5.4� A&G�•�October�2010�•�Vol.�51

Common goalsSue Bowler, EditorIt�is�always�heartening�–�and�surprising�–�to�find�a�government�minister�

talking�with�enthusiasm�about�science.�So�we�can�all�be�pleased�to�have�David�Willets�MP,�Minister�of�State�for�Universities�and�Science,�expressing�positive�interest�in�space�and�acknowledging�its�inspirational�effect.�The�Minister�also�recognizes�the�importance�of�individuals�in�science,�especially�for�the�sort�of�innovative�cross-disciplinary�work�that�drives�science�forward.�Individual�contacts�are�a�vital�part�of�scientific�success,�as�exemplified�by�the�career�of�our�new�RAS�President.�But�it�is�individuals�who�are�currently�hardest�hit�by�uncertainty�over�UK�funding�for�science,�and�who�will�bear�the�brunt�of�its�effects�over�the�coming�years.�The�Science�and�Technology�Facilities�Council�is�talked�about�as�an�obvious�target�for�the�biggest�cuts,�while�speculation�about�the�British�Antarctic�Survey,�Jodrell�Bank,�or�even�the�UK’s�position�in�CERN�and�the�European�Southern�Observatory�abounds.�There�are�rumours�flying�around�those�very�coffee�rooms�that�David�Willets�identifies�as�important,�as�well:�short�grants�only,�no�more�rolling�grants,�grants�already�awarded�to�be�clawed�back…�The�net�message�to�bright�people�coming�into�our�research�fields�could�well�be�“forget�it”,�unless�we�find�a�way�to�cut�costs�significantly�at�the�same�time�as�preserving�that�which�we�value�most.�That�means�we�have�to�be�prepared�to�take�some�tough�decisions;�there’s�simply�no�point�defending�every�project.�There�must�be�priorities,�and�the�people�who�can�assess�those�best�are�scientists.�If�it�comes�down�to�losing�a�major�facility�in�order�to�maintain�studentships�and�grants,�the�community�needs�to�take�that�decision�and�live�with�it.�But�it�will�be�easier�to�live�with�if�we�have�taken�those�decisions�transparently�and�for�solid�scientific�reasons.

Editorial

NEws

Come fly with meThe European Space Agency is inviting students to come up with experiments suitable for flying on sounding rockets and strato­spheric balloons, in a competition that will see the winners designing and building their kit, then watch­ing it fly. The BEXUS (Balloon-borne Experi-ments for University Students) 12 and 13 balloons will be launched in October 2011 and the REXUS (Rocket-borne Experiments for Uni-versity Students) 11 and 12 sounding rockets will be launched in March 2012, all from Kiruna in northern Sweden. The winning students will have support from ESA and their collaborators in this project, the German Aerospace Centre and the Swedish National Space Board, whose share of the payload is given over to this project.

Applications should meet the dead-line of 24 October 2010, and come from students then aged between 18 and 28, who are full-time undergrad-uate or postgraduate students in an ESA Member State or Cooperating State (as well as being a national of those countries).

The best 12–15 team proposals will be shortlisted for consideration

by a selection panel and announced on 29 October 2010. The shortlisted teams will be invited to participate in the ESA selection workshop at ESTEC, the Netherlands, at the end

of November 2010. The REXUS/BEXUS website has

full details of the competition and how to enter. http://www.rexusbexus.net

Big science for a big societyThe case for astronomy and astro­physics as sciences that support industrial and economic success is set out in a booklet published by the RAS with support from the STFC. The booklet, A New View of the Universe, sets out through a series of articles and case studies just some of the ways in which astronomy has had an impact on wider society. It includes developments such as wi-fi linkage and digital cameras arising from astronomical research, as well as case studies demonstrating how astronomical training leads people into diverse careers in some surpris-ing areas.

The booklet in PDF form can be downloaded from the RAS website.http://www.ras.org.uk/images/stories/Publications/Big_science_for_the_big_society.pdf

BEXUS balloon being inflated ready for a flight. (SSC)

The US National Research Council has released a measured but opti­mistic Decadal Survey for Astron­omy and Astrophysics 2010.The Decadal Survey identifies three science objectives: Cosmic Dawn, New Worlds, and Physics of the Uni-verse. It anticipates that these areas will bring advances on much wider fronts, as well as fostering unantici-pated discoveries. The survey marries the limitless vistas of astronomy with notably limited budgets, according to Roger Blandford of Stanford Uni-versity and Survey Chair: “We were under a lot of pressure to optimize the science return on a very restricted potential budget.”

The programme outlined has the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope and the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope at the top of the list for major ground-based and space-based projects. But there is also a focus on small and medium sized projects, such as NASA’s Explorer missions, that deliver a lot of bang for the buck, maintain scientific vitality and train the next generation of scientists.

