omega tau » space

/34/ Space Medicine and Telemedicine

admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 19:43:59 +0000

This episode is a conversation with NASA “space doctor” Jim Logan about space medicine and telemedicine. We start by defining the two concepts and how they relate. We then delve deeper into various specific medical issues in space (such as fluid shifts, bone mass loss and radiation). Next up is a discussion of the history of telemedicine and its relationship to space medicine, which leads us to looking astronauts can be treated for “normal” diseases from ground. We concluse the episode with an outlook on how telemedicine might develop in the future.

/26/ Satellite Buses

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:53:53 +0000

This is an episode on how satellites work with James Penson from Surrey Satellite Technology. Specifically we talk about satellite buses, the infrastructure part of the satellite on which the (typically scientific) payload is mounted. The conversation covers structure, thermal protection, energy supply, communication, guidance and attitude control as well as propulsion. This will be the last episode on space related topics for the time being :-)

/23/ Ares Orion and Small Satellites at NASA Ames

admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:19:24 +0000

This is the third and final episode covering the interviews I did when I was visiting NASA Ames. It consits of two interviews. The first one is about Ames’ involvement in the Ares/Orion projects which are part of the Constellation moon/mars exploration programme. I talk about this with Dr. George Sarver. The second part of the episode covers small satellites and why they are becoming more and more important (compared to traditional, larger satellites). In this part, my guest is Elwood Agasid.

/21/ Space Mission Control at ESA’s ESOC

admin — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:25:47 +0000

This episode covers my visit at the European Space Agency’s (ESA) European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt,Germany. After a short tour of the facilities with Andreas Schepers I had the chance to interview Uwe Feucht (Head of Flight Dynamics Division) on space flight dynamics and Paolo Ferri (Headof the Solar and Planetary Missions Division) on Mars Express, Venus Express and Rosetta.

Keplers Law of Planetary Motion
Orbital Classifications
Escape Velocity
Gravity Assist/Swing-By
Special Relativity
Rosetta at ESA and at Wikipedia
Mars Express at ESA and at Wikipedia
Venus Express at ESA and at Wikipedia
Ulysses at ESA and at Wikipedia
Cluster Mission at ESA and at Wikipedia

/19/ The Vertical Motion Simulator at NASA Ames

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:38:28 +0000

This episode is a conversation with Bimal Aponso (branch chief for the Aerospace Simulation Research and Development Branch) about the NASA Vertical Motion Simulator at Ames. The VMS is the world’s largest flight simulator, and provides unrivaled realism regarding the accelerations and “feeling of real flight” it can create.
In the episode we first talk about how the VMS works, and how it is different from other flight simulators. We then cover some of the use cases for VMS (research, astronaut training) and discuss a couple of past research projects where VMS has been used. Finally, we take a tour of the actual simulator, and I get to see the cabin for the cockpits of the Space Shuttle and the Altair Lunar Surface Access Module

VMS Website
Bimal Aponso’s bio
Flight Simulation @ Wikipedia
Flight Dynamics @ Wikipedia, explains a number of the concepts and terms referred to in the episode

/18/ Astrobiology at the NASA Astrobiology Institute

admin — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 07:35:35 +0000

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Carl Pilcher, the director of the NASA Astrobiology Insititute at NASA Ames Research Center. The conversation comes in two parts. Part one covers the conceptual basics of astrobiology and life: what is life, what are the preconditions for life to exist, how to recognize it, etc. Part two looks at the process of trying to find places in the universe that could host life, primarily astronomical observations and missions to other planets.

About the NASA Astrobiology Insititute and Carl Pilcher, its director (at the bottom)
The NAI Director’s Seminar, a collection of video presentations on astrobiology
Wikipedia’s pages on life and astrobiology
The SETI Institute and their Podcast
Astronomycast, the podcast about astronomy

/16/ Radio Astronomy and the ALMA Telescope

admin — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:04:12 +0000

This episode is a discussion about radio astronomy and the ALMA observatory with ESO’s Robert Laing, the European instrument scientist for ALMA. The episode has three parts. The first part talks about the science of radio astronomy: current challenges and physical basics. The second part adresses how observing with radio astronomy actually works: the principles behind telescopes and how they are built and operated. Part three then looks at the ALMA observatory specifically, a new, large sub-millimeter radio interferometer currently built in the Atacama Desert in Chile.