Integrating Applications of Astronomy via Multidisciplinary Approach ©2017

Abstract

Challenges of integrating astronomical research into the general enterprise in multidisciplinary astronomy, the committee realized that the issue of integration was broader and generic to this intrinsically interdisciplinary subject—that is, astrophysics is but one of many disciplines that need to be brought to bear on multidisciplinary approach in astronomy. It decided to attempt to address some of these more generic issues of fostering a healthy interdisciplinary interaction among fields that are themselves so complex that they require a focused, reductive approach.

The committee has identified three factors that currently limit the integration of astronomy and astrophysics with astrobiology and, indeed, that limit the integration of robust interdisciplinary research of any kind: (1) a lack of common goals and interests, (2) lack of a common language, and (3) insufficient background in allied fields on the part of experts to allow them to do useful interdisciplinary work. This report has been systemically profiling to general enterprise approach via multidisciplinary astronomy & effectivity of sustainable development on behalf of it

Full text

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Integrating Applications of Astronomy via Multidisciplinary
Approach
Aravinda Ravibhnau Sumanarathna
© Department of Research & Innovation – South Asian Astrobiology & Earth
Sciences Research Unit of Eco Astronomy
challenges of integrating astronomical research into the general enterprise in
multidisciplinary astronomy, the committee realized that the issue of
integration was broader and generic to this intrinsically interdisciplinary
subject—that is, astrophysics is but one of many disciplines that need to be
brought to bear on multidisciplinary approach in astronomy. It decided to
attempt to address some of these more generic issues of fostering a healthy
interdisciplinary interaction among fields that are themselves so complex that
they require a focused, reductive approach.
The committee has identified three factors that currently limit the integration
of astronomy and astrophysics with astrobiology and, indeed, that limit the
integration of robust interdisciplinary research of any kind: (1) a lack of
common goals and interests, (2) lack of a common language, and (3)
insufficient background in allied fields on the part of experts to allow them to
do useful interdisciplinary work. This report has been systemically profiling
to general enterprise approach via multidisciplinary astronomy & effectivity
of sustainable development on behalf of it.

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Introduction
Throughout ancient people have looked to the sky to navigate the vast oceans,
to decide when to plant their crops and to answer questions of where we came
from and how we got here. It is a discipline that opens our eyes, gives context
to our place in the Universe and that can reshape how we see the world. When
Copernicus claimed that Earth was not the center of the Universe, it triggered
a revolution. A revolution through which religion, science, and society had to
adapt to this new world view.
Astronomy has always had a significant impact on our world view. Early
cultures identified celestial objects with the gods and took their movements
across the sky as prophecies of what was to come. We would now call this
astrology, far removed from the hard facts and expensive instruments of
today’s astronomy, but there are still hints of this history in modern
astronomy. Take, for example, the names of the constellations: Andromeda,
the chained maiden of Greek mythology, or Perseus, the demi-god who saved
her.
The Pleiades (1885) by the Symbolist painter Elihu Vedder

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Now, as our understanding of the world progresses, we find ourselves and our
view of the world even more entwined with the stars. The discovery that the
basic elements that we find in stars, and the gas and dust around them, are
the same elements that make up our bodies has further deepened the
connection between us and the cosmos. This connection touches our lives,
and the awe it inspires is perhaps the reason that the beautiful images
astronomy provides us with are so popular in today’s culture.
There are still many unanswered questions in astronomy. Current research is
struggling to understand questions like: “How old are we?”, “What is the fate
of the Universe?” and possibly the most interesting: “How unique is the
Universe, and could a slightly different Universe ever have supported life?”
But astronomy is also breaking new records every day, establishing the
furthest distances, most massive objects, highest temperatures and most
violent explosions.
Pursuing these questions is a fundamental part of being human, yet in today's
world it has become increasingly important to be able to justify the pursuit of
the answers. The difficulties in describing the importance of astronomy, and
fundamental research in general, are well summarized by the following quote:
“Preserving knowledge is easy. Transferring knowledge is also easy. But making
new knowledge is neither easy nor profitable in the short term. Fundamental
research proves profitable in the long run, and, as importantly, it is a force that
enriches the culture of any society with reason and basic truth.”
- Ahmed Zewali, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1999).

