This essay is the final phase of a mission observation proposal. “The content of this paper needs to be at least 8 pages (not including cover page, reference page or images), in APA format, and it should be double-spaced, with Times New Roman font size 12 and 1-inch margins (excluding work cited, tables, and figures). The in-text citations and reference page should be correctly formatted using APA style, along with a separate citations page at the end of the document. You should have a cover page with your name, date, proposal title, instructor name. You do NOT need an Abstract. In the content begin with including your final vision statement (this will count as your introduction) and then using the information from your outline, go into detail on each point. End your paper with a conclusion section that summarizes your proposal and how it will benefit the field of astronomy.” The outline you will be working with is:
This mission proposes to observe pulsars, the Vela Pulsar specifically. This is primarily to observe the pulsar’s environment created by supernova remnants in addition to its glitches, to speculate on what happens to pulsars as they age and slow down and the cause of their glitches, and to potentially clarify whether the pulsar’s glitches are related to/correlated with its timing noise. In short, a glitch refers to a sudden increase in the rate of stellar rotation of a pulsar. Exactly what causes these “glitches” is unknown and a subject of study for this mission. These observations will be done using an existing ground-based telescope in the radio spectrum at the Parkes Observatory, will begin in June of 2021, and will last for around a year at least. Using an existing ground-based telescope will go a long way in saving time and money where hundreds of millions of dollars would otherwise be spent building a ground or space telescope. Ultimately, this seeks to expand our knowledge of the environment in and around pulsars.
• I. This mission seeks to the Vela Pulsar. Through these observations, we may gain a greater understanding of pulsars in general, the environment they occupy, in addition to their “glitches” and what may cause them.
o A. The pulsar takes its name from the constellation it’s located within, called Vela, meaning “the sails.” This constellation was once part of a larger constellation called Argo Nevis, which was meant to represent the ship used by the Greek mythological hero, Jason, and his crewmen, the Argonauts, during their quest for the Golden Fleece. Thus, Vela represents its sails.
o B. It was first observed by Australian astronomers at the University of Sydney in 1968, who associated it with its respective supernova remnant. Through direct observational evidence, they established that supernovae form neutron stars.
o C. It is about 1,000 light years from Earth and is the brightest radio pulsar. It has an apparent magnitude of 23.6.
• II. No spacecraft or telescope will need to be built to observe the pulsar.
o A. This mission will be using an existing telescope, the CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope at the Parkes Observatory, located in Parkes, NSW, Australia. The observations will be done in the radio spectrum.
o B. “It’s one of four instruments that make up the Australia Telescope National Facility. With a diameter of 64 metres, Parkes is one of the largest single-dish telescopes in the southern hemisphere dedicated to astronomy. It started operating in 1961, but only its basic structure has remained unchanged. The surface, control system, focus cabin, receivers, computers, and cabling have all been upgraded – some parts many times – to keep the telescope at the cutting edge of radio astronomy. The telescope is now 10,000 times more sensitive than when it was first commissioned.” (“Parkes radio telescope,” n.d.)
o C. “Its large dish surface makes the Parkes telescope very sensitive and it is ideally suited to finding pulsars, rapidly spinning neutron stars the size of a small city. Half of the more than 2000 known pulsars have been found using the Parkes telescope.” (“Parkes radio telescope,” n.d.)
o D. The technology needed for these observations already exists.
• III. This mission will commence in June of 2021. The observations will last up to a year, at least.
• IV. Sarah Scoles, writing for Wired in her article “The Rebirth of Radio Astronomy,” cites the National Science Foundation in claiming that radio telescopes require up to $40 million per year in maintenance to operate. (Scoles, 2018) This mission will cost at least this much, though this is significantly cheaper than having to build a new spacecraft or facility.
The mission outline will be attached for easier viewing.
From here, the instructions are, “From the points covered in the outline, you will elaborate on all information and include the following research information stated below. It is fine to research other missions/telescopes and use them as examples. Keep your information in the same order as shown below. At the beginning of your paper place your Mission Statement. 1. What are you mainly interested in exploring or researching and state how it could advance our knowledge of our universe. Regarding the object you will be studying (observing) explain the following: How is your object different or the same as other objects that have been observed? For example, if you are studying red giant stars, what is something new that we don’t know about them, compare/contrast them to other types of stars, what is unique about them, what is their life-cycle? Where is your object(s) located? For example, if they are quasars, speak to how we can determine their distance and age? How have we determined how far away it is? If it is a galaxy, speak to its formation and evolution compared to other galaxies. Have any studies about dark matter or energy been done in relation to it? 2. Based on what you want to study, will there need to be a spacecraft/telescope built? If a spacecraft is involved, define the type of instruments it will carry and technology used. Speak to how the types of missions differ. For example, where you will place it in space, e.g. orbiting a certain point in space? Speak to the specific types of instruments you will employ on your craft and how they will help you accomplish your objective(s). Looking at other missions for examples will help you come up with ideas. Include what part of the spectrum you will be viewing in and how that will give you different information from other parts of the spectrum. If it is a telescope, speak to if it will be built and what type (spectrum) it will be. If you are using an existing telescope, which one and what part of the spectrum will you be observing in? Include what type of telescope you are using (e.g. radio, optical, etc.), will you employ interferometry or other types of technology? Include what part of the spectrum you will be viewing in and how that will give you different information from other parts of the spectrum. What technology will you be using? Does it exist? Is someone currently developing it? For example, if it is a new kind of telescope, what kind of technical advances are being used to make it more powerful. Or if it is a spacecraft what technology is going to propel your craft to its destination? 3. Speak to how long you expect the mission/observations to last? If you are employing a craft and visiting an object, how long will it take? Based on the orbit of your object, when do you want to visit it and why? What technology will you use to propel your craft? If you are observing an object with a telescope, how long will your observations be? For example, if you are observing variable stars or gamma ray bursts, what will you base your observation length on? What observation techniques will you employ? 4.What might the general costs be? (This can be researched in detail later) For this you can compare your mission to others and make your best guess at the cost. Be sure to include your references used.”
Also attached will be an example “Twin Quasar mission proposal” to give a good idea of what the final product should look like.
