Category Archives: Space Travel

Reading astrophysicist Paul M. Sutters latest book, How to Die in Space, will surely help any adult erase regrets they may have about their failed childhood dream of becoming an astronaut. As the SUNY Stony Brook professor observes, outer spacepopulated by such threats as black holes, acid rain, asteroids, planetary nebulae and magnetic fieldsis, to put it frankly, nasty.

The latest installment in our Books of the Week series, which launched in late March to support authors whose works have been overshadowed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, details the many ways one might meet their demise in space, six notorious military rivalries, the Italian Renaissances dark undertones, the history of swimming and the culinary implications of so-called wild foods. Past coverage has highlighted books including Karen Gray Houston's exploration of her family's civil right's legacy, St. Louis' racist history, James Madison's black family, and modern conservatism's roots in the antebellum South and post-Civil War westward expansion.

Representing the fields of history, science, arts and culture, innovation, and travel, selections represent texts that piqued our curiosity with their new approaches to oft-discussed topics, elevation of overlooked stories and artful prose. Weve linked to Amazon for your convenience, but be sure to check with your local bookstore to see if it supports social distancing-appropriate delivery or pickup measures, too.

Despite its macabre title, How to Die in Space is a surprisingly lighthearted read. Adopting what Kirkus describes as an informal, humorous persona, Sutterhost of popular podcast Ask a Spaceman!guides his audience through the cosmos deadliest phenomena, from Jupiters dense atmosphere to radiation, solar flares and exploding stars, which he deems slumbering dragon[s], just waiting for the chance to awaken and begin breathing flame.

The book also dedicates ample space to speculative threats, including dark matter, extraterrestrial life, wormholes and other relics of the ancient universe.

How to Die in Spaces description emphasizes that while the universe may be beautiful, ... its [also] treacherous. Still, Sutters musings cover more than simply doom and gloom: As the scientist writes in the texts closing chapters, Its really an excuse to talk about all the wonderful physics happening in the cosmos. There is so much to learn, and we need to study it as closely and intimately as possible.

Following the release of their 2013 bestseller, Moment of Battle: The Twenty Clashes That Changed the World, journalist James Lacey and historian Williamson Murray started brainstorming topics to explore in future books. Eventually, the pair landed on the premise of rivals, defined in Gods of Wars introduction as military geniuses who fought a general of equal caliberor, in the cases of World War II commanders Erwin Rommel, Bernard Law Montgomery and George Patton, multiple generals.

Bookended by essays on wars changing character and the role of military genius in modern warfare, the six case studies read like a Whos Who of global history. Representing the ancient world are Hannibal and Scipio (the latter of whom the authors describe as the better strategic thinker) and Caesar and Pompey. Crusader kings Richard I and Saladin; Napoleon Bonaparte and Battle of Waterloo victor Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington; Union Army commander Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate officer Robert E. Lee round out the list of 13 featured men.

Lacey and Murray liken their approach to chess strategy. There is only so much you can learn by playing someone inferior to you or by revisiting the games of neophytes, the duo writes. There is, however, much to absorb, think about, and learn from studying games that [pit] one grandmaster against another.

As alluded to by its title, Catherine Fletchers latest book juxtaposes seemingly discordant aspects of the Italian Renaissance: its aesthetic brilliance and, in the words of fellow historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, the filth and thuggery, slavery, sex, slaughter and skullduggery behind [this] exquisite art. Framed as an alternative history of the much-explored period of creative rebirth, The Beauty and the Terror contextualizes the Italian Renaissance within the framework of European colonialism, widespread warfare and religious reform. Rather than focusing solely on such artistic geniuses as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli, Fletcher lends a voice to the women writers, Jewish merchants, mercenaries, prostitutes, farmers and array of average citizens who also called the Italian peninsulas competing city-states home.

The lived reality of 15th- and 16th-century Italy involved far more violence, uncertainty and devastation than widely believed, argues Fletcher. Forces beyond its residents controla series of wars, the rise of the Ottoman Empire, the advent of the Protestant Reformationshaped their lives yet have been largely overshadowed by what their greatest minds left behind.

We revere Leonardo da Vinci for his art but few now appreciate his ingenious designs for weaponry, notes the books description. We know the Mona Lisa for her smile but not that she was married to a slave-trader. We visit Florence to see Michelangelo's David but hear nothing of the massacre that forced the republics surrender.

In lieu of visiting a swimming pool this summer, consider diving into Howard Means absorbing exploration of aquatic recreation and exercise. As the journalist writes in Splash!s prologue, paddling, floating or wading through water can be a transformative experience: The near weightlessness of swimming is the closest most of us will ever get to zero-gravity space travel. The terror of being submerged is the nearest some of us ever come to sheer hell.

