CAJ #12: Houston, we have a problem

Hey everyone,

I found this sophisticated TED talk the other day and I think that it perfectly underlines the issues of space exploration I talked about in my previous posts.

https://www.ted.com/talks/burt_rutan_sees_the_future_of_space

Listening to Burt Rutan’s speech about the future of space, I became acquainted with the perspective of an expert who has years of experience in this field. In his speech the spacecraft designer, talks about entering the second generation and the fact that little to no progress has been done in terms of human flight in space. He underlines the importance of inspiring the youth to continue what has been done until now. The children from today are the future from tomorrow. According to Rutan, that is why we need to inspire them in order to be able to benefit from the future exploration. He addresses the problem that even though we have a great deal of efficient companies, they are unable to make considerable progress towards their goals. It has been tried over the time period of four years to develop a safe way to fly an aeroplane, but that has not happend at all in space flying.

Great contributors to the beginnings of space exploration, for instance Werner von Braun, Kelly Johnson and Charles Lindbergh, who inspire us today, were children in 1908-1912. Every one of them lived in a time where they were encouraged by the renaissance of aviation. Also the explorer from today were inspired by big progress in the past like the Jet Age, the Missile Age the first flights to Mars etc. Some of them are: Paul Allen, Elan Musk, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, the Ansari family and Bob Bigelow. He thinks that these people are currently researching different areas that will lead us into the future of space exploration and eventually allow us to colonize and keep us from getting extinct.

He mentions the budget of 1.5 billion to 1.7 billion dollars that is currently “available” worldwide for further space exploration. That all is investment in private space flight that is not governmental. I knew that a great amount of money is being invested in space exploration, but I did not imagine the sum being that high.

CAJ #11: How does my topic connect to other CAJs?

• Katrin Wiesinger: Asteroid mining

Katrin talks about the the general idea of finding suitable near-earth-asteroids which are rich in one or more mineral resources, such as water, metals, oxygen or hydrogen. Her journal deals with the problems that are connected to asteroid mining and suggests possible solutions. One company that is especially interested in asteroid mining and invests a great amount of money is Planetary Resources. They are interested in the future of space, which connects to my topic.

http://katrinwsblog.blogspot.co.at/search/label/CAJ

• Claudia Schwaiger: Space tourism

As I cover a few great inventions in technology that transfers both cargo and people to orbiting destinations, space tourism is surely connected to my topic.  

• Harald Pasch: Planetary Science

This topic obviously connects to mine as Harald is covering the answer to the question: How do we explore the space? In order to be able to discover new planets space telescopes are of essential importance.

http://heroldflux.blogspot.co.at/2014/06/caj-hubble-telescope-optics-part-3.htmlv

• Heimo Kaspar: Permanent human expansion into the solar system

Heimo is talking about space flights beyond the atmosphere that are supposed to be made cheaper. The Lifeboat Foundation is working on developing non-rocket methods for reaching the orbit. The self-sustaining space habitat ‘Ark 1’ should ensure the survival of humanity in the event Earth becomes uninhabitable, which connects to the humans spaceflights in my CAJ.

http://heimokaspar.blogspot.co.at/

• Maria Dorner: Astrobiology

Maria writes about Astrobiology and the most important goal: finding another way of life. This connects perfectly to space exploration, as the aim is pretty much the same.

http://sharemarysword.blogspot.co.at/

• Sandra Lang: Cosmology

Sandra is mainly writing about the birth and death of black holes and their structure.

http://sparklingsandywendy.blogspot.co.at/

CAJ #10: A few questions

Which bodies currently fund research into your topic?

The number of researching companies is growing from day to day and is nearly becoming uncountable. Currently the biggest and probably best known companies to research into space exploration are the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and The Russian Federal Space Agency (RKA). What really surprised me in a positive way is that there are more and more private companies to fund research and invest in space exploration. A few of them are for example: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), the Orbital Sciences Corporation, the Boeing Company, Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) and Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK). All these companies, whether being private or governmental bodies, share the same struggles and, more importantly, have the same goal. As far as NASA is concerned, they all want “to reach for new height and reveal the unknown so that what we do and learn will benefit all humankind”.

