Space Exploration
Convenor: Ian Diggory. Mob: 07876 591183
Click Space Exploration to send an email
Monthly Meetings: Hexham Golf Club, every 2nd Friday at 2pm.
The Space Exploration group brings together people interested in all aspects of space (and time). Our meetings explore the many mysteries of our Universe, from asteroids to aliens, from black holes to the Big Bang – and much more!
We usually have a couple of half-hour presentations, many of which provoke lively discussions. Talks are presented with lots of graphics and in a fun way so that everyone can appreciate the content. Talks range over the technologies of space exploration to presentations of what the science is telling us about space.
Should we be worried about what’s coming at us from space? If we identify a threat, can we do anything about it? What makes for a habitable planet? Typical questions we address in Group discussions after a talk when members give free rein to their knowledge and imagination!
Last year the Group advocated alternative homes for mankind to the Tynedale u3a membership; from floating in city sized balloons high in the atmosphere of Venus, to boating on hydrocarbon lakes on Saturn’s biggest moon Titan through to moving Earth into a Mars orbit!
Spectacular images from James Webb space telescope supported several talks, such as a discussion on the possibility of lifeforms on the 5,500 exoplanets that have been identified.
Closer to home we have been looking at the development of shoebox sized satellites (CubeSats) and how private capital is making Earth orbits more accessible and affordable. We discussed the practicalities of generating power in space and transmitting it to Earth to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
This year we have peered into black holes, looked at the issues of setting up a colony on Mars, examined the detection and interpretation of gravitational waves and asked if the Hubble Constant is really a constant? We are currently asking the question – where did all the elements come from?
From the Big Bang (what is the cosmic microwave background telling us) to the End of the Universe (will it be a big crunch, heat death, big freeze, big rip or big bounce)? Who knows - but these are topics we may well speculate on in 2024.
Join us to find out more.