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| Source: CarpeDiem |
Man has always gazed at the heavens in awe. We wonder about our place in the universe.
We invented astrology and believe that stars in the heaven directly affect our lives on earth. Such is our ego that we believe that stars billions of years away are concerned about the insignificant lives we lead. That the movement of stars play a role in determining our fate. In our vanity, we assume that the universe is arranged and designed for our benefit. Few hundred years ago, a man named Galileo shattered our ego when he discovered that earth revolves around the sun. Such discovery was met by contempt and derision by the ecclesiastic establishment.
We love the heavens so much, we write beautiful poetry about it longing for a time when we can touch the heavens.
Poignantly, Carl Sagan wrote :-
Politics aside, it is a historic and proud moment to watch a Malaysian going to space. I know spaceflight is not something new, it has been around for almost 50 years when the Soviets launched Sputnik on 5th October 1957.
Let me share my excitement with you, here are some bits of information about the space programme.
1. The location for spaceflight is at Baikonur, in Kazakhstan.
2. Our Angkasawan together with 2 others will ride on a spacecraft called Soyuz. Soyuz has 3 major components, an orbital module, a reentry module and a service module. Only the orbital and the re entry module is habitable. The spacecraft sits atop the long cylindrical object which act as rocket boosters powering the rocket to heavens. However while docking at Baikonour Cosmodrome, Soyuz is not visible as it is enveloped by fairing protecting it against the harshness and violence while traveling into space.
3. How many rocket boosters are there ? Altogether, there are 6 rocket boosters divided into 3 stage of release. The 1st stage, consist of 4 rocket boosters wrapped around the base of the cylindrical object and it will burn for about 2 minutes and once fuel is spent, the boosters will be jettisoned. The 2nd stages booster (part of the towering cylindrical object) will thereafter burn for about 4-5 minutes powering the rocket to an altitude of 170km above the earth. The 3rd stage rocket booster (also part of the towering cylindrical object) burn for about 4 minutes. The boosters for the 2nd and 3rd stage will be discarded once its fuel is spent. By the time the third stage shuts down, the Soyuz is about 1,600 km downrange of the cosmodrome and flying on a ballistic trajectory at an altitude of approximately 220 km.
4. Why do they have 3 stage rocket boosters and not 1 ? The underlying principle is that each time one part of the rocket booster has fulfilled its purpose, it drops off. The total weight of the rocket is reduced, which means that less fuel is needed for the rest of the flight. A single-stage rocket booster would require more fuel as it would have to carry the whole spacecraft for the whole duration of the flight. A two or three-stage rocket is therefore more efficient and less expensive.
5. Does the cylindrical object contain only rocket boosters ? Apart from the boosters, there are 3 cluster satellites, an orbital module, a reentry module and a service module (Cluster spacecraft). It is independent from the lower three stages as it has its own guidance, navigation, control, tracking, and telemetry systems The cluster satellites are powered by what is known as fregat. The engine firing of the fregat lasts for well over 3.5 minutes, propelling it into a circular low-Earth orbit.
The Fregat remains in a temporary circular orbit for just over one hour until its main engine is ignited for a second time. This burn, which takes place over Africa, continues for almost 10 minutes.
Finally, the Fregat begins a gentle roll to stabilise the cluster satellites during their release. Its work completed, the upper stage is no longer required. 90 minutes after lift-off, the 3 Cluster spacecraft separate one at a time, from the fregat. Soon after, their individual signals are received at the Kiruna ground station in Sweden. They are now ready to begin the complex series of manoeuvres that will carry them to their operational polar orbits.
The redundant fregat is de-orbited and falls into the Atlantic Ocean to the east of South America some 6.5 hours after lift-off.
6. What is the International Space Station ? The ISS currently consists of four main pressurized modules: two Russian modules Zarya and Zvezda, and two US modules Destiny and Unity.
7. Where is the ISS ? The ISS orbits the Earth at a distance of approximately 400 km from Earth.
8. Is the ISS stationery ? The ISS travels at an average speed of 27,744 km per hour and completing 15.7 orbits per day.
9. Why doesn’t the ISS stay stationery ? The ISS cannot stay stationery. It needs to travel at a predetermined speed to stay in orbit around Earth. The speed needed to remain in orbit depends on the distance from the Earth. If the speed is too slow, the ISS will fall back on Earth. If the speed is too high, the ISS will be “shot” into outer space.
