stronomy Wise stronomy Wise

Interview

Jenny Winder

Saturn's Moon

Enceladus

In The News

Sun Spots

The Night Sky

BIS Northern

meeting– York

www.Astronomy-Wise.com

The Race To the

Moon

June 2012 Edition

Issue 5

Image By James Lennie— Jupiter

Twitter @james_lennie

James’s comments

Jupiter through Avistack and managed 654 frames to stack. 6"

Refractor and Canon 500d

Astronomy Wise

2012 June

5th-6th

Transit of

Venus

Welcome to another edition of the Astronomy Wise newsletter. June proves to be

an exciting month with history being made. This month is a chance to see a once

in a lifetime astronomical event, the transit of Venus.

Last month (May) we witnessed a large sun spot. So for this edition we are going

to have a look at sun spots.

We also have an interview with Jenny Winder also known as Astrojenny on twitter.

Jenny will give us an insight into her work writing for various websites and broad-

casting on Under British Skies.

Image: Ray Gilchrist

Twitter: @RayGil

http://www.raygilchrist.co.uk/solar.html

Newsletter Credits:

Design: Edward Dunn

Editor: Dave Bood

Writer: Jason Ives & Dave Bood

Images: Ray Gilchrist, James Lennie,

Christopher Almey & NASA

Page 2

the moons Southern

polar region. Cassini

also discovered an

Internal heat source

coming form the same

region. The spacecraft as

shown that Enceladus is

geologically active. This

is possibly caused by

tidal forces acting on the

moon which are similar

to those acting on Jupi-

ter’s moon Io. Enceladus

may prove to be a great

interest so scientists in

the field of astrobiology.

Below

NASA: False-

colour Cassini

image of jets

in the

southern

hemisphere

of

Enceladus

wide range of terrains.

The terrain features

some heavily created

areas and newly formed

ice which could be less

than 100 million years

old.

In 2005 the spacecraft

Cassini did some close

flybys and revealed more

of the surface and

environment in greater

detail. One such

discovery was a water

rich plume venting from

Features

Enceladus

BIS Meeting York

The Race To The Moon

Sun Spots

Men On The Moon

Jenny Winder Interview

News form the WWW

The Night Sky

A Journey to Enceladus (en-sell-ah-dus)

This month Saturn is still in our night sky, so

following on from Titan Last month , we are going to

have a brief look at Enceladus.

In Greek mythology Enceladus was a titan who was

defeated in battle and buried under mount Ento by

Athena (nineplanets).

Enceladus was discovered by Herschel in 1789.

Now an interesting fact about Enceladus is that it is

the most reflective object in our solar system with an

albedo bond value of 0.99. For those who do not

know the albedo value is the amount of light reflected

by an object.

Voyager 1 discovered that this moon, orbits in the

most densest part of Saturn’s diffuse E Ring.

Voyager 2 found while the moon is small it has a

Astronomy Wise

Mean Radius 247 Km

Equatorial Circumference 1584 km

Volume 7,113,076 km3

Mass 1.0794 x 1020 kg

Surface Area 798,648.27 km2

Surface gravity 0.113 m/s2

Orbit Velocity 45,487.3 km/h

Facts Source: NASA

Astronomy Wise

The British Interplanetary Society Northern meeting York 19/5/12

With an early start for a Saturday morning, my wife, 2 sons

and me drove from Bridlington to York City. The event doors

opened at 9:00am, this gave us plenty of time starting off at

07:30 to get to York, get lost and finally find the venue. The

venue was held at the Priory Street Centre which comes off

Micklegate.

The event was Co hosted between the BIS and York

Astronomical Society with Mr. Gurbir Singh (BIS) taking the

lead as the main host. First up was Dr. J R Cain talking

about Lunar Dust: The Hazard and Astronaut Exposure Risks.

This was an interesting subject . We all have the romantic

image of landing on the moon and moon walks, but do we

ever think about all the dust on the moons surface? Do we

think of the impact on humans and equipment of this cosmic

bombarded lunar dust. Dr Cain put together a well received

presentation and I was lucky enough to obtain his paper

published online October 2010. Following on was a talk by

David Woods on “How Apollo Flew To The Moon”. Again we

had an interesting and informative talk, David again put

across the issues and problems the Apollo missions

experienced from day to day tasks such as going to the

toilet.

After the lunch break we had a talk by Mike Hall (FBIS) ON “China Long March to

Tiangong”. Mike was called in at short notice to deliver his presentation, he gave

us an insight into China’s space explorations and some history into modern China.