International collaboration is also identified as a key focus, with the US, Europe and Asia identified as equiv-alent in the field and likely to need to work together. Michael Turner,

director of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the Univer-sity of Chicago, feels that we need to do better in collaborations, includ-ing planning budgets and timetables together: “If we’re going to answer the big questions and undertake the bold projects needed to address them, we’re going to have to get bet-ter at coordinating and cooperating on an international level.”

A feature of the 2010 Decadal review is the considerable commu-nity involvement. “What scientists are seeing is an opportunity for them to make the tough choices to set the science agenda and not just to let this happen by political default,” says Blandford. “It’s very hard to make the choices, to say ‘Do this and not that’, but it’s worse to say ‘We can’t make up our minds; let the most powerful politicians decide’.”

The Kavli Foundation has pub-lished an interview with Roger Blandford and Michael Turner. The NRC report New Worlds, New Hori-zons in Astronomy and Astrophys-ics can be bought from the National Academies Press website.http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12951http://www.kavlifoundation.org/kavli­news/limitless­vistas­limited­budget

NRC Decadal Survey optimistic

A&G�•�October�2010�•�Vol.�51�� 5.5

NEws

Thinner thermosphereIn�the�recent�solar�minimum,�one�layer�in�the�Earth’s�upper�atmosphere�–�the�thermosphere�–�shrank�and�became�about�30%�less�dense,�something�not�seen�in�previous�solar�minima.�Researchers�monitoring�satellite�drag�found�that�extreme-ultraviolet�radiation�levels�also�dropped,�by�15%.�Now�modelling�of�upper�atmosphere�processes�using�the�US�National�Center�for�Atmospheric�Research’s�Thermosphere–Ionosphere–Electrodynamics�General�Circulation�Model�indicates�that�low�ultraviolet�radiation�from�the�Sun�would�bring�the�thickness�and�density�changes�seen,�reinforcing�the�idea�that�solar�minima�vary�in�nature�as�well�as�length.�http://www.ucar.edu/news

ESA funds gamesESA’s�Open�Sky�Technologies�Fund,�a�venture�capital�fund�that�nurtures�promising�business�opportunities�arising�from�space�technologies,�has�invested�in�start-up�companies�offering�a�navigation�and�communication�device�tailored�for�outdoor�enthusiasts,�and�a�live�action�computer�game.�The�German�TakWak�GmbH�is�developing�a�robust�combined�satnav,�mobile�phone�and�walkie-talkie�device�for�active�sports,�while�Dutch-German�iOpener�Media�matches�real-time�satnav�data�from�races�with�online�users.http://www.esa.int/esaCP/ SEMKD72O9CG_index_0.html

Team finds starspotsA�team�led�by�researchers�from�the�US�National�Center�for�Atmospheric�Research�has�used�asteroseismology�–�the�study�of�acoustic�vibrations�within�stars�–�to�find�a�magnetic�cycle�in�the�star�HD�49933.�The�team�has�detected�starspots,�like�sunspots,�on�the�surface�of�this�star,�but�these�observations�are�the�first�to�link�changes�in�the�characteristic�sound�waves�of�the�star�to�its�magnetic�cycle.�The�sunspot�cycle�and�magnetic�field�of�the�Sun�are�very�closely�linked,�and�it�is�hoped�that�this�discovery,�and�similar�data�from�other�stars,�may�shed�light�on�the�magnetic�processes�within�the�Sun,�and�on�the�role�of�magnetic�fields�in�the�development�of�life�in�other�planetary�systems.�http://www.ucar.edu/news

NEws iN BriEf

Francisco Diego recorded spectacular images of the 11 July 2010 total solar eclipse from Rapa Nui (Easter Island), making the most of modern digital technology – much of which originated from astronomical research – in taking and processing the images. The diamond ring (a) was seen at the start and finish of the four-and-a-half minutes of totality. At the start of totality, relatively small and faint prominences were visible (b), as is typical of eclipses around solar minimum,

but a substantial prominence (c) on the west limb of the Sun, displayed a complex and dynamic structure with knots and arched jets. Image (b) also showed part of the chromosphere, narrow in this eclipse because of the relatively large Moon shadow that brought such a long period of totality. The corona (d) is still typical of periods of minimum solar activity, with a well structured global magnetic field, modulating the shape of the corona very symmetrically around the magnetic poles (top and bottom), marked by convergent “plumes” of coronal

material. Processing for this image sacrificed contrast in order to show the detail of the magnetic structure. The star on the left is Delta Geminorum.