10. If the ISS orbits Earth almost 16 times, does that mean it passes by the same places on Earth every time ? The ISS does not pass the same places on Earth every time. This is because the Earth also rotates around its own axis once every 24 hours. Every time the ISS reaches the same point in its orbit, the Earth has rotated and a new place will be underneath the Space Station.
11. What is the temperature outside of the ISS ? The temperature of the orbiting Space Station's Sun-facing side would soar to 121 degrees Celsius, while thermometers on the dark side would plunge to minus 157 degrees Celsius.
12. So, what is the temperature inside the ISS ? It is maintained at a comfortable 22 degrees Celsius.
13. How is the temperature maintained in the ISS ? Space emits radiation, leftovers from the big bang. Objects heat up by absorbing sunlight and they cool off by emitting infrared energy, a form of radiation which is invisible to the human eye. The ISS is also insulated with a material called “Mylar” sheets. The insulation does a double-duty job: keeping solar radiation out, and keeping the bitter cold of space from penetrating the ISS’s metal skin.
14. Still lost as to whether space is hot or cold ? Space is empty, it is a vacuum. Since there is no atmosphere in space, temperature as we understand on Earth doesn’t work in the same way in space. An astronaut can be very hot and very cold at the same time if one side faces the Sun and the other faces deep space.
15. But some canned foods are vacuum packed but upon opening, it doesn’t come out freezing or boiling ? The contents of an item you buy at the local grocery store on earth doesn't freeze because they're in contact with the sides. They absorb room heat by conductance. There's no room heat in space, though, so the temperature of a solid object floating in the void consists of the difference between the heat the object absorbs from the sun and the internal heat it radiates away. This temperature is dependent on such things as the reflectance of the object's surface, its shape, mass, orientation toward the sun, and so on.
16. If an Angkasawan were to walk out from the ISS wearing a T Shirt and a pair of jeans, what would happen ? The Angkasawan would first choke (all the air will escape his lungs) and then after a while he would end up freeze-dried, as all water would evaporate from the body. If he walks out facing the sun, instead of being freeze dried, he’d be roasted.
We invented astrology and believe that stars in the heaven directly affect our lives on earth. Such is our ego that we believe that stars billions of years away are concerned about the insignificant lives we lead. That the movement of stars play a role in determining our fate. In our vanity, we assume that the universe is arranged and designed for our benefit. Few hundred years ago, a man named Galileo shattered our ego when he discovered that earth revolves around the sun. Such discovery was met by contempt and derision by the ecclesiastic establishment.
We love the heavens so much, we write beautiful poetry about it longing for a time when we can touch the heavens.
Poignantly, Carl Sagan wrote :-
All of the rocky and metallic material we stand on, the iron in our blood, the calcium in our teeth, the carbon in our genes were produced billions of years ago in the interior of a red giant star. We are made of star stuff
Politics aside, it is a historic and proud moment to watch a Malaysian going to space. I know spaceflight is not something new, it has been around for almost 50 years when the Soviets launched Sputnik on 5th October 1957.
Let me share my excitement with you, here are some bits of information about the space programme.
1. The location for spaceflight is at Baikonur, in Kazakhstan.
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| Source: denissinger |
2. Our Angkasawan together with 2 others will ride on a spacecraft called Soyuz. Soyuz has 3 major components, an orbital module, a reentry module and a service module. Only the orbital and the re entry module is habitable. The spacecraft sits atop the long cylindrical object which act as rocket boosters powering the rocket to heavens. However while docking at Baikonour Cosmodrome, Soyuz is not visible as it is enveloped by fairing protecting it against the harshness and violence while traveling into space.
3. How many rocket boosters are there ? Altogether, there are 6 rocket boosters divided into 3 stage of release. The 1st stage, consist of 4 rocket boosters wrapped around the base of the cylindrical object and it will burn for about 2 minutes and once fuel is spent, the boosters will be jettisoned. The 2nd stages booster (part of the towering cylindrical object) will thereafter burn for about 4-5 minutes powering the rocket to an altitude of 170km above the earth. The 3rd stage rocket booster (also part of the towering cylindrical object) burn for about 4 minutes. The boosters for the 2nd and 3rd stage will be discarded once its fuel is spent. By the time the third stage shuts down, the Soyuz is about 1,600 km downrange of the cosmodrome and flying on a ballistic trajectory at an altitude of approximately 220 km.