Mr. Gurbir Singh gave us an insight into the BIS and a presentation on its founding

members and a brief history of the society. Finally Martin Dawson who is a mem-

ber of the York Astronomical Society gave an entertaining talk on German Rocket

Development.

I would like to thank all those involved with the presentations and running the

event myself and my family enjoyed the day….

Dr John Cain

Page 2 Astronomy Wise

Annular Eclipse Toyama may 2012

The Race To The Moon John F. Kennedy

John F.Kennedy was passionate in the race for space, more importantly, the race to prove that

America was far superior in every way to the Russians. In 1957 the Russians beat the Americans in

that race. From then on it was a race to the moon. Kennedy felt that America

had been humiliated by the Russians and was determined, at all costs, that

they would not be beaten to the moon. Sadly he never got to witness the

landing of Apollo 11 and Neil and Buzz walking on the moon and the other

missions that followed and the dramas that came with them, all of which I

firmly believe would never have happened if not for Kennedy's passion and

belief that America was the greatest nation on the planet and his determina-

tion to prove it by sending a man to the moon. Over

the next few years Kennedy traveled the country

giving many speeches, in football stadia, schools and in government,

trying to convince and create support for what he believed would be the

greatest step for man kind. I have put this article together to give a little

insight into how he got his way. So, Why this speech in Houston? There’s

more here than just a speech in a football stadium. Kennedy was working

to save the space initiative, and to make America more secure. In his

quest, Kennedy lays out the reasons why they needed a strong science

research program funded by the federal government. Below is part of

the speech Kennedy made at Rice University, Houston, Texas in 1962. In

his quest, Kennedy lays out the reasons why they needed a strong science

research program funded by the federal government. " There is no strife,

no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are

hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its

opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why

choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years

ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to

the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are

hard, because that goal will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills,

because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and

one which we intend to win, and the others, too. " President John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) awoke

on April 12, 1961, to the news that the Soviet Union had won the race to put a man into space.

Kennedy immediately met with Vice President Lyndon Johnson in the White House to discuss the

embarrassment of the Soviets beating America again. “Can we put a man on the moon before

them?” Kennedy asked. A few weeks later, Kennedy challenged the nation to “commit itself to

achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him

safely to earth.” Kennedy challenged Congress and the imaginations of all Americans a few weeks

later, when on May 25, in a special Joint Session of Congress, he proposed a Moon exploration

program. In a speech outlining defence and foreign policy needs to make the U.S. secure and safe

against threats from Soviet communism, or any other nation or faction, Kennedy spoke openly

about the space race that had been waged since October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union became

the first nation on Earth to orbit an artificial satellite, Sputnik.

This is a draft of what Kennedy told Congress in that part of the speech:

" Finally, if we are to win the battle that is now going on around the world between freedom and

tyranny, the dramatic achievements in space which occurred in recent weeks should have made

(Continued on page 7)

clear to us all, as did the Sputnik in 1957, the impact of this adventure on the minds of men

everywhere, who are attempting to make a determination of which road they should take. Since

early in my term, our efforts in space have been under review. With the advice of the Vice President,

who is Chairman of the National Space Council, we have examined where we are strong and where

we are not, where we may succeed and where we may not. Now it is time to take longer

strides–time for a great new American enterprise–time for this nation to take a clearly leading role

in space achievement, which in many ways may hold the key to our future on earth.

I believe we possess all the resources and talents necessary. But the facts of the matter are that we

have never made the national decisions or marshalled the national resources required for such

leadership. We have never specified long-range goals on an urgent time schedule, or managed our

resources and our time so as to insure their fulfilment.

Recognising the head start obtained by the Soviets with their large rocket engines, which gives them

many months of lead time, and recognising the likelihood that they will exploit this lead for some

time to come in still more impressive successes, we nevertheless are required to make new efforts

on our own. For while we cannot guarantee that we shall one day be first, we can guarantee that

any failure to make this effort will make us last. We take an additional risk by making it in full view

of the world, but as shown by the feat of astronaut Shepard, this very risk enhances our stature

when we are successful. But this is not merely a race. Space is open to us now; and our eagerness

to share its meaning is not governed by the efforts of others. We go into space because whatever

mankind must undertake, free men must fully share.

I therefore ask the Congress, above and beyond the increases I have earlier requested for space

activities, to provide the funds which are needed to meet the following national goals:

First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out,

of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this

period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of

space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.

