Fifty years ago, Neil Armstrong was the first to set foot on the moon and bring sci-fi fabrication to an end. His one infamous words, ‘’ one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” now spread like fire all over the world, to approximately 530 million spectators.
The world will experience the celebration of this day again in a few weeks’ time, thanks to half a century of space reconnaissance and augmentation.
In honor of this revolutionary accomplishment, we peek into the history of lunar landings and analyze the future of space exploration and the niche of private companies in the thriving space economy.
Which countries have undergone lunar landing?
The most famous mission is Apollo 11, but other successful yet emasculated ones include the Soviet Union’s Luna 2 in 1959 and the Luna 9’s soft-landing in 1966.
Infographics: Which countries have been on moon?
NASA’s Surveyor 1 also soft-landed quite flourishingly four months later, as well as four more such missions.
After a 14-year stressful space race between the Soviet Union and the United States, Apollo 11 triumphantly went to and back from the moon, setting an example for generations to come.
After this, NASA sent 6 more missions to the moon, 5 of them being fruitful. 37 years after Luna24, China also soft-landed successfully on the moon in December 2013.
The US sent the most missions to the moon, 38 of them were got successful followed by the former Soviet Union, had 56 missions on its credit.
Infographics; MIssions to the Moon
Future missions to the moon
The present US administration has zealous schemes for getting human beings onto the moon by the year 2024, four years earlier than the initial agenda. The program is called Artemis and it includes 8 launches and a mini station around the moon by 2024.
On the contrary, Russia plans on sending barricaded flights to the moon beginning in 2025 and setting up a lunar colony by 2040 and a pre moon- war has already set between the former space rivals.
India is struggling to be the fourth one to soft-land on the moon and successfully launched its second mission to the moon, Candrayan 2 and scheduled launching of another mission somewhere in September.
The space race saga doesn’t just end with the dominating world powers. Private companies are in at the game as well, like Space X, which also wish to meet the goal of traveling to Mars. Elon Musk’s Space X looks forward to sending a group of artists around the moon in 2023, while Jeff Bezo’s Blue Origin hopes to make it by 2024.
Infographics: Future missions to the Moon
Is Privatised Space Travel the Future?
Since these ardent space probing missions are extremely pricey, NASA is increasingly hoping for private companies to chip in. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Paul Allen are some of the billionaires devoting generously in the economic space stratum.
There are more than a hundred space transport companies worldwide at the moment, according to SpaceFund’s launch database. A bulk of them are based in the US, followed by the UK, then China.
Infographics: worldwide companies planned to space travel
It is the assumption of many that private-public partnerships between NASA and private companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are the future of spacecraft. As a matter of fact, commercial launch traffic into low-earth orbit has experienced a steep rise over the past 10 years.
Infographics: Launch traffic in low earth orbit, so far
Your Turn
What are your thoughts concerning the future of space travel? Will a rise in the exploration of space be beneficial in the distant future? Or will it divert us from more serious problems to be addressed here on the Earth? Please share your thoughts and views concerning these issues.
Have you ever wondered, while looking at the moon in a dark night, if our closest companion is habitable? Can lunar soil support life? Is lunar soil fertile? Can lunar soil composition allow the growth of plants? NASA actually conducted several experiments on lunar soil samples, brought down by the Apollo missions, to answer these questions. In order to understand the lunar soil composition and to check if it is safe to keep lunar soil on earth, NASA conducted these little known but vitally important experiments. Scientists were already sure that there were no potential germs, viruses or bacteria living on the moon, but still, these experiments were vital for the safety of astronauts who had embarked on this historic journey.
Scientists are experimenting on Mice & Cockraoches
“We had to prove that we weren’t going to contaminate not only human beings, but we weren’t going to contaminate fish and birds and animals and plants and you name it,” Charles Berry, who was in charge of medical operations during Apollo, said in a 1999 oral history. “Any of the Earth’s biosphere, we had to prove we weren’t going to affect it. So we had to develop an amazing program that was carried off really for three flights’ worth. A lot of trouble.”
The astronauts returning from this space travel were quarantined for three weeks. A collection of mice, who were injected with lunar material, were also quarantined and monitored along with astronauts to study any potential adverse effects.
