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AS THE BATTLE between Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Richard Branson to be the first billionaire to conquer space travel heats up, keeping up with the latest terminology in the new-age space race is not always easy for the rest of us.
This month, we’re taking a deep dive into all things space as part of The Good Information Project.
From the mysterious dark matter to the prospect of space colonisation, this glossary has all the terms you will need to keep up with the 21st century space race.
The Artemis Program is the name of Nasa’s initiative that aims to return humans to the moon with the long-term goal of manning missions to Mars. The program was signed off on by then-President Donald Trump in 2017 and has since set an ambitious deadline to land astronauts on the lunar south pole by 2024.
Nasa is currently building new technologies in preparation for the mission, including the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Orion spacecraft and Exploration Ground Systems, and is working with both commercial and international partners to establish sustainable structures on and around the moon. They recently selected Elon Musk’s SpaceX to build a lunar lander that will take their astronauts to the moon’s surface in 2024.
An astronaut by definition is someone who is trained and deployed by a human spaceflight program to travel aboard a spacecraft. Astronauts usually have a background in science, engineering, mathematics or piloting and have years of experience in their respective fields before having to undergo years of extensive training in order to prepare to go into space.
While this may seem simplistic, the term ‘astronaut’ was recently updated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US, the first changes since their Commercial Astronaut Wings programme began in 2004.
The changes were announced on the same day as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos flew to the edge of space aboard his Blue Origin rocket, and disqualified him from being awarded his wings.
The rules state that to qualify as commercial astronauts, space-goers must astronaut hopefuls must be part of the flight crew and must travel 80km above the Earth’s surface.
While Bezos actually travelled 100km above Earth’s surface, the changes also state that would-be astronauts must have also “demonstrated activities during flight that were essential to public safety, or contributed to human space flight safety”.
According to Nasa, a black hole is “a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out”. This occurs when a large amount of matter is squeezed into a very small space.
Black holes are made when the center of a very big star reaches the end of its life and implodes, or collapses. When the star dies, it causes a supernova, an exploding star that blasts part of the star into space. Due to the lack of light, scientists can’t actually see black holes, but they know they’re there by studying how their strong gravity affects the stars and gas around them.
Black holes get “bigger”, or more massive, as they consume matter near them. Some are tiny, but have the mass of a large mountain. A “stellar” black hole can have a mass of up to 20 times more than the mass of the sun, while the largest black holes are called “supermassive”. These have masses that are more than 1 million suns together. Scientists have found proof that every large galaxy contains a supermassive black hole at its centre. The bigger the black hole, the larger a zone of “no return” they have, where anything entering their territory is irrevocably lost to the black hole. This is called the event horizon.
Blue Origin is the private space company owned by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. The billionaire founded the company in 2000 with the goal of one day bringing people to live and work in space through artificial gravity. After a slow growth, it successfully flew its first-stage reusable rocket, New Shepard, around 100km above Earth in 2015. In July, Bezos successfully rode the rocket into space for ten minutes to coincide with the 52nd anniversary of the first Moon landing.
However, the company has had its fair share of controversy. Blue Origin recently filed a civil lawsuit against Nasa after it chose rival company SpaceX to build its lunar lander, stating the process behind the decision “had flaws.” Around 17 key leaders and senior engineers have left Blue Origin in the last few months, many of whom were connected to the company’s lunar landing program.
Everything we know about space – planets, stars, galaxies – only makes up 5% of the universe. Dark matter is the name given to the mass in the universe that remains invisible.
According to Nasa, around 68% of the universe is a compound of dark energy, with the remaining 27% known as dark matter. It is so called because it’s invisible, and we have no way of seeing it.
We know it exists because of its strong gravitational force, and because it distorts light from distant stars. The greater the distortion, the greater the concentration of dark matter. Recently, scientists have been trying to come up with the technology to enable them to be able to actually identify dark matter in the universe.
While there is no universally accepted definition of where the edge of space begins, the World Air Sports Federation (FAI) uses the Karman line to define the boundary between the Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. This defines the edge of space as beginning around 100km (62 miles, or 330,000 feet) above sea level.
However, Astronomy Ireland’s David Moore told The Journal last month that this figure is much debated, and that the real limit “probably is closer to 80km” above sea level.