Who do you think should fund research into your topic and why?

In my opinion, everyone could and should contribute to the important fund research into space exploration. Not only private and governmental bodies are able to make a difference for the future of humankind. Every individual that is interested and has a common opinion on the exploration of new planets, can help. Some of you might think now, but how can we help? The ideal way would be to study physics, astrology or any other related study and to either found your own company or apply for an already existing one. As this is not suitable for everyone who wants to help, another, easier way would be to invest money in big and trustful companies like NASA or SpaceX. The revolutionization of the transport system from Earth to space and back is the focus of most of the companies. They mainly want to enable people to live on other planets to preserve human life in the future. Isn’t this argument enough for companies and individuals to do fund research and inventions into space exploration?

Does the science in your topic benefit everybody? If so, who does it benefit the most?

Of course. Even though the benefit is not entirely understood by most of the people and maybe not visible yet, it will, for sure, be a great benefit for mankind in the future. I mean, wouldn’t it be great for people to be able to live on another planet but the Earth? Just consider a dramatic apocalypse on Earth. Where would we all go? Wouldn’t you want a safe place for your children to live at? Well, think about it.

If it does not benefit everybody equally, should society being paying for the research?

If the companies manage to discover a planet which would be habitable for humans, and they will, it would benefit everybody equally.

CAJ #9: Developments in Technology

SpaceX

Elon Musk, cofounder of PayPal, is the CEO and chief designer of Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, abbreviated SpaceX, which is a space transport services company that manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. SpaceX designs was founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology, with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling people to live on other planets. They mainly support the enabling of the colonization of Mars by humans. As for now, the company has developed several orbital launch vehicles: Falcon 1, Falcon 9, which is currently in active use, and Falcon Heavy, which is under development.

Falcon 1

The company has developed its first launch vehicle - Falcon 1 - and three rocket engines - Merlin, Kestrel, and Draco - completely with private capital. Falcon 1, which has already been retired by SpaceX, was the first privately developed liquid-fueled rocket to reach orbit. It was a small rocket capable of placing several hundred kilograms into low earth orbit. IIt functioned as an early test-bed for developing concepts and components for the larger Falcon 9.

Falcon 9

Falcon 9 was the second launch vehicle to be designed and manufactured by SpaceX. Falcon 9, along with the Dragon spacecraft, was designed from the beginning to be reusable. One of the originally goals was to deliver humans into space. Under an agreement with NASA, SpaceX is actively working toward that goal. With its special care for details in manufacturing, it is capable of landing with the precision of a helicopter. Falcon 9 is known as the first rocket completely developed in the 21 century. It is 68,4 meters tall and has a simple two-stage configuration with nine first-stage engines, which means that it can safely complete its mission even in the event of an engine shutdown. By delivering Dragon into the correct orbit in 2012, Falcon 9 made SpaceX the first commercial company ever to visit the station. Since then SpaceX has made a total of three flights to the space station, both delivering and returning cargo for NASA.

Falcon’s ninth, and latest, consecutive flight was on April 18, 2014. SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to orbit, carrying supplies and science experiments to the International Space Station.

Dragon Spacecraft

Dragon is a free-flying spacecraft designed to deliver both cargo and people to orbiting destinations. Dragon made history in 2012 when it became the first commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to the International Space Station and safely return cargo to Earth. It is the only spacecraft currently flying that is capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth. Although Dragon is currently delivering just cargo to space, it was originally designed to carry humans. SpaceX is now working on the refinements that will enable Dragon to fly crew. The first manned test flight is expected to take place in 2-3 years.