But NASA scientists were not content with these experiments and designed more experiments to ensure the safety of all terrestrial life. First, different species to be used for testing were selected which included: Japanese quail to represent birds; oysters and brown shrimp for shellfish; houseflies and German cockroaches for creepy-crawlies. Mice and quail got the injection of lunar soil, insects had the lunar soil mixed into their food and moon-dust was added into the water of the aquatic life, in which they lived. All of the species survived except for the oysters, which the scientists concluded had died due to other reasons.
Scientist haveplanted Tomato in Lunar soil
In addition to testing on various species of the animal kingdom, NASA worked with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to test any harmful effects of lunar soil on plants. Lunar soil growing plants included tomatoes, tobacco, onions, cabbage, and fern. All of the experiments concluded that lunar soil composition was perfect for the growth of plants.
Meanwhile, search for any microorganisms was also carried out by preparation of cultures on Petri dishes to look for any microorganisms that flourished. No microbial growth was found in lunar soil and finally, in 1971, NASA was confident that lunar soil was harmless and doesn’t contain any contagious, harmful microorganisms.
Nadia Drake recently discussed the Theory of Relativity proposed by Einstein and how it applies to the behavior of a black hole as well as the effect of a black hole on a star passing by.
An image of Black Hole globally released in April 2019
Einstein’s theory states that light loses energy when struggling in an extremely strong gravitational field. Black holes are regions of space with an intense gravitational field which lets no object or any kind of radiation escape, pretty much similar in concept to the Bermuda triangle.
Experiments performed to directly test the effects of a black hole on gravity illustrate that as stars whip around a black hole stationed at the center of our galaxy, there is an obvious decrease in the speed of the starlight.
Astronomers, though, are hoping to find evidence against general relativity working in environments with extreme gravity. Presently, Einstein rules.
Further insight into the theory of relativity shows that gravity affects light as well and that massive objects warp any light moving around them. Astronomers are excited to share that even though not true for the whole galaxy, at its center stars are actually moving due to the potent gravitational speed. Sagittarius A* is moving around it, completing an oval-shaped orbit in 16 years time at a speed of 15.5 million miles/hr, nearly three percent of the speed of light. The main star is called So-2. After gathering further data since 1995, scientists have computed a 3D model of the shape of the orbit.
Ghez’s team’s findings simply show that when So-2 is closest to SgrA*, the black hole acts like a speed breaker, slowing the star’s light as it escapes into the cosmos. This causes So2’s light to stretch towards less energetic red wavelengths, slowing down by 125 miles/s.
Scientists used this procedure previously to test general relativity on weaker gravitational fields in our solar system. Other scientists like the GRAVITY team from Max Plank Institute of Extraterrestial Physics in Germany also detected the same redshift in So2’s light. Even though both teams concluded with the same results, the principal investigators do state differences in interpretations. Ghez suspects errors in the data while team GRAVITY is positive about the future of this area’s research.
Steve is one of the beautiful phenomena that grace the night sky along with the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. It looks like a long purple streak and is caused when gases in the upper atmosphere are charged and ionized. It has a speed of approx. 7 km/s and a temperature of 6,000oC and was discovered by a group of amateur astronomers in Canada. Feast your eyes with some beautiful clicks of Steve below.
Good space movies are a rare treat. But when they do grace the silver screen, we can’t stop marveling at the beauty and magnificence of such features. Here are my five picks for some of the best space films of all time.
Gravity (2013)
Sandra Bullock stars in this space thriller
Directed by Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity tells the tale of Dr. Ryan Stone (played by Sandra Bullock) who is a medical engineer on a space shuttle. She is joined by other astronauts on the mission including Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney) who is on his last flight before retiring from the profession. Within the first few minutes of the film, a disaster shakes them apart and the team is left stranded in space. What follows is a stunning story of human grit and survival. Finding a way home back to earth from deep space is as hard as it sounds, and the movie perfectly captures the emotion one can expect to flow through a person during such a moment. The haunting soundtrack adds the thrill and electricity in the tranquil environment of space. It was a film that won the hearts of every movie lover and landed the director an Oscar following other accolades. Neil deGrasse Tyson did disagree with some of the physics in the movie but hey! We can surely forgive a few mistakes for such a splendid piece.