We propose to accelerate the development of the appropriate lunar space craft. We propose to

develop alternate liquid and solid fuel boosters, much larger than any now being developed, until

certain which is superior. We propose additional funds for other engine development and for

unmanned explorations–explorations which are particularly important for one purpose which this

nation will never overlook: the survival of the man who first makes this daring flight. But in a very

real sense, it will not be one man going to the moon–if we make this judgment affirmatively, it will

be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there. "

The race was on, the Soviet Union’s massive rocket engines gave them a decided ad-

vantage. Kennedy’s challenge captured the imagination of Americans and America and the

necessary money flowed from Congress, but not in a completely free flow. Some opposed the

nation’s efforts in space exploration because they thought spending on space exploration was

distracted from the nation’s defence efforts. Kennedy continued to stress the connection between

space exploration and defence. He was backed by successes Alan Shepard who had successfully

launched into space and returned safely and on February 20, 1962, pilot John Glenn orbited the

Earth three times, catching the U.S. up almost to where the Soviet Union was in manned space

exploration.

Kennedy understood that constant attention, the constant selling of the space program would be

necessary, so in September 1962 he found himself in Houston, the newly-designated home of the

manned space program, and he took the opportunity to cast the American goals in the space race as

peaceful, good for all mankind, and definitely worth the massive costs.

Notice in how he casts putting a man on the Moon in league with other great achievements of

civilisation,

notice too how he relates space exploration to practical applications then in existence, such as

communication, navigation of ships at sea, and weather forecasting. This was years before

geosynchronous satellites were used for everyday

telephone conversations, years before quantum theory

was harnessed for Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

and mobile phones, before the newly-invented printed

circuits were miniaturised to make computer calculating

a possibility in space — the Moon landing was done with

slide rules and hand calculations.

Just over 14 months later Kennedy was killed in Dallas,

Texas, on November 22, 1963.

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin

landed the Eagle Lunar Module on the Moon, at the Sea

of Tranquillity. A few hours later, on July 21, they

stepped out on the Moon. From Kennedy’s speech to

Congress, the task had taken 8 years, one month and

26 days.

Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, with Neil Armstrong, the U.S.

flag, and the Eagle Lunar Module reflected in his helmet

visor, July 21, 1969

Written by Jason Ives

Image Below: Ray Gilchrist

Image: (above) Christopher Almey (Bridlington)

Image Left: James Lennie

10" Reflector and Canon 500D

FL1200mm

Sunspots by Dave Bood

Fun

Sunspots are temporary features that appear on the photosphere of the sun.

Depending on their size, they can last from a couple of days to a couple of weeks.

Sunspots are magnetic regions which normally form in groups with two sets of

Spots. These will have a positive or north pole and a negative or south pole.

Magnetic fields are stronger in the darker areas which are called the umbra and

the lighter areas have a weaker magnetic field called the penumbra.

(Solar Science)

Viewing from earth sun spots appear dark, this is because in terms of the sun

they are cooler than the surrounding photosphere. The photosphere temperature

Is about 5700 K where the centre of the sun spot drops to about 3700 K.

Some Sun Facts

Diameter 1.4 million km : Effective temperature 5,500° c (5777K)

Ref: solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov

Images

Special thank you to Ray Gilchrist who kindly gave us permission to use this image

http://www.raygilchrist.co.uk/

Sunspots by Dave Bood

Image

Dave Bood Summer 2011

Astronomy Wise

Lets Talk…….Jenny Winder

This months interview comes from the world of tweeting, blogging, article

writing and broadcasting. Jenny has a keen interest in astronomy and a passion

for developing her knowledge via the open university education system. I first

became aware of Jenny’s work via twitter and have found her tweets and articles

interesting . I am pleased Jenny has agreed to share a bit of her life with us so

without any more delay , the Jenny Winder Interview

AW: When did you first become interested in Astronomy?

JW: When I was 5 years old my father showed me Saturn through a telescope and

I was hooked for life. I could already recognise three stars of Orion's belt , Cassio-

peia and The Plough, but seeing Saturn for the first time was jaw dropping. Unlike

any other object in the sky, Saturn's rings mean you have a real sense of a 3

dimensional planet, suspended in space. It never fails to thrill me and remains my

sciences or astronomy?

JW: I am hopelessly

addicted to the Open

University and have

taken just about every

astrophysics course they

have to offer! All their

courses should come with

a health warning! I

always swear this one

will be my last, especially

when I am struggling

with a tricky assignment

or end of course assess-

ment, but once I have

submitted the last piece

of work, my fingers start

itching to flick through

the prospectus again and

pick my next course!

AW: What current

projects are you

working ?

JW: I have been promis-

ing myself for years that

I will take the leap into

astrophotography. This is

a huge step for me, I am

a total technophobe! No

GoTo scopes or motor

favourite target to

this day.

