My presentation to the school about the launch of the Prinicipia Mission, and Tim Peake's science experiments aboard the ISS - with Notes

1. We’ve
got
some
something
quite
exci2ng
coming
up
on
the
15th
of
December,
don’t
we?
It’s
the
Infants
Na2vity
Play
next
week
Wednesday.
1

2. We’ve
been
learning
about
the
values
of
Peace
and
Hope,
and
The
Natvity
Play
will
be
telling
a
story
that
is
full
of
Peace
and
Hope.
2

3. The
birth
of
baby
Jesus
is
a
symbol
of
Hope
–
the
love
that
God
has
for
us
that
his
sent
his
own
son
to
live
with
us
on
Earth
and
teach
us.
3

4. And
the
3
Kings
are
a
symbol
of
peace,
that
great
rulers
from
all
over
the
world
came
to
worship
Jesus
together,
all
of
us
sharing
God’s
love
in
Peace
and
Harmony.
4

5. But
the
reason
that
I’m
visi2ng
you
today,
is
because
something
else
very
exci2ng
is
happening
on
December
15th
–
and
it
is
also
a
symbol
of
Hope
and
Peace
here
on
Earth.
And
also
in
Space!
This
picture
is
of
the
Soyuz
Rocket,
which
takes
Astronauts
up
to
the
Interna2onal
Space
Sta2on.
5

6. On
December
15th,
the
very
first
Bri2sh
Astronaut
is
going
up
into
Space.
His
name
is
Tim
Peake,
and
this
is
his
Mission
Badge.
His
Mission
is
called
Principia,
aYer
a
very
important
book
that
was
wriZen
by
the
great
Bri2sh
scien2st
Sir
Issac
Newton
–
in
this
book
he
described
very
important
laws
of
Physics
about
mo2on
and
gravity
–
things
we
had
never
understood
before.
6

7. If
you
look
really
carefully
at
his
mission
badge,
you
can
see
an
apple
–
which
is
a
reference
to
a
story
that
is
told
about
Isaac
Newton.
The
story
goes
that
he
was
inspired
to
think
about
the
laws
of
gravity
when
he
was
sing
under
an
apple
tree
and
an
apple
fell
on
head.
He
started
thinking
about
why
it
fell
to
the
ground,
and
what
would
happen
if
the
tree
was
much
much
taller
–
would
it
fall
the
same
speed
or
get
faster
as
it
fell?
You
can
also
see
Great
Britain
on
the
earth
below,
and
the
colours
of
the
Bri2sh
flag
around
the
side
of
the
Badge.
7

8. Here
is
Tim
Peake
holding
a
copy
of
“Philosophiæ
Naturalis
Principia
Mathema2ca”
(La2n
for
“Mathema2cal
Principles
of
Natural
Philosophy)
at
the
Royal
Society,
with
a
bust
of
Sir
Isaac
Newton.
8

9. Tim
Peake
is
going
to
live
and
work
for
6
months
on
the
Interna2onal
Space
Sta2on.
There
are
two
other
Astronauts
going
up
in
the
Soyuz
rocket
with
him.
They
will
be
joining
6
other
Astronauts
who
are
already
on
the
Space
sta2on.
9

10. The
reason
that
the
Interna2onal
Space
Sta2on
is
a
symbol
of
Peace,
is
because
it
is
possible
thanks
to
many
countries
around
the
world
working
together,
as
one
Human
Race
exploring
space
and
doing
Science
together.
So
far
there
have
220
people
aboard
the
Space
Sta2on
in
total,
and
these
are
the
countries
that
they
have
come
from.
The
Bri2sh
flag
is
going
to
be
on
this
picture
next
week!
10

11. These
are
all
of
the
countries
in
the
world
who
have
helped
to
build
the
Space
Sta2on
and
it’s
Science
Equipment
–
it’s
a
preZy
big
partnership,
with
people
working
together
from
all
over
the
world.
11

12. And
the
Astronauts
are
very
proud
of
all
of
the
countries
that
they
come
from,
and
they
decorate
the
inside
of
the
Space
Sta2on
with
their
flags
and
their
Mission
Badges
–
another
great
symbol
of
Peace
and
all
people
working
together
in
harmony.
12

