Accidents in space:

I began by looking at some of the most famous disasters that are associated with space exploration, this was just again to gain a greater understanding of what has actually happened with human space flight and space exploration. What i found was space exploration is very dangerous and there are many events which lead to the death of astronauts. the most famous being the Challenger disaster where the shuttle disintegrated after 73 seconds of flight i feel this was the most famous as it happend infront of the eyes of the public broadcast all over the world.

1967

Jan. 27, Apollo 1: a fire aboard the space capsule on the ground at Cape Kennedy, Fla., killed astronauts Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger Chaffee.

April 23–24, Soyuz 1: Vladimir M. Komarov was killed when his craft crashed after its parachute lines, released at 23,000 ft for reentry, became snarled.

1971

June 6–30, Soyuz 11: 3 cosmonauts, Georgi T. Dolrovolsky, Vladislav N. Volkov, and Viktor I. Patsayev, found dead in the craft after its automatic landing. Apparent cause of death was loss of pressurization in the space craft during reentry into Earth's atmosphere.

1980

March 18, USSR: a Vostok rocket exploded on its launch pad while being refueled, killing 50 at the Plesetsk Space Center.

1986

Jan. 28, Challenger Space Shuttle: exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all 7 crew members. They were: Francis R. Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Judith A. Resnik, Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, Gregory B. Jarvis, and schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. A booster leak ignited the fuel, causing the explosion.

2003

Feb. 1, Columbia Space Shuttle: broke up on reentering Earth's atmosphere on its way to Kennedy Space Center, killing all 7 crew members. They were: Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, and the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon. Foam insulation fell from the shuttle during launch, damaging the left wing. On reentry, hot gases entered the wing, leading to the disintegration of the shuttle.


Indepth Research into Disasters:

Columbia space shuttle 2003 (NASA)

The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members, shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107. The loss of Columbia was a result of damage sustained during launch when a piece of foam insulation the size of a small briefcase broke off the Space Shuttle external tank (the main propellant tank) under the aerodynamic forces of launch. The debris struck the leading edge of the left wing, damaging the Shuttle's thermal protection system (TPS), which protects it from heat generated with the atmosphere during re-entry. While Columbia was still in orbit, some engineers suspected damage, but NASA managers limited the investigation, on the grounds that little could be done even if problems were found.

Soyuz 1967 USSR

launched into orbit on April 23, 1967 carrying cosmonaut Colonel Vladimir Komarov, Soyuz 1 was the first flight of the Soviet Soyuz program. His one-day mission had been plagued by a series of mishaps with the new type of spacecraft. Problems began shortly after launch when one solar panel failed to unfold, leading to a shortage of power for the spacecraft's systems. Further problems with the orientation detectors complicated maneuvering the craft. By orbit 13, the automatic stabilization system was completely dead, and the manual system was only partially effective. This culminated in the capsule's parachute not opening properly after atmospheric re-entry. Komarov was killed when the capsule hit the ground. In the photograph below you can see what was left of his "body".

Space shuttle Challenger: 1986 USA

he Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida, United States, at 11:39 a.m. EST. Disintegration of the entire vehicle began after an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster (SRB) failed at liftoff. The O-ring failure caused a breach in the SRB joint it sealed, allowing pressurized hot gas from within the solid rocket motor to reach the outside and impinge upon the adjacent SRB attachment hardware and external fuel tank. This led to the separation of the right-hand SRB's aft attachment and the structural failure of the external tank. Aerodynamic forces promptly broke up the orbiter.

Soyuz 11 1971 USSR

Soyuz 11 was the first successful visit to the world's first space station, Salyut 1. However the mission ended in disaster when the crew capsule depressurised during preparations for re-entry, killing the three-man crew. This accident resulted in the only deaths to occur in space (as opposed to high atmosphere). The crew members aboard Soyuz 11 were Vladislav Volkov, Georgi Dobrovolski and Viktor Patsayev. On June 30, 1971, after an apparently normal re-entry of the capsule of the Soyuz 11 mission, the recovery team opened the capsule to find the crew dead. It quickly became apparent that they had been asphyxiated. The fault was traced to a breathing ventilation valve, located between the orbital module and the descent module, that had been jolted open as the descent module separated from the service module, 723 seconds after retrofire.