The earliest evidence of swimming dates to some 10,000 years ago, when Neolithic people living in what is now southwest Egypt painted individuals performing the breaststroke or doggy paddle on the walls of the Cave of Swimmers. Swimming endured throughout the classical period, with ancient texts including the Bible, Homers Odyssey, the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Chinese Book of Odes all containing references to the practice.

The advent of the medieval erawith its rising prudery and insularity, as well as its lack of sanitation and efficient infrastructurequickly brought this golden age of swimming to an end; in Europe, at least, swimming slipped into the dark for a full millennium, writes Means.

During the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, swimming was more closely associated with witchcraft than leisure. The practice only regained popularity during the Enlightenment period, when such prominent figures as Benjamin Franklin and Lord Byron reminded the public of its merits. By 1896, swimming had regained enough popularity to warrant its inclusion in the first modern Olympic Games.

Part memoir, part travelogue and part culinary adventure, Feasting Wild examines humans relationship to wild food and the disappearing places and animals that provide it, according to Publishers Weekly. Broadly defined as fare foraged, hunted or caught in the wild, the untamed foods detailed in geographer and anthropologist Gina Rae La Cervas debut book hail from such diverse locales as Scandinavia, Poland, Borneo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, New Mexico and Maine. Once associated with poverty and subsistence, writes La Cerva, wild foods including broad-leaved garlic, bushmeat, sea buckthorn flowers and moose meat are now viewed as luxuries, reserved for five-star restaurants that cater to an elite clientele.

La Cerva argues that this shift in perception stems from the onslaught of settler-colonialism, which used the dichotomy of wild versus tame to justify violent appetites and the domination of unfamiliar cultures and places. Within a few centuries, she adds, the world [had] traded wild edibles at home for exotic domesticates from abroad.

The flipside of this fetishization of need is the standardization of humans diets. As wild places across the world vanish, so, too, do undomesticated or uncultivated plant and animal species. Preserving wild foodsand the knowledge imparted by the women who have historically collected and cooked themis therefore fundamentally about recovering our common heritage, writes La Cerva. The urgency of the environmental crisis is precisely why we must slow down, take time, [and] become complicated in our actions.

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The Dangers of Space, Military Rivals and Other New Books to Read - Smithsonian.com

Living in space for an extended period of time isnt ideal for the human body. An absence of gravity in space leads to a loss of bone density and the risk of muscle atrophy. Therefore, astronauts who reside in the International Space Station (ISS) need a workout regimento offset those effects. While in space astronauts are required to exercise two hours a day, six days a week.

NASA Commentator Lori Meggs spoke with Gail Perusek of NASAs Exercise Countermeasures Lab to discuss how the ISS crew stays healthy in space. Typical resistance and aerobic exercises you see on Earth are still essential, but they do require a few upgrades to work without gravity.

Astronauts use a weight lifting machine called an Advanced Resistive Exercise Device or ARED. Dumbbells dont work in space because without gravity they dont weigh anything. Instead, an AREDuses canistersto create tiny vacuums that the crew can pull on with a long bar. Astronauts are able to do squats, bench presses and deadlifts this way.

Meanwhile, thespace stations treadmillrequires crew members to use harnesses and bungee cords to prevent them from floating away. ISS also has a stationary bike with no seat (since you cant actually sit down). Astronauts sit up against a back pad to stay in place, then grip handles as they pedal.

Were definitely learning more about the optimal regimen, the optimal equipment, Perusek said in the video. The ARED, the new Advanced Resistive Exercise Device, which was flown on station in 2008 provides a 600-pound resistive force and the previous IRED, Interim Resistive Exercise Device, was limited to 300 pounds. Since the ARED has flown weve seen crew members come back healthier than ever.

If you enjoyed this story, read why women may be better suited for space travel.

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Here's how astronauts exercise in space without gravity - Yahoo Lifestyle

In the Universe of Star Trek, humanity ventures out into the Galaxy on 5 April 2063 with the first ever journey on a ship capable of faster-than-light travel. The newly-invented warp drive not only lets humans explore the cosmos, but attracts the attention of Vulcans and brings about our first contact with an alien species.

Its been 54 years since we were first introduced to the Enterprise, and many of Star Treks futuristic technologies have since been invented, from handheld communicators to universal translators. Warp drive is the next obvious choice: Voyager 1, which has travelled furthest from Earth of any spacecraft, took nearly 35 years to leave the Solar System. Not exactly handy for interstellar travel.

Luckily for humanity, theoretical physicists have been working on it. In May 2020, NASA scientist Harold Sonny White released an internal feasibility report discussing the technology from the point of view of early mission planning.