Interstellar (2014)
Interstellar is loved by the audience and physicists alike
While
Gravity missed the proper physics, Interstellar was a masterpiece that duly
stuck to it. Coming from the mind of the admirable Christopher Nolan, it tells
the Saga of a former pilot (played by Mathew McConaughey) who is selected by
researchers at NASA to go to space along with fellow scientists in the search for
a new planet. Earth is shown as an uninhabitable place for humans and there appears
to be a dire need for searching a new home across the galaxies. A stellar cast
giving the best emotional performances in years makes it even more spectacular
and the cinematography is literally out of this world. It reimages what our
future could be if we continue our attitudes towards the mother earth and what
it might take to save it. Real-life scientists and physicists worked on the
project and most of the theories and work, shown in the film, are real. The
intense and striking soundtrack by Hans Zimmer fills it with new life and it is
guaranteed that one cannot make it to the end without shedding a few tears.
Also, you will be surprised to know that the black hole shown in Interstellar
was the closest adaption ever and it was proven almost correct when the first
black hole image was released this year. What a coincidence!
First Man (2018)
Ryan Gosling stars as Neil Armstrong in this biopic
Just last month, we were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. And last year, the first biographical movie on the First Man to walk on the moon, that is Neil Armstrong, was released, in which Ryan Gosling played the lead role. The enchanting picture shows us the life of a celebrated hero who had to go through a lot to achieve the historic feat. Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle was a part of the film and Claire Foy was the female lead. Based on the book of the same name by James R. Hansen, it explores the ups and downs and the sacrifices the Apollo mission team and crew made and how much effort it took to put humans to the moon. Aspects of Neil’s life were also shown along with true events and the spirit of his humble character. Justin Hurwitz managed to put even more emotions through the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack and the key moments of the mission felt personal through that. The giant leap for mankind actually took a lot of steps and efforts, all shown in this epic.
The Martian (2015)
The Martian is based on the book of the same name by Andy Weir
Ridley Scott is the genius behind some of the greatest sci-fi films of all time such as Alien, Blade Runner, Prometheus, etc. In 2015, he directed ‘The Martian’ starring Matt Damon. The drama explores a frightening theme i.e. being left behind on a strange planet. Believe it or not, it is a scary concept that is surely hidden somewhere in the back of our minds. But fear not, as this movie tells you exactly how to survive in space, Mars to be exact. Astronaut Mark Watney (Damon) is left stranded on Mars during a mission and it is all up to him to figure out how to connect the crew on Earth and go back. It is a feature of hope and ambition showing that there is no limit to human strength and determination and that nothing is impossible. The movie was shot in the deserts of Jordan which beautifully mimic the environment on the red planet resulting in exceptional shots and cinematography. The star-studded cast gave brilliant performances and the film undoubtedly kindles a desire for space exploration in the hearts of the audience.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey is lauded for its strikingly beautiful cinematography
Stanley
Kubrick is known as one of the greatest visionary directors of all time. And he
came through with that title in his sci-fi masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey.
This is one of those movies that always makes its way into the lists of the
best movies of all time and does it fittingly so. It is a great film where we
see astronauts sent to a mysterious mission to space along with a computer HAL
that ultimately leads to what we fear… Robots turning against humans. Even
though it was released in the 1960s it predicted some amazing future gear which
was surprising. Such as, in the very beginning, we see characters talking to a
computer screen in space and now that we have the technology of video calling
or Acritical Intelligence, it is still bewildering how it managed to show us a
peek of the future in such an era. Kubrick used brilliant techniques to shoot
the film and created a stupefying space and future for us to get bewitched.
This artist’s concept depicts one of NAS’s voyager spacecraft, including the location of the cosmic ray subsystem (CRS) instrument. Both voyagers launched with operating CRS instruments. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
This artist’s conceptdepicts one of NAS’s voyager spacecraft, including the location of the cosmic ray subsystem (CRS) instrument. Both voyagers launched with operating CRS instruments. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Launched in 1977, twin spacecraft, 11 billion miles away from home, Voyager 1 and 2 are exploring where nothing from Earth has flown before. Each spacecraft has ten instruments with a goal to explore the outer solar system and send back priceless information to Earth. Voyager 1 visited Jupiter and Saturn, while Voyager 2 visited Uranus and Neptune. Three radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) are used to provide the power which produces heat via the natural decay of plutonium-238 radioisotopes and convert that heat into electrical power.
The major problem is that both the voyagers have fewer available power resources over time and the spacecraft has started to flag. To ensure that these vintage probes continue to return the best scientific data, engineers implemented a plan to manage and made some tough decisions. Recently a heater for the cosmic ray subsystem (CRS) instrument turned off on voyager 2.