Falcon Heavy

Falcon Heavy is the world’s most powerful rocket - a launch vehicle of scale and capability unequaled by any other currently flying. This powerful rocket was designed to be fully reusable. Falcon Heavy consists of a standard Falcon 9 rocket core, to which two additional Falcon 9 first stages are added as strap-on boosters – this will increase the low Earth orbit (LEO) payload. With the ability to lift into orbit over 53 metric tons (which would correspond a mass equivalent to a big jetliner loaded with passengers, crew, luggage and fuel) Falcon Heavy can lift more than twice the payload of the next closest operational vehicle, the Delta IV Heavy, at one-third the cost. Falcon Heavy draws upon the design of Falcon 9 with a maximized reliability. Falcon Heavy was designed from the outset to carry humans into space and restores the possibility of flying missions with crew to the Moon or Mars.

Historic achievements by SpaceX:

• the first privately funded, liquid-fueled rocket, Falcon 1, to reach orbit (28 September 2008);
• the first privately funded company to successfully launch, by Falcon 9, orbit and recover a spacecraft (Dragon) (9 December 2010);
• the first private company to send a spacecraft (Dragon) to the International Space Station (25 May 2012);
• and the first private company to send a satellite into geosynchronous orbit (3 December 2013).

CAJ #8: My brother does not agree!

The other day I had a serious discussion with my dear brother about the highly controversial topic Space Exploration. It was quite surprising that he had a completely different opinion and viewpoint regarding this topic.

I began the conversation by telling him that am I currently writing a Current Affairs Journal and what topic I chose. I started by asking him what his opinion about space exploration was. To my surprise, he was completely against it. He immediately stated that it is a total waste of money in his opinion. I was shocked. As I could not think of one single negative fact about space exploration, I asked him to tell me his "oh so" convincing arguments. He argued that the money that is being spent in the research is one of the most wasteful activities one could spend money. “There are so many better things that money could be used for. It should be spent on something that could benefit much more the people living on our planet. What do I get from the fact that a new planet is discovered? Nothing. We are facing serious problems on Earth, like the disappearance of the rain forests, the pollution of the oceans, climate change, wars etc. If we put money in hands of people who could fix problems like this, we could have lasting benefits for mankind. Other than that, I really do not want to know about some extraterrestrial beings that are present on other planets. They, in fact, could be dangerous for human life on Earth.” I could not believe all this negativity about the exploration of something new. As I really got absorbed in this topic I was ready to fight back and explain that he is not right. I started off by stating some of the nearly uncountable benefits we, as humans living on Earth, have from the research. Space exploration is crucial for developing areas from medicine to scientific research in general. Many discoveries and products have been developed from the knowledge gained from space exploration. One major discovery would be the satellites which are used to forecast the weather. They have saved numerous lives because satellites can predict hurricanes and dangerous storm systems, and help us prepare for the worst. Another great benefit would be GPS (Global Positioning System) that helps man navigate through land, air, and sea. Even everyday items are discovered thanks to it. For example, non-stick pans and surfaces were also created as a result of space exploration. The internet, parts of the computers that we are using every single day and so on.

I kept on telling that compared to other areas of government spending, the cost of space exploration simply is not that high. How much is seven billion dollars compared to the expenses of the U.S government on military?

He listened carefully and began to ask questions like “why don’t they advertise the products and benefits the have made so far?” “How could people understand those benefits without them being informed about it?” “As I did not do any research regarding the exploration and its benefits, I did not know about them. Now my opinion may have changed a little bit, but the money that is being spent on the research is still enormous.” I told him that it is important to invest money in companies that are working in that field because progress is not made overnight. Maybe in a few years we will be able to settle outside the borders of our planet, who knows. I told him that “If it were up to me, I would certainly start a campaign promoting space exploration and explaining the main aims of the companies. I would try to inform the world about the great achievements that have been done with the science of space exploration. I would show them that the money that is being invested into all the companies is not a waste. Instead of waging wars and the manufacturing of nuclear weapons, people should give more thought on the exploration and colonization of new planets in our solar system. To really achieve great results, I would unite all companies that are currently working on space projects that would help humanity to evolve into a species that will harvest energy from other planets or even become a species that expands to other planets.”

The most primitive sentence I heard while talking to people about my CAJ was to put humankind first. With the exploration of new resources or even a  new planet for people to be able to settle would be the greatest benefit those people could possibly have. Do you really think the scientists are exploring the universe just for fun? NO. Think about it.

I convinced my brother, but unfortunately I do not have the “power” to change everyone's minds on Earth. I hope that with my enthusiasm for this topic I could at least convince some of you that space exploration is of enormous importance. ;)

How a Photographic Film is Developed

How a Photographic Film is Developed

You surely remember the cameras from the 80s that used to actually have a film, but do you know how this film is developed? We, for our part, have always been wondering how this is achieved and have finally received the chance to find out more about the techniques of developing a photographic film. Now we will take you on a behind-the-scenes tour of the entire process.

There are several development processes that can be used to develop the photographic film and we have chosen to explain the developing tank. Most of these methods only differ in the containers that are used for carrying the chemicals. They use, however, more or less the same chemicals in the actual process. The developing tank is more convenient since it allows photographic films to be developed in a daylight environment instead of a darkroom.

To begin the process of converting the latent image into a visible picture, the film needs to be loaded onto a film reel. This, however, has to be done in a completely dark environment since any light contact could result into badly developed pictures. Once the reel is loaded, it is put inside the developing tank. Then, the lid is screwed onto the tank which allows to continue the process in the daylight. In order to dissolve the outer layer of the film, the film needs to soak in cold water.

The outer layer is simply a very thin skin of gelatin  which is sensitive to water and protects the film from any scratches during the handling. After the protective layer is dissolved in water, the film is exposed to the developer solution. The solution’s primary function is to make the latent picture visible. The developer solution is comprised of a combination of chemicals, consisting of alkali and metol or hydroquinone mixed with water. One chemical within the developer solution, namely metol, reduces the sub-micron sized grains of silver halide crystals in the emulsion to black metallic silver. The developer solution has to be diluted with water according to the measurements. Once the developer is poured carefully into the tank and the push-cap is placed on top of it, the whole tank needs to be slowly flipped a few times.

After this, the developer has to be poured out completely for the next step.  The next crucial step in the developing process is the stop bath. This bath consists of a glacial acetic acid, usually around one to two percent, or water. The purpose of the stop bath is to simply halt the development of the film. There are two ways for achieving this. One way is by rinsing out the solution with water. However, during the rinsing the developing process continues at a low level for an uncontrolled period of time. If an immediate stop of the development is desired, the stop bath consisting of a glacial acetic acid is used.

This bath neutralizes any excessive development of the silver crystals when alkalis and acids are mixed together. The neutralization of the alkalinity of basic developers can help to preserve the strength of the fixer. The function of the stop bath is highly important since an overdevelopment of the silver crystals results in an image that is virtually impossible to discern. Pouring the stop bath into the tank needs to be done exactly the same way as with the developer solution.

A developing process, however, cannot be finalized without the fixer. It is a chemical mix and often also called hypo, which is the abbreviation of “hyposulphite”. In most cases, the unexposed silver halide remains on the photographic film and thus becomes sensitive to further action by light. Therefore the fixer is very important as it stabilizes the image and makes it light-resistant by dissolving the remaining silver halide salts. After the unexposed silver crystals are removed, the fixer then hardens the remaining crystals in the emulsion. This is the process that enables to preserve the photographic image over time.

Once the film has been developed, the process needs to be completed with two steps. Firstly, the film needs to be carefully rinsed with water in order to remove all the chemicals used in the steps before. If any chemicals remain, a deterioration of the image could be caused. Lastly, the film is dried in a dust-free environment, cut and placed into protective sleeves and finally ready for viewing.

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