Educational Irish Research Satellite 1, or EIRSAT-1, is Ireland’s first satellite. Announced in 2017, it is being developed by a team of postgraduate students and professors at University College Dublin (UCD) as part of the European Space Agency’s ‘Fly Your Satellite!’ programme. At just 22 by 10 by 10 cm, the ‘CubeSat’ is smaller than a shoebox, but is still equivalent in complexity to a standard space mission. When it is completed, it will carry three experiments on its Low Earth Orbit at an altitude of 400km. Final tests for the satellite will be carried out in Belgium next month, bringing it one step closer to a 2022 launch into low Earth orbit.
An orbit is the gravitationally curved trajectory of an object in space. In short, it is a repeating circular motion that one object in space takes around another object due to gravity’s pull. An object in an orbit is called a satellite. A satellite can be natural, like Earth or the moon, or it can be man-made, like the International Space Station. The time it takes a satellite to make one full orbit is called its period.
For example, Earth has an orbital period of one year. All satellites travel on or near the orbital plane, an imaginary disk-shaped surface in space that connects the center of the object being orbited with the center of the orbiting object.
The Perseverance rover was launched by Nasa last year as part of its Mars 2020 mission. It successfully landed on Mars in February. Nicknamed Percy, the car-sized rover was designed to explore a crater on the red planet called Jezero, which contained a lake 3.5 billion years ago.
Its mission is to search for signs of ancient life, and explore and collect samples for future return to Earth from diverse environments on Mars. Rock and soil samples that it gathers with its drill will be stored in tubes on the Martian surface ready for a return mission to bring around 30 samples to Earth in the early 2030s.
SpaceX, or Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, is a private spaceflight company owned by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Musk founded the company in 2002 with the hope of revolutionising the aerospace industry and making affordable spaceflight a reality. In 2012, it became the first private company to send a cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS). It sent its first two astronauts to the ISS in May 2020 aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon, and followed that test flight with the successful launch of four astronauts in November 2020. In May, it successfully launched and landed its Starship rocket ship, bringing Musk’s dream of orbital and then interplanetary travel one step closer.
Space colonisation refers to the hypothetical concept of humans permanently living outside of Earth. While this was once just the subject of science fiction books and Hollywood films, the idea that we could live in space has moved several steps closer to becoming a reality.
Nasahas said that the urgency to allow humans to live on other planets “has been re-validated by the emergence of a worldwide pandemic” and that the long-term habitation of the International Space Station by rotating teams of astronauts, scientists and medical professionals “has provided us with a wealth of data to establish parameters for keeping humans alive and healthy for long periods in the harsh environment of space”.
While there is no clear indication as to when this might happen, the moon looks set to be the starting point, with Nasa saying it will develop the ability to establish a lunar colony within six years, though it currently has no plans to do so. Russia and China have also revealed their respective roadmaps for establishing a moon base, but both say they are not planning to send astronauts to the moon within the next decade.
Space law is the body of regulations in international law that governs conduct in and related to outer space. It is made up of a framework of treaties, agreements and principles first developed by the United Nations in the 1960s at the beginning of the ‘Space Race’ between the United States and the Soviet Union. It also involves other fields of law, from criminal, commercial and insurance law to property and environmental law.
The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space is the forum for the development of international space law. The Committee has established five international space-related treaties. The Outer Space Treaty was adopted in 1967 and is the foundation of international space law. It outlines how to peacefully explore space, affirms fair use of outer space and prohibits any nation from “appropriation” of outer space “by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means”.
The Rescue Agreement outlines that if a nation comes across an astronaut in distress, they must rescue them. The Liability Convention states that a country is liable for damage if its space object harms someone else’s.
Under The Registration Convention, countries are required to register with the United Nations before they send something into space, and The Moon Agreement states that the moon and other celestial bodies should be used exclusively for peaceful purposes, that their environments should not be disrupted, and that the UN should be informed of the location and purpose of any station established on those bodies.
According to the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, each treaty stresses the notion that outer space, the activities carried out in outer space and whatever benefits might be accrued from outer space “should be devoted to enhancing the well-being of all countries and humankind, with an emphasis on promoting international cooperation.”
The effects of zero gravity, or weightlessness, happens when the effects of gravity are not felt. Many people believe that there is no gravity in space, but this is a common misconception.
While we can’t exactly feel gravity on Earth, we can feel the force of the ground pushing our feet upwards. This is how we are able to perceive the force of gravity as weight. When we jump, gravity is still acting upon us – we just can’t feel it. We feel weightless.