AW: Are you a

member of any

Astronomical groups or

societies?

JW: I'm ashamed to say

that I am not! Before I

got my first scope I did

visit a few star parties to

try out different equip-

ment and would

recommend that to

anyone starting out, but

since then I have pretty

much gone it alone.

AW: Have you studied at

college/University in

Page 2 Astronomy Wise

drives for me. I am

happy with my 10”

dobsonian or a pair of

binoculars and my

terrestrial photography is

usually over exposed, out

of focus, heads cut off

and my thumb over the

lens! But this year I plan

to bite the bullet and so

am looking around for a

good 'astrophotography

for idiots' course.

AW: Tell us about your

writing and broadcasting?

JW: I am currently one

of the presenting team

on Under British Skies for

Asronomy.FM Radio (the

only 24-hour internet

radio station in the

known universe, dedicated to astronomy

in particular and science

in general) and I am also

very proud to be writing

for Universe Today and I

contribute monthly

starguides for various

online publications,

most ,

notably for Urban Times.

Lets Talk…….Jenny Winder

Image: Jenny Winder

AW: What is Under British skies about?

UBS is a monthly round-up of UK and European astronomy news, views and

interviews. We also cover all major UK based astronomy events. It first came

on air in February 2010 and is broadcast live every 3rd Sunday of each month, at

8pm (GMT). The presenting team comprise Richie Jarvis, Paul Harper, Nick

Evetts, Iain Melville, Nick Howes, Sam Hawkins and myself. Listeners can join

the online chatroom, where the team post links to illustrate the topics discussed

and where listeners can post comments and questions to the team during the

show. The shows are great fun to do! There is a lot of banter & good natured leg

pulling.

Astronomy Wise

Lets Talk…….Jenny Winder

AW: What do you like most about Astronomy?

Simply looking up. Being able to find an object in the sky, know what it is, what it

is called, how it got there and something of the processes involved in making our

universe really excites me. People often say the stars make them feel insignifi-

cant, but to go out to a dark sky site and look up, let the enormity of the universe

in I find incredibly empowering.

JW: What other hobbies do you have?

I play harp and sing and love all types of music. The other thing my father did for

me when I was 5, the same year he got me hooked on astronomy, was to take me

to see my first opera, Puccini's Madam Butterfly at Covent Garden. Music has been

a huge part of my life ever since then. I read constantly too and feel undressed

without a book in my hand. I also enjoy needlework.

And finally the last few words from Jenny………

I was born in London and lived there till I was 30, working in publishing. Then I

moved to the South Coast, where I ran various pubs and music clubs and met and

married my Husband and where our two children were born, now both teenagers.

My Husband is a Yorkshireman and we moved back here 12 years ago. I am a

prolific poster on Twitter, Facebook and Google+

Useful Links

http://astronomy.fm/under-british-skies/

www.universetoday.com/

www.theurbn.com/author/jenny-winder/

Page 2 Astronomy Wise

In the News

The big news in May was

the first commercial

space flight to the ISS.

Hawthorne, CA – Today,

Space Exploration

Technologies (SpaceX)

made history when its

Dragon spacecraft

became the first com-

mercial vehicle in history

to successfully attach to

the International Space

Station. Previously only

four governments – the

United States, Russia,

Japan and the European

Space Agency – had

achieved this challenging

technical feat.

(Space X website)

The Transit of Venus:

June 5-6, 2012

ScienceDaily (May 28,

2012) — Many astrono-

mers and members of

the public in Britain will

be getting up early on

the morning of June 6, so

they can see (using pre-

cautions to avoid perma-

nent eye damage)* the

final Transit of Venus of

the 21st century. The

Transit, when Venus

passes directly between

Earth and the Sun, was

last seen in 2004 and will

not happen again until

the year 2117.

News from the World Wide Web

Image Top: 2004 transit of

Venus : Source Wikipedia

Image Bottom: Space X

spaceship: Source NASA

The Night Sky In June 2012

The Moon (time Universal Time)

4TH FULL MOON 11:12

11TH LAST QUARTER 10:41

19TH NEW MOON 15:02

27TH FIRST QUARTER 03:30

CALENDER JUNE 2012

1ST 5am Saturn 5° N of the Moon

3rd 1pm the Moon is at perigee

4th 11am full moon

5th 6am Neptune Stationary

6th Venus is in inferior conjunction and in transit

10th 5am Neptune is 6° S of the Moon

11th 11am last quarter of the Moon

12th Pallas 0.8° S of the Moon

13th 1am Uranus is 5° S of the Moon

15th 6am Venus is 4° N od Aldebaran

17th 8am Jupiter is 1.1° of the Moon

18th Venus 2° S of the moon

19th New moon

20th Summer Solstice

21st 6pm Mercury is 5° S of Pollux and at 7pm 6° N of the moon

24th Asteroid (18) Melpomene is at opposition Mag +9.4

26th 9am Saturn stationary 3pm Mars 6° N of the moon

27th 4am first quarter moon, Venus stationary

28th 12pm Saturn is 6° N of the moon

29th 3pm dwarf planet Pluto is in opposition

The Planets Re-published with permission from an original post by Derek Shirlaw

(www.derekshirlaw.co.uk)