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Although we live in a world faced with the many immediate problems of
hunger, poverty, energy and global warming, we argue that astronomy has
long term benefits that are equally as important to a civilized society. Several
studies (see below) have told us that investing in science education, research
and technology provides a great return — not only economically, but culturally
and indirectly for the population in general — and has helped countries to
face and overcome crises. The scientific and technological development of a
country or region is closely linked to its human development index — a
statistic that is a measure of life expectancy, education and income (Truman,
1949).
There are other works that have contributed to answering the question “Why
is astronomy important?” Dr. Robert Aitken, director of Lick Observatory,
shows us that even in 1933 there was a need to justify our science, in his paper
entitled The Use of Astronomy (Aitken, 1933). His last sentence summarizes
his sentiment: “To give man ever more knowledge of the universe and to help
him 'to learn humility and to know exaltation', that is the mission of
astronomy.” More recently, C. Renée James wrote an article outlining the
recent technological advances that we can thank astronomy for, such as GPS,
medical imaging, and wireless internet (Renée James, 2012). In defence of
radio astronomy, Dave Finley in Finley (2013) states, “In sum, astronomy has
been a cornerstone of technological progress throughout history, has much to
contribute in the future, and offers all humans a fundamental sense of our
place in an unimaginably vast and exciting universe.”
Astronomy and related fields are at the forefront of science and technology;
answering fundamental questions and driving innovation. It is for this reason
that the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) strategic plan for 2010–
2020 has three main areas of focus: technology and skills; science and
research; and culture and society.

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Although “blue-skies research” like astronomy rarely contributes directly with
tangible outcomes on a short time scale, the pursuit of this research requires
cutting-edge technology and methods that can on a longer time scale, through
their broader application make a difference.

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A wealth of examples — many of which are outlined below — show how the
study of astronomy contributes to technology, economy and society by
constantly pushing for instruments, processes and software that are beyond
our current capabilities. The fruits of scientific and technological development
in astronomy, especially in areas such as optics and electronics, have become
essential to our day-to-day life, with applications such as personal computers,
communication satellites, mobile phones, Global Positioning Systems, solar
panels and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners).
Sri Lanka : For realism he downloaded countless gigabytes of real satellite images from NASA's Visible
Earth catalogs.

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Although the study of astronomy has provided a wealth of tangible, monetary
and technological gains, perhaps the most important aspect of astronomy is
not one of economical measure. Astronomy has and continues to
revolutionize our thinking on a worldwide scale. In the past, astronomy has
been used to measure time, mark the seasons, and navigate the vast oceans.
As one of the oldest sciences astronomy is part of every culture’s history and
roots. It inspires us with beautiful images and promises answers to the big
questions. It acts as a window into the immense size and complexity of space,
putting Earth into perspective and promoting global citizenship and pride in
our home planet. Several reports in the US (National Research Council, 2010)
and Europe (Bode et al., 2008) indicate that the major contributions of
astronomy are not just the technological and medical applications (technology
transfer, see below), but a unique perspective that extends our horizons and
helps us discover the grandeur of the Universe and our place within it. On a
more pressing level, astronomy helps us study how to prolong the survival of
our species. For example, it is critical to study the Sun’s influence on Earth’s
climate and how it will affect weather, water levels etc. Only the study of the
Sun and other stars can help us to understand these processes in their
entirety. In addition, mapping the movement of all the objects in our Solar
System, allows us to predict the potential threats to our planet from space.
Such events could cause major changes to our world, as was clearly
demonstrated by the meteorite impact in Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2013.
On a personal level, teaching astronomy to our youth is also of great value. It
has been proven that pupils who engage in astronomy-related educational
activities at a primary or secondary school are more likely to pursue careers
in science and technology, and to keep up to date with scientific discoveries
(National Research Council, 1991). This does not just benefit the field of
astronomy, but reaches across other scientific disciplines.
Astronomy is one of the few scientific fields that interacts directly with
society. Not only transcending borders, but actively promoting collaborations
around the world. In the following paper, we outline the tangible aspects of
what astronomy has contributed to various fields.