In addition to still images, Diego also recorded two high-definition videos: one of both diamond rings and the other an ultra-wide-angle view of the advance of the Moon’s shadow over the landscape.

All the images are copyright Francisco Diego, but are available for outreach purposes from the website below. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/themindofthe universe

The first Viktor Ambar­tsumian International Prize, in memory of the distin­guished Armenian theorist, goes to the team led by Prof. Michel Mayor of the Observatory of Geneva, for “their important contribu­tion in the study of relation between planetary systems and their host stars”.Mayor (pictured, top), Prof. Garik Israelian (middle) of the Institute of Astrophysics in the Canary Islands (IAC), and Prof. Nuno Santos (bot-tom) of the Centre for Astro-physics at the University

of Porto (CAUP) Portugal, received their awards in a ceremony on 18 September in Yerevan, Armenia. The Viktor Ambartsumian International Prize was instituted by the President of Armenia in 2009 and will be awarded every two years from 2010.

The prize of $500 000 is awarded to outstanding sci-entists of any nationality who have made a significant con-tribution in astrophysics and those fields of physics and mathematics which concerned Ambartsumian. http://vaprize.sci.am

A total solar eclipse over Rapa Nui

International team wins first Ambartsumian Prize

ESA’s visionThe European Space Agency has set out its priorities for the decade starting in 2015, in a report entitled Cosmic Vision.The key questions identified by ERSA are: What are the conditions for planet formation and the emergence of life? How does the solar system work? What are the fundamental physical laws of the universe? How did the universe originate and what is it made of?

The report was based on extensive community consultation and pays attention to costs, noting that each European pays €1 per year for space, of which 80 cents go to industry in technological contracts. http://esapub.esrin.esa.it/br/br247/br247.pdf

(a) (b)

(c)

(d)

5.6� A&G�•�October�2010�•�Vol.�51

NEwsNEws

Mapping dark matter to examine dark energy

This image shows a new map of the distribution of dark matter in the central part of the galaxy cluster Abell 1689, compiled from data collected with the Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. Abell 1689 is a gravitational lens: the mass concentrated in the cluster distorts the light from more distant objects behind it. The pattern of distortion comes from both the visible matter and the dark matter. In this image, blue marks the distribution of dark matter, as determined from years of image analysis and modelling, including precise ground­based measurements of the distance and speed at which the background galaxies are traveling away from us. The research team, led by Eric Jullo of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, mapped the dark matter out so meticulously in order to constrain the effects of dark energy, the great unknown factor in cosmology that is believed to drive the acceleration of the expansion of the universe. (NASA, ESA, E Jullo, JPL, P Natarajan, Yale Univ., and J­P Kneib, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille, CNRS, France)http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2010/26/full

NEws

A&G�•�October�2010�•�Vol.�51�� 5.7

Viking revisitedWhen�NASA’s�Viking�Mars�lander�found�organic�molecules�in�martian�soil�in�1976,�they�were�dismissed�as�contamination�from�cleaning�fluid.�But�they�may�have�been�martian�after�all.�Chloromethane�and�dichloromethane�could�have�formed�when�another�compound,�perchlorate,�in�the�soil�was�affected�by�the�heat�of�the�lander�and�reacted.�This�chemical�pathway�is�now�considered�possible�because�the�Phoenix�lander�discovered�perchlorate�in�2008.�Future�Mars�missions�that�determine�whether�and�how�martian�isotope�signatures�differ�from�terrestrial�ones�may�settle�the�argument�for�the�Viking�finds.http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010­286

Wish you were here?The�blog�“Cosmic�Diary”�was�one�of�the�Cornerstone�projects�of�International�Year�of�Astronomy�2009.�Now�a�legacy�from�that�website�exists�in�the�form�of�an�anthology�called�Postcards from the Edge of the Universe�giving�a�snapshot�of�current�research�from�24�astronomers�working�across�the�world.�You�can�download�the�PDF�of�the�book�for�free,�or�buy�it�in�hardback.�Visitors�to�the�book’s�website�will�now�also�be�able�to�send�an�electronic�postcard�from�space�–�with�delivery�at�light�speed�making�it�arrive�a�lot�quicker�than�the�usual�holiday�postcard.�http://www.postcardsfromuniverse.org

GOCE gets going againA�communications�malfunction�that�affected�ESA’s�Gravity�field�and�steady-state�Ocean�Circulation�Explorer�(GOCE)�satellite�has�been�fixed,�in�part�by�warming�up�the�computers.�The�flow�of�data�from�GOCE�slowed�to�a�trickle�on�8�July�and,�of�course,�troubleshooting�information�about�the�on-board�systems�was�difficult�to�find.�A�software�patch�allowed�engineers�to�pin�down�the�problem�to�a�communication�link�between�the�processor�and�telemetry�modules�of�the�main�computer.�As�part�of�the�action�plan,�the�temperature�of�the�floor�hosting�the�computers�was�raised�by�some�7°C�–�resulting�in�restoration�of�normal�communications.http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/GOCE/SEM4UQGONDG_0.html

