by Many of us grow up fascinated by space and the universe. The question of whether there is intelligent life out there is a constant concern among scientists and citizens alike.
But space research goes far beyond the search for life beyond earth – there are many different areas that students and researchers are investigating, from space weather and space law, to astronaut health and satellite communications.
At Northumbria University, Newcastle – which is developing NESST, the new £50m North East Space Skills and Technology Center – academics are working on a range of projects that could revolutionize our understanding of space.
For many people, their only experience of space weather is seeing the spectacular phenomenon of the aurora borealis, more commonly known as the northern lights. “The northern lights are part of space weather,” says Clare Watt, professor of space plasma physics. “When there is a storm or a significant disturbance in space, the aurora lights up.”
Space weather forecasts can help experts predict when and where the northern lights will be particularly bright, so tourists who have traveled to, say, Iceland or northern Norway don’t miss out. Recently, of course, the northern lights have been seen across the UK and many other parts of Europe, causing much excitement.
What is less well known is that space weather – such as solar flares or storms – can have a huge impact on our technological infrastructure and even our health and well-being. It can damage satellites or increase radiation that harms aircrews and astronauts. Watt, one of Northumbria’s leading researchers in this field, has worked closely with organizations such as the Met Office to examine the impact of space weather on Earth.
“Before I studied space I thought there was nothing,” says Watt. “But there’s very little matter, it’s so energetic that it’s a danger to satellites and anything electronics. So space weather is about trying to analyze conditions in space in order to be able to predict them and give information to satellite operators.”
As we rely on satellites for banking, navigation, entertainment and more, the prospect of a storm in space knocking out our communications systems is a cause for concern. By conducting research to create better weather forecasts in space, the team can help satellite operators make more accurate predictions about where and when to move satellites, thereby helping to prevent damage to them and communications systems prevent others.
As well as improving space weather forecasts, Northumbria researchers are looking for new ways to allow satellites to transmit data. UK Space Agency funding is supporting the development of a new system that allows satellites to communicate with each other via lasers rather than radio frequencies. This will allow them to transmit data much faster and much more safely. Northumbria researchers are working towards launching the UK’s first university-led multi-satellite space mission to test their system next year, and hope to make it commercially available soon after.
Another area that Northumbria University experts are pursuing is research into technologies that can improve the health of astronauts. “We are directly involved in supporting astronauts,” says Nick Caplan, professor of aerospace medicine and rehabilitation at Northumbria University. “The biggest thing that happens to them in space is, defying gravity, they don’t have to use the muscles in their legs like they do on Earth to stand and move,” he says. “This means they lose muscle and bone mineral, which can affect them long after they return to Earth. So the question we’re interested in is: how do astronauts exercise in space to prevent these changes?”
The team is developing exercise equipment, including a variable gravity suspension system. And, after winning the 2023 Humans in Space Challenge, blood flow restriction training is now being explored for potential use by astronauts during spaceflight. Using a specialist technique, the team is working on ways to restrict blood flow to the exercising muscles to improve exercise efficiency, with the aim of maintaining astronauts’ strength while in space.
Importantly, the team’s research can also be used to improve people’s lives here on Earth, says Caplan. “For example, the postural muscles tend to become dysfunctional in astronauts in the same way we see in people with low back pain,” he says. “So if we can find something that works for astronauts, it might work for people with lower back pain on Earth as well.”
Another area of research at the university is space law, which governs what can be sent into space. “You can’t launch anything,” says Caroline Harper, head of space science at the UK Space Agency. “There are regulations in place that are flexible enough to support emerging technologies and new markets, while keeping safety at the forefront. We need to preserve space for future generations and the UK is at the forefront of this – we want to encourage positive behaviours, such as satellites that automatically de-orbit when their mission is over.”
The university is involved in assessing whether additional regulations are needed. “There are laws that the space industry must follow, but we have to ask if those laws are still relevant when the ways we use space are changing so much,” says Watt. “We have a team here at Northumbria Law School that looks at the way space is regulated to determine if space regulation needs critical updates.”
Northumbria University is working in partnership with the UK Space Agency and Lockheed Martin UK Space on its new NESST centre, which will bring industry and academia together to collaborate on technology developments and space research. It is expected to support the creation of more than 350 jobs and aims to help train the next generation of space scientists.
All this research has broad relevance to space. “We’re trying to understand more about the universe, starting with our own solar system and our nearest neighbor, the moon, and then all the other planets in our solar system,” says Harper. “We’re always innovating … What you end up with is technology that you can use in many applications in the world.”
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