BRITISH NATIONAL
SPACE CENTRE News Release (PN 04/07) issued by The Government News
Network on 4 October 2007
Celebrations for
the 50th anniversary of spaceflight began in style today. Half a
century after the launch of Sputnik-1, Science and Innovation
Minister Ian Pearson joined representatives from science and
industry at the Jodrell Bank Observatory to highlight the
UK's achievements in space.
Space experts looked ahead - detailing plans to adapt space
technology to save lives on Earth, new technology to deflect
asteroids and a radio telescope array.
Speaking at Jodrell Bank Ian Pearson announced that the British
National Space Centre (BNSC) will assess the UK's
participation in space exploration, looking at robotic technology
and the possible role of humans.
Ian Pearson said: "Space exploration is a global endeavour
and is set to move forward at a tremendous pace in the coming
years. The UK is already a major player in this great adventure
and we are now looking at how best to be involved in the future.
"I am quite certain that in 10, 20 and 50 years time space
science, communications and exploration will be even more
important than they are today we need to recognise that in
Government policy as we all move forward."
BNSC will advise on the UK's involvement in human
spaceflight and what benefits it might provide.
The announcement comes in response to the UK Space Exploration
Working Group report, which was published on 13 September 2007.
The report recommended the UK should be strategically involved in
human exploration while maintaining its lead in robotic technology.
BNSC will look at whether the decision to concentrate on robotic
exploration and stand aside from human spaceflight, which was
taken 20 years ago, will remain valid in the future.
Over the past 50 years the UK space industry has become a world
leader in many sectors.
Among other successes, the UK hosts the world's most
profitable global mobile communications provider and Europe's
most successful satellite-based TV broadcaster. It is the
world's leading capital market for satellite and application financing.
The event's host, the University of Manchester's
Jodrell Bank Observatory, is home to the Lovell Telescope, which
was the only radio telescope in the world able to track
Sputnik-1's carrier rocket.
Jodrell Bank's Director, Professor Phil Diamond, announced
the observatory will be the global headquarters of the Square
Kilometre Array. This new radio telescope will enable astronomers
to explore dark energy, to see the first stars and galaxies, to
test Einstein's theories and to study the origin of stars,
planets and life.
Professor Diamond said: "It is particularly fitting to
announce today that development of the world's next
generation radio telescope will be coordinated from Jodrell Bank,
which has played a major role in radio astronomy over the past 50 years."
Dr Geraint Morgan of the Open University explained how Rosetta
and Beagle 2 instrumentation is to be adapted to test for
tuberculosis in poor and inaccessible regions of the world, with
funding from the Wellcome Trust.
He said: "We are
increasingly seeing the benefits of space research, not just in
terms of understanding the Universe but also in developing
technology with multiple applications here on Earth.
"The UK's experience on space projects makes it a world
leader in developing robust, miniaturised technology that has the
potential to impact healthcare and other sectors on a truly global scale."
The Ambassador of the Russian Federation, Yury Fedotov, paid
tribute to Jodrell Bank's role in tracking Sputnik's
launch vehicle and played a message from the satellite's
deputy chief designer Professor Boris Chertok, highlighting the
roles of Jodrell Bank and the UK in the dawn of the space age.
The opportunities offered by multiple spacecraft working together
in swarms were highlighted in two further presentations. Dr
Massimiliano Vasile from the University of Glasgow explained how
the Earth could be saved from a catastrophic collision with an
asteroid using swarms of tiny mirrors flying in formation. Dr Dave
Barnes from the University of Aberystwyth demonstrated how fleets
of robotic balloons could investigate planetary surfaces and
atmospheres and relay data.
Notes to editors
1. Sputnik-1 was launched from Baikonur in Kazakhstan on 4
October 1957. The Russian spacecraft was the first manmade
satellite to orbit the Earth. Sputnik-1 marked the beginning of
the space age. Sputnik's mission was largely political - the
famous "beep-beep" signal was broadcast at a frequency
that amateur radio enthusiasts could pick up, ensuring the widest
possible audience - but it was also used to study the physical
properties of the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere. The
Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory was the only radio
telescope in the world capable of tracking the carrier rocket of Sputnik-1.
2. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is a 1.5bn Euro project
involving 17 countries. It will be a set of thousands of antennas,
spread over 3,000 km. Half of the antennas located in a central
region 5 km across. By connecting these antennas to ultra-fast
computing systems, the SKA will be able to look in many different
directions at the same time, vastly increasing its power and
flexibility. The huge collecting area of the SKA will make it 50
times more sensitive than the current most powerful radio
telescopes giving an entirely new view of the invisible universe.
Construction is planned to begin in 2012 with the telescope
becoming fully operational by 2020.
For more information, see:
http://www.skatelescope.org
3. The Open University's Planetary and Space Sciences
Research Institute, led by Professor Colin Pillinger, developed
miniaturised mass spectrometer instruments for both the Rosetta
(http://rosetta.esa.int/science-e/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=13)
and Beagle 2 missions (http://www.beagle2.com). The
Rosetta instrument was developed jointly with the Rutherford
Appleton Laboratory and was funded by the Particle Physics and
Astronomy Research Council (now the Science and Technology
Facilities Council). The Wellcome Trust supported the development
of the Gas Analysis Package for Beagle 2 and the subsequent
translation of the technology to healthcare applications.
4. Simulations show that a beam of sunlight or a laser focused by
a swarm of "firefly" satellites could sublimate material
(change matter directly from a solid into a gas) from the surface
of the asteroid, providing sufficient thrust to nudge the
asteroid's orbital path away from the Earth. The technology
could be available for use within 10 to 20 years. For further
information see:
http://www.aero.gla.ac.uk/Research/SpaceArt/research/index.html
5. Balloon-based aerobots can provide a missing piece of the
planetary exploration jigsaw, acting as a bridge between landers
or rovers and orbiters. Whether free-flying, tethered to a rover
or operating in a swarm, aerobots could play a vital role in
future planetary missions. Recent tests on prototypes of a
Martian balloon by the University of Aberystwyth and the European
Space Agency have demonstrated the aerobots' capability to
navigate over a planet's surface and fly in formation,
opening up new opportunities to investigate planetary surfaces and
atmospheres and relay data. For further information see: http://users.aber.ac.uk/dpb/aerobots.html
6. Jodrell Bank Observatory is part of the School of Physics and
Astronomy at The University of Manchester. The Observatory is home
to the Lovell Radio Telescope and the MERLIN/VLBI National
Facility which is operated by the University on behalf of the
Science and Technology Facilities Council. The Lovell Telescope
began operations in the summer of 1957. For further information
see: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/jodrellbank
7. The British National Space Centre (BNSC) is a partnership of
ten Government Departments and research councils and is at the
heart of UK efforts to explore and exploit space. BNSC
co-ordinates UK civil space activities, and represents the UK at
the European Space Agency and other international fora.
8. In 1986 the UK decided to stand aside from the European effort
on human spaceflight. This included astronaut training, space
station, and a man rated Ariane launcher.