NEws iN BriEfThe troubles flowing from BP’s Macondo oil well in Gulf of Mex­ico have focused attention on the technological demands of safe deep­water drilling. European Space Agency research presented in a Space and Energy Seminar in August offers spin­off technologies that could support oil exploration and production in extreme envi­ronments, from corrosion control to better robotics. “Offshore and space activities both need innovative solutions, skilled people and technology with extreme qualities. It is therefore natural to exchange knowledge and experience across these industries,” says Odd

Roger Enoksen, CEO Andøya Rocket Range and former Norwegian Minis-ter of Petroleum and Energy.

Current underwater vehicles and tasks in the deep ocean are operated remotely from the surface by human operators, yet, in space, ESA uses robotic technology and techniques for docking spacecraft with milli-metre accuracy. Europe’s Automated Transfer Vehicle supply spacecraft approaches and docks with the Inter-national Space Station using visual recognition and autonomous posi-tioning, while the ExoMars rover is designed to explore the Red Planet without human guidance, even avoiding unforeseen obstacles. These

technologies can provide solutions for adding “intelligence” to offshore oil and gas underwater vehicles to work autonomously on tasks such as inspection of subsea installations.

Another benefit could come from the sensors carried by planetary landers to measure magnetic fields. This could lead to smaller sensors for drilling tools that draw less power than those used today. And the manufacturing techniques used for the Ariane 5 rocket have produced significantly more resistance to cor-rosion – also useful for underwater equipment. http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM5CX1O9CG_index_0.html

NASA and the European Space Agency have embarked on a joint programme to study the chemical composition of the atmosphere of Mars from 2016. They have just announced the providers of five scientific instruments for the first mission, including two consortia in which the Open University has a major role. The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter mis-sion, scheduled to arrive at Mars in 2016, will be the first of three joint robotic missions to the Red Planet. This mission will study the chemicals in the martian atmosphere to establish whether Mars is, ever was, or could become a living planet. ExoMars will also relay additional communications for a joint Mars surface mission in 2018. A later third mission would include sample return.

NASA and ESA invited scientists worldwide to propose instruments for use on the spacecraft and, from the 19 proposals received, five were selected on the basis of the best sci-entific value and lowest risk.

The OU is a member of the SOIR-NOMAD consortium, led by Dr Ann Carine Vandaele of the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy. The consortium will build a High Reso-lution Solar Occultation and Nadir Spectrometer, which is designed to detect trace gases such as methane in the martian atmosphere and map them over the entire planet.

Under the leadership of Dr Manish Patel, an Aurora Academic Fellow, the OU will provide the Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVIS) channel for the instrument. Dr Patel said: “The OU brings valuable exper-tise in short-wavelength observation and instrument design to comple-ment the longer-wavelength exper-tise of the consortium, and our role will be to provide the UVIS instru-ment for SOIR-NOMAD in order to

measure ozone and dust/ice clouds in the martian atmosphere.” The OU’s contribution will build on work originally intended for the ExoMars Rover and Lander.

The Open University is also a mem-ber of the ExoMars Climate Sounder (EMCS) consortium, led by Dr John T Schofield of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. EMCS is an infrared radiometer that will provide daily, global measurements of tempera-ture, pressure, dust, water vapour and ices. The OU contribution will build on previous analyses of infra-red sounder observations. This work can also be applied to the Trace Gas Orbiter, with some small modifica-tions. It builds upon a growing area of expertise in the university, includ-ing martian spectroscopy, optical instrumentation, atmospheric mod-

elling and data assimilation.Dr Stephen Lewis (an RCUK Aca-

demic Fellow) will lead atmospheric modelling and analysis studies at the OU to design the observational strategy and eventually to analyse the spacecraft data. This builds on established expertise in the analy-sis of Mars Climate Sounder data, a similar instrument operating aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnais-sance Orbiter, on which Dr Lewis is also a Co-Investigator. “Data assimi-lation techniques will enable EMCS data to provide context for the meas-urements made by the other instru-ments, and will allow us to extract the maximum scientific benefit from the Trace Gas Orbiter measurements as a whole,” he said.http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM6X­EZNZBG_index_0.html

Space technology in the oil industry

OU to play role in next stage of Mars exploration

The ExoMars Trace Gas and Data Relay Orbiter, shown here with an Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module, forms the first mission in the ESA–NASA ExoMars Programme, scheduled to arrive at Mars in 2016. (ESA)