4. Why do they have 3 stage rocket boosters and not 1 ? The underlying principle is that each time one part of the rocket booster has fulfilled its purpose, it drops off. The total weight of the rocket is reduced, which means that less fuel is needed for the rest of the flight. A single-stage rocket booster would require more fuel as it would have to carry the whole spacecraft for the whole duration of the flight. A two or three-stage rocket is therefore more efficient and less expensive.
5. Does the cylindrical object contain only rocket boosters ? Apart from the boosters, there are 3 cluster satellites, an orbital module, a reentry module and a service module (Cluster spacecraft). It is independent from the lower three stages as it has its own guidance, navigation, control, tracking, and telemetry systems The cluster satellites are powered by what is known as fregat. The engine firing of the fregat lasts for well over 3.5 minutes, propelling it into a circular low-Earth orbit.
The Fregat remains in a temporary circular orbit for just over one hour until its main engine is ignited for a second time. This burn, which takes place over Africa, continues for almost 10 minutes.
Finally, the Fregat begins a gentle roll to stabilise the cluster satellites during their release. Its work completed, the upper stage is no longer required. 90 minutes after lift-off, the 3 Cluster spacecraft separate one at a time, from the fregat. Soon after, their individual signals are received at the Kiruna ground station in Sweden. They are now ready to begin the complex series of manoeuvres that will carry them to their operational polar orbits.
The redundant fregat is de-orbited and falls into the Atlantic Ocean to the east of South America some 6.5 hours after lift-off.
6. What is the International Space Station ? The ISS currently consists of four main pressurized modules: two Russian modules Zarya and Zvezda, and two US modules Destiny and Unity.
8. Is the ISS stationery ? The ISS travels at an average speed of 27,744 km per hour and completing 15.7 orbits per day.
9. Why doesn’t the ISS stay stationery ? The ISS cannot stay stationery. It needs to travel at a predetermined speed to stay in orbit around Earth. The speed needed to remain in orbit depends on the distance from the Earth. If the speed is too slow, the ISS will fall back on Earth. If the speed is too high, the ISS will be “shot” into outer space.
10. If the ISS orbits Earth almost 16 times, does that mean it passes by the same places on Earth every time ? The ISS does not pass the same places on Earth every time. This is because the Earth also rotates around its own axis once every 24 hours. Every time the ISS reaches the same point in its orbit, the Earth has rotated and a new place will be underneath the Space Station.
11. What is the temperature outside of the ISS ? The temperature of the orbiting Space Station's Sun-facing side would soar to 121 degrees Celsius, while thermometers on the dark side would plunge to minus 157 degrees Celsius.
12. So, what is the temperature inside the ISS ? It is maintained at a comfortable 22 degrees Celsius.
13. How is the temperature maintained in the ISS ? Space emits radiation, leftovers from the big bang. Objects heat up by absorbing sunlight and they cool off by emitting infrared energy, a form of radiation which is invisible to the human eye. The ISS is also insulated with a material called “Mylar” sheets. The insulation does a double-duty job: keeping solar radiation out, and keeping the bitter cold of space from penetrating the ISS’s metal skin.
14. Still lost as to whether space is hot or cold ? Space is empty, it is a vacuum. Since there is no atmosphere in space, temperature as we understand on Earth doesn’t work in the same way in space. An astronaut can be very hot and very cold at the same time if one side faces the Sun and the other faces deep space.
15. But some canned foods are vacuum packed but upon opening, it doesn’t come out freezing or boiling ? The contents of an item you buy at the local grocery store on earth doesn't freeze because they're in contact with the sides. They absorb room heat by conductance. There's no room heat in space, though, so the temperature of a solid object floating in the void consists of the difference between the heat the object absorbs from the sun and the internal heat it radiates away. This temperature is dependent on such things as the reflectance of the object's surface, its shape, mass, orientation toward the sun, and so on.
16. If an Angkasawan were to walk out from the ISS wearing a T Shirt and a pair of jeans, what would happen ? The Angkasawan would first choke (all the air will escape his lungs) and then after a while he would end up freeze-dried, as all water would evaporate from the body. If he walks out facing the sun, instead of being freeze dried, he’d be roasted.
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| Source: http://www.angkasawan.org.my/ |
Congratulation Malaysia, Congratulation Dr Sheikh Muzaffar.
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