Expedition 30 Soyuz Docking at ISS

The Russian Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft successfully docked to the ISS at the Mini Research Module-1 (MRM-1) “Rassvet” Nadir docking port at 3:19 PM GMT on 23, Friday.

The Soyuz TMA-03M was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on 21, Wednesday.

New satellite to test Albert Einstein's theories

Next January, a new satellite aiming to test General Relativity Theory will be launched from the Kourou -French Guyana- on board the brand new European designed Vega rocket. It will be indeed Vega's maiden flight. This satellite, called LARES (Laser Relativity Satellite) has been developed by the Italian Space Agency and it is completely passive -it has no sensors inside. It is a tungsten sphere covered with 92 retroreflectors, which are used to measure the time light needs reach the Earth again with an awesome accuracy and with the help of the laser stations located around the globe belonging to the International Laser Ranging Service. Though the ball's diameter is only 36 centimetres long, it weighs nearly 400 kg. This program was also intended to measure the braneworld DGP model as well as to get an orders-of-magnitude improvement of the current limits in the equivalence principle. Unfortunately, these goals were later dismissed due to their complexity.

The measure of the Lense-Thirring effect (also known as frame dragging) describes the distortion caused by the rotation of a body -here, the Earth. Previous tests to measure this effect were launched in 1976 and 1972. Called LAGEOS and LAGEOS 2 they were made of alluminium in order to reduce the effect of the Earth's Magnetic Field by an italoamerican colaboration and they are still today working. These satellites provided an accuracy of a 10% and according to the designer of the LARES, his satellite will get an accuracy of a 1%, but this has been harshly called into question.

Via: ASI

Artículo en español

Article en français

'Spin Your Thesis!' 2012 programme

On September 5, 2011, the European Space Agency proudly announced its 'Spin Your Thesis!' 2012 programme. Through this programme, several teams of university students will be given the opportunity to carry out experiments in hypergravity using the Large Diameter Centrifuge (LDC) in ESTEC, the Netherlands. The ‘Spin Your Thesis!’ programme gives university students the opportunity to perform a scientific or technology experiment which is linked to their syllabus, by participating in a centrifuge campaign that provides hypergravity conditions. The LDC allows samples to be exposed to acceleration forces of 1-20 times Earth's gravity. A total of six gondolas can be supported, each with a payload of up to 80 kg. More details on the program are available here.

The deadline for experiment proposals, December 12, 2011, is quickly approaching! Now is the time to submit proposals by following the steps outlined here.



The Large Diameter Centrifuge (LDC) at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) at Noordwijk, in The Netherlands.

About the competition

The E.S.A CanSat competition is an annual student design-build-launch project which is open for schools and universities from all over Europe. The chief aim of this competition is to make students learn about robotics and programation. The one we are compitting is the third held competition, which would take place in Andennes, Norway.

The rules are simple: The CanSats are required to complete a primary task of measuring temperature and pressure during the flight, and a secondary mission of the team's choice. The mission selected by the team should be involved with: advanced telemetry, planetary probe, developing a landing system (airbag), sun tracking and radiation measurements, flight effects on yeast and flight effects on hot ice. As it has been saied before, our secondary mission is going to be related with a 3D maping of the landing spot.

  You can visit the daily weather here.

  For more information please visit either this link of the ESA webpage or the CanSats in europe platform. CanSats in Europe platform.

The article in Spanish can be found here.

Site announcements

We have clearly seen that a great number of people visits our blog from Spain. As a result, we decided to focus more on language-specific blogs.

Our idea is to publish the same content in three different languages: English, Spanish and French.

The English-targeted blog is the one you are in. This is the Spanish one and this is the French one.

Thanks for reading!

Which are the selected teams for the 2012 cansat competition?

The following winning teams will be joined by the winners of the Irish, Italian and Scottish national CanSat competitions.

• Yes, we Cansat! Technical Hight School for Information Thechology. Austria
• DJ AUXAL Tation, Sint-Pieterscollege Jette, Brussels, Belgium.
• Jecnaci, Secondary Technical School SPSE Jecna, Prague, Czech Republic.
• Stella Nova Viking Red One, Haderslev Katedralskole, Haderslev, Denmark.
• SatElite, Lycée Alfred Kastler, Talence, France.
• Icaromenippus 3D, 3rd General Lyceum of Mytilini, Strati Myrivili, Greece.
• The Flying Dutchcan, American International School of Rotterdam (AISR), The Netherlands.
• Navican, Heimdal Videregaende Skole, Trondheim, Norway.
• Azorean Shearwater, EBS Santa Maria, Vila do Porto (Azores), Portugal.
• Bolyai, Székely Mikó Theoretical Hight School, Saint George, Romania.
• DeLaCosa, Colegio Retamar, Pozuelo, Spain.

In adition, two back-up teams have been selected:

• ENFoRCE, Istituto Tecnico Industriale Enrico Fermi, Roma, Italy.
• Aspire, St. Paul's School, London, United Kingdom.

 

You can find more information in http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Education/SEMP9AHURTG_0.html