Keep an eye out for Mercury which is visible to the west just after sunset for the first week or so of

June. Venus is now heading towards partially and very briefly intersecting our view of the Sun and come

June 5th it’ll be in transit across the star at the centre of our solar system. For the rest of the month, it’ll

become difficult to see as it’ll be up during daytime when sunlight drowns out any visible reflected light

from the planet’s surface. Gaze upwards before dawn and you might see Jupiter. The gas giant can be

spotted just before sunrise to the east. It’s getting harder to spot with the increasingly lighter nights, but

if you can find the constellation of Leo this month before it sets, you’ll be able to find Mars. Saturn re-

mains in the constellation of Virgo, close to the bright star Spica, but it too will be low to the south-

western horizon by darkness. If you’re looking to find the outermost planets Uranus and Neptune you’ll

need the help of a telescope as these aren’t visible to the naked eye.

MEN ON THE MOON

THE LUCKY LANDERS

John F.Kennedy had a dream that America would be the first nation to launch a man into space. In 1957

his dream was dashed with news that Russia had placed Yuri Gagarin into the history books. Frustrated

by this but not deterred, he set his sights on an American being the first to the Moon at all costs. After

years of pressing and countless speeches trying to gain the bottomless pit of funding, Kennedy got his

dream realised, sadly, 6 years after his death. This article is a brief insight into America's dream team,

who because of Kennedy's dream, made history.

First: Neil Armstrong. Neil was launched into space twice, firstly on

board Gemini viii and then as commander of Apollo 11. Neil Arm-

strong was the first man on the moon and spent a total of 21hrs

31mins on the surface of the Moon.

Second: Buzz Aldrin. Buzz was launched into space twice, firstly on

board Gemini vii and then as cosmos-naught on board Apollo 11.

Even though buzz was the second man to step foot on the Moon,

Buzz was the most famous man first photographed on the moon as

Neil was the man behind the camera. He spent a total of 21hrs 31mins on the moon.

Third: Pete Conrad. Pete was a four times traveller into space, first on board Gemini 5 and then 11, but

then followed Neil as the commander of Apollo 12 and spent a total of 31hrs-31mins on the lunar

surface. He was also a member of Skylab 4. Pete famously said as he set foot on the Moon " That might

have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me "

Forth: Alan bean. Alan was the lunar module pilot for Apollo 12 and was also a member of Skylab 3. Most

notably, Alan is the only artist to have visited the Moon. Alan was on the lunar surface for 31hrs-31mins

Fifth: Alan Shepard. Alan only travelled into space twice. Firstly with freedom 7 and then as commander

of Apollo 14. Alan was originally scheduled to be the commander of Apollo 13 which famously met with

difficulties, maybe if this had never happened, the lunar program might never have continued. Alan was

also the first man to play golf on the Moon. Al Shepard spent a total of 1d 9hrs 31 on the Moon. Most

famously Alan was the first American in space.

Sixth: Edgar Mitchell. Having served as a back up to other crews and being cancelled from Apollo 13,

Edgar finally made the big Step on Apollo 14, serving as lunar module pilot. Edgar spent a total of 1d

9hrs 30 mins on the Moon.

Seventh: David Scott. David was lucky enough to travel into space three times, Gemini VIII, Apollo 9 and

then Apollo 15. David's place in lunar history is firmly set as he was the first man to drive on the Moon,

the lunar rover. He also conducted an experiment aimed at proving Galileo's theory. He conducted an

experiment by dropping a hammer and a goose feather at the same time, which undoubtedly proves

what Galileo said but most importantly, because the experiment was filmed, that they were on the moon,

why?, simply because the hammer and the feather land on the surface at the same time!

Eighth: Jim Irwin. Jim only travelled once into space on board Apollo 15 as lunar module pilot. He spent a

total of 2d 18hrs 54mins on the Moon.

Ninth: John Young. John is by far the most travelled of the lunar astronaut, or any since having flown

into space six times. Gemini 3, Gemini 10, Apollo 10, Apollo 16, STS-1, STS-9. John spent 2d 23hrs

2mins on the Moon .