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The first scientific theory of warp drive came about in 1994, when theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre used Einsteins theory of General Relativity to develop a framework that would allow faster-than-light travel within the confines of the laws of physics. The key that makes it possible is that, technically, the ship itself doesnt travel faster than light.

What warp drive is doing is basically saying that there is no law of physics that says space-time itself cant go faster than the speed of light, says Dr Erin Macdonald, astrophysicist and science consultant for Star Trek.

And so the concept of warp drive is to say, all right, lets take our ship, lets build a bubble of space-time around it, and then well have that propel us faster than the speed of light, she says. Its similar to the idea of a racecar driving onboard a train: someone standing by the tracks would see the car travelling much faster than its top speed.

According to General Relativity, the Universe is a flat sheet of space-time which is warped by any object with mass. We think of the bowling ball on the trampoline and that bowling ball dips the trampoline down, says Macdonald, and thats what mass does to space-time. This distortion of space-time is what we experience as gravity.

The Alcubierre drive uses the same concept. The bubble surrounding the ship is an area of space-time that is compressed in front of the ship and expanded behind it. As with gravity, you could create this distortion using a large amount of mass. Alternatively, thanks to Einsteins E = mc2(energy is equal to mass, times the speed of light squared), you could equally use a huge amount of energy.

Inside the bubble, space-time is completely flat, meaning the space travellers wouldnt notice any strange, relativistic effects. The result is that the bubble of space-time is hurled across the Universe, with the travellers sitting comfortably inside their ship, speedometer still reading the same number.

Unfortunately, actually creating a warp drive is even harder than it sounds. You have to have a very, very large amount of energy, says Jos Natrio, Associate Professor in mathematics at the Instituto Superior Tcnico in the University of Lisbon.

To have the deformation that you need for this kind of thing to work, youd need much, much more energy than the Sun or the Galaxy, he says. But also, its negative energy.

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Negative energy is not something that we can currently create certainly not in the quantities needed to power a warp drive. How could energy be negative at all?

One way to think about it is to consider a particle with negative mass. These particles would react to gravity in the exact opposite way to particles of positive mass. Instead of being pulled towards a planet or star, they would be thrown away.

If we had some sort of component like that where we had a negative mass, whatever is keeping that mass together would be that negative energy, says Macdonald.

This isnt a problem that will go away with refining the idea, either: Natrio proved mathematically that any form of warp drive will require negative energy.

Joseph Agnew is a graduate student at the University of Alabama in Huntsville whose undergraduate work on warp drive was published in the AIAA journal. He thinks that more research into the fundamentals of physics is the way forward for warp drive.

Further experimental study of naturally occurring gravitational waves and perhaps a study on trying to generate artificial gravitational waves would really advance the understanding of gravity, and therefore spacetime and all the connected science, Agnew says.

Star Treks USS Enterprise, the iconic warp-capable ship Alamy

Natrio believes theres an even greater problem with the concept of the Alcubierre drive. Imagine a supersonic aircraft travelling faster than the speed of sound. You dont hear the aircraft until it has already gone past, because the sound waves cant keep up. The warp drive experiences the same effect with light waves, meaning there is no way to send a message ahead of you.

I call it the you need one to make one problem, says Natrio. How do you create the warped space-time geometry around your ship? First, you would need to send a signal ahead of you to tell space-time to warp, Natrio says. To make it go faster than light, you need something that would be going faster than light to begin with so that youd be able to communicate outside the horizon.

These two problems combined with the slight issue that the travelers would be bombarded with incredibly high-energy radiation are the downfall of warp drive, Ntario believes. The bottom line is, in my opinion, its completely impossible, he says.

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Agnew is more optimistic. Many of these theoretical space transportation concepts rely extensively on a thorough understanding of gravity and spacetime, which just isnt the case currently, he says.

I dont yet see any way we can say, with absolute certainty, that it will never happen in a million years. When in doubt, history dictates its better to err on the side of cautious, scientific optimism.

Macdonald, too, is hopeful. Im an eternal optimist with this because I want to join Starfleet, she says. The way I think about it is its like we never know whats going to come down the pipe with sort of these weird, exotic, fun thought experiments.

I agree at this stage, right now, its a fun thought experiment. But thats not to preclude some massive discovery that may happen that we cant predict.

Visit the BBCs Reality Check website at bit.ly/reality_check_ or follow them on Twitter@BBCRealityCheck

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Faster-than-light travel: Is warp drive really possible? - BBC Focus Magazine

This year is set to be an eventful one for space travel and exploration. Already, we've seen SpaceX make history by becoming the first privately-owned company to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station. We're also well into the testing stages of the Starship project that aims to make space exploration and habitation a tangible reality. Not to mention, the summer launch window of NASA's new Perseverance rover to Mars is just around the corner as well.

