Welcome to The Deep science and technology column where we cover topics from the deep sea to deep space and beyond.

My girlfriend went on a trip recently and brought me back a NASA T-shirt that says on the back “It’s not rocket science.  Oh wait, yes it is!”  And ultimately, despite the inescapable implications of nerdiness, NASA is all about rocket science.  Thanks to the recent launch of two spacecraft to study the Sun, NASA scientists are taking rocket science to new heights (pardon the pun!).

The STEREO spacecraft are twins and they recently completed a series of rocket science maneuvers to place them in their proper orbits.  And the really cool news is that NASA scientists used the Moon to do it. 

The purpose of the STEREO mission is to take 3-dimensional pictures of our Sun.  Since the Sun isn’t a solid body, the tops of its atmosphere change all the time and knowing about those changes will give us whole new insight into the nuclear bomb in our backyard. 

Now, in order to take 3-D pictures, you have to have two offset cameras and then you combine the images.  That’s how your eyes do it.  They both see the same picture but from slightly different angles.  People who only have one eye can’t be pilots; they have no depth perception because they can’t see in 3-D.

Now to observe the Sun, which is almost a MILLION miles across, you have to have a wide separation on your cameras and that’s the purpose of the STEREO mission.  When all the dust settles, one STEREO spacecraft will orbit in Earth’s orbit in front of the Earth and the other will orbit in Earth’s orbit behind the Earth.  The problem is getting them there.

Although we don’t think about it much, the spaceship we ride every day of our lives orbits the Sun at an incredible 66,000 mph.  Every rocket scientist on the planet must take this speed into account.  Your rocket must already travel in excess of 25,000 mph just to escape Earth’s gravity, which means that if you want to shoot directly for a position ahead of the Earth, your rocket must be traveling almost 100,000 mph., and even rocket scientists don’t have the oompah to do that.  So you don’t fire your rocket into Earth’s orbital path; you shoot for the Moon.  Huh?

The STEREO rocket scientists went for that old familiar orbital friend, gravity assist.  Both of STEREO’s identical spacecraft flew by the Moon last month.  STEREO's "A" observatory passed the Moon about 4,550 miles above its surface.  This close approach used lunar gravity to slingshot the spacecraft away from Earth and into its orbit "ahead" of Earth.  (Those of you who spent way too many hours on old pinball machines understand this concept much better than the rest of us.)

The "B" observatory passed approximately 7,300 miles above the lunar surface where gravity is slightly weaker.   This curved trajectory increased the probe’s speed and sent it hurtling back toward the Moon.  On 21 January the “B” spacecraft skimmed about 5,000 miles above the lunar surface and in the opposite direction of the "A" spacecraft.  This slung Observatory B into an orbit "behind" Earth (trailing Earth in the same orbit). 

The two observatories will orbit the sun from this perspective, separating slowly from each other until they are about 45 degrees apart, with Earth in the middle. This mirror-image positioning will allow the two STEREO spacecraft to take 3-D images and particle measurements of the Sun.  They will be in position to produce their first 3-D images of the Sun by April.  This, ladies and gentlemen, is rocket science at its finest. So . . . why do we want to see the Sun in 3-D anyway?  The short answer?  CME’s.

A mosaic of the extreme ultraviolet images from STEREO's Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope aboard the "A" observatory taken on 4 Dec. 2006.  These false color images show the sun's atmospheres at a range of different temperatures. (Credit: NASA/NRL)

CME’s or coronal mass ejections are giant clouds of plasma shot into space from the Sun's atmosphere at tremendous speeds.  This isn’t light or heat or x-rays, but enormous amounts of superheated matter.  CME’s are the largest explosions in the solar system; some of them have equaled the force of a billion megaton nuclear bomb.  When they collide with Earth at speeds approaching one million mph, CME’s can produce spectacular auroras and trigger severe magnetic storms.  The energetic particles associated with these storms can cause electrical power outages, (a convenient excuse for GPA) disrupt or damage communications satellites, and can be hazardous to astronauts.  The more you know about these boys, the better off you are.

Each STEREO observatory carries more than a dozen instruments.  When the data they return is combined with data from observatories on the ground or in space, it will allow scientists to track the buildup and liftoff of magnetic energy from the sun and the trajectory of Earth-bound coronal mass ejections in 3-D.

Imagine that.  Rocket science protecting your cell phone.  What will they think of next?
For more information about STEREO or to download additional images, visit stereo.jhuapl.edu or http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/gallery.shtml.

FROM THE DEEP OCEAN TO DEEP SPACE

And speaking of cell phones, although it didn’t get the press it deserved, there was an very interesting phone call made last week.  No, K-Fed didn’t call Brittany to apologize (and why would that be news, anyway?); Suni Williams talked to Tim Shank.  Not household names, you say?  Well, they should be.  They’re two of Earth’s finest extreme explorers.

Last Friday 26 January, NASA and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution hosted an ultra-long distance phone call between International Space Station astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams and marine biologist Tim Shank in the Alvin research submersible.

At the time, Williams was orbiting 220 miles overhead, and Shank was conducting research two miles below the ocean’s surface and they compared notes on science and exploration.  They also answered questions submitted by students and educators.

Sunita Williams, a Massachusetts native and commander in the U.S. Navy, served as a diver and helicopter pilot prior to being selected as an astronaut.  She was a member of a NASA crew in 2002 that lived underwater for nine days in the Aquarius habitat off the Florida coast.  She boarded the International Space Station on Dec. 11, 2006, as the flight engineer for the Expedition 14 crew, joining Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and fellow Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin.  Suni will spend six months on the complex.

Sunita Williams aboard the International Space Station

	Tim Shank is a marine biologist in the Woods Hole's Department of Biology, and he’s currently conducting research diving in the Alvin at the hydrothermal vent field on the East Pacific Rise.  He’s leading an NSF-funded research expedition as part of the RIDGE2000 program.
Tim Shank entering the Alvin submersible

The Alvin submersible	The International Space Station

Now here’s a question for you.  Don’t you think our kids would be a lot better off if they followed the exploits of Suni and Tim instead of the exploits of K-Fed and Brittany?  Why don’t you help them re-direct their interest by visiting the Deep Website at www.thedeepradioshow.com to learn more about science and the ocean and space?  We also have lots of links to help you get your children interested in science instead of alcohol and drug-crazed entertainers.  Enjoy!