Of all astronauts, John holds the record for having the lowest heart rate during a launch into space at a

mere 70bts per minute.

Tenth: Charlie Duke. Charlie only travelled once into space and that was to the Moon on board Apollo 16

and spent 2d 23hrs 2mins on the surface. Charlie most famously was Capcom on Apollo 11, after Neil

Armstrong said those famous words Charlie replied " Roger Tranquillity, we copy you down. You got a

bunch of guys about to turn blue...we're breathing again"

Eleventh: Gene Cernan. Gene flew in space three times, Gemini 9, Apollo 10 and finally as commander

of Apollo 17. Gene spent 3d 2hrs 59mins on the moon and famous for being the last man to stand on

the Moon.

Twelve: Harrison Schmitt. Harrison flew only once into space on board Apollo 17. Apollo 17 was the final

mission to the Moon and how appropriate that they took the first geologist on its last flight, this besides,

Harrison took one of the most famous photographs in history, the " Blue Marble " picture of the earth.

He spent 3d 2hrs 59mins.

All twelve came from a highly technical background and all but one studied aeronautical or

astronautically engineering. Growing up, many had been Boy Scouts and even more were active

members of their University fraternities. They all went on to study for further degrees – many at

military test pilot schools – and almost all of them saw active service in cold war skies, often flying

nuclear weapons behind enemy lines. These high-risk professions often claimed the lives of those to the

left and right of them and frequently it was only luck that kept them alive long enough to apply to

NASA.

We might expect such parallel lives in men picked through a selection process devised to seek out "the

right stuff", but despite the similarities in their CVs, no two of these men were from the same mould, as

became evident in the years after the Apollo missions.

The Daring Dozen:

Neil Armstrong was born in Ohio in 1930. His path to the moon began in 1949

while he was studying aerospace engineering, when he was called up by the

US Navy. He flew 78 combat missions in Korea before returning to finish his

studies. Armstrong became a test pilot in 1955 and then joined NASA in 1962

as part of its second astronaut intake. He had only spent 10 hours in space

when he was selected as commander on the Apollo 11 lunar mission. In the

summer of 1969 he became the first man to walk on the Moon and the only

civilian to walk on the moon as Neil had left military service. Following Apollo

11 Armstrong announced that he did not plan to fly in space again. He left NASA in August 1971

and taught for eight years at the University of Cincinnati. His authorised biography First Man was

published in 2005, setting straight many of the rumours and myths that had emerged over the decades.

Buzz Aldrin was born in 1930 in New Jersey. His father was an aviation

pioneer and instilled in him a lifelong love of flying. He went on to join the

US Air Force, flying 66 combat missions in Korea and carrying nuclear

weapons under his wing during the cold war. Unlike the other astronaut

candidates Aldrin was not a test pilot and believed his only chance of being

selected was to study the emerging field of orbital rendezvous.

It worked and in 1963 he joined NASA's third intake of astronauts. He was

soon known affectionately as Dr Rendezvous. Twists of fate and a talent for

problem solving propelled him onto the crew for Apollo 11 and in July 1969 he co-piloted the first

landing on the moon. Aldrin didn't enjoy the limelight that followed and later admitted he would

have preferred to put his scientific talents to greater use on a later, less historic flight. Alcoholism

and depression plagued the next 15 years of his life. But in the mid-1980s he returned to orbital

mechanics, devising what became known as the Aldrin cycler, a spacecraft trajectory that he

believed could lead the first manned mission to Mars.

Charles 'Pete' Conrad was born in 1930 in Pennsylvania. As a student he battled dyslexia, but was

obsessed with flying and obtained his pilot's licence before leaving high

school. After graduating in aeronautical engineering from Princeton, he

joined the US Navy and became a flight instructor. He was rejected by

NASAs at his first attempt in 1959 because he rebelled against the

barrage of medical tests, but was admitted after his second try in 1962.

By the time he flew to the moon as the commander of Apollo 12,

Conrad was one of Nasa's most experienced astronauts. He returned to

space on Skylab 2, spending 28 days in orbit in 1973. Beyond NASA,

Conrad entered the aerospace industry and worked for a number of

companies, including McDonnell Douglas. He died on 8 July 1999 in a

motorcycle crash and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Alan Bean

was born in 1932 in Texas. From an early age he was fascinated by air-

craft, filling his bedroom with models and dreaming of fictional heroes like Buck Rogers. Spurred on

by his mother, he won a university scholarship to study aeronautical engineering and went on to

become a naval aviator, a job he considered the coolest in the world until he saw Al Shepard flying

in a rocket. The event fuelled Bean's ambition to become an astronaut and ultimately catapulted him

into NASA on his second attempt in 1963. He considered himself to be one of the more fearful

astronauts, but luck and his good friend Pete Conrad I intervened and plucked him from obscurity to

fly to the moon on Apollo 12. He stayed on at Nasa after Apollo and returned to space on the

Skylab 3 mission, spending almost two months in orbit in 1973.