While all of these are bold initiatives, it helps to take a step back and gauge just how far we've come since our baby steps in the world of space exploration. Fermat's Library has done exactly that. The platform, which specializes in developing software to help illuminate academic papers, went through the original Apollo 11 code that was penned down by Margaret Hamilton in assembly language back in 1969 and annotated many parts of it.

Specifically, the team annotated the SINGLE_PRECISION_SUBROUTINES.agc file for calculating transcendental functions like sine and cosine that were a linchpin for Apollo 11's voyage to the Moon. Fermat's Library uploaded its annotation of the source code on Margins, an online repository that it has curated for academics and enthusiasts to annotate papers with LaTeX and Markdown scripts. The excerpt below shows the computer's approximation of calculates cos() in the SPCOS subroutine.

The complete annotation of the subroutine can be found here. If you are interested in finding out more, the source code of the Command Module (Comanche055) and Lunar Module (Luminary099) on the original Apollo 11 guidance computer (AGC) can be found in this GitHub repository.

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A group of enthusiasts has annotated the assembly code for the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon - Neowin

Id think that even casual dorks interested in humanitys actual space programs would be aware of the very first joint mission between two spacefaring countries: the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project of 1975, where an American Apollo spacecraft and a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft docked in Earths orbit, allowing the crews to have a famous space handshake, work together, and try out one anothers food-in-tubes. What I didnt realize was that, initially, the mission was supposed to me much grander in scope, with the Americans visiting a Soviet space station.

I mean, there must have been some point where I did realize this, since I was reminded about it when I found a PDF on my computer called INTERNATIONAL RENDEZVOUS AND DOCKING MISSION (SD 71-700) from December of 1971.

Ill be honestI have zero memory of ever seeing this document before, but, here it is, and its fascinating. I knew immediately what it had to be about when I saw the extraordinarily crappy and degraded title page image on the second page:

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I know its really hard to make out there, but space geeks will find plenty in this infinitely-Xeroxed picture to get excited about: its clearly an American Apollo command and service module (CSM) approaching, with some sort of docking mechanism, a Soviet Salyut space station.

Now, if we slide a bit deeper into geekdom, we can note that the Salyut space station appears to have solar panels in a formation that only appeared on one Soviet station, Salyut 1, and since this is from late 1971 and Salyut 1 was launched in April of 1971 and an updated version of Salyut didnt launch until 1973 (well, a military one that was differentthe closest civilian one wasnt until 1974) then this makes sense.

What doesnt make sense is that the Salyut has a docking port at the rear, with what looks to be a Soyuz spacecraft docked to it, and Salyut stations wouldnt have two docking ports until Salyut 6 was launched in 1977, nearly six years after this report.

What the hell is going on here?

From what I can tell in this report, and from what this surprisingly little-told history confirms, is that back in late 1971, when the United States and the Soviet Union were planning their first joint space mission, the original plan was to send an Apollo crew to a Soviet Salyut space station.

To understand why this is a big deal, it helps to know a bit about the significance of the Salyut stations. These were the very first space stations ever, and, coming as they did right on the heels of the Americans remarkable moon landing triumphs, the Salyut was what the Soviets could point to and pretend they were never really interested in landing on the moon, since they were way more interested in space stations.

While this isnt really truethey absolutely wanted to land on the moon, but, for a number of reasons, couldnt quite pull it offthe creation of the first space station is, of course, a huge achievement.

The first Salyut was a mix of triumph and tragedy, though, as the three-person Soyuz 11 crew that first occupied and worked on the station set records for longest time in space22 daysbut all were killed when the atmosphere from their return capsule vented out during re-entry.

That makes the timing of this report even more interestingits being proposed after the tragedy of Soyuz 11, after the re-entry and destruction of the whole Salyut 1 space station in October of 1971, but long before the next Soviet space station launched.

Thats why the mission plan calls for three launches, the first to launch a presumably all-new Salut space stationthis one designed with docking ports fore and aftand two other launches to put the crews in orbit, one in an Apollo, one in a Soyuz.

All of this predates Americas first space station, Skylab, as well, and also seems to be the first time that an international docking module was proposed.

The final version of this docking module eventually flew on the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission, but, as you can see, its essentially the very direct descendent of the module that was described in this 1971 Apollo-Salyut document:

Whats fascinating to think about is just how much more research and science and experimentation could have been done on the mission if the Apollo docked to a full space station instead of just a Soyuz, which, really, was a ship that was mostly used to ferry cosmonauts back and forth from the space stations.

Docking an Apollo to a Salyut would be like driving your car to a vacation home; docking an Apollo to a Soyuz was more like driving your car to another car.

The Soviets agreed with this assessment, and their scientists states that they felt docking an Apollo to a Soyuz would be no more than a space stunt.

It makes sense that the Soviets would prefer docking an Apollo to a Salyut as well, from a propaganda standpoint, as it showed, especially after the moon landings, that the Americans werent dominating everything in spacethe Soviets had a space station, and the Americans didnt.

Interestingly, even with the resources of a full space station at their disposal, NASA was only planning to stay docked to Salyut for two days, and would spend 11 more days orbiting the Apollo independently on an Earth resources study mission.

Of course, the Apollo never got those two days on the Salyut, and the reason seems to have been from the Soviet side, as they found that the addition of a second docking port to the Salyut would be more difficult than anticipated:

Kotelnikov told the NASA people that in re-evaluating the proposed test mission the Soviets had come to the conclusion that it would not be technically and economically feasible to fly the mission using Salyut. Salyut had only one docking port and the addition of a second port would be very difficult technically and very costly in both time and money. Therefore, the Soviets proposed to conduct the test flight using Soyuz, which could accept all the modifications necessary for such a mission. They were quite forceful in stating that there would be no changes in any of the agreements made thus far.

Surprise was perhaps the mildest word for the Americans reaction. Nevertheless, Low quickly responded and told Kotelnikov that barring any technical difficulties, the switch from Salyut to Soyuz would be acceptable. He turned to Lunney and asked him if he saw any technical reason for opposing such a change, and Lunney could think of none. Operationally, this would present a simpler mission since it would involve only two coordinated launches - Apollo and Soyuz and not three - Apollo, Salyut, and Soyuz. Low and Frutkin tried to think through any political implications and found none. It would still be possible to exchange crews, which would be the major public impact of the mission, and such a mission would give the Americans an added advantage - not calling attention to the fact that the Soviets already had a space station flying and NASA did not.

So, in the end, the Americans, while sacrificing the scientific and research benefits of working on a space station, got the benefits of more favorable PR and an easier-to-plan mission.

The Soviets difficulties in adding the second docking port I suppose are borne out by how long it took them to launch a station that had two portsSalyut 6 in 1982though that simple innovation was truly groundbreaking for long-term space travel.

After the Soviets had a station that could accommodate two docked spacecraft, that meant they could swap crews without abandoning the station between crews, and that also meant that crews could be re-supplied by uncrewed cargo vessels, like the Progress that they developed in 1978, which allowed for truly long-duration missions and the ability to repair and maintain stations in orbit, with parts and supplies sent as needed.

If the Soviets had pulled this off for the Apollo-Salyut mission, they would have had the ability to resupply and re-crew stations at least three or four years earlier than they did, which could have been significant.

The Apollo-Soyuz mission as it flew was, of course a great success and a milestone in international cooperation in space, including the first time anyone in space ate borscht while pretending it was vodka:

And, as far as an American spacecraft docking with a Soviet or Russian space station, that did eventually happen, with the Shuttle-Mir docking missions between 1994 and 1998 that helped the U.S. plan and train for the construction of the ISS.

Im still surprised I wasnt aware of this amazing Apollo-to-Salyut plan before; Ive always admired the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, but I had no idea how much more ambitious it could have been.

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America Once Planned To Send An Apollo Spacecraft To A Soviet Space Station - Jalopnik

From Germaphobia to Isolation Vacations, there will be nothing even near normal about the turbulence we face in the year ahead, says travel trend forecasting agency Globetrender as it unveils its new trend report Travel In The Age Of Covid-19.

Sponsored by premium travel consultancy The PC Agency and travel data analysts Cirium, the report (which is free to download) reveals ten trends that will define post-lockdown travel, from Germaphobia and Isolation Vacations to Airline Hunger Games and Involuntary Undertourism.

Running at 50 pages, it also shares interviews with industry thought-leaders who reveal their insights and predictions for the years ahead, as well as innovator case studies, airline and tourism data, and deep-dive features on Gen Z, the luxury market and travel publishing. Plus 25 ideas for a new world order.

Moving from a collective pause to getting back to business will be challenging, but Globetrenders new provides some of the answers to the uncertainty affecting travel and the wider global community as lockdowns ease.

Jenny Southan, editor and founder of Globetrender, says: Commentators are talking about the new normal but there is nothing normal about the turbulence we face in the year ahead. There will be recessions to contend with, unemployment and the complete rewiring of expectations for urban living.

Ultimately there will be clarity, opportunity and betterment to be gained as well as space for creative thinkers to innovate their way out of problems.

The report covers topics including the outlook for airlines and how traffic will return in the coming years; passport-free holidays and the desire for domestic tourism; the concept of germaphobia and the extreme hygiene measures hotels and airlines will need to put in place to restore public confidence; and how nature tourism and wilderness seeking will thrive as we search for fresh air.

Other trends featured include isolation vacations; anti-viral arrivals and the rise of tracing apps; and the increasing need for flexibility and immediate refunds if travel brands are to retain loyalty.

Paul Charles, CEO of The PC Agency, says: During lockdowns, weve all had time to rethink our lives, needs and priorities. As many people and companies reset in 2020, were going to have to get used to major change which will not only be refreshing but also beneficial longer-term.

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Trend report: nothing 'normal' about travel in the age of Covid-19 - Globetrender

Andrew Thomas talks to amateur astronomer Stuart Atkinson about his lifelong interest in the night sky and his heartfelt desire to see humans walking on Mars

Stuart Atkinson can remember the exact moment when his passionate interest in space and the night sky began.

When I was at junior school the Apollo missions were happening, he told me.

"In those days schools just had one television, which was kept in a big cupboard and was wheeled out for big events.

I was sitting on the floor and watching grainy black and white footage on TV of people bouncing around on the Moon and the pilot light whooshed and that started my interest in space.

Stuart, 55, grew up in Cockermouth and fondly remembers his supportive headmaster at his first school.

I would always be hiding in the library at break times, reading books about space, rather than being outside playing football, and he would never throw me out!

He described how he devoured science books and how his interest in space got serious in 1981 when the first Space Shuttle mission took off. He avidly followed subsequent missions and the building of the International Space Station.

He has always been interested in planets but his favourite is Mars.

I am known as a frustrated Martian and my Twitter handle is @mars_stu. When I was at Cockermouth Grammar School in around 1982 or 83 I found a National Geographic magazine from 1977 that had amazing photographs of Vikings mission to Mars. My obsession with Mars started there.

He recalls how reading Kim Stanley Robinsons epic novel Red Mars had a huge impact on him.

It is full of geology and science and it brought the Mars in my head to life, said Stuart.

He wrote to the author many times as a fan and received replies. Indeed, Stuart is referenced in the credits for the third book in the trilogy, Blue Mars.

Stuart bought a tiny container of Martian dust taken from meteorites.

I sent it to Kim Stanley Robinson and he ate it! Theres a poem in one of his follow-up books, The Martians, where he talks about taking a bit of dust and rolling it on his tongue that is the dust I sent him!

For many years he assiduously followed the progress of two American Rovers as they roamed about exploring the surface of Mars.

They put up raw images every few hours every day, said Stuart. I walked beside the rovers for years, seeing what they saw. It became a big part of my life.

He set up as astronomical society in Cockermouth and when he moved to Kendal 15 years ago, he became the secretary of the towns Eddington Astronomical Society, a position he held for about 12 years.

What does he see as the value of such societies? Astronomy can be a very lonely hobby. You tend to spend a lot of time standing on your own in the dark. Its good to be part of a group. You can swap information and share experiences.

Living in the wettest county in one of the wettest countries in Europe it is easy to miss things and you can be tempted to give up and take up another hobby. Being part of a group helps to keep you going.

He said anyone interested in learning more about astronomy should Google Eddington Astronomical Society.

Stuart is well known as a media expert on the night sky, for his Skywatch column in The Westmorland Gazette and through his outreach and education activities.

I give talks to Womens Institutes, Soroptimists, Lions, Round Tables, U3As and schools. My talks are aimed at beginners level.

"I talk about what you can see on the next clear night and about our place in the Solar System.

He has been the consultant for a number of space books and has written ten of his own, including his first, Journey Into Space, about 30 years ago, the forward for which was written by sci-fi author Isaac Asimov.

His latest book is A Cats Guide To The Night Sky, a reference book as told by a cat with lovely illustrations. It has been translated into 21 languages.

The idea for the book came when he was on a Kielder Star Camp with his girlfriend. The couple always take their cat and four years ago he was standing outside at night holding their cat, Peggy.

There was a clear night sky and Peggy was looking around at all the stars, said Stuart.

I had an idea, scribbled it down and a publisher liked it. The book teaches children about the night sky.

His astronomy highlights include seeing Halleys Comet in 1986, the twin-tailed Hale-Bopp comet in 1997 and the Northern Lights at Cockermouth in 2001. The whole sky was red with billowing curtains, said Stuart.

He believes we will one day set foot on Mars. If we decided to go today, we could probably get there in five years. It wont be NASA, though, as that relies on Government funding. It would be a private mission, maybe by Elon Musk.

When I watched Tomorrows World many years ago Maggie Philbin said we would see someone on Mars by the mid-1980s. We are way behind schedule.

I think we are looking at the first people on Mars by 2030 or 2031, if not sooner. I have always wanted to see people on Mars and I dont want to be too old to appreciate it when it happens!

For more information about Stuart Atkinson visit https://stuartatkinson.wordpress.com/

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Astronomer on why he is a 'frustrated martian', his love of the night sky and what the future holds for space travel - The Westmorland Gazette

FRANKFURT / LONDON Business events are currently undergoing considerable change, with virtual formats rapidly growing in importance due to the Covid-19 pandemic and new digital tools being tested along the entire customer journey. In its current third research phase, the Future Meeting Space (FMS) innovation network is looking to gain more insights into the needs and wants of attendees, meeting planners and service providers with regards to future events. To that end, FMS has launched a survey based on the Kano model, which will be carried out by the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO.

The first part of the survey is aimed at event attendees and covers, among others, questions related to the design of event spaces, multisite and hybrid formats or the use of different digital tools as part of the customer journey. The second part is specifically designed for planners and organisers as well as venue and service providers with questions that are tailored to their perspective, including about must-haves for future events or things they could do without. Regarding event organisers, questions revolve around online comparison platforms, social seating, the anonymous KPI comparison with other events or the option to make their venue available as a digital twin. Service providers are questioned about real-time analyses of attendee behaviour or whether they would market their venue as a co-working space in-between events in order to increase utilisation.

A dedicated focus on the needs of every stakeholder involved and their respective customer journey will be key for successful events of the future, no matter if analogue, hybrid or digital, says GCB German Convention Bureau Managing Director Matthias Schultze, explaining the background of the study. The results of this study, which has a broad and worldwide scope, will create an evidence-based foundation for developing tailor-made event formats according to the wishes and expectations of the surveyed attendees, planners and service providers. Anyone interested in taking part can do so here. The survey is intended for attendees, organisers and planners as well as service and infrastructure providers in the event space, such as meetings and conferences, and is open until 30 June 2020.

Benefits of the Kano modelThe Kano model was developed by the Japanese professor Noriako Kano in the 1980ies. It explores customer satisfaction on the basis of a bipolar survey, meaning that both the positive and negative form of each question is tested, i.e., What would you say if there were digital twins of event venues? vs. What would you say if there were no digital twins of event venues? The method aims at finding out how various product and service features impact on customer satisfaction to develop relevant offers. The Kano model is also well suited to identify the level of acceptance or even the enthusiasm customers have with regard to novel future features or services before they are being widely used. To my knowledge, the Kano model has never been used in the meetings industry so far and we are very excited to see the results of our survey, explains Dr. Stefan Rief, Head of Organisational Development and Work Design Research Unit at Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO.

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Future Meeting Space explores customer needs and expectations on new event formats - Travel Daily News International

Parking bays are set to be suspended to increase footpath widths and provide additional cycle lane lengths in Rotherham town centre as part of a number of new active travel interventions.

Future schemes for the borough are proposed in a multimillion pound Active Travel plan.

265,000 of Government funding is set to be diverted to the borough as part of a national emergency active travel fund.

It comes as the Sheffield City Region (SCR) publishes an ambitious plan to create a network of more than 620 miles of accessible walking and cycling routes across South Yorkshire to enable people to leave their cars at home.

1.437m from the fund has been allocated to the SCR who were already developing a COVID-19 Active Travel response and partner authorities were already drawing up and implementing schemes.

SCR documents show that the Rotherham scheme aims to deliver additional active travel space by rapid deployment of carriageway re-allocation on corridors around the town centre and within principal towns.

This will include:- suspension of parking bays to increase footpath widths / provide additional cycle lane length;- crossing improvements and re-timing of signals in higher volume locations;- implementation of one-way streets to prevent constriction of available space whilst enabling two-way cycling; and- point closure to provide quiet streets and enable extended use of active travel.

The Government will undertake an assessment of the proposal to confirm the allocation of funding to SCR.

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By enabling active travel, it is forecasted that walking and cycling could be increased by 21% and 350% respectively, by 2040. To do this, Mayor Jarvis and Dame Sarah are committed to providing high quality, safe infrastructure which is accessible to all users, including adapted bikes and wheelchairs, and will empower local communities to co-develop ambitious future plans for walking and cycling in their neighbourhood.