Even after the removal of heating system, voyager’s 2 cosmic ray subsystem is still functional and sending back data despite functioning at a chilly minus 74 degrees Fahrenheit which is less than the temperature it was tested for; hence Voyagers’ instruments proved to be very hard.
“Incredibly, Voyagers’ instruments have proved so hardy,” said Voyager Project Manager Suzanne Dodd, who is based at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “We’re proud they’ve withstood the test of time. The long lifetimes of the spacecraft mean we’re dealing with scenarios we never thought we’d encounter. We will continue to explore every option we have to keep the Voyagers doing the best science possible.”
Voyager spacecraft achieved far more than the science could have ever expected, they are the farthest human-made object in the universe and the first that entered to interstellar space. For now, the mission planners are experimenting with alternative techniques to conserve power and operate them for a longer time.
Yesterday, Pakistan’s federal minister of Science and Tech, Mr. Fawad Chaudhry claimed on twitter that Pakistan will send its first manned mission into space by 2022 and the recruitment will be open up by Feb 2022. Initially, fifty people will be selected which will later drop down to 25 only. Later talking to media over his tweet, he explained that the procedure and the selection of Pilots will be made under Pakistan Air Force and SUPARCO. However, neither Pakistan Air force nor SUPARCO supported Mr. Minister’s claim so far.
Proud to announce that selection process for the first Pakistani to be sent to Space shall begin from Feb 2020,fifty people will be shortlisted — list will then come down to 25 and in 2022 we will send our first person to space,this will be the biggest space event of our history
The news got viral through social media within an hour and a couple of confusion aroused in science communities regarding his Claim. Initially, in October 2018, Fawad Chaudhry the [Then] Information minister announced “Pakistan first manned mission to space by 2022” with the technical coordination of China, however, after a successful official visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China in the same month, no further details of this mission were disclosed. Now, after a wide gap of more than nine months, Fawad made another announcement about Pakistan’s manned mission to space and the timing is enough to tell the “truth behind the curtains”.
Mr. Chaudhry made this announcement just three days after when India successfully launched its second mission to the moon, Chndrayaan-2, which was locally made by Indian scientists and engineers. It is oblivious that Pakistan is far behind in technical and financial basis to India, and to individually support such a huge mission is nearly impossible for Pakistan. It will have to depend on China for technical and strategic assistance to send his first man into space.
India’s launched its second mission to the moon, Chdrayaa-2
A couple of confusions have already been there due to multiple untangled, more often than not lame statements made by our federal minister of Science & Tech regarding Pakistan’s space mission. Like, what will be missions’ objectives and why it is necessary to travel to space when our countryman are confronting with widespread drought, climate changes, and global warming? These questions need to address fairly and with clarity, for our general public, it will take a little too long time to fully believe that space exploration is a much inspiring effort. Though it is not such an easy task as our Minister of Science and technology claimed.
Spending space frontier is the need of the hour. We are having enjoyed its suspected profits in our daily lives. We have a communication satellite that is fairly maintaining Television, cell phones, and internet signals and connected us with global communities. Consequently, future space missions by different nations would result out in more discoveries those lead to the development of more sophisticated infrastructure beyond space frontiers.
India and Pakistan have fought two wars in the 1965 and 1971, historically they were never friendly. The current situation between the two countries is quite identical to that of a cold space war between USA and USSR. The Space Race started as a war of words when the US announced it intends to launch the first artificial satellite into outer space. In response, the USSR claimed that it is going to launch a satellite “shortly”. The two country’s political enmity started to play out in a battle for spaceflight supremacy, watched by the global audiences.
Later on, when the Soviet economy was no longer be able to deal with it abandoned the useless space effort since the Soviet Government’s priority had to feed and clothe its people.
One cannot deny the importance of space technology in the modern era we are living in but space missions, specifically of a growing state like Pakistan should be dealt & planned wisely and the government officials should be of careful about their statements. A space war of the words will result in nothing other than tension and humiliation, keeping the fact in mind that Pakistan is far behind to India in technical and financial aspects, at least for now.
Over the course of the six moon landings between 1969 and 1972, astronauts brought back 842 pounds (382 kilograms) of lunar rocks, pebbles, and soil. The lunar lab is a reservoir of hundreds of pounds of moon rocks collected by Apollo astronauts close to a half a century ago. Some of the rocks were vacuum-packed or frozen or stored in gaseous helium preventing them from chemical radiations.
The largest remaining piece of the Apollo 15 moon rock sample 15556 at the Apollo Sample Vault at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Credit: Chris Gunn
Inside a locked vault at Johnson Space Center is a treasure few have seen and fewer have touched. Buried within the Apollo samples that came back to Earth, are the clues of lunar origins. Apollo rocks unlock secrets of the universe and help transform our understanding of the cosmos.
“Many of the discoveries that we’ve made in planetary science, not just on the Moon, but on Mercury, on Mars, on some of the asteroids, directly relate to some of the results that we obtained during the Apollo missions.” Lawrence, who works at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in an interview with AFP.
Apollo rocks are a gateway to a new world of information, revealing mysteries, opening a window into lunar geology. It has basically revolutionized our understanding of three major concepts: the origin of the moon, nature of the lunar surface and lifelessness of Moon. It took years to correctly interpret these samples using advanced technology but they offered a deeper understanding of the evolutionary history of the universe.
Lunar Samples Are A Time Capsule:
“The Earth is a gigantic recycling machine,” said Juliane Gross, a planetary scientist at Rutgers University. “We have wind, we have rain, we have ice and weather, and so all the rocks weather away.”
The surfaces of the Earth and the moon are very different and dynamic because it is changing continuously. The combination of these factors means that the Earth’s surface is very young and is modified by the presence of life; hence erasing its geologic record.
However, Moon is geologically “dead” with negligible activity. There is no life on the moon and the only factor that changes its surface slowly is the crater’s formation. While life evolved on Earth, “the Moon is lifeless”, preserving the traces of history; making it a time capsule, an archive for the history of our solar system.
Lunar Rocks Are The First Direct Evidence of The
Collision That Formed Moon
Before the Apollo mission, scientists were confused regarding the formation of the moon. Some scientists thought that it was an independent object captured by Earth gravity, some considered it a blob of Earth that flung away due to the fast spin of our planet. Others considered that both Earth and moon may have formed from the “protoplanetary disk”.
After the Apollo mission, scientists gained a whole new perspective about the origin of the moon and only “Giant impact hypothesis” seemed to fit in.
Giant Impact Hypothesis-An evolving legacy of Apollo
Around 4.5 billion years ago, according to the prevailing theory of the scientific community, the solar system was a violent place. Around that time, a Mars-sized body known as Theia slammed into an Earth predecessor, forming the earth. The violent reaction results in an ejection of material from both colliding bodies. Debris merges in an earth orbit for next several hundred million years, into what we call today moon. The early moon was covered in an ocean of magma with the heavy minerals forming the core and the lightest ones forming the crust. In this way, the Earth and the moon were formed.
But how does the Apollo rock support this hypothesis? Giant impact hypothesis has been supported by many observations from the Apollo samples which include the following:
Magma Ocean
Moon Rock collected from Apollo 16
The above picture is of a moon rock collected from Apollo’16 made of plagioclase, a rock formed out of molten magma. Plagioclase feldspar mineral (made of sodium and calcium) is a light mineral that floats to the surface of the ocean where it crystallizes forming the crust when molten magma cools down. The presence of the same plagioclase in an Apollo rock is proof of the violent beginning of the moon.
Iron
Apollo rocks revealed that the moon’s core has little iron compared to Earth-just 25% of its total radius. The relative deficiency of iron is an evidence for the giant impact hypothesis that after collision heavy metals like iron sank into the Earth leaving behind lighter elements that were propelled away into what we call moon today.
Volatile Elements
Lunar samples collected from Apollo missions were dry and
lacked volatile elements. After the collision, the theory goes, immense heat
and energy were generated that may have blown away volatiles from the moon.
According to NASA, “When the young Earth and this
rogue body collided, the energy involved was 100 million times larger than the
much later event believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs.”
How do Apollo rocks reveal the similarity between the earth and the moon?
Moon rocks collected from the Apollo program have the same chemical fingerprints as earth rocks in terms of oxygen isotopes. Interior structure of the Earth and the moon is also similar i.e. it has a crust, a mantle, and a core. The similarity between the moon and Earth rocks is also a shred of evidence that supports the giant impact hypothesis. The similarity between both is evidence that they share a common evolutionary history and are formed from the same swirl of the exploded rock.
Moon craters provide a key for unraveling time scales for
the geologic evolution
Some of the scientists have used the Apollo rocks to “see beyond the moon”, like a Rosetta stone and unlock the secrets of other planets. Lunar crust “craters” proved to play a vital role in revealing the geologic history of the whole solar system.