Bean retired from Nasa in 1981 and has devoted himself to painting ever since. Looking back on his

Apollo days he says he feels lucky. "Someone had to go, and they happened to pick me."

Alan Shepard was born in November 1923. He became the second person to fly into space on 5 May

1961, less than a month after Yuri Gagarin's historic flight. Unlike Gagarin, who parachuted the last

few thousand feet to Earth as planned, Shepard rode his craft right back to the surface and splashed

down in the Pacific, technically making him the first man to fly all the way into space and back. As a

US Navy test pilot he'd logged over 8,000 hours of flying time, and was selected as one of Nasa's

(Continued on page 21)

original Mercury 7 astronauts in 1959. Following America's first historic manned spaceflight, Shepard

was diagnosed with Meniere's disease which removed him from flight status for several years.

Corrective surgery eventually cleared him to fly on Apollo 14 in 1971. At the age of 47, he became

the oldest astronaut to step onto the moon. Alan Shepard retired from Nasa in August 1971. After a

two-year battle with leukaemia he died on 21 July 1998. Edgar Mitchell was born in Texas in 1930.

When he was a child, a barnstormer landed on his parent's farm and took him up for a ride. The

sense of freedom he felt on that first flight spurred him on to gain his own pilot's licence by the age

of 14. Mitchell's attention turned to space after the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 and he was

seconded from the Navy to Nasa in 1966. Serving as backup pilot for Apollo 10, he later was as-

signed to the mission scheduled as Apollo 13, but which got switched to Apollo 14 at the last minute

– winning him a walk on the moon. Of this experience he says he found the lunar surface a

welcoming place, and in his exhilaration at first stepping onto the surface he joked: "I think they put

champagne in the water."

It was on the way back that his life changed when he had an epiphany that he describes as

"bliss – almost like being in love". The experience inspired him, after retiring from Nasa in 1972, to

set up the Institute of Noetic Sciences, which conducts and supports research into areas that more

mainstream scientists do not entertain, such as psychic events.

David Scott was born in Texas in June 1932. At the age of three, after seeing his father flying a

Jenny biplane in formation, he became hooked on flight. Pushed hard by his step-father he won a

scholarship to West Point and distinguished himself in 1954 by finishing 5th out of 644 students. He

elected to join the US Air Force, flying cold war fighter jet missions over Europe and later studying at

MIT. He applied to Nasa in 1966 and joined group three. During the next five years he flew the most

missions of this group. In 1971 he became the seventh man on the moon when he commanded the

first full science expedition, driving the first rover vehicle into the lunar highlands.

On returning to Earth Scott hoped his mission had inspired those who watched from Earth –

reminding us at his press conference that "the mind is a fire to be ignited, not a vessel to be filled".

Through his work on the film sets of Apollo 13 and other movies he has continued to ignite fires in

millions more minds ever since.

James Irwin was born in March 1930 in Pennsylvania. He joined the US Air Force after university and

graduated from the prestigious Aerospace Research Pilot School in 1963. Despite being involved in a

plane crash in 1961 in which he almost lost a leg, Irwin qualified as an astronaut in 1966 and went

on to land on the moon with Dave Scott in 1971. Due to long working hours and the dehydration

Irwin suffered on this mission he had a minor heart attack near the end of the day they left the

moon. Resting during the return flight he made a good recovery, but he suffered a bigger heart

attack a few months later. On the moon Irwin says he felt God's presence and after retiring from

Nasa in 1972 he founded his High Flight Ministry.

In 1991, Jim Irwin suffered a third and fatal heart attack near his home in Colorado, becoming the

first of the moon walkers to pass away

John Young was born in California in September 1930. As a child, he avidly read books about space

and idolised the likes of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. He holds the distinction of being the most

experienced astronaut of the 20th century having flown two Gemini missions in Earth orbit and flown

(Continued from page 20)

twice to the moon, although he only landed once, on Apollo 16. He almost flew to the moon a third

time when Gene Cernan suffered a sporting injury a few months before Apollo 17.

