeting will be virtual only. The Peyton Hall auditorium will be closed for a major audio/video upgrade “to bring it up to campus standard.” Future speakers who have been scheduled are listed in the Sidereal Times.

A number of our members Zoomed the Mars -Moon conjunction from the observatory and from their scopes at home on December 7. Quite a few of the rest of us were happy to watch from our own homes.

The meeting was adjourned at 2129.

Our membership currently numbers 191. 53 have joined this calendar year, 27 since the June meeting. We have had 107 renew while 55 have allowed their membership to expire, giving us a 66% retention rate.

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The Rise of The Twin

Posted on January 1, 2023 by ST Editors

by S. Prasad Ganti

Artemis, the twin sister of Apollo, rises after five decades. The recent Artemis mission is NASA’s attempt to send astronauts back to the moon after a lapse of five decades. The initial mission carried a dummy crew in its capsule Orion which rode on top of a launch system called SLS (Space Launch System).  This mission validated all the parameters before actual humans are launched towards the moon in a couple of years time. The launch and the journey to the moon and the return for a splashdown into the Pacific ocean all worked out well.  

The SLS is very close to the Saturn V rocket which was used for earlier manned missions to the moon in the 1970s. The picture below, courtesy NASA, shows the two rockets side by side along with the famed Statue of Liberty in New York City. In comparison, the astronaut stands as a dot to the right of the Statue of Liberty.  

The first stage of SLS is the lower half marked in orange. It houses the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks which fuel the 4 RS-25 engines at the bottom. These are the same engines which powered the space shuttle of yesteryears. To each side is a solid rocket booster which provides additional thrust. Very similar to the space shuttle design. 

The topmost spire-like structure is the launch abort system. If for some reason, the rocket needs to be aborted after the launch, the spire along with the astronaut carrying capsule are separated out and taken to a safe landing. The bell shaped tiny structure below the spire is the crew capsule. Named Orion, it carries human beings to the moon. For Artemis 1, it carried dummy human beings. 

Just below the crew capsule is the cylindrical service module which carries the solar arrays and the communication equipment. This unit has been built by Airbus and is Europe’s contribution to the mission. The crew capsule and the service module fly together as one unit to the moon and come back to the Earth. The service module is jettisoned just before Orion enters the Earth’s atmosphere. Pretty much like the Apollo mission. 

Wedged between the first stage and the service module top stages is the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS). It is likely to be replaced by other designs in future Artemis missions. That is why the word “interim”. After launch, the first stage falls off after pushing the rocket enough towards space. The ICPS pushes for some more time and then falls off. What is left is the crew capsule and service module which travel together for most of the life of the mission.    

I recently visited the new exhibit called “The Gateway” at Kennedy Space Center. I took a picture of the mockup of the Orion crew module as shown below. 

Artemis mission involved a new re-entry procedure called the skip entry, which meant that Orion dipped into the upper part of Earth’s atmosphere and bounced back into the atmosphere and then entered again for a splashdown. It is like skipping a rock across the water in a river or lake wherein it bounces and then on the final bounce, sinks into the water. The skip entry will allow astronauts to experience lower g-forces. Splitting up the acceleration events lowers the heat rate and the thermal stresses it creates on the crew module. It also allows for more precise splashdown within a narrow zone in the Ocean.

We have a limited inventory of the components available for future Aretmis missions, given the older technology the launch vehicle is based on.  SpaceX’s Starship is on the horizon which will be flight tested early 2023. It is a two stage rocket and both of them are designed to come back safely to Earth and land. It is intended to be a fully reusable rocket and will reduce the launch costs. It will be powered by the newer Raptor engines compared to SLSs’ older RS-25 engines.

The crew module will be SpaceX’s own Crew Dragon shown in the picture below which I took at the Gateway exhibit. The module on the left where two people are standing is the Crew Dragon. In the center of the picture is Boeing’s Starliner which is another option for a crew module. To the right of the picture is the inflatable deep space habitat which might be used in future deep space missions. 

With the rise of Artemis, the next few years look promising in going back to the moon and making this a regular exercise as the technology matures further and the costs come down.

Posted in January 2023, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment