Canadian Astronaut Dr. Robert Thirsk leaves the International Space Station aboard Soyuz TMA-15 on December 1st @ 1950 EST and land in Kazakhstan at 0216 EST (Source: Canadian Space Agency). Joining him will be ESA Astronaut Frank DeWinne and Cosmonaut Roman Romanenko which officially ends Expedition 20 & 21.

Dr. Gilles Clement, PI of the CSA/ISU Image Reversal In Space (IRIS) experiment will be in Russia to greet Dr. Thirsk when he returns, debrief him on his flight and conduct some post-flight data collection and interviews about IRIS to get some conclusive data with which the IRIS team can analyze.

The landing can be watched via the CSA’s website – www.asc-csa.gc.ca followed by interviews with the astronauts. Safe returns home, my friends!

Zusammen mit EADS Astrium, dem Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt DLR entwickelt die ESA einen magnetischen Hitzeschild für Raumfahrzeuge (das mit dem Hyperantrieb dauert aber noch). Hört sich schärfer an, als es ist: Ein supraleitender Elektromagnet lenkt beim Wiedereintritt in die Erdatmosphäre das superheisse Plasma (also die glühenden Luftteilchen) ab, so dass weit weniger Hitze durch Abschmelzen oder glühende Keramikkacheln verkraftet werden muss. Der erste Test soll in drei Jahren durchgeführt werden, durch Abfeuern (und Wiedereintritt) einer russischen Volan-Rakete von einem russischen Atom-Uboot aus. (via  physorg)

With 2009 being the year of astronomy it is important to underline that Space activities and scientific research in general need curious people who are not afraid to keep asking difficult, awkward questions even if they appear crazy.

The tallest known auroras in our solar system were discovered as Cassini imaged the first “northern lights” on the planet Saturn.

The auroras have a vertical pattern, which resemble tall curtains flapping in the wind. Some of which are seen 750 miles above the planet’s northern hemisphere.

Auroras occur on Earth as we all know, but they occur on other planets as well in our solar system. The new images from Saturn help us gain more knowledge into how auroras work. “Seeing these things on another planet helps us understand them a little better when we see them on Earth.” said Andrew Ingersoll of the Cassini imaging team.

An aurora, shining high above the northern part of Saturn, moves from the night side to the day side of the planet in this image recorded by Cassini.

The new data seems to be helping already. Auroras occur when charged particles from a planet’s magnetosphere enter the atmosphere. So the heights of the auroras on Saturn say much about its atmospheric differences compared to the Earth.

The Earth’s atmosphere is mainly oxygen and nitrogen. The atmosphere of Saturn is primarily hydrogen, which is much lighter. This causes the atmosphere to extend out further from the planet, in turn increasing the height of the auroras.

An aurora, shining high above the northern part of Saturn, moves from the night side to the day side of the planet in this movie recorded by Cassini.

Cassini has imaged the auroras of Saturn before, but that was using its ultraviolet and infrared imaging tools. These new images taken in October were captured with the visible light camera. The images were originally in black and white, but the imaging team enhanced them with a orange false-color to highlight the auroras.

The oxygen and nitrogen of the Earth’s atmosphere are what give our auroras their green, blue, and red colors. More needs to be studied about the atmosphere of Saturn to have a more accurate idea of what the colors of its auroras are.

A Cassini scientist, Dr. Andy Ingersoll, explains the flickering “northern lights” high above Saturn, shown for the first time in a visible-light movie.

A significant event in the life of the International Space Station took place on the 20th of November. ESA, the European Space Agency handed over a new interconnecting module for I.S.S. over to NASA. Node 3, or Tranquility as it was named by NASA, is one of Europe’s final major hardware contributions to the construction of I.S.S., along with a connected observation module known as Cupola

Ownership of ESA’s Node 3, Tranquility, the final European-built habitable module for the International Space Station (ISS), was transferred from the European Space Agency to NASA on 20 November 2009.

Credits: ESA – S. Corvaja

Hi RES VERSION AVAILABLE HERE

Those in attendance at the handover were Bernardo Patti, ISS Program Manager in ESA’s Directorate of Human Spaceflight, NASA’s ISS Program Manager Michael Suffredini, Robert Cabana, NASA’s Director of the Kennedy Space Center, William Dowdell, NASA’s Deputy for Operations for ISS and Spacecraft Processing, Secondino Brondolo, Head of the Space Infrastructure at Thales Alenia Space Italy and selected media organizations.

ESA’s Cupola was mated to Node 3 in September 2009, and is now ready for launch.

Credits: ESA – S. Corvaja

Hi RES VERSION AVAILABLE HERE

Tranquility and Cupola will be carried to I.S.S. by Space Shuttle Endeavor. The current launch date right now is February 4, 2010.

Tranquility will house many systems related to life support including oxygen generation and water recovery. Also, equipment such as a treadmill will be housed there for the purpose of physical conditioning of the crew.

Node 3 consists of a pressurised cylindrical hull 4.5 m in diameter with a shallow conical section enclosing each end. It is almost 7 m long and will weigh together with the Cupola over 13.5 tonnes at launch.

Credits: ESA – S. Corvaja

Hi RES VERSION AVAILABLE HERE

The Weekend Space Review is nearly at full operation. We are working on the layouts and tweaking the site so it best displays the content presented. We are really excited about this project.

For now, we leave you with a video. This is a lunar flyover video of the moon created by one of the incredible images captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched this past June. Enjoy the video and thanks for stopping by.

ESA put out a major release today showing the first results from the spectrographs on Herschel. The release includes data on the Orion star formation region, on nearby and distant galaxies, on a massive star about to become a supernova and on a comet in our own solar system. The latter set of data was taken with HIFI before the technical fault that has left it shut down, awaiting a restart early next year.

These spectroscopic observations show the huge potential of Herschel to show us the physical and chemical processes going on inside dusty objects, be they star formation regions in our own galaxy, or in luminous interacting galaxies like Arp220 and Mrk231. My own research interests are more focussed on the distant luminous objects, and the data shown here from two archetypical ULIRGs (Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies) are really spectacular. Never before have we seen the rich range of spectral lines that PACS and SPIRE have revealed in these objects.

PACS also holds out the hope of examining the velocity structure of some of these lines. This is particularly interesting in Mrk231 which hosts not only a massive burst of star formation but also a supermassive black hole powering a hugely luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN). The relationship between galaxy interactions and mergers in triggering both starbursts and AGNs is a hot topic, and Mrk231 makes an ideal testbed.

Finally, for sheer spectral richness and complexity, the PACS spectrum of the massive star VYCMa takes some beating. There’s a huge amount of physics and chemistry in this spectrum of a star deep into its old age and soon to become a supernova. Unfortunately this isn’t my area, so hopefully someone will add comments describing what the data means for this object.

For more information and coverage of these results see the ESA web release, BBC News Online, and the SPIRE website at Cardiff University.

OK, so it turns out I lied about not posting today. It’s not because I’m a dishonest professor, though. It’s just that I couldn’t resist drawing your attention to the new results that have just been released by the European Space Agency. To whet your appetite, have a shufty at this exquisite far infrared spectrum of the star VY Canis Majoris taken using the SPIRE instrument for which Cardiff is the lead institute.

VY Canis Majoris (VY CMa) is a red hypergiant, an enormous evolved star located in the constellation Canis Major. With a radius 2600 times that of the Sun, it is the largest known star and it is also one of the most luminous stars known. It is located about 4900 light years away from Earth, has a luminosity in excess of 100,000  solar luminosities, and a mass in the range 30-40 solar masses.

The shell of gas it has ejected displays a complex structure, the so-created circumstellar envelope is among the most remarkable chemical laboratories known in the universe, creating a rich set of organic and inorganic molecules and dust species. Through stellar winds, these inorganic and organic compounds are injected into the interstellar medium, from which new stars orbited by new planets may form. Most of the carbon supporting life on planet Earth was probably made by this kind of evolved star. VY CMa is close to the end of its life and could explode as a supernova at any time.

Spectroscopic results may be a bit less photogenic than pretty pictures, but they often yield much more physically relevant information than simple images. As I’ve mentioned before, it is in spectroscopy where we find the difference between astronomy and astrophysics (or, less politely, between stamp collecting and science).  In this case the spectrum gives a detailed breakdown of the chemical mixture present in the matter ejected by this star.

You can find other stunning examples of Herschel’s infrared spectroscopic capabilities here and you can read more about the involvement of Cardiff astronomers in these stunning new science results on our own pages here.

There’s also a story on the BBC Website.

Il prossimo decenio si prospetta davvero promettente nel campo della costruzione di telescopi. Ma ecco a voi uno dei progetti  più imponenti e promettenti in assoluto. Il E-ELT, un telescopio  in programma al ESO ( European South  Observatory ) , con uno specchio di 42metri , pesante 5000 tonnelate, e composto da  984 specchi individuali,di una potenza tale da riuscire a visualizzare  dischi planetari intorno a stelle,e puntare  una  stella individuale in un altra galassia ,fuori dal  nostro gruppo locale galattico . A piena potenza , con questo telescopio , potremmo guardare l’universo mentre si espande !

I lavori di progettazione sono quasi completati,e con i lavori che inizierano  presto,dovremmo vederlo completare nel 2018.Un  volta completo,sara 4 volte più potente di qualsiasi altra cosa stia puntando  oggi  al cielo in onde ottiche,e ben  100volte più potente  del telescopio  spaziale Hubble ,nonostante sia un  telescopio terrestre.

il E-ELT , usera un sistema avanzato di ottica adattiva , cioè , il E-ELT , userà 6 stelle , puntate tramite laser, per analizzare ogni piccolo movimento causato dal atmosfera , dopodichè i dati rilevati , verrano usati per muovere tramite sistemi computerizzati i 984 specchi individuali , migliaia di volte al secondo , cancelando cosi l’effetto ” blur ” in tempo reale . Il risultato sarano immagini chiare come se il telescopio fosse nello spazio.

La combinazione del incredibile potere tecnologico e la dimensione gigantica , offrirano al E-ELT non solo la possibilità di scovare pianeti del ordine di Super Terre ( cioe tre /quattro volte più grandi della Terra ) ma addiritura di fare foto di questi pianeti .  Sarà capace di osservare pianeti intorno a stelle nel arco di 15/30 anni luce dalla Terra  con grande facilità , è in questo campo visivo rientrano più di 400 stelle !

Il E-ELT sarà capace di zoomare su stelle in galssie distanti , e quindi tramite metodi successivi di analisi come la spettroscopia , riuscire a capire anche la storia di queste stelle e quindi di queste galassie .

Una delle cose più incredibili però che potremmo fare grazie al E-ELT , sarà percepire il graduale cambio nel effetto doppler di quando analizziamo le galassie piu lontane , offrendo quindi agli uomini , la possibilità di osservare l’universo mentre si espande ! !

ESO , ha gia spento diversi milioni di euro nello sviluppo del concept , e una volta finito , i costi dovrebbero amontare a circa 1 miliardo di euro . La tecnologia  necessaria per l’E-ELT , è attualmente in sviluppo in tutto il mondo , e sta creando tantissimi nuovi posti di lavori e nuove industrie , insieme a tecnologie altamente al avanguardia in tantissimi campi scientifici . Dalla chimica e la fisica necessarie per lo sviluppo di specchi di nuova generazione , al informatica necessaria per la gestione della ottica adattiva in tempo reale , passando per l’enorme ingegnieristica che costruire questo collosale telescopio in un posto molto alto e isolato ( ancora il posto non si sa per certo , ma sicuramente si trattera di un altopiano isolato con l’atmosfera molto secca e poco movimentata ).

E-ELT ha la capacità di cambiare per sempre non solo la nostra visione del Universo , ma anche dei telescopi , e della tecnologia collegata ad essi . Sarà un enorme balzo in avanti per tutta la scienza , e per l’astronomia Europea , sarà un diamante di 42 metri su una corrona , di regina nel campo del osservazione astronomica.

fonte : http://www.eso.org/public/astronomy/teles-instr/e-elt.html

ARISS é a sigla internacional de Radioamadores na Estação Espacial Internacional (Amateur Radio on International Space Station), um programa voluntariado que inspira alunos, a nível mundial, a seguirem as carreiras em ciência, tecnologia, engenharia e matemática através de comunicações de rádio amador. O ponto mais interessante desse programa é a oportunidade de comunicação de escolas em qualquer lugar do Brasil, com a Estação Espacial Internacional (ISS) e sua tripulação em órbita. Os alunos podem aprender sobre a vida a bordo da ISS e sobre a exploração da terra através do espaço, com atividades ligadas a ciência e matemática. O Projeto ARISS proporciona oportunidade a comunidade escolar (alunos, professores, famílias e moradores locais) de se conscientizar dos benefícios substanciais dos voos espaciais tripulados, as explorações espaciais e as suas descobertas. Como valor agregado, há também a oportunidade de se aprender sobre tecnologia em geral e rádio amador.

Detalhando um pouco mais o ARISS – é um grupo internacional de trabalho, composto por delegações de 9 países, incluindo vários países da Europa, bem como Japão, Rússia, Canadá e EUA. A organização é dirigida por voluntários das organizações nacionais de rádio amador da AMSAT e internacionais (Amateur Radio Satellite Corporation), com as organizações de cada país.

ARISS é de âmbito internacional. As equipes coordenadas localmente com suas respectivas agência espacial (por exemplo, a ESA, a NASA, JAXA, CSA, e a agência espacial russa) se reunem com uma equipe internacional ARISS através de reuniões de trabalho em grupo (através de teleconferências e correio eletrônico) para alinhamento das atividades programadas ao redor do mundo.

Como não poderia ser diferente o Diário da Produção saiu na frente em contato com o Coordenador do Projeto no Brasil, o rádio amador e piloto Tadeu Fernandes, e está firmando uma parceria com o projeto. Esta parceria visa aumentar a divulgação do principal objetivo do projeto e tão pouco abordado nas escolas: a educação voltada a carreira profissional. Confira aqui no DP os próximos passos desta parceria. Caso você seja um diretor pedagógico ou responsável por uma instituição de ensino (pública ou particular) com atuação em qualquer segmento da educação e tenha interesse em conhecer e participar do projeto, mande um email para redacao@diariodaproducao.com.

Este projeto é totalmente gratuito para as escolas, bastando apenas a instituição sinalizar o interesse em ser uma escola participante.

Image credit: ESA-CNES-ARIANESPACE/Optique Vidéo du CSG – P BAUDON

This week saw the arrival of two Soyuz launchers at the ESA/CNES-operated launch site in French Guiana. This delivery is the first since the 2003 agreement between European and Russian space agencies to launch the Soyuz from the South American spaceport.

Welcome coverage from The Guardian today: Benefits conundrum fuels the cash-in-hand economy “Welfare reform should recognise that harnessing people's desire to work is more effective than the threat of jail or poverty"

Living on benefits is tough. Tony McNulty, former employment minister, admitted to Radio 5 Live earlier this year that he couldn’t survive on the money his department gives out to people. The minimum income standards for Britain estimates that a person needs £158 a week in order to have the opportunities and choices necessary to participate in society. A single adult receives £60.50

As the article points out, most benefit fraud is committed by people who are trying to earn that extra £100 they need to cover their basic needs. As Oxfam asked, could YOU live on £60 a week? (People on disability benefits get a little more, almost £90 a week, but that’s still a far cry from £158 and current government reforms have made it ridiculously difficult for people with mental illness or chronic fatigue to qualify.)

Oxfam also points out how the system penalizes people with mental health problems:

It is never unpopular for politicians to say they will be tough on people on benefits; but in our experience, people on benefits are often not lazy and milking the system, but claiming because they are in genuine need. By being tougher these people, some of the 40% of those on incapacity benefits because of mental health problems will fall through the cracks as their illnesses are less easy to prove.

The Labour government’s ESA “work capability test” focuses on physical abilities like reaching and bending. However it ignores questions about energy, stamina, illness, or mental state, making it far more difficult for people with mental health problems or illnesses like ME to get enough points to pass. The people failing this test aren’t faking an illness, they have an illness which the test does not even attempt to measure. Disability organizations say the ESA tests penalize many who are genuinely ill.

In other news, last night the Mind Mental Health awards celebrated positive contributions from the media on breaking the stigma about mental illness – congratulations to all the winners! Former Labour party Director of Communications and Press Secretary Alastair Campbell was amongst them, for broadcasting his own personal story of mental illness. Wonder if he’d care to broaden the scope of his admirable work with mental health charities, and stand up for the people being harmed by Labour’s Employment Support Allowance tests?

Para melhorar o desempenho dos alunos norte-americanos e estimular o progresso das áreas de Ciências, Tecnologia, Engenharia e Matemática (STEM), Barack Obama convocou grandes editoras de games e instituições ligadas à indústria do entretenimento para integrar o programa “Educar para Inovar”. Obama divulgou, nesta segunda-feira, que o investimento será de US$ 4,35 bilhões. Mas segundo a revista Wired,  a parceria com empresas privadas pode adicionar ao fundo cerca de US$ 260 milhões.

Reconhecendo o poder pedagógico dos jogos eletrônicos para crianças e adolescentes, empresas como a Sony, Entertainment Software Association (ESA) e Fundação MacArthur se uniram ao governo para lançar uma série de ações competitivas na área de design para games.

Dois concursos nacionais serão implementados em 2010:

• O Game Changers compõe a próxima edição do Digital Media and Learning Competition, da Fundação MacArthur, que já vem aplicando ações inovadoras no processo de aprendizado, ao utilizar jogos eletrônicos, redes sociais e celulares. A Sony e a Fundação MacArthur, em parceria com a ESA e ITI, apoiam a competição que consiste na criação de um novo jogo, baseado nos princípios do STEM, que utilizará as ferramentas colaborativas do game LittleBigPlanet. Além disso, a Sony doará mil PlayStations 3 e cópias do seu título, para  bibliotecas e organizações comunitárias de locais com baixa renda.

“Na educação de hoje, as crianças desenvolvem talentos ao  jogar videogame. Resolução de problemas, pensamento estratégico e  flexibilidade são os tipos de habilidades que  os adultos vão precisar para ter sucesso no século XXI”, comenta Dean Garfield, presidente e CEO do Conselho de Tecnologia da Informação (ITI).

• Novamente juntas, a ITI e ESA lançam o STEM National Videogame Competition, em parceria com Joan Ganz Cooney Center de Sesame Workshop, Games for Change e E-Line Ventures. O objetivo é desafiar crianças e adolescentes no desenvolvimento de ideias para jogos baseados em navegação de sites e com abordagem nas áreas de Ciência, Tecnologia, Engenharia e Matemática. Os vencedores recebem US$ 300 mil e seus jogos serão utilizados nas salas de aula.  O anúncio sobre a competição acontecerá no início de 2010, com a apresentação das regras e procedimentos de inscrição. Os vencedores serão anunciados na exposição E3 2010, em junho. Outras quatro parcerias foram anunciadas, entre elas, com a Warner, Discovery e Vila Sésamo.

Fonte: prnewswire.com, gamasutra.com e wired.com
Imagem: whitehouse.gov e playstation.com

“The Augustine Commission for Dummies”

(Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Wrap Up.)

Given the intent of the politicians to fight for the funding their districts currently receive from the Constellation Program (CxP – the current program developing the Ares I and Ares V rockets) as well as go begging for more, and given the budget constraints the NASA faces, it is instructive to see where this course will end up. In the Senate, Richard Shelby has announced his intention to fight for Constellation and will try to increase funding to the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida is fighting for Kennedy Space Center and all the jobs and funding there. In the House, Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona and Pete Olson of Texas have dug in their heels and reiterated their backing of the Constellation program (See Space News, 21 November 2009).

All this is taking place against the backdrop of the Augustine Commission’s Final Report, which has made it clear that Ares I is over budget and underpowered. As Jeff Greason said at the Committee deliberations, if Santa Clause gave us Ares I and Ares V tomorrow, we would have to scrap them immediately because they would be too expensive to operate.

The Forum at NasaSpaceFlight has been for many years the authoritative site for information on all things NASA. It has been home to the rebel alliance of NASA and industry engineers that have advocated the in-line shuttle derived launch vehicle for the past four years.

The source of this concern was former Administrator Michael Griffin’s decision in 2005 to replace the dual-launch, in-line shuttle derived architecture recommended by NASA engineers, with his personal choice of a small Ares I and a very large Ares V. Instead of building one rocket using existing shuttle components as Congress had directed, he would build two brand new rockets. This decision came just two weeks before the scheduled release of the NASA document on the Constellation program.

Now, four years later in 2009, when the in-line shuttle derived launch vehicle should have been making its first flight, we are five or six years away from Ares I making its first flight. The Shuttle is scheduled for retirement next year and America will have to buy seats on the Russian Soyuz to get to the International Space Station. And the International Space Station is scheduled for de-commissioning in 2015 and would be de-orbited into the Pacific Ocean.

This reality gave birth to the Augustine Commission and its Final Report. We have covered in detail the findings of the Committee. Now we look to consider the possible outcomes.

Philip Metschan (writing as ‘Phoegh’), a long time contributor to the Forum at NasaSpaceFlight, has produced a marvelous interactive series of graphics available at directlauncher.com that illustrate the options identified by the Augustine Commission.

The Budget and Time Line for these options are given in the following table. Included are destinations beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) and the impact of each option on the existing workforce.

We can draw the following conclusions, which are illustrated in the Graphics mentioned earlier and shown below. We start with Option 1, the Program of Record (POR – Constellation) and the funding level provided in FY 2010:

• Option 1 – Ares I crew vehicle is ready a year after the ISS is de-orbited (2015) and Ares V is completed in 2028 with no funds to conduct exploration. There is no Moon in the picture.
• Option 2 – Scrap Ares I and substitute Commercial Crew Access to LEO. The money saved is used to keep the ISS operating until 2020. Ares V is completed in 2028 with no funds to conduct exploration. There is no Moon in the picture.
• Option 3 – Add $3 Billion per year to the existing program. Ares I crew vehicle is ready a year after the ISS is de-orbited (2015) and Ares V is completed in 2019. The Moon is reached in 2025, but no other destinations beyond LEO can be funded.
• Option 4 – Add $3 Billion per year to the existing program. Scrap Ares I and substitute Commercial Crew Access to LEO. The money saved is used to keep the ISS operating until 2020. Ares V is completed in 2023. The Moon is reached in 2030, but no other destinations beyond LEO can be funded.
• Option 4B – Add $3 Billion per year to the existing program. Extend the Shuttle to 2015. Scrap Ares I and substitute Commercial Crew Access to LEO. The money saved is used to keep the ISS operating until 2020. Ares V is completed in 2023. Develop the Propellant Depot by 2026. The Moon is reached in 2030.
• Option 5A – Add $3 Billion per year to the existing program. Scrap Ares I and substitute Commercial Crew Access to LEO. The money saved is used to keep the ISS operating until 2020. Scrap Ares V in favor of a smaller Ares V Lite, which is completed in 2023. Visit EML-1 or EML-2 in 2026. Visit a Near Earth Object (NEO) Sometime in the Future.
• Option 5B – Add $3 Billion per year to the existing program. Scrap Ares I and substitute Commercial Crew Access to LEO. The money saved is used to keep the ISS operating until 2020. Scrap Ares V in favor of a commercial heavy launch capability, which is completed in 2021. Develop the Propellant Depot by 2024. Visit a Near Earth Object (NEO) in 2026 and Phobos in 2028. Return to the Moon in 2029.
• Option 5C – Add $3 Billion per year to the existing program. Scrap Ares I and substitute Commercial Crew Access to LEO. The money saved is used to keep the ISS operating until 2020. Scrap Ares V in favor of a the Direct Team’s Jupiter 241, which is completed in 2022. Visit EML-1 or EML-2 in 2023. Develop the Propellant Depot by 2024. Visit a Near Earth Object (NEO) in 2027 and Phobos in 2029. Return to the Moon in 2030.

Those are the options explored by the Augustine Commission in their Final Report.

Notice, however, that there is one more slide, Option 5D. This is the architecture that was presented to the Augustine Commission during their first public session on 17 June 2009 by the Direct Team. It provides for:

• Add $1 Billion per year to the existing program.
• Extend Shuttle until 2012.
• Scrap Ares I and develop the Jupiter Core (Jupiter 130) for carrying crew on Orion to LEO and ISS by 2014.
• Develop Commercial Crew Access to LEO to replace the Jupiter 130 by 2015. Use Jupiter 130 for ferrying the few large payloads needed by ISS.
• Continue ISS operations until 2020.
• Scrap Ares V in favor of the Upper Stage for the Jupiter Core (Jupiter 241 or Jupiter 246), which is completed in 2017.
• Visit EML-1 or EML-2 in 2018.
• Orbit the Moon in 2019.
• Visit a Near Earth Object (NEO) in 2022.
• Visit Phobos in 2025.
• Develop the Propellant Depot by 2028.

The key here is that the goal of expansion of human civilization into the Solar System is better served, is accomplished sooner, and costs less. Indeed, even without the additional $1 Billion per year, only the extension of the Shuttle operation need be eliminated.

Final Conclusions

• Options 1, 2 and 3, which are favored by the politicians with space flight facilities, get us nowhere and cost far too much.
• Options 4 and 4B get us to the Moon, but neither builds infrastructure for support of future exploration.
• Options 5A, 5B and 5C builds the skills and infrastructure for space exploration, but leave us a crew to LEO gap of five to six years.
• Option 5D builds the skills and infrastructure for space exploration, reduces the crew to LEO gap to one or two years, and gives the international community the ability to descend to the surface of the Moon and Mars.

Time is of the Essence

Finally, this note about the political realities. First, if a decision is delayed for four to six months while the politicians fight for every last bit of funding they want, the infrastructure on which the Jupiter program builds will be dismantled and Options 4B, 5C and 5D will be eliminated.

Second, Congress will likely decide that the Constellation program as currently envisioned is too costly for what will be developed and not worth throwing more money down the drain. Options 1, 2, 3, 4B and 5A will be eliminated.

Thus, only commercial crew and cargo capabilities will be funded. NASA will be reduced to research and contracting for services. The Marshall Space Flight Facility will have little purpose. And the politicians will lose most of the jobs and funding that their districts currently enjoy.

(Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Wrap Up.)

Quando ele chegou foi a incredulidade estampada nos rostos de quem teve a sorte de assistir ao momento. Foi o auge do esforço humano em ir cada vez mais longe, com dedicação, com empenho, com afinco.

Ainda hoje há o espanto da conquista, da vitória conseguida sem ainda certeza do que se iria encontrar. Sem a certeza do que se queria descobrir. De que portas se iriam abrir com a ousadia de desafiar o Universo.

Depois passou a ser pouco. O auge passou a ser o natural. O desejo, a ambição, a vontade aumentaram. Quis-se sempre mais, para poder ser mais e fazer mais. Para se descobrir o insondável, para se acaberem os segredos. Como se de alguma forma o poder humano aumentasse a cada mistério solucionado.

Agora o desafio é maior. Unem-se esforços, fazem-se planos, reunem-se os melhores. Para fazer melhor. Para quebrar os limites.

Entrada na Nossa Agenda a propósito da notícia:

Europa lanzará su primera nave para explorar Mercurio en 2014

La misión BepiColombo de la ESA intentará desvelar los múltiples secretos del planeta terrestre menos conocido

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/sociedad/Europa/lanzara/primera/nave/explorar/Mercurio/2014/elpepusoc/20091123elpepusoc_5/Tes

Alla fine del XIX esisteva in Russia una setta di solleticatori che praticava un solletico di tipo rituale. Le vittime erano donne che venivano completamente denudate, legate ed immobilizzate, per poi essere sottoposte ad uno “spietato” solletico di gruppo, dove ogni mezzo atto a solleticare era lecito. Al momento culminante di tale pratica le donne cadevano svenute.

(da Wikipedia, dove evidentemente imperversano giovani arrapati.)

vi ero mancato? (a me si)

Il 20 novembre era l’anniversario (il trentaquattresimo) della morte di Franco. In realtà non è che ce ne si accorga particolarmente: non è una festa nazionale, non ci sono grandi discorsi sui giornali, il sole sorge e tramonta uguale. L’unica, è che il sabato si tengono due manifestazioni: una della Falange in ricordo del caro estinto, una degli antifascisti contro la prima. Assieme a degli amici ci siamo andati (alla seconda, of course) e ci aspettavamo grandi fuochi artificiali, corse cariche fumogeni scontri e come ogni finesettimana guerriglia urbana guerriglia urbana (cit. Latte+)

e invece niente Tra l’altro, una manifestazione abbastanza triste. Ma proprio triiiiste. Sarà che tutti i madrileñi si divertono e fanno festa come folli, e che quindi questi qua devono essere tristi e noiosi per contrasto. Perfino le feste con la drum&bass nei centri sociali finiscono a mezzanotte e mezza (poi tutti a letto).

In compenso, la pubblicità ci regala grandi momenti di gioia. C’è un megaposter della Movistar, di cui purtroppo non riesco a trovare una foto su internet (ma che può darsi che esista solo nella mia testa), che ricopre l’intero Edificio España nell’omonima piazza (fermata della metro linea gialla – 3). È un enorme coso colorato pieno di pesonaggi curiosi, ed ogni volta che lo guardo, quando ci passo circa tutti i giorni, succede che per un breve istante ci entro dentro. È come una droga, se non l’avete provato, non sono sicuro che capiate cosa vuol dire entrare in un manifesto, però la sensazione è quella. Dentro il manifesto c’è questo grande cielo blu e tanti piccoli omini gommosi che corrono veloci ed uno cavalca un polipo mentre una corsa di bici supera Gesù che ha lasciato la croce e sta prendendo una caña con Tolsoj, mentre dei delfini ingoiano piccoli frammenti di cotone che ti guardano con aria terrorizzata e ti ritrovi in una prateria ad inseguire mandrie di anelli di seppia fritti che lasciano scie di unto su cui scivolano pinguini in carriera. Poi il semaforo diventa verde, esci dal manifesto ed attraversi la strada.

L’altra cosa che mi ha lasciato molto lontano dalla tastiera, è stata la burocrazia universitaria. Ora, riconosco di essere un poco prevenuto ed intollerante nei confronti della burocrazia, però un po’ uno si sente preso per il culo. Nel mio giro tra uffici e professori ho risolto i seguenti problemi

1. ho avuto conferma del fatto che nessuno sa come possiamo fare noi erasmus a collegarci alla rete wifi in università, nel senso che chi ha inventato il sistema di autenticazione non s’è posto il problema e che quindi probabilmente non potremmo mai collegarci. La rete wifi è un diritto, e noi ce lo prenderemo, con le buone o le cattive.
2. ho sbagliato il sottogruppo di un corso in cui mi sono immatricolato (la gerarchia è corso – gruppo – sottogruppo, ho scritto ANED – B – 1 in vece di ANED – B – 2, fate voi). il problema era così irrisolvibile, agli occhi del professore che corregge gli esercizi del sottogruppo a cui mi sono immatricolato (che non è quello di cui ho seguito le esercitazioni), da sguinzagliarmi dietro metà dei suoi studenti per cercarmi e minacciarmi. poi dopo 24 ore di sofferenza e ansia ho scoperto, per bocca del professore che corregge gli esercizi del sottogruppo che seguo (al quale avevo mandato la prima infornata di programmi matlab), che gli esercizi in questione sono gli stessi, identici, che uno puo’ andare un po’ alle ore di laboratorio che gli pare e che i sottogruppi servono solo per dividersi il carico delle correzioni, e che quindi non cambiava nulla. molte grazie. io nel dubbio, la seconda infornata di esercizi, l’ho inviata a tutti e due.
3. finalmente ho ricevuto la mia tessera di studente. quando sono andato a ritirarla all’ufficio erasmus di matematica, ho scoperto in compenso che pare che abbiano perso uno degli originali del mio learning agreement. La scena è stata surreale ed alquanto imbarazzante. L’ufficiante (la tipa dell’ufficio), non è che mi ha detto “l’ho persa, mi spiace, scusa” ma neanche “mi spiace”. Ha semplicemente osservato che non era nella mia cartellina, e che quindi lei non l’aveva. Non so se stesse insinuando che in realtà io non gliel’avessi portata, memoria da pesce rosso, o semplicemente non gliene fregasse poi molto. Il suo massimo sforzo di utilità e simpatia è stato chiedermi “ma non si può rifare?”. Certo che si può rifare, è un documento che porta 3 firme e due timbri di due università diverse situate a migliaia di kilometri di distanza. Si può rifare, ma tu potresti anche iniziare a fare il tuo lavoro seriamente, per esempio. “Ah, allora va bene” (lo giuro, mi ha risposto così). (Per la cronaca, lei è quella che la prima volta che l’ho incontrata, mi ha detto che per inserirmi nel sistema informatico dell’Università Complutense di Madrid ci sarebbe voluto un po’ di tempo, perché “io non so usare il programma”. e sarebbe una giustificazione?)

Concludendo, martedì sono andato a visitare il centro dell’ESA, l’agenzia spaziale europea, la NASA de noartri (che però si fa vanto di non avere scopi militari). Il centro è tipo tra i cinque più importanti, però essendo essenzialmente un centro di ricerca che studia ed analizza i dati ricevuti dai satelliti, non c’è molto da vedere. A parte delle vecchie antenne fuori uso e delle riproduzioni uno-a-uno di satelliti che hanno lanciato. Pure i gadget lasciavano alquanto a desiderare. L’unica nota simpatica, ci hanno lasciato giochicchiare con un pezzetto di un materiale che usano per rivestire i satelliti.

Era un rettangolo nero che pesava come se fosse cartoncino e che era resistente agli urti come una lastra di metallo di qualche centimetro. Abbiamo provato a piegarlo, spezzarlo, lanciarci sassi sopra, senza riuscire a fargli nulla. Però lo sollevavo col mio mignolo. Avrei voluto chiedergli quanto costava e dove potevo comprarne alcune lastre. Poi mi sono trattenuto.

Pensate quanti usi divertenti.

(Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Wrap Up.)

In Part 1, we looked at the pieces strewn about our living room floor. In Part 2, we examined the Goals and Destinations in Chapter 3.0. And in Part 3, the three current Human Space Flight programs were reviewed (International Space Station, the Space Shuttle and the Constellation Program). In Part 4, we looked at the launch vehicles examined by The Augustine Commission.

Chapter 6 of the Augustine Commission Final Report deals with Program Options and Evaluation. This is one of the many contentious issues commentators have with the Commission. While they did select five possible exploration programs (Chapter 6), and while they did evaluate various launch vehicles (Chapter 5), the Committee seems to have ignored the possibility that different launch vehicles have greater or lesser ability to cover the five exploration programs. This failure may in the end, prove to be disastrous for human space exploration. As we write, the Space Shuttle infrastructure is being actively dismantled. The end result of failing to evaluate the physical infrastructure and the human infrastructure capable of supporting a Shuttle derived architecture may be that the United States is left with no heavy lift human space flight capability for at least the next several decades. We may have surrendered our space faring capability to Europe, China, Russia, India and Japan.

6.1 Evaluation Criteria

As noted by the Commission:

The Committee did not intend that the evaluation would generate a single numerical score; rather, it would provide a basis for comparison across options, highlighting the opportunities and challenges associated with each. Assigning weights to individual figures of merit is within the purview of the ultimate decision-makers.

Three primary evaluation dimensions were identified:

• Benefits to Stakeholders
• Risk
• Budget Realities

These three dimensions were expanded into 12 criteria for comparing the options.

• Exploration Preparation
• Technology Innovation
• Science Knowledge
• Expanding and Protecting Human Civilization
• Economic Expansion
• Global Partnerships
• Public Engagement
• Schedule and Programmatic Risk
• Mission Safety Challenges
• Workforce Impact
• Programmatic Sustainability
• Life-Cycle Cost

6.2 Key Decisions and Integrated Options

6.2.1 Key Decisions

1. What should be the future of the Space Shuttle?
2. What should be the future of the International Space Station (ISS)?
3. On what should the next heavy-lift launch vehicle be based?
4. How should crews be carried to low-Earth orbit?
5. What is the most practicable strategy for exploration beyond low-Earth orbit?

6.2.2 Integrated Options

The Committee identified five basic options: One based on the Program of Record (POR – Constellation – Ares I and V, Orion and Altair), and four alternatives. Options 2 and 3 were budget compatable alternatives to the POR. Option 4 was a Moon First program (with two variations), and Option 5 was the Flexible Path (avoiding the gravity well of the Moon).

6.2.3 Methodology for Analyzing the Integrated Options

Two budgets were used. The “Constrained Budget” used the FY 2010 budget, while the “Less Constrained Budget” allowed for an increase by 2014 of $3 Billion per year higher than FY 2010.

6.2.4 Reference Cases of the Entirely Unconstrained Program of Record

The Program of Record was evaluated and found to be a total of $45 Billion over the FY 2010 budget by 2020, wherein it is $5 Billion a year over FY 2010 in 2016 and $7 Billion per year over FY 2010 in 2019.

6.3 Integrated Options Constrained to the FY 2010 Budget

6.3.1 Evaluation of Integrated Options 1 and 2

Option 1 was found to allow for rocket development, but lacked funds for exploration. Option 2 extends the lifetime of the ISS, delays rocket development, and has no funds for exploration.

6.3.2 Examination of alternate budget guidance

The Committee found no alternatives to Options 1 or 2 that were viable under the FY 2010 budget. This conclusion has been disputed.

6.4 Moon First Integrated Options Fit to the Less-Constrained Budget

6.4.1 Evaluation of Integrated Options 3 and 4

Option 3 was to execute the POR under a less constrained budget. The ISS is de-orbited in 2010, and the Shuttle flies the remaining missions into 2011. Human lunar return occurs in the mid 2020s and the lunar base becomes operation late in the decade. An alternate extending ISS to 2020 was found to push these dates out by three to four more years.

Option 4 uses the less constrained budget, scraps Ares I and substitutes commercial crew services by 2016 It extends the ISS to 2020. Ares V is scrapped in favor of a dual-launch Ares V Lite vehicle for lunar missions.

Option 4A retires the Shuttle in 2011, while Option 4B extends the Shuttle to 2015 and develops a Shuttle Derived Heavy Lift vehicle in place of Ares V Lite.

6.4.2 Examination of the key decision on the ISS extension

Given the International Partnerships that have been developed, and the fact that the extension to 2020 would only delay the lunar return by a few years, the Committee found that the extension provides greater value than ending the ISS mission.

6.4.3 Examination of the key decision on Ares V vs. Ares V Lite dual launch

Baseline Ares V has more launch capability than the Saturn V, but current NASA studies show that when used in combination with Ares I, it does not have enough launch capability to robustly deliver the currently planned landing and surface systems to the Moon.

The Committee concluded that Ares V Lite represents less development risk, likely will reduce costs and provides more substantial margin for the lunar mission.

6.4.4 Examination of the key decision on the provision of crew transport to low-Earth orbit

Commercial crew services, based on a high-reliability rocket with a capsule and launch escape system could significantly reduce development costs, as well as lower operating costs.

6.4.5 Examination of the key question on Shuttle extension

The Committee favored early retirement of the Shuttle (2010 or 2011), although they noted several advantages to Shuttle extension to 2015, including up-mass and down-mass capability and workforce retention.

6.5 Flexible Path Integrated Options Fit to the Less-Constrained Budget

6.5.1 Evaluation of Integrated Option 5

Option 5 operates the Shuttle into 2011 and extends the International Space Station mission until 2020. A variety of destinations beyond low earth orbit are possible. The Committee developed three variants of this option.

• Option 5A develops the Ares V Lite, visits the Lagrange points, near Earth objects, on-orbit refueling and achieves a lunar return by the end of the 2020s.
• Option 5B develops commercial heavy lift capability, restructures NASA, and follows a similar mission profile as 5A, but on a slower time line.
• Option 5C scraps Ares V Lite and develops a Shuttle Derived Heavy Lift vehicle. 5C follows a similar mission profile as 5A, but on a slower time line.

6.5.2 Examination of the key question on Ares V family vs. Shuttle-derived heavy launcher

While the Shuttle derived in-line launch vehicle (SDLV) with two four-segment solid rocket motors (SRM) and the 8.4 meter external tank (ET) was the 2005 ESAS candidate for the cargo vehicle, it was forced to evolve into the Ares V due to the problems encountered with the underpowered Ares I. For some reason, the Committee decided that in order to match the capabilities of the Ares V, or the Ares V Lite dual-launch mission, that there had to be three SDLV launches. Therefore, operations would be more costly.

This is a clear Committee miss, as the current planned lunar return missions can be accomplished with good margin by a dual-launch SDLV program, thus costing less than the Ares V Lite. There is no need for the enhanced capabilities of the dual-launch Ares V Lite.

6.5.3 Examination of the key question on NASA heritage vs. EELV-heritage super-heavy vehicles

The Committee considers the EELV-heritage super-heavy vehicle to be a way to significantly reduce the operating cost of the heavy lifter to NASA in the long run. It would be a less-capable vehicle, but probably sufficiently capable for the mission. Reaping the long-term cost benefits would require substantial disruption in NASA, and force the agency to adopt a new way of doing business.

6.6 Comparisons Across Integrated Options

6.6.1 Cross-option comparisons

The Flexible Path program (Option 5A) scores more highly than the Baseline (Option 3) on 9 of the 12 criteria outlined in section 6.1 ( See figure 6.6.1-1). The higher rankings include:

• Exploration Preparation (due to much more capable launch system)
• Technology (due to investment in technology)
• Science (because of more places visited)
• Human Civilization (due to the ISS extension)
• Economic Expansion (because of commercial involvement in space elements and crew transport)
• Global Partnerships (gained by extending the ISS)
• Public Engagement (by visiting more new locations, and doing so each year)
• Schedule (exploring beyond low-Earth orbit sooner)
• Life-Cycle Costs (due to commercial crew services)

6.6.2 Examination of the key question on exploration strategy

Three exploration strategies were examined in Chapter 3. The choice of Mars First was found not to be viable due to technological problems. Two strategies remained:

• Moon First on the Way to Mars, with surface exploration focused on developing capability for Mars.
• Flexible Path to Mars via the inner solar system objects and locations, with no immediate plan for surface exploration, then followed by exploration of the lunar and/or Martian surface.

The Moon first is favorable to lunar science and exploration (although much can be done robotically). The Flexible Path missions explore more of the Solar System, while initially doing less on the Moon. Flexible Path has the advantage of developing infrastructure for deep space exploration, including the moons of Mars and Mars itself. The Committe notes that:

Considering that we have visited and obtained samples from the Moon, but not near-Earth objects or Mars, and also that the Flexible Path develops the ability to service space observatories, the Science Knowledge criterion slightly favors the Flexible Path. Broadly, the more complex the environment, the more astronaut explorers are favored over robotic exploration. In practice, this means that astronauts will offer their greatest value-added in the exploration of the surface of Mars.

Final Scoring

Although the Augustine Commission did not publish a final tally of the scores (for reasons they made clear), the following table does compare and tabulate the scores.

Option 5D: We will have more to say about this proposal in our final segment: “Wrapped Up” or “The Augustine Commission for Dummies”.

(Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Wrap Up.)

Hubblecast 11: M74 (NGC 628) – A Grand Design In A Galactic Festoon.

The galaxy Messier 74 (“The Phantom Galaxy”) lies at a distance of over 30 million light years. In this latest image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope the enormous swirls of this stunning spiral galaxy arc across space, adorned with glowing pink regions of hydrogen gas and lit by the pale blue light of millions of newly formed stars

El telescopio de rayos gamma de la ESA, INTEGRAL, resuelve uno de los misterios sobre la formación de antimateria en el centro galáctico

La antimateria no es sólo un término de ciencia ficción. Las partículas de antimateria se crean y se destruyen cotidianamente en los aceleradores de partículas y también en nuestra galaxia. En las regiones centrales de la Vía Láctea se produce abundantemente antimateria. Los astrónomos estudian este proceso desde que detectaron su existencia, en la década de los setenta. El telescopio de rayos gamma de la Agencia Europea del Espacio (ESA), INTEGRAL, ha resuelto ahora uno de los misterios relacionados con la formación de antimateria en el centro galáctico.

Un positrón es la antipartícula del electrón, es decir, una partícula que tiene la misma masa que el electrón y la misma carga, aunque de signo opuesto. Las leyes de la física nos dicen que si un electrón y un positrón colisionan, se aniquilan, y del proceso resultan dos o más fotones. En los casos en que el positrón y el electrón en colisión no sean partículas muy energéticas, el resultado suele ser la emisión de dos fotones, cada uno con una energía igual a la energía en reposo del electrón (o del positrón, no olvidemos que sus masas son iguales), es decir 511 kelectronvoltios (keV).

La detección de radiación con esta energía, que cae en el dominio de los rayos gamma, se considera una señal inequívoca de que está teniendo lugar la aniquilación de electrones y positrones, es decir, de materia y antimateria. Y ésa es justamente la emisión que se detecta en el centro de la Vía Láctea. Se sabe que es un proceso relacionado con las explosiones de supernova o con estrellas muy masivas. La principal fuente de positrones en la Vía Láctea es el decaimiento radiactivo de isótopos de níquel (56Ni), titanio (44Ti) y aluminio (26Al), que han sido expulsados al medio interestelar durante las explosiones de supernovas o por vientos estelares de las llamadas estrellas Wolf Rayet, muy masivas.

54 millones de segundos

Los instrumentos del satélite INTEGRAL detectan precisamente rayos gamma. El análisis de 54 millones de segundos de observación realizados por INTEGRAL ha permitido elaborar un mapa detallado de las zonas de emisión de radiación de 511 keV en la Vía Láctea. Así se ha visto que la emisión se concentra fundamentalmente en la región central de nuestra galaxia, pero también se detecta el disco galáctico. La emisión en el disco no es simétrica, es decir, la cantidad de radiación emitida no es la misma a uno y otro lado del centro de la galaxia.

Pero aún hay más. La diferencia de luminosidades entre el centro y el disco galáctico es cuatro veces superior a la diferencia entre la densidad de supernovas (y por tanto de la producción esperada de positrones) en una y otra región. Es decir, en función de la radiación emitida en ambas regiones, cabría esperar que en el centro de la galaxia se detectaran más supernovas que en el disco. Y no es así. ¿A qué se deben entonces las diferencias en la cantidad de antimateria? ¿Qué hay que no encaja en la teoría? Estos hallazgos obligaron a los expertos a revisar sus teorías sobre la producción de positrones.

Más antimateria en el centro

Finalmente, los astrónomos han dado con la solución al interrogante de los positrones galácticos. Una de las hipótesis de partida suponía que el positrón, al ser una partícula cargada, se vería afectado por los campos magnéticos en nuestra galaxia, y no sería capaz de viajar muy lejos de las zonas donde había sido generado antes de ser aniquilado. Es decir, detectar radiación de 511 keV en regiones donde no hay fuentes conocidas de positrones implicaría la existencia de otras fuentes de producción de positrones, no consideradas hasta el momento. En realidad, este planteamiento no es válido: no es correcto suponer que los positrones no pueden alejarse de las zonas donde fueron creados. Los positrones sí pueden viajar grandes distancias en la galaxia, porque la interacción con fluctuaciones magnéticas no es tan intensa como para afectarles significativamente.

www.elpais.com

¿Por qué hay más materia que antimateria?

Uno de los principales misterios de la física es por qué el universo observable está hecho en su mayor parte de materia. La teoría dice que en el universo temprano, muy poco después del Big Bang, las cantidades de materia y antimateria debieron de estar en equilibrio; algo debió de ocurrir para que la mayor parte de la antimateria decayera o fuera aniquilada. La existencia de la antimateria no fue confirmada experimentalmente hasta 1932. Los rayos cósmicos de alta energía que impactan en la atmósfera terrestre generan cantidades pequeñas de antimateria. También en los aceleradores de partículas, como el LHC que comienza a ponerse en marcha en el CERN, cerca de Ginebra, se produce antimateria.

This video taken by the SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft, a joint project by NASA and the European Space Agency, shows a large bright active region on the Sun rotating into view on November 13. These areas, many times larger than Earth, expel large amounts of solar material and energy in the form of solar flares, and will sometimes result in CMEs (coronal mass ejections).

In addition to the bright area, watch for the activity just to the north of it, at the Sun’s 10-o’clock position. Some very nice prominences erupting there as well.

The video below, an animation made up of time-lapse images taken by SOHO’s LASCO (Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph) imaging instrument, shows the activity of the Sun’s outer atmosphere – the corona – as it continuously streams solar material into space. It can observe this in much the same way that the corona can be seen during an eclipse: by blocking out the bright disk of the Sun in the center. Watch for three large ejections of the corona on either side of the Sun in the animation, two on the right and then one on the left.

These are both amazing – but typical – demonstrations of the power of the Sun, the giant nuclear reactor at the center of our solar system that makes life on Earth possible.

Credit: NASA/ESA/SOHO

Dari Anta

Tulisan Saudara Ismail sg buluh

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah,

Berikut saya berkongsi apa yang saya faham dan amalkan. Semoga ada kebenarannya di SISI Yang Maha Esa, dan manfaatnya di sisi manusia, AMIN.

Tiadalah sempurna agama kita melainkan kita melaksanakan Rukun Ihsan. Maka itu disebut “Awwaluddin Ma’rifaatullah” – Agama kita bermula hanya setelah menerima kurniaan Makrifat Allah, yakni sesudah tergabung Rukun Iman, Islam dan Ihsan seperti yang termaktub di dalam Hadith Jibrail. Maka bermula lah satu penghidupan yang didasari oleh HAKIKAT dan MAKRIFAT yang berkiblat kepada DZAT yang ESA (AHAD).

Untuk menjadi ‘Arifin Billah dan juga Ulil Albab’, perlulah kita mengenal dan memahami hakikat kejadian ALAM semesta kerana YANG ZOHIR itu juga ALLAH, sama seperti YANG BATIN. (sila rujuk Asma ul Husna dan Martabat 7). Maka untuk mencapai maksud ini, lebih mudah jika kita perhatikan diri kita sahaja kerana ia paling DEKAT LAGI ZOHIR dengan kita. Kerana itu disuruhnya kita mengenal DIRI jika ingin mengenal Allah. Perlu diingatkan bahawasanya keinginan kita itu sebenarnya datang dari ALLAH jua yang mengingini agar kita mengenal DIA. Keilmuan alam semesta akan datang jua kemudian dengan IZIN NYA. Para Arifin Billah menyatakan bahawasanya DIRI itu ialah ALAM KABIR (macro-cosmos), sementara alam semesta itu ialah ALAM SOGHIR (micro-cosmos).