13. Airway
Monitoring:
As
we
breathe
in
and
out
we
release
some
nitric
oxide
molecules
in
our
breath.
We
know
that
the
amount
of
nitric
oxide
exhaled
can
be
an
indica2on
of
inflamma2on
in
the
lungs.
Doctors
on
Earth
are
measuring
the
amount
of
nitric
oxide
to
help
diagnose
asthma
and
other
diseases
of
the
lungs,
but
the
method
is
not
yet
fully
understood.
For
future
explora2on
of
our
Universe
space
physicians
are
always
looking
for
easier
ways
to
monitor
astronaut
health.
There
are
concerns
that
dust
that
could
be
dangerous
to
human
health
on
other
planets
or
our
Moon,
for
example.
Apollo
lunar
astronauts
said
that
the
Moon
dust
was
all-­‐invasive,
clinging
to
equipment,
clothes
and
geng
into
their
spacecraY.
To
test
nitric
oxide
monitoring
in
space
and
assess
its
value
as
a
diagnos2c
tool,
ESA
astronaut
Tim
Peake
and
other
astronauts
will
wear
a
portable
gasmask
that
analyses
the
molecule
as
he
breathes.
The
experiment
will
be
performed
at
normal
Space
Sta2on
pressure
but
also
at
a
half-­‐pressure
in
the
Quest
airlock
to
simulate
the
atmosphere
on
a
lunar
base.
This
is
the
first
2me
that
Quest
is
being
used
for
scien2fic
research,
its
main
purpose
un2l
now
being
for
spacewalks.
ESA
astronaut
Samantha
Cristofore
began
the
experiment
during
her
mission
in
2015.
13

14. Knee
Problems:
This
MRI
scan
shows
a
knee
joint
with
car2lage
covering
the
ar2cula2ng
joint
surfaces
to
help
the
bones
slide
smoothly.
Car2lage
responds
slowly
to
changes
in
joint
loading
because
it
does
not
have
any
blood
vessels,
lympha2c
system
or
nerves
to
feed
and
grow
2ssue,
so
nutrients
are
absorbed
slowly.
Everyday
loading
of
our
skeleton
is
important
to
keep
car2lage
healthy
because
the
mo2on
and
loading
of
the
joint
are
needed
to
get
nutrients
into
the
car2lage,
but
liZle
is
known
about
car2lage
in
bedridden
people
on
Earth.
To
find
out
more,
the
Ins2tute
of
Biomechanics
and
Orthopaedics
of
the
German
Sport
University
Cologne
in
Germany
is
studying
astronauts.
As
astronauts
float
in
space
for
up
to
six
months
their
legs
are
hardly
used
in
weightlessness.
The
researchers
are
analysing
biomarkers
in
up
to
10
astronauts
before
and
aYer
flight
to
chart
car2lage
metabolism,
thickness,
volume
and
water
content
in
knee
joints.
This
is
the
first
2me
such
a
study
is
being
done
on
healthy
people.
As
car2lage
responds
so
slowly,
a
similar
study
with
healthy
individuals
on
Earth
would
require
14

15. Space
Age
Metals:
On
Earth,
a
number
of
gravity-­‐driven
phenomena
oYen
lead
to
unwanted
effects
when
processing
materials.
Buoyancy,
convec2on
and
sedimenta2on
can
hamper
crea2ng
the
‘perfect’
alloy
or
compound.
To
improve
the
quality,
reliability
and
reproducibility
of
products
made
on
Earth,
European
scien2sts
are
experimen2ng
in
weightlessness.
Tim
will
use
the
Electromagne2c
Levitator
in
ESA’s
Columbus
laboratory.
This
furnace
can
heat
metals
to
2000°C
and
then
cool
them
rapidly.
Blacksmiths
have
been
using
this
technique
for
centuries
to
create
steel
tools
and
weapons
by
hea2ng,
hammering
and
quenching
in
water.
This
process
freezes
the
steel’s
structure
and
causes
it
to
be
hard
and
stay
sharp.
Understanding
the
underlying
physics
is
complicated
and
factors
such
as
gravity
and
the
mould
used
to
hold
the
metal
in
place
influence
the
process,
making
it
difficult
to
get
to
the
fundamentals.
Observing
liquid
metals
cooling
in
weightlessness
removes
the
complexity
to
reveal
the
core
process
of
physics.
The
Electromagne2c
Levitator
takes
things
a
step
further
and
suspends
the
metals
in
mid-­‐air
as
they
melt
and
solidify.
The
metals
can
be
heated
in
a
vacuum
or
in
a
gas.
A
high-­‐speed
camera
records
the
forging
and
sensors
record
the
temperature
and
other
variables.
The
metals
formed
are
retrieved
and
returned
to
Earth
for
further
analysis.
15

16. Tim
will
be
living
and
working
on
board
the
ISS
for
six
months.
During
this
2me
he
will
be
carrying
out
30
experiments
for
ESA.
These
include
research
into
materials,
and
inves2ga2ng
the
effects
of
space
travel
on
the
human
body.
The
ISS
is
an
excellent
place
for
this
research,
as
its
microgravity
environment
–
oYen
called
weightlessness
–
cannot
be
reproduced
on
Earth.
Conduc2ng
experiments
in
weightless
condi2ons
may
lead
to
breakthroughs
no-­‐one
can
yet
imagine!
(This
is
a
photo
of
Astronaut
Karen
Nyborg
doing
Science
Experimments
in
the
ISS
Lab)
16

17. The
RHS
Campaign
for
School
Gardening
has
partnered
with
the
UK
Space
Agency
to
embark
on
an
‘out
of
this
world’
educa2onal
project.
The
project,
Rocket
Science,
will
give
around
half
a
million
UK
children
the
chance
to
learn
how
science
in
space
contributes
to
our
knowledge
of
life
on
earth,
using
the
invaluable
exper2se
of
the
European
Space
Agency
(ESA)
and
RHS
Science
team.
Two
kilograms
of
rocket
seeds
will
shortly
take
off
from
Florida
bound
for
the
Interna2onal
Space
Sta2on
as
part
of
Bri2sh
ESA
astronaut
Tim
Peake’s
six-­‐month
Principia
mission.
AYer
several
months
on
board,
the
seeds
will
be
sent
back
and
will
land
in
the
Pacific
Ocean
in
the
spring
of
2016.
AYer
they
return
to
the
UK,
they
will
be
packaged
up
with
iden2cal
seeds
that
have
stayed
on
earth.
Par2cipa2ng
schools
will
each
receive
two
packets
of
100
seeds
to
grow
and
compare,
and
a
collec2on
of
fun
and
inspiring
curriculum
linked
teaching
resources
and
posters,
tailored
according
to
the
age
of
your
pupils
(Key
Stages
1
and
2
or
Key
Stages
3,4
and
5).
Using
these
resources,
we
want
pupils
of
all
ages
across
the
UK
to
embark
on
a
voyage
of
discovery
to
see
what
growing
plants
in
space
can
teach
us
about
life
on
Earth
and
whether
we
can
sustain
human
life
in
space
through
the
produc2on
of
our
17

18. Aside
from
the
lack
of
pressure
and
oxygen
in
the
vacuum
of
space,
temperatures
vary
drama2cally
because
there
is
no
atmosphere
to
protect
and
insulate
against
the
full
spectrum
of
the
Sun’s
rays.
Un2l
recently,
scien2sts
always
assumed
that
no
life
could
survive
in
these
condi2ons.
However,
ESA
research
has
found
life
that
can
survive
spaceflight.
Both
lichen
and
small
organisms
called
tardigrades
or
‘water
bears’
have
spent
months
outside
the
Interna2onal
Space
Sta2on
and
have
returned
to
Earth
alive
and
well.
This
research
has
far-­‐reaching
implica2ons:
life
can
travel
unprotected
through
the
Solar
System.
For
its
third
sor2e,
Expose
has
an
extra
type
of
accommoda2on:
by
adding
UV
filters
and
regula2ng
the
pressure
in
some
of
the
modules,
some
samples
are
being
subjected
to
Mars
and
Moon-­‐like
condi2ons.
How
will
these
chemicals
and
extremophiles
–
lifeforms
that
can
live
in
extreme
environments
–
fare
aYer
a
year
in
open
space?
18

19. Tim
is
now
in
Russia
doing
his
final
few
days
of
training,
and
will
be
in
quaran2ne
for
his
final
days
before
geng
into
the
Soyuz
Rocket
next
Wednesday.
19

20. And
is
luggage
has
already
been
delivered!
This
is
a
picture
of
the
space
sta2on
robo2c
arm
connec2ng
with
the
Cygnus
supply
ship,
that
carries
food
and
water
and
equipment
and
science
experiments
to
the
sta2on,
before
the
3
new
astronauts
arrive.
This
picture
was
taken
yesterday!
Aboard
are
the
AstroPi
computers
and
spare
parts
for
ESA's
Biolab
facility
among
many
other
cargo
items
–
over
3000
kg
worth
of
experiments
and
supplies.
20