Therefore, an astronaut orbiting the Earth in space feels weightless for the exact same reason. Due to there being no ground or normal force to counteract the force of gravity, they are continuously falling towards Earth. As the spaceship is traveling so quickly in the forward direction, it curves away from them, and they end up orbiting around the earth in a circular pattern, just like the moon does.
This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work is the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here.
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They gave us Abba and now they do this. Love the Swedish people.
Ireland has been upgraded to a ABBA rating.
It’s all Money Money Money
Bravo diarmuid
Good news is always welcome to most reasonable people.
Well done Noonan, probably one of the best finance ministers this country has ever had. Well done Sweden also for being so generous.
Finance minister. Failed minister of health. Led the party to an absolute hiding in 2001 but still is in politics. Yep, only in Ireland
Spot on..
Hey hurler – are you a Freemason like Michael Noonan was said to be on the R.T.E. ….
Always been quite the fan of the swedish….
Michael Noonan is one of the few ministers I have even an ounce of respect for. Judging him on health would be unfair. Nobody can do anything about health until union power is reduced.
Their women in particular ;)
What about his age – he is part off a Government that extended the compulsory retirement age to 68 – he should have by his own rules retired three years ago – Is he drawing his pensions and his salary together for the last 3 years – is he drawing his pensions since the retirement age of 65 ?
If we are only paying 2% in borrowing and growth is at 3% then surely Irish Water should be borrowing for infrastructure on balance sheet – there is no cheaper money >>>>
Oh Michael you are a victim of your own spin !
He can’t draw his political pensions until he retires.
It was 2002 that they got the hiding but Michael Collins, had he been
alive and leader of Fine Gael would have taken the exact same hiding. Life was brilliant back then, everyone driving beemers and having a minimum of 2 houses. Fianna Fáil could do. I wrong, Charlie Mac giving us all free money if we wanted it. The good auld days alright!
Check out his record re: Mrs. Mc Cole as she was dying. Scurrilous.
Dermot can’t comprehend good news
..Whilst good news alright, what does it tell us about how badly struck the deal was in the first place ?. The fact that early repayment could even possibly need a vote from anyone is ridiculous.
We should never have even being saddled with this debt deal but seen as we have being able to offload a chunk of debt is good
I can comprehend a con when I see one – total failure to deal with the Trichet letter and a rush to pay of the I.M.F so that certain hidden bank accounts won’t come to light …do you think the whole country is stupid !
Noonan best finance minister we’ve had ???? Are you having a laughing.
Do you remember the children’s shoe tax in the 80s by Noonan ?. Have you forgotten his midnight legislation in the Dial with all night drinking in the Dail bar and the lapdance event!. where he permanently transferred the private bank debts onto the taxpayers back forever?.
This Noonan ?
The VAT on children’s shoes debacle was John Bruton Giuseppe, not Noonan!
That chaps neck must be killing him.
I stand corrected thx reg.
Sweden, Britain and Denmark are the true friends of Ireland in Europe. The 3 loaned Ireland some money during the bank bailout at lower interest. The ECB screwed Ireland.
I’ve been playing clash of clans on the ipad and iphone for over a year now and i think we should wipe out all this debt by invading europe. The invasion would be based around strategically sending in giants and wallbreakers first followed by wizards, the odd dragon and a heap of goblins. I’m happy to lead this invasion.
I could easily pass as a dwarf …lead away !
If I could like this twice…
Once victory is achieved I will distribute the Elixir and Gold of Europe evenly among the people of Ireland and also grant free ski passes to all while im at it. I will keep the dark elixir for myself but not that yee would notice as you tackle the blue and red runs of the alpes, pyrenees and the Black forest Gateaux.
I refuse to attack nuns ..It’s against my religion ….although if you could delay the invasion for a week I hear Isis are moving to Tipperary so I might join them ….. then no one within a water balloon throw will be safe !
That’s ski runs Dermot not nuns :-)
humph …… I only wanted to go and see a few nuns …. decisions decisions …
Ok chewy I said I’d go but I will go as non ISIs Dwarf ….if that’s o.k.
Might I suggest we go in through Spain – the French have a nasty habit of watching their ports ….. and their wine ….
They are better to the irish than the Irish banks are to the Irish people who bailed them out without a choice
Why oh why oh why oh why did we not burn the bondholders?