Kaedah penerokaan diri dan alam semesta adalah menerusi zikir dan fikir. Skop zikir dan fikir ini seharusnya dilandasi oleh Al Quran dan Hadith Rasul, dan pengalaman peribadi. Apabila Allah mula mengangkat TABIR-TABIR NYA YANG MULIA, jangan pula kita lupa diri kerana ILMU ALLAH ini tiada tepinya. MAA SYAA ALLAH, DIA MAHA AGUNG, sekalian deria akan diangkat hijabnya mengikut JADUAL NYA dan kita mendapat kassyaf kerana ia adalah perlu untuk menerima semua pengetahuan yang telah diaturNYA di maqam HAKIKAT [sila rujuk Sifat 20].

Keikhlasan hati, maksud dan tujuan adalah teramat penting dan kritikal di dalam meneroka ALAM HAKIKAT. Ianya adalah satu-satunya Wasilah Diri untuk mendapat perlindungan dan RAHMAT Allah dari sekalian gangguan Iblis La’natullah. Untuk mendapat WASILAH RASULULLAH SAW, perbanyakkanlah berselawat kepada nya. Insya Allah, jika hati anda dicenderungkan kepada DIA YANG ESA, kamu akan dibimbing dan seterusnya diketemukan NYA akan AL-HAQ. Petanda besar yang menunjukkan kamu sedang dibimbing YANG MAHA ESA adalah apabila hati dan lidah kamu berada secara istiqomah di atas ZIKRULLAH, SELAWAT RASUL DAN ISTIGHFAR.

Ilmu Makrifat ini tidak dapat diluahkan sepenuhnya melalui kata-kata kerana dibimbangi akan menimbulkan fitnah dan sebenar-benar tiada huruf yang dapat menggambarkan keadaannya [Laisa kamithlihi syaiun]. AL-YAQIN hanya dapat dibenarkan oleh pengalaman DIRI SENDIRI. Kerana itu, Syaitan suka menimbulkan was-was dalam hati manusia. Dengan ZIKIR KHOFI, sekalian was-was, ketakutan dan sangka buruk akan lenyap insya ALLAH.

“HUWAL AWWALU WAL AAKHIR, WAZZHOHIRU WAL BAATHIN” Dia lah yang Awwal dan yang Akhir, dan yang Zohir dan yang Batin.

Sama ada kita ingat atau lalai, beriman atau kufur, bersolat atau bermaksiat, DIA tetap DIA – Maha Tinggi lagi Agung. Tidak menambah atau mengurang akan DIA oleh apa pun. Jika kafir sekalian makhluq, DIA tetap AGUNG. Itulah DZAT yang ESA lagi MUTLAQ. “Tidakkah kamu melihat burung yang terbang di udara, SIAPA YANG MENGANGKATNYA?

Bermula dari langkah pertama di dalam kesedaran mujahadah wa musyahadah akbar kita, sehingga ke akhir langkah di liang lahad, semuanya adalah atas KURNIA ILAHI semata-mata. Tiada AKU sepanjang perjalanan itu. Jika masih ada KE-AKU-AN, sudah pasti akan tersesat jalan dan tidak akan bertemu tempat yang di tuju. Dan kearifan kita tentang HAKIKAT ALLAH itu terserah kepada DZAT yang menamakan DIRINYA itu untuk menyingkap AL-HAQ seQADAR yang ditentukanNYA, tiadalah ikhtiar kita itu memberi bekas sebenarnya. Semuanya berdiri, duduk dan berbaringan di atas LA HAWLA WALAA QUWWATA ILLA BILLAH.

Dan apabila kita [RUH RABBANI] diizinNYA untuk menelusuri ALAM KEBENARAN itu, menjadilah kita seakan-akan pemerhati sahaja. Sesungguhnya kita telah DI SIFATI NYA. Inilah PAKAIAN kita. Dengan RAHMATNYA, sehingga ke alam BARZAKH jua kita akan menikmati KURNIA NYA, hidup di SISINYA dengan mendapat REZEQI insya ALLAH.

Rahsia ILAHI terkandung di dalam DIRI sehingga sekalian makhluq NYA diperintahkan supaya sujud kepada ADAM. “Ana a’lamu maa laa ta’lamuun” [AKU tahu apa yang kamu tidak ketahui]. Tetapi…..

“Bal tu’thiruunal hayatad dunya. Wal aakhirotu khoirun wa abqaa” – Tetapi kamu (manusia) cintakan kehidupan di dunia [kehidupan nafsu ammarah] walhal akhirat [kehidupan nafsu mutmainnah] itu lebih baik dan kekal.

Walhamdulillah, Wasolawatu Wassalam ‘Ala Muhammad Wa Alihi Wa ‘Ibadillahis Solihin Ajmain.

Salam

Ismailsgbuluh.

(BBC News) – Science delegations to the European Space Agency (Esa) have approved a much more expensive mission to Mercury. …

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8364704.stm

Al Muntahi (Bhg. 15 – Selesai)

30.      Jikalau masih ada lagi citanya, rasanya dan lazatnya itu bermakna sifatnya dua jua, seperti musyahadah pun dua lagi hukumnya. Dan jika lagi syuhud pun masih ada dua kehendaknya:

Seperti rasa, yang dirasa dan merasa pun hendaknya, seperti mencinta dan dicinta hendaknya, masih dua belum lagi esa.

Sekelian sifat itu pada iktibarnya dua juga, seperti ombak pada ombaknya laut pada lautnya,, belum mana (kembali ke) laut.

Apabila ombak dan laut sudah menjadi satu, muqabalah pun tidaklah, musyahadah pun tidaklah, makanya hanya fana dengan fana jua. Tetapi jika dengan fananya itupun, jika diketahuinya, maka belum bertemu dengan fana, kerana ia lagi ingat akan fananya. Itu masih lagi dua sifatnya.

31. Seperti kata Syeikh Attar:

Lagi kata Syeikh Attar:

Kerana erti wasil bukan dua (tetapi esa). Yakni barangkala syak dan yakin tidaklah ada padanya, maka wasillah.

Namanya ilmu yakin, mengetahui dengan yakin, ainul yakin iaitu melihat dengan yakin, dan haqqul yakin iaitu sebenar yakin,,.. yakin adanya dengan ada Tuhannya esa jua.

Maksudnya apabila sempurna fakirnya (fana) maka ia itu Allah, (hati-hati mesti dapat maksud yang sebenar, jika tidak syirik dan kufur jua adanya).

Selesai,…

Clouds over the South Pacific

Another beautiful image of Earth from the Rosetta spacecraft’s OSIRIS imaging system, showing swirling clouds in an anticyclone over the South Pacific.

The false-color composite is a portion of a larger view of the planet, taken as Rosetta flew by Earth on November 13. It is a combination of image data taken through the orange, blue and green filters.

The video below gives a quick overview of the Rosetta mission, the first ever to attempt to establish orbit around a comet.

Image: ESA ©2009 MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA