Technology - Space Summer School

23 Aug

Chandrayaan-3 to land near Lunar south pole

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) mission Chandrayaan-3 is due to land near the lunar south pole today. This will be the first Moon landing so close to the south pole. The landing will be soft, meaning the lander will survive on the surface. A

09 Aug

Downstream Applications – what, how, who?

Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions

Most startups create so-called downstream applications that make use of satellite data from the Copernicus or the Galileo programmes. Copernicus is the European Union programme of Earth Observation, which monitors our planet and environment. Galileo is Europe’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), providing improved positioning

09 Aug

On the Shoulders of Giants

Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions

The phrase "on the shoulders of giants" is often attributed to Sir Isaac Newton, although its origins can be traced back to earlier sources. The phrase captures the idea that knowledge and progress build upon the work and insights of those who came before us.

08 Aug

Spectrometers and Spectrographs in Space and on Earth

Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions

Spectroscopy is the study of spectra, spectrography is the recording of the spectra, and spectrometry is the measure of spectra. The three terms are used almost interchangeably in astronomy, astrophysics and other disciplines. Spectra (plural of spectrum) are ways to look at light (or electromagnetic

07 Aug

Solar power and JUICE’s massive panels

Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions

On its way to Jupiter, JUICE is moving away from the Sun. Sunlight is getting fainter and fainter, which becomes a problem if your spacecraft's electronics is designed to be powered by solar energy. Solution: massive solar panels. Juno, a NASA mission, had the previous

07 Aug

Tides, altimetry and its applications

Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions

Ganymede, Europa and Callisto are all believed to have oceans of liquid water under their icy surfaces. But why don't those oceans freeze? Where is the heat coming from? The answer is tidal forces from Jupiter. We all know about tides on Earth. Each day,

06 Aug

Space weather in the solar system

Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions

Space weather is a term that describes the dynamic and unpredictable conditions in the space environment that can affect human technology and infrastructure. Space weather includes the effects of solar activity and high-energy radiation on a planet's magnetic field and atmosphere. We are usually interested

06 Aug

Radiation in space

Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions

Sunlight, starlight, moonlight (which is actually reflected sunlight) are known to all of us. Indeed, light is the type of space radiation we are most familiar with. Light can be described as being made of waves or as being made of particles, called photons. What we

03 Aug

Visible light and the JANUS camera on JUICE

Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions

JANUS is one of the instruments on JUICE. As a camera, its main purpose is to take pictures. Before we look in detail at what JANUS can do, let's explore the concept of the electromagnetic spectrum and visible light, because light is essential for good

01 Aug

Intro to the JUICE Mission

dpinheiroNo Opinions

JUICE stands for JUpiter ICy moons Explorer. It is the first L-class mission in ESA's 2015-2025 Cosmic Vision programme, where L stands for large. The JUICE spacecraft was launched in April 2023 and is planned to reach the Jupiter system in 2031. The mission aims

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Category: Technology