Apollo Soyuz test project 1975 Usa USSR 

During final descent and parachute deployment for the Apollo Soyuz Test Project Command Module, the U.S. crew were exposed to 300 µL/L of toxic nitrogen tetroxide gas (RCS fuel) venting from the spacecraft and reentering a cabin air intake. A switch was left in the wrong position. 400µL/L is fatal. Vance Brand's heart stopped and was narrowly resuscitated. The crew members suffered from burning sensations of their eyes, faces, noses, throats and lungs. Thomas Stafford quickly broke out emergency oxygen masks and put one on Brand and gave one to Deke Slayton. The crew were exposed to the toxic gas from 24,000 ft (7.3 km) down to landing. About an hour after landing the crew developed chemical-induced pneumonia and their lungs had edema. They experienced shortness of breath and were hospitalized in Hawaii. The crew spent two weeks in the hospital. By July 30, their chest X-rays appeared to return to normal.

The Nedelin catastrophe (so-called because Marshal Mitrofan Nedelin was killed) was a launch pad accident that occurred on 24 October 1960, at Baikonur Cosmodrome during the development of the Soviet R-16 ICBM. As a prototype of the missile was being prepared for a test flight, it exploded on the launch pad when its second stage motors ignited prematurely, killing many military personnel, engineers, and technicians working on the project. The official death toll was 90, but estimates are as high as 150, with 120 being the generally accepted figure. Despite the magnitude of the disaster, news of it was covered up for many years and the Soviet government did not acknowledge the event until 1989. Strategic Rocket Forces Marshal Mitrofan Nedelin, the commander of the R-16 development program, was among those killed in the explosion and fire.

On August 22, 2003, at 13:30 (local time) an explosion destroyed a Brazilian Space Agency VLS-1 (VLS-1 V03) rocket as it stood on its launch pad at the Alcântara Launching Center in the state of Maranhão in northern Brazil. Twenty-one people, standing on the launch pad, died when one of the rocket's four first stage motors ignited accidentally. The explosion caused a fire in the nearby jungle brush, and produced a large cloud of smoke that was visible for large distances. This was the third major attempt by Brazil to launch a rocket of the country's own design. The explosion leveled the rocket's launch pad, reducing a 10-story high structure to a pile of twisted metal. Dozens of kilometers away, residents of the city of São Luís were able to hear the blast. The rocket had been scheduled to launch in just a few days' time and had two satellites onboard when the explosion occurred.

Michael J. Adams died while piloting a North American X-15 rocket plane. Major Adams was a U.S. Air Force pilot in the NASA/USAF X-15 program. During X-15 Flight 191, his seventh flight, the plane first had an electrical problem and then developed control problems at the apogee of its flight. The pilot may also have become disoriented. During re-entry from a 266,000 ft (50.4 mile, 81.1 km) apogee, the X-15 yawed sideways out of control and went into a spin at a speed of Mach 5, from which the pilot never recovered. Excessive acceleration led to the X-15 breaking up in flight at about 65,000 feet. Adams was posthumously awarded astronaut wings as his flight had passed an altitude of 50 miles (80.5 km) (the U.S. definition of space).

A Black Hole

I have decided to follow on from my research into planets and stars ect and thought about looking into Black holes as it is something i knew nothing about, And feel that if i look into the subject it could not only inform me but also could prove to be something i am intrigued by.

However i found the initial research into the topic very interesting however when moving on into further detail i found myself very confused. and i don't feel that looking into this subject further would benifit me at all.

What Is a Black Hole?

09.30.08

An artist's drawing shows a large black hole pulling gas away from a nearby star. Image Credit: NASA E/PO, Sonoma State University, Aurore SimonnetView Larger Image   →

A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can happen when a star is dying.

Because no light can get out, people can't see black holes. They are invisible. Space telescopes with special tools can help find black holes. The special tools can see how stars that are very close to black holes act differently than other stars. 

How Big Are Black Holes?

Black holes can be big or small. Scientists think the smallest black holes are as small as just one atom. These black holes are very tiny but have the mass of a large mountain. Mass is the amount of matter, or "stuff," in an object.

Another kind of black hole is called "stellar." Its mass can be up to 20 times more than the mass of the sun. There may be many, many stellar mass black holes in Earth's galaxy. Earth's galaxy is called the Milky Way.

An artist's drawing shows the current view of the Milky Way galaxy. Scientific evidence shows that in the middle of the Milky Way is a supermassive black hole. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechView Larger Image

The largest black holes are called "supermassive." These black holes have masses that are more than 1 million suns together. Scientists have found proof that every large galaxy contains a supermassive black hole at its center. The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy is called Sagittarius A. It has a mass equal to about 4 million suns and would fit inside a very large ball that could hold a few million Earths.How Do Black Holes Form?

Scientists think the smallest black holes formed when the universe began.

Stellar black holes are made when the center of a very big star falls in upon itself, or collapses. When this happens, it causes a supernova. A supernova is an exploding star that blasts part of the star into space.

Scientists think supermassive black holes were made at the same time as the galaxy they are in.

This image of the center of the Milky Way galaxy was taken by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Image Credit: NASA/CXC/MIT/F.K. Baganoff et al.View Larger Image   →

If Black Holes Are "Black," How Do Scientists Know They Are There?

A black hole can not be seen because strong gravity pulls all of the light into the middle of the black hole. But scientists can see how the strong gravity affects the stars and gas around the black hole. Scientists can study stars to find out if they are flying around, or orbiting, a black hole.

When a black hole and a star are close together, high-energy light is made. This kind of light can not be seen with human eyes. Scientists use satellites and telescopes in space to see the high-energy light.Could a Black Hole Destroy Earth?

Black holes do not go around in space eating stars, moons and planets. Earth will not fall into a black hole because no black hole is close enough to the solar system for Earth to do that.

This artist's drawing shows a supermassive black hole in the center of a galaxy. The black hole is surrounded by a cloud of material that is spiraling into it. Image Credit: NASA E/PO, Sonoma State University, Aurore SimonnetView Larger Image   →

Even if a black hole the same mass as the sun were to take the place of the sun, Earth still would not fall in. The black hole would have the same gravity as the sun. Earth and the other planets would orbit the black hole as they orbit the sun now.

The sun will never turn into a black hole. The sun is not a big enough star to make a black hole.How Is NASA Studying Black Holes?

NASA is using satellites and telescopes that are traveling in space to learn more about black holes. These spacecraft help scientists answer questions about the universe. 

Stars and how there made:

Moving on from research into planets i decided to look at stars as they are the objects mostly visable to the human eye.

It takes millions of years for molecules of Hydrogen, floating around in space, to come together in sufficient mass to eventually coalesce into a protostar (the first stage). This generally requires some event, such as collision with another nebula, the shockwave from a supernova, or the wake of a black hole, to give it the nudge to allow gravity to collapse the gas into a protostar. 

That's only the beginning. Another 100,000 years to million years later, when the protostar has gained sufficient mass, it becomes a very hot ball of gas called a T Tauri star. It still doesn't have enough mass, and hence pressure, to begin internal nuclear fusion, even though it can appear as bright as a regular star. 

It takes another 100 million years (depending on the mass--less time for larger stars) to collapse the T Tauri to the point where it's core can begin nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion occurs when protons of hydrogen combine with neutrons to form helium nuclei (alpha particles). This occurs in the core of the star, where the temperature is in the millions of degrees, and the pressure is extremely high. This is the point at which one may say a star is 'born'.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_are_stars_made#ixzz25EyXXYgj

Life in Space

I have decided to look at how life is in space and what is possible;
I decided to look into life in space to see how much it has developed and how close it is to life on earth
i found that a lot of the functions that we do during the day is possible in space just slightly altered.

What do they eat:

At the beginning of the 1960's, space food was bite-sized or placed in aluminum tubes. The food was prepared this way so that they wouldn't be too heavy or take up too much space. From the 1970's, during the Apollo period, the number of space food items began to increase. Currently, there are about 150 different types of food. The meals are very similar to the meals we eat on Earth.

Space foods are in plastic containers. Some space foods can resume their consistency by adding cold or hot water, while others can be heated up in the oven. Foods such as fruits, bread and nuts can be eaten just as they are. When drinking liquids, a straw is used to suck the liquid out of a sealed package. This is done so that it will not spill or possibly cause any damage to machines.

At the International Space Station, 300 different types of food are planned to be on the menu.

What do they wear:

Inside the Space Shuttle, the air pressure is kept at 1 atmosphere, which is the same level as on earth. The temperature and humidity are controlled, so that, the astronauts can live comfortably. Therefore, except for the orange flight suits that are worn during launch and reentry, the astronauts do not need any special clothes. The astronauts dress in the same manner that we on Earth do.

The astronauts are unable to do their laundry inside the Space Shuttle. So, the astronauts bring several sets of underwear to change everyday. They also bring extra cotton shirts and pants.

When the astronauts venture outside the space shuttle to work in space, they wear spacesuits. These spacesuits are high performance suits with various functions that are designed to protect the astronauts from an environment that is too harsh for a human being to live under, such as space radiation and the vacuum of space.

Hygiene:

Since water does not flow in a zero-gravity environment, the astronauts cannot wash their hands under a faucet as you do on Earth. So, there are no sinks or showers inside the space shuttle.

When the astronauts want to clean their hands or faces, they either wipe themselves clean with alcohol or by using a wet towel containing liquid soap. When the astronauts wash their hair, they use waterless shampoo, which does not need any water for rinsing. Waterless shampoo is used since it has no foam, which could spatter inside the Space Shuttle. After washing, they use dry towels to dry themselves off and their washing is done. To clean the body, they simply wipe their body by using a wet towel soaked with body shampoo.

Inside the Space Shuttle, there are no wash basins or showers, but the Shuttles do have toilets. The toilet facility is 1 meter by 1 meter large. Both men and women use the same toilet.

The toilet looks similar to a western style toilet that we use on Earth. However, there is a slight difference. The astronauts fasten their bodies to the toilet, so that, they won't float away. They then use a vacuum-cleaner-like machine to suck up the wastes. The wastes are then vacuum-dried.

A curtain, not a door, partitions the toilet space. So, you may imagine the sounds from inside the toilet space could be heard outside. However, in the Shuttle, it is quite noisy. The sounds from the air conditioning fan, motors, and other noises are so loud that when you use the toilet, the sounds from inside the toilet space cannot be heard outside.

In order to sit correctly on the 10 cm suction toilet opening, since their bodies will be floating in the air, the astronauts use a training device that's equipped with a camera.

As people live there, it becomes messy after meals and there's also garbage to be disposed of.

Between their duties, the astronauts clean the meal area, change the air purification system's filters, collect the garbage, and clean the walls and floors. They use liquid detergent, disposable plastic gloves, multi-purpose wiping cloths and a vacuum cleaner for cleaning.

To clean, they spray the detergent, wipe with the cloth, and vacuum the dust. When using the detergent, they wear disposable gloves. Collected garbage and used gloves are brought back to Earth.

Sleeping:

In the zero-gravity world, there are no "ups" or "downs". The astronauts can sleep anywhere facing any direction. But it's not good to be floating away somewhere while sleeping. So the astronauts use small sleeping compartments and sleeping bags. They will strap their bodies loosely so that their bodies will not float around while they sleep in the Space Shuttle.

Eye masks and earplugs are also available for the astronauts who are unable to sleep due to the noise from air conditioning and other machines.

The astronaut's sleeping cycle, while in the Space Shuttle, allocates eight hours for sleeping. However, in most cases, they will sleep for around 6 hours, since they often work long hours or they'll spend their time enjoying the view of the outside from the Shuttle's window.

Exercise

On Earth, except while sleeping, human beings are always moving against the force of gravity, with their muscles and bones supporting their body. In space, however, the body does not need to do this supporting work, since there is no force of gravity. This has an adverse effect on the body with the bones and muscles becoming weaker.

In order to keep the body working, the astronauts need a proper amount of exercise. They will exercise approximately two hours every day using exercise machines, such as treadmills and ergometers.

The treadmill is a machine on which, the astronauts do running exercises with their bodies strapped to it. The Ergometer is a machine similar to a bicycle without wheels. The amount of exercise can be adjusted by changing the pedal's pressure.

Health and safety

Each astronaut in the Space Shuttle has a specific assigned role, and as such, each has received intensive training required for that specialized task. For medical emergencies, the Crew Medical Officer is the person in charge.

The Medical Officer is trai3ned not only for the usual first-aid treatments, but also for other medical matters such as, stitching up wounds and giving injections. All astronauts are trained for emergency resuscitations in case of heart attacks.

Many medical instruments and medicine are included in the Space Shuttle's medical kit. These kits are used to treat minor illness and injuries during the flights. In addition, these kits are also used to stabilize the patientÍs condition during the flight back to Earth.

 Entertainment:

The astronauts can bring some of their own belongings with them. They can spend their leisure time in the same way that they would on Earth by reading their favorite books, listening to music, etc..

Also, since the Earth and stars that they're able to see from the Space Shuttle's windows are so beautiful, the astronauts will spend their time by enjoying the view and taking pictures.

In the International Space Station, they can watch DVD movies and, once a week, they're able to talk with their families.

Real or Fake

After speaking to peers i was directed in the direction of space exploration conspiracies, i looked into the most famous and well known conspiracies.

and looked at both views and opinions this gave me a large amount of material to look into this allowed me to inform myself on the opinions of the public.

Flags Wave

Photograph courtesy NASA

Forty years after U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon, many conspiracy theorists still insist the Apollo 11 moon landingwas an elaborate hoax. Examine the photographic evidence, and find out why experts say some of the most common claims simply don't hold water.You can tell Apollo was faked because ... the American flag appears to be flapping as if "in a breeze" in videos and photographs supposedly taken from the airless lunar surface.The fact of the matter is ... "the video you see where the flag's moving is because the astronaut just placed it there, and the inertia from when they let go kept it moving," said spaceflight historian Roger Launius, of the Smithsonian'sNational Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

The astronauts also accidentally bent the horizontal rods holding the flag in place several times, creating the appearance of a rippling flag in photographs (Apollo 11 moon-landing pictures). 

No Photographers

Photograph courtesy NASA

Neil Armstrong and the Eagle lunar lander are reflected in Buzz Aldrin's visor in one of the most famous images taken during the July 1969 moon landing.You can tell Apollo was faked because ... only two astronauts walked on the moon at a time, yet in photographs such as this one where both are visible, there is no sign of a camera. So who took the picture?The fact of the matter is ... the cameras were mounted to the astronauts' chests, said astronomer Phil Plait, author of the award-winning blog Bad Astronomy and president of the James Randi Educational Foundation.

In the picture above, Plait notes, "you can see [Neil's] arms are sort of at his chest. That's where the camera is. He wasn't holding it up to his visor." 

No Stars Visible

Photograph courtesy NASA

"My God, it's full of stars!" Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 character Dave Bowman famously exclaimed when faced with the vastness of space.You can tell Apollo was faked because ... the astronauts made no such exclamation while on the moon, and the black backgrounds of their photographs are curiously devoid of stars. (See more iconic space pictures.)The fact of the matter is ... the moon's surface reflects sunlight, and that glare would have made stars difficult to see. Also, the astronauts photographed their lunar adventures using fast exposure settings, which would have limited incoming background light.

"They were taking pictures at 1/150th or 1/250th of a second," Bad Astronomy's Plait said. "In that amount of time, stars just don't show up."

No Landing Crater

Photograph courtesy NASA

The lunar lander known as the Eagle rests peacefully on the moon's surface in a picture taken mere hours after the July 20, 1969, moon landing.You can tell Apollo was faked because ... the module is shown sitting on relatively flat, undisturbed soil. According to skeptics, the lander's descent should have been accompanied by a large dust cloud and would have formed a noticeable crater. (Explore an interactive moon map.)The fact of the matter is ... the lander's engines were throttled back just before landing, and it did not hover long enough to form a crater or kick up much dust, the Smithsonian's Launius said.

"Science fiction movies depict this big jet of fire coming out as [spacecraft] land, but that's not how they did it on the moon," he added. "That's not the way they would do it now or anytime in the future."

Lighting Varies

Photograph courtesy NASA

A moon-landing picture shows astronaut Buzz Aldrin standing on the footpad of the Eagle's ladder, his bent knees suggesting that he's about to jump up to the next rung. (Read "Buzz Aldrin, First Man (to Pee) on the Moon, Sounds Off.") 

You can tell Apollo was faked because ... Aldrin is seen in the shadow of the lander, yet he is clearly visible. Hoax subscribers say that many shadows look strange in Apollo pictures. Some shadows don't appear to be parallel with each other, and some objects in shadow appear well lit, hinting that light was coming from multiple sources—suspiciously like studio cameras. 

The fact of the matter is ... there were multiple light sources, Launius said. "You've got the sun, the Earth's reflected light, light reflecting off the lunar module, the spacesuits, and also the lunar surface." 

It's also important to note that the lunar surface is not flat, he added. "If an object is in a dip, you're going to get a different shadow compared to an object next to it that is on a level surface."

Footprints Too Clear

Photograph courtesy NASA

The contrasted lines of a bootprint appear as Buzz Aldrin lifts his foot to record an image for studying the moon's soil properties. Apollo pictures show scores of clear bootprints left behind as the astronauts traipsed across the moon. (Find out more about moon exploration.)You can tell Apollo was faked because ... the astronauts' prints are a bit tooclear for being made on a bone-dry world. Prints that well defined could only have been made in wet sand.The fact of the matter is ... that's nonsense, said Bad Astronomy's Plait. Moon dust, or regolith, is "like a finely ground powder. When you look at it under a microscope, it almost looks like volcanic ash. So when you step on it, it can compress very easily into the shape of a boot." And those shapes could stay pristine for a long while thanks to the airless vacuum on the moon. 

No Leftovers

Photograph courtesy NASA

When Armstrong and Aldrin took off from the moon in July 1969, they left behind part of the Eagle, the U.S. flag, and several other instruments and mementos, including the seismometer Aldrin is adjusting in the above picture.You can tell Apollo was faked because ... with instruments such as the Hubble Space Telescope capable of peering into the distant recesses of the universe, surely scientists should be able to see the various objects still on the moon. But no such pictures of these objects exist.The fact of the matter is ... no telescope on Earth or in space has that kind of resolving power. "You can calculate this," Plait said. "Even with the biggest telescope on Earth, the smallest thing you can see on the surface of moon is something bigger than a house."

Strange Lights

Photograph courtesy NASA

Strange patterns of light partially obscure the upper left part of a picture of Buzz Aldrin setting up a foil sheet for collecting solar particles near the Eagle.
You can tell Apollo was faked because ... those mysterious reflections come from studio lights on a production set.The fact of the matter is ... it's highly unlikely NASA would make such an obvious blunder if they had spent millions of dollars to fake the moon landing, Plait said.

"Okay, let's take a step back. NASA's going to release a picture showing studio lights? Hello!" The odd lights in the picture are simply lens flares," he said. "There's a big fat pentagonal one right in the middle that is from the aperture of the camera itself."