After Apollo, he went on to command the first space shuttle flight to orbit the Earth in 1981 and flew

a second shuttle mission in 1983. Including the lunar rover he has 'piloted' a record five different

types of spacecraft. Despite his distinguished career, Young was critical of Nasa after the Challenger

Disaster in 1986 and was subsequently removed from active astronaut status. But he stayed on until

he retired at the age of 74 and still supports human spaceflight operations there today. Of the moon

he says that every time he looks at it he still can't believe we're not going back.

Charlie Duke was born in October 1935 in North Carolina. As a boy he loved Wild West films, but he

always saw himself as a flying ace – craving the speed. He joined the Air Force in 1957 and flew

dangerous cold war sorties over Europe before becoming a research test pilot, flying the legendary

F-104 Starfighter to the edge of space. In April 1966 he was selected for Nasa's fifth group of

astronauts and, after key mission control roles supporting Apollo's 10, 11 and 13, he made his one

and only spaceflight on Apollo 16 in 1972, becoming the youngest man to walk on the moon at the

age of 36.

Duke retired from Nasa in 1976 and became a successful businessman before realising that his path

in life led in another direction. His turning point came at a bible study class near his home in Texas,

where Duke opened his mind to Christianity. He has devoted his life since to spreading the teachings

of Jesus. Of Apollo, Duke says "my walk on the moon only lasted three days but his walk with God is

forever."

Eugene Cernan was born in Chicago in March 1934. As a child he was fascinated by the

black-and-white Movie tone newsreels that played in the cinema's during the second world war. He

loved the reports about brave US pilots and he knew he wanted to join their ranks. He trained as a

fighter pilot at Miramar, later known as the Top Gun School.

But when Al Shepard became the first American in space Cernan realised he had to be an astronaut.

He joined Nasa in its third astronaut intake in 1963 to work on Gemini and Apollo. On his Gemini

flight Cernan performed a difficult and pioneering spacewalk during which he became dangerously

overheated. But his greatest challenge came in 1972 when he commanded Apollo 17, becoming the

last person to walk on the moon (since he was the last to re-enter the module) He retired from Nasa

in 1976 after the Apollo-Soyuz test programme and went into private business. On his place in

history he says: "Here I am at the turn of the millennium and I'm still the last man to have walked

on the moon, [it's] somewhat disappointing. It says more about what we have not done than about

what we have done."

Harrison "Jack" Schmitt was born in New Mexico in July 1935. He is the only man to have walked on

the moon but never served in the military. Following in his father's footsteps he studied geology and

then went on to work at the US Geological Survey's Astrogeology Centre at Flagstaff, Arizona. When

Nasa began to recruit "scientist astronauts" in 1964, Schmitt was one of the first to be admitted.

From the start, the scientist astronauts were seen as outsiders who were non-essential in the race

to the moon. But Schmitt worked tirelessly to enthuse the other astronauts about geology and got

his own chance to practise lunar fieldwork on his Apollo 17 flight in 1972. He resigned from Nasa in

1975 to run for election as a senator for New Mexico, winning and serving a single term before his

defeat in 1982. Since then he has worked as a consultant in business, geology and space

exploration. He is a persistent advocate of returning to the lunar surface, declaring: "We owe the

future of humankind another walk on the moon."

As you can tell from this brief insight into the lives of these heroic men, each held the same passion

for flight from being young boys, and through sheer tenacity, went onto fulfil the ultimate dream as

adults, the Moon. Ultimately how they lived there lives after Apollo was as different as each man,

but there is one burning question that they all still possess, those still with us, "when will we be

going back? "

My personal view is a mixed one, but is based simply on the premise of the original race. What if the

Russians suddenly announced that they were planning on a mission to the Moon, what if the

Chinese suddenly decided the same or even The European Space Agency. NASA has said on

numerous occasions that the cost of going back outweighs the benefits, and the fact that they have

been there already, so they have nothing to gain. I say no to this, if these nations announced the

intention of a new venture to the Moon, NASA would bust a gut at all costs to get back there, First,

again no-matter what the costs.

Just one final ditty to leave you with, the Space Shuttle was first launched in 1981. Given this crafts

capabilities and payload capacity, why did NASA not use the Shuttle to go back to the moon and

possibly establish a base. They built a space station using the Shuttle, why not take it further and

take an even bigger step for mankind. I don't believe that one nation alone should go, I think that as

we have and use the International Space Station as a world, why not pool our global

technologies-resources, and return together, not as one nation but as the human race.

Many thanks Jason Ives

Sources: Jason Ives, NASA, The encyclopaedia Britannica and Christopher Riley( author of the

Haynes manual to Apollo )

Images: via Google images and NASA

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