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Reflections from an astronautThe Microsystem Festival 2014

Christer FuglesangESA Astronaut; Prof. KTH

Jönköping, 26/2/2014

A long, long time ago - some “Early Preparations”

Happy student at KTH, Stockholm 1975-81 Ph.D. at SU 1988

Content sailor on the Atlantic

Born, grew up in

Stockholm, Sweden

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Particle physicist at CERN, Geneva 1988-1991

ATLAS LHC

SwedishNewspaperJune 1990

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Medical tests, special tests, physical tests,

psychological tests, interviews,...

Paris, 15 May 1992

6 new

ESA astronauts

European Astronaut Centre, Cologne, Germany

June’92-July’93

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Star City, Russia

1993-1996

Baikonur, Kazakhstan

1 September 1995

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Johnson Space

Center,

Houston, Texas

Augusti 1996 –

April 2010

”The Sardines” - NASA astronaut group XVI, 1996

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Feb 2002: Finally assigned!

The STS-116 Crew (in 2005)

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As of Nov 2009 How to build a space staion

80 m lång; 108 m bred; 400 ton massa80 m long; 108 m wide; 450 ton mass

Neutral Boyuancy Laboratory, 2002-2006

In the water

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T-38

In the air

Cape Canaveral, Florida, Dec 4, 2006

…och 5 days later:

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”Travel picture of the year 2006”

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Ready to go again: STS-128 crew heading to the launch pad 28/8 2009

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ISS - the International Space Station

Power: 80 kW Normal atmosphere Crew: 6

Orbit: 350-400 km altitude / 51.6º inclination (how far is the moon?!)

First part launched 1998

Permanently manned since November 2000

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The International Space Station is a fantastic, unique lab, with views up to space, down on Earth

and WEIGHTLESSNESS

On EarthOn Earth In Space (µG)In Space (µG)

The weightlessness at ISS is used for experiments in physics, medicine, biology, technology...

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human spaceflight

Astronaut = guinea pig

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”Space Survivors”Cyanobacteri

LichensTardigradesPlant seeds

Human spaceflight

ESA Presentation | EUB # 10 | 30 – 31 Jan. 2012 | HSO-U | Slide 28

ESRANGE, Kiruna

Material ScienceIn-situ Solidification

- New lightweight TiAlturbine blades for jet engines and gas

-New NiAl catalytic powders for hydrogen fuel cells and other chemical processes

Ground Space

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human spaceflight

Technology Demonstrations

Ships’ positions during 24 h, 29-6-2010

NORAIS (Norwegian Automatic Identification

System)

Developing a global satellite-based shipping control system

When you fly in space….

mostly you see Earth in blue and white

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…but the Earth is green also…

Uruguay river flowing into Rio de la Plata

…and then changing to red

Mount Arkenu, Libya

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Or yellow-brown

Sajama (Bolivia) and Lauca (Chile) National Parks

Fascinating colors and shapes in the oceans

Elizabeth Reef, Tasman Sea

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Occasionally human constructions are recognizable

A reservoir in Cameroon, near the Mbam River

But night times there are thousands of dots of lights from cities

Southern Italy

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No borders are seen from space!

The Red Sea

The atmosphere looks so fragile!

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Space is ideal for studying weather,

climate and human influence

Space weatherSolar storms, magnetic storms, solar wind,…

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Auroras from ISS

Green light: Atomic O (557 nm) at 100-150 km altitude.

Red light: Atomic O (630 nm) at 300-500 km altitude.

…and from Discovery, Dec 2006

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on ISS

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You CAN get younger in space – or rather: age slower

Important effects to correct for in GPS signals –otherwise position error would grow with ≈10 km/day!

• During my total 26.7 days I “gained” 0.75 ms from high velocity

• But I “lost” 0.08 ms from the gravitational field being 10% less! (“redshift” effect)

To live in space: Conserve your resources and recycle as much as possible!

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Sleep

Hygiene

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Excercise

Food

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Potty training

WCS – Waste Collection System

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Free time

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Take photos!

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Galileo's first telescope

Space has always inspired people– to inventions, exploration and challenges

and it will continue do so because

Space is unlimited – Towards new Worlds!

human spaceflightKids bookswith Fri Tanke publishing co.

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Everyone wants to go to space, right?!

Space Entrepeneurs- aim for the stars

Elon Musk: ”Henry Ford of space travel”

Virgin Galactic: Burt Rutan &Richard Branson

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Orion and Space Launch System (SLS)

NASA’s next space vehicle and rocket

Falcon Heavy(SpaceX)

Dream Chaser(Sierra Nevada)

More American dreams

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Apollo 17, December 1972

Back to the Moon!2020:ies

TOGETHER!

To stay and build a research station

Apollo 17, December 1972

AND THEN…TO MARS!

CURIOSITY

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…AND NEW WORLDS IN A DISTANT FUTURE.

THANK YOU FOR THE ATTENTION!

And let’s stay healthy!P.S. The Moon is

384.000 km away!

Total log: 17.840.661 km