A number of Rotherham elements have been included which could be delivered over the next five years. These include:- Connecting Maltby to the main urban centre of Rotherham with localised enhanced active travel routes within the corridor- Connecting the housing and employment growth area in the Dearne Valley to the local centre in Wath for active travel modes,- Providing better active travel routes to enable more walking and/or cycling through Rotherham town centre, including links to Forge Island- A new high quality segregated cycle route along the A6178 Sheffield Road to help support active travel links between Rotherham, Meadowhall and Sheffield- Promoting active travel for accessing employment opportunities in Sheffield City Centre, the Lower Don Valley (including AMID) and Rotherham

Mayor Dan Jarvis said: "Active travel has always been at the heart of my transport vision for South Yorkshire. The benefits walking and cycling bring to all aspects of our lives are great and I am proud of how quickly we have developed this plan alongside our local authorities. Active travel is good for our health, good for the planet and good for the economy.

"We are in the midst of one the largest public health crisis in a generation and as we recover from coronavirus, we have an opportunity to change

"No one wants to return to gridlocked roads and polluted town centres, and this landmark strategy sets out how we can build back better. The aim should not be to go back to the status quo, it should be to make this a moment of fundamental change for our region and our country.

"Active travel should be part of an even wider strategy a green new deal to transform our economy, create millions of new jobs, and counter the economic damage the pandemic has caused.

"I am pleased that the Government is allocating emergency funds to enable us to make space for pedestrians and cyclists in the age of social distancing, but this money must be released promptly.

"In the short term, we need to take the pressure off a stretched public transport system which is running at a fraction of its normal capacity, and prevent the gridlock which will be caused by people turning to their car. In the long term, we need sustained funding for active travel to enable us to deliver a green new deal for South Yorkshire."

"Our local authorities have risen to the challenge to create an ambitious plan and are committed to redistributing road space and enabling active travel in a way that hasnt been seen before. Our plan gives a clear goal a network of routes linking up low traffic neighbourhoods.

"During the coronavirus pandemic we have seen an even greater demand for safe space for walking and cycling, as social distancing reduces public transport capacity and people look to maintain new exercise habits that were formed at the height of the lockdown.

"Creating space for active travel is creating space for everyone. It means that not having access to a car will no longer be a barrier to getting around. From safe streets for children to get to school, to pavements free from inconsiderately parked vehicles that block the way for people in wheelchairs and parents with pushchairs, walking and cycling provision ensures everyone can enjoy they place they live and travel safely and easily to the places they want to go.

"I was pleased to see the response from Government to the letter written by Mayor Jarvis and I about prioritising active travel in the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic but we need this money now so we can begin to make our roads more pleasant places to be for those on foot or on bikes."

SCR website

Images: SCR

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News: New Rotherham active travel projects - Rotherham Business News

Spains Official State Gazette (BOE) on Friday published an order extending restrictions on non-essential travel for people coming into Spanish territory until June 15.

The move acknowledges a recommendation by the European Commission to prolong the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU until 15 June. The restrictions on travel into the EU space went into effect on March 17, although Brussels asked member states to allow free internal movement for European citizens.

Exceptional travel conditions are part of the fight against the spread of the coronavirus, which has claimed over 27,000 lives in Spain, according to the official count.

The Spanish government recently announced a 14-day self-quarantine for international travelers, effective today and until the end of the state of alarm.

Besides the quarantine, non-essential travel will be heavily restricted

Besides the quarantine, non-essential travel to Spain will be heavily restricted. As a rule, Spanish authorities will only let in Spanish citizens, permanent residents of Spain, and regular residents of the Schengen area (30 countries that include the EU members, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Andorra) who are in transit to their place of residence.

Exceptions are also made for cross-border workers, healthcare professionals and caregivers on their way to work, diplomats and individuals who can prove an essential reason to travel, including for humanitarian reasons.

The order stipulates that authorities may also turn away EU citizens and their relatives for public health reasons if they are not registered as residents of Spain, or headed directly to their place of residence in another member state, Schengen-associated state or Andorra.

An exception is also made for the spouse of a Spanish citizen, or partner in a similar relationship that is registered in a public registry, and for descendants and parents living with the citizen, as long as they are traveling with this citizen or on their way to reunite with him or her.

The order goes into effect on Saturday, May 16 and will remain in place until midnight on June 15. This pushes the travel restrictions beyond May 24, the date when the current state of alarm is due to end in Spain, although Prime Minister Pedro Snchez, of the Socialist Party (PSOE), will ask Congress for permission to extend it to June 29.

After two months under one of Europes strictest lockdowns, Spaniards have gradually recovered some mobility through a deescalation plan that is currently underway.

English version by Susana Urra.

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Spain to extend restrictions on international travelers until June 15 - EL PAS in English