Since, Earth’s geologic history has been constantly erased by erosion, tectonics, and volcanism but moon bears the impact of every meteor or asteroid ever crashed into it. Craters are one of the most interesting features in the solar system. And by age-dating lunar craters, we can age-date craters on other planets.
Moon craters can be used as a standard and by comparing
the crater of other planets with the lunar crater, we can estimate the age of
other planet’s crater. The bigger the craters, the longer they were made.
About 4.5-3.8 billion years ago, asteroids smashed into the larger world, increasing the impact on their surfaces, known as the period of “Late Heavy Bombardment”. Lunar samples provide evidence for this bombardment as they also contain pockmarks due to the hitting of asteroids. By using “crater counting method”, scientists have estimated the age of craters and calculated the time frame for materials smashing into their surface. Analysis of all the data proved the increased impact activity about 3.8-3.9 billion years ago, during the period of Late Heavy Bombardment, which is thought to have lasted between 20 million to 200 million years.
NASA is planning to put boots on the lunar surface by 2024. For now, the astronauts will visit the lunar south pole at a crater called the south pole -Aitken Basin. It is one of the oldest and the deepest moon crater. Lunar exploration plan known as the Artemis program is a two-phased approach: first is to focus on speed, landing astronauts in five years and the second is to establish sustainable human presence over the moon by 2028.
Sustainable human presence over the moon will be the next big thing to uncover new scientific discoveries, demonstrate new technological advancements and will be a good launching ground for the mission to Mars.
Over the course of six Moon landings, planetary
scientists have dug a ton of information from the exploration of a small area of Moon. And
this information has given scientists a detailed look into the geology of
another world.
“The (Apollo) astronauts only directly explored an area that’s roughly the size of a large suburban shopping mall,” Lawrence, who works at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in an interview with AFP. “There’s a lot of places on the Moon that we haven’t yet explored.”
Now, Going back and collecting more samples from the areas that are far away and not explored before will help scientists to dig out more mysteries and will give them crucial insight into geologic processes. It is not possible to directly study Earth’s mantle, so Moon is the next big target for the scientists.
“It’s exciting to open up something new”, said Barbara Cohen, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center who will lead the gas analysis. “We don’t know what we’ll find.”
To fully answer lingering questions, “we need a
better global representation of lunar rock types,” Cohen said. And for
that, “we need to go back.“
Before the Apollo mission, our knowledge was restricted to the limited observations made from the Earth but lunar samples reshaped our understanding of the solar system and gave planetary scientists a whole new perspective. Now scientists are hungry for more and gathering more of them is the foremost reason to go back.
While the rest of the world slept peacefully after a long hectic day, young Saud sat perched in his window scrutinizing the sky. The sky, what a mesmerizing miracle of nature; vast, deep, calm and mysterious. And highlighting it, the pearl-white moon.
Every day, so many people worried about academics, impressions, careers, standards, resources, politics, gossip, and the sort, but Saud was only interested in the sky and its wonders.
He turned to his table, where a pair of binoculars sat atop some astronomy magazines and books. He held his binoculars lovingly as he recalled the time, he had purchased them. He was in sixth grade when his science teacher had asked the students what they wished to choose as a career in future. Among the typical chants of doctors, engineers and businessmen, his loud ‘Astronaut’ had caught his teacher’s attention.
“Well Saud, I hope you will be able to make your dream a reality. We haven’t had an astronaut from Pakistan yet, but let’s hope you become the first one!”
These words had ever since been stuck
in Saud’s mind. He imagined himself passing the test and being the first
Pakistani to reach the moon. He imagined how it would feel like to have newspapers
with his picture on the front cover receiving surprised comments on every
breakfast table. And every news channel mentioning him in the headlines;
He imagined himself passing the test and being the first Pakistani to reach the moon
“Saud Tariq, first Pakistani to
reach the moon. A milestone for Pakistan! It is proud of such stars which
struggle to fulfill their dreams and inspire the rest of the youth.”
Years later, his passion for space travel hadn’t got any less and an example of this was his bookshelf which was overburdened with profuse books on the solar system, space, physical aspects of astronomy, space fiction and rocket science. As a child, his favorite movie had been the animated ‘Toy Story’ because of Buzz Lightyear. He even had his mom make him a similar costume for one of his school parties. His biggest inspirations were Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Kalpana Chawla, and Sally Ride, to name a few.
After 7th grade, Saud had
managed to make it to Military College Murree. It was very close to Rawalpindi,
and an hour from Islamabad, where his home was. He had been ecstatic to finally
start working for his dream, but part of him was aching as he bade his mother
and younger siblings goodbye.
Life at Cadet College was far from Saud’s expectations. First, he had found it awkward to be called a cadet instead of a student. Cadet sounded like some sort of a robot’s name to him. Secondly, he had to follow an extremely strict routine with an even strict diet. Thirdly, he had to juggle his studies with his training program. He had to get up at the crack of dawn for his physical drills, then later attend his classes and labs. Then it was time for the evening sports activities like football, running, hockey, gymnastics, and karate. Saud soon lost a lot of weight and missed his mother’s cooking badly. He missed his old normal school and friends who would now be at the local high school.
The day he graduated from Cadet College had been a proud moment for him
During his four years at MCM, he thought of
quitting his stressful routine many times, but then he would remind himself why
he was there in the first place. One look at the moon from his hostel window was
all it would take to reincarnate his passion for aeronautics, and it would
strengthen him to endure the hardships all over again.
The day he graduated from Cadet
College had been a proud moment for him. He would never forget the beaming
faces of his parents and the many congratulations that flooded his way from all
directions as he held his degree with the utmost pride.
That summer Saud got himself enrolled in Space Summer School at the Institute of Space Technology. Those few weeks of his life had been like his dream come true. The workshops, the technical projects, and the astronomy night were all some of the best moments of his summer. Saud got to relish some good career advice as well. He wanted badly to become an astronaut and visit the moon.
He started BS in Mechanical and
Aeronautical Engineering at UET Taxila. Every day he spent hours in the library
reading literature on space science and astronomy and brooding about his
future. He applied for the training program for International students at NASA
as soon as he saw the advertisement. He also applied at SUPARCO, Pakistan Space
and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission for the Space research program and had
his fingers crossed. He hoped he would be shortlisted for the interviews and
pass his written test as well.
Saud saw himself perfect for the job.
He was 6 feet tall and well built. He had a good night vision and did not wear
glasses, although they were acceptable for astronauts and space scientists. He
had no history of any severe diseases. He was active and worked out every
morning. He was young, ambitious and ready to take risks. He had developed all these
habits since college and had a healthy 140/80 blood pressure. He did not suffer
from nausea or vomiting, and training had made him strong-minded and swift.
Weeks passed but nothing happened.
Then, one fine evening, another door opened for Saud. He was at his window with
his newly purchased telescope observing the surface of the moon. His father
came into his room, clutching the paper in his hands.
“Saud. Have you read today’s paper, boy?
’he asked, a spark in his eyes.
“No, dad.”
“Well then, you should have!” he
passed the newspaper to him, smiling. Saud read the column his father had
encircled with bright red. His mouth grew wide open and he couldn’t believe his
eyes as he read further. Collaborating with China National Space Administration
and NASA, the Pakistani government was offering BS students in several
Engineering programs an extensive four weeks course on Space Science and
Travel, and they would choose 10 lucky students to go to the moon by the end of
this year.
At T-minus zero seconds, the liftoff began
‘Saud counted down to one in his head
along with the countdown as he sat nervously in the Space shuttle with all
these experienced men. At T-minus 6 seconds, the main engines roared to life.
Saud could feel his intestines tying into the tightest knots. The man in front
of him grinned at him and gave him the thumbs up.
At T-minus 0 seconds, the liftoff began! Saud felt as though his insides were left behind on the Earth and he felt as light as a feather as the Spaceship rose higher and higher. In a while, Saud would land on the moon. The Moon! That little dot he so vividly remembered seeing from his window….’
“Son. Son?”
Saud was brought back to earth by his father’s voice.
“Yes?” he asked, still looking dazed.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Go, apply. Now!”
Saud gave his father a quick hug and incandescent,
sauntered gleefully towards his PC.
The Institute of Space and Planetary Astrophysics (ISPA), University of Karachi, on Monday installed a new 16-inch telescope at ISPA Observatory. The Chairman, Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), Major General Amer Nadeem and the KU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Khalid Mahmood Iraqi jointly inaugurate the project.
Inaugural Ceremony
An inaugural ceremony was also attended by the members SUPARCO and ISPA, Dean Faculty Sciences Professor Dr. Tabassum Mehboob, Dean Faculty Pharmacy Professor Dr. Raheela Ikram, faculty members of various departments, the Founding Director ISPA Professor Dr. Javed Qamar, students and field experts.
The up-gradation work, automation of dome and fixation of 16-inch diameter computerized Meade telescope, and renovation of the observatory building have been completed by SUPARCO. The project was completed with Rs6 million and it has the ability to keep records of 65, 000 astronomical objects while with the help of its ‘go-to technology’ certain astronomic object could be focus immediately.
The Chairman, Suparco, Maj General Amer Nadeem, said that once he took over the charge last year, this was one of the projects, which he thought needed to be done on priority. “We took up several steps and eventually we completed the task and now jointly inaugurated the project.”
An inaugural ceremony was also attended by the members SUPARCO and ISPA, Dean Faculty Sciences Professor Dr. Tabassum Mehboob, Dean Faculty Pharmacy Professor Dr. Raheela Ikram, faculty members of various departments, and the Founding Director ISPA Professor Dr. Javed Qamar
Maj General Amer Nadeem shared that in his opinion, the research work would be as good as the equipment which is available for students and faculty and therefore with the installation and commissioning of this telescope quality of research at ISPA would further increase.
“Suparco will continue to assist ISPA and other departments of the University of Karachi. We can further support research work in the domain in space sciences and other fields which then eventually contributes to the space program.”
Meanwhile,
the KU VC Professor Dr Khalid Iraqi, while expressing his gratitude to the
Chairman of Suparco, Major General Amer Nadeem, member of Suparco Amir Iqbal
for participating in the inauguration ceremony of the installation of this new
telescope at ISPA observatory, said that he was grateful to Suparco for their
financial support to upgrade the existing ISPA Observatory.
“I am pleased to know that ISPA and SUPARCO are collaborating for promoting space science education. We would like to see ISPA reaching new heights in the upcoming future.”
Chairman SUPARCO Maj Gen Amir Nadeem presenting a shield to Pro Dr. Khalid Mehmood in inaugural ceremony
He expressed that development in space research during the past decades has been responsible to bring about revolutionary concepts and advances in long-distance reliable communications, remote sensing of earth’s resources and environment, planetary science, astronomy, and cosmology.
He
shared that ISPA is providing education of space science to undergraduate
students and conducting research programs for the graduates.
The KU VC Professor Dr. Khalid Iraqi mentioned that up-gradation of the Observatory is a notable achievement of ISPA. This new telescope having 16-inch diameter will provide an excellent opportunity for our students and faculty members for observing astronomical events and carrying out research in the field of Observational Astronomy.
Earlier, the Director ISPA Professor Dr. Muhammad Jawed Iqbal informed the audience that SUPARCO and ISPA signed the MOU for upgrading the existing astronomical observatory with a larger modern telescope in comparison with the existing one.
“We can observe planets of our solar system including Mars, Saturn, moons of Jupiter and astronomical events like the transit of Venus, eclipse Nebula like ring nebula, Orion nebula nearby Galaxies Andromeda Large Magellanic Cloud and Small Magellanic Cloud.”
He said that the main objective of this project is to undertake collaborative research studies and students projects between Suparco and ISPA. The upgraded astronomical observatory would also support space awareness and education programs for students, the general public and media.
He expressed that the automation of dome, fixation of 16 inch Meade telescope and renovation of the observatory building has been completed successfully while all costs associated with this project was provided by SUPARCO.
Professor Dr. Muhammad Jawed Iqbal mentioned that the former Chairman Suparco Maj Gen Bilal Ahmed had played a significant role in this project. We have signed MoU during his tenure and it was Maj General Bilal who had initiated collaboration of Suparco with ISPA.
The Director ISPA Dr. Jawed said that Maj General Bilal had appreciated the efforts of ISPA for promoting education and research in the fields of space science. He termed that the installation of this 16-inch telescope is a milestone for the University of Karachi.
He
told the participants that it is an optical telescope which is used to observe
light wave portion of the spectrum coming from the astronomical objects, while
a radio telescope studies portion of the electromagnetic spectrum emitted by
astronomical objects.
He added that ISPA is also planning to install a small radio telescope as Higher Education Commission release the grant of our approved project. He informed that one of his Ph.D. students is doing research on dark matter and ISPA has recently published an article on accelerated expansion of the universe in European journal of physics.
Later, the chief guest, Chairman Suparco Maj General Amer Nadeem and KU VC Professor Dr. Khalid Iraqi unveil the plaque and planted a sapling at the ISPA Observatory.