Our debt – which was almost at junk status and is now highly rated again – has been sold at spectacular profit to speculators
Nama are selling chunks of the country off in big, unbroken lots
Anglo should have been let slide
Why oh why were meters installed without first modestly charging consumers a flat rate for water and using the income to fix the massive leaking 100 year old pipes? Instead we got lumped with the cost of installing millions of meters attached to millions of modern homes with modern, efficient plumbing when the more serious problem was distribution wastage.
Chill – the New Government will be subjecting the title of all Irish property passed through NAMA under the most rigourous tests imaginable – often those who win mistake the half-time whistle for the full-time one , take their eye of the ball and then the whole game unravels from them !
It wouldn’t be highly rated if we’d burned them, that’s for sure.
and we wouldn’t be in as much debt either.
I find it very wrong, that while we are in a “union” with these other countries, they expect to make money off of less well off countries by charging interest.
It’s like a friend giving you €100, and expecting interest.
We are all supposed to be a one market economy in Europe, yet it’s the strongest of the economies who call the shots..
Money loses value over time. Your friend doesn’t charge interest on €100, because the value that loses is insignificant. If they lent you €1,000,000,000, you can be sure they’d want to be compensated for the value it lost while you had it
Not exactly. There is a cost to those countries in lending us that money and they cannot be expected to bear that cost. e.g If a friend lent you €50,000 over 5 years, foregoing interest while at the same time paying a mortgage at 4.3% he would be quite entitled to look for interest.
Actually neuromancer has a good point. Though the friend loaning money analogy isn’t entirely appropriate. The main problem with the crash of the euro is that all eurozone countries, while using the same currency, are competing with each other for share of that currency. Take the fact that the ECB is currently trying to fight deflation so as to maintain their inflation target of 2% per annum, they have slashed interest rates as low as they can go in order to try and manage this and it isn’t working too well. Another technique they could use would be to print more money but they can’t exactly do that for the benefit of every eurozone country as these countries are all competing for the same currency, Germany or France etc would still get more than Greece, for example.
As I said, the analogy of a friend loaning money isn’t appropriate. A better analogy would be in the hypothetical situation of Ireland still using the pound but Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick all setting their own individual budgets instead of a national budget for the country being produced by a centralised authority.
So friendship only if it doesn’t cost you Neil?
The Swedes, a great bunch of lads!
ha, the slaves got a deal to lengthen the chain.
Save 400 million a year then put that in to irish water
When a country runs a budget deficit like we do, it’s not an actual tangible saving….
you also missed the word ‘could’
And well probably only give them 1 point in the Eurovision
Oh yeah great news,
The Irish people get to pay back a part of the ILLEGAL debt Europe gave us early.
Hooray.
tick tock , now interest rates only have to stay at 2% for the next 30 years oh and no significant recessions during this time, oh and no default or economic problems in Greece , Italy , Spain etc………….
tick tock €180bn in debt , and around 2 million workers to support it, as the country lad you ask direction would say ” I wouldn’t start from here”
I think this is great news and the government are right to milk it for all the positive spin they can muster…….even though in reality its a bit like someone trying to give hope to the passengers on the Titanic as he bails with a bucket.
And whats going to happen to this €400 million that we are saving?
Oh yes, that’s right – it will go some small way to pay the €8 Billion in interest we owe Europe every year because let’s face it, it won’t be invested in Ireland will it?
Cue the red thumbs from the FG/lab brigade that are all over this article with their blinkered heads up their own rectums.
apart from the fact we won’t be saving 400million. it will just be 400 million less to raise to pay back the loans
It’s results like these that will see this government reelected in 2016. They’ve made the tough decisions and this country will reap the rewards.
Even when they fcuk things up, they’ve had the courage to reverse and amend…
FG/Labour get re-elected? lol!
I don’t know what you are on but I’d like some…
Anything to get us into NATO …not happening I.M.F. not happening …
Come on now Michael Noonan keep your word you said that you wouldn’t do a Fianna Fail and engage in Auction Politics …oh sorry Mike – didn’t you go and get an ould water rebate – if that isn’t auction politics I am a Japanese man !
good on them I guess? It’s almost the next best thing to not paying this shit at all…
Anyone know when it’s all going to be paid back? Will the USC be abolished then? I can’t see it being abolished so I’d like to know when I should start recruiting protestors to get it removed.
Nice to see Noonan ‘dare to zlatan’!!
Good news is always welcome
How much interest are we paying each year for the bailout?
have your say