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Impact site of the main mass of the Chelyabinsk meteorite in the ice of Lake Chebarkul. Image released
Nov. 6, 2013. (Image: © Eduard Kalinin)

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Space Weather

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Space Weather
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic
field from the Sun’s corona. They can eject billions of tons of coronal material
and carry an embedded magnetic field (frozen in flux) that is stronger than
the background solar wind interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength. CMEs
travel outward from the Sun at speeds ranging from slower than 250
kilometers per second (km/s) to as fast as near 3000 km/s. The fastest Earth-
directed CMEs can reach our planet in as little as 15-18 hours. Slower CMEs
can take several days to arrive. They expand in size as they propagate away
from the Sun and larger CMEs can reach a size comprising nearly a quarter of
the space between Earth and the Sun by the time it reaches our planet.
The more explosive CMEs generally begin when highly twisted magnetic field
structures (flux ropes) contained in the Sun’s lower corona become too
stressed and realign into a less tense configuration – a process called magnetic
reconnection. This can result in the sudden release of electromagnetic energy
in the form of a solar flare; which typically accompanies the explosive
acceleration of plasma away from the Sun – the CME. These types of CMEs
usually take place from areas of the Sun with localized fields of strong and
stressed magnetic flux; such as active regions associated with sunspot groups.
CMEs can also occur from locations where relatively cool and denser plasma
is trapped and suspended by magnetic flux extending up to the inner corona
- filaments and prominences. When these flux ropes reconfigure, the denser
filament or prominence can collapse back to the solar surface and be quietly
reabsorbed, or a CME may result. CMEs travelling faster than the background
solar wind speed can generate a shock wave. These shock waves can accelerate
charged particles ahead of them – causing increased radiation storm potential
or intensity.
Important CME parameters used in analysis are size, speed, and direction.
These properties are inferred from orbital satellites’ coronagraph imagery by

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SWPC forecasters to determine any Earth-impact likelihood. The NASA Solar
and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) carries a coronagraph – known as the
Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO). This instrument has
two ranges for optical imaging of the Sun’s corona: C2 (covers distance range
of 1.5 to 6 solar radii) and C3 (range of 3 to 32 solar radii). The LASCO
instrument is currently the primary means used by forecasters to analyze and
categorize CMEs; however another coronagraph is on the NASA STEREO-A
spacecraft as an additional source.
Imminent CME arrival is first observed by the Deep Space Climate Observatory
(DSCOVR) satellite, located at the L1 orbital area. Sudden increases in density,
total interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength, and solar wind speed at the
DSCOVR spacecraft indicate arrival of the CME-associated interplanetary
shock ahead of the magnetic cloud. This can often provide 15 to 60 minutes
advanced warning of shock arrival at Earth – and any possible sudden impulse
or sudden storm commencement; as registered by Earth-based
magnetometers.
Important aspects of an arriving CME and its likelihood for causing more
intense geomagnetic storming include the strength and direction of the IMF
beginning with shock arrival, followed by arrival and passage of the plasma
cloud and frozen-in-flux magnetic field. More intense levels of geomagnetic
storming are favored when the CME enhanced IMF becomes more pronounced
and prolonged in a south-directed orientation. Some CMEs show
predominantly one direction of the magnetic field during its passage, while
most exhibit changing field directions as the CME passes over Earth. Generally,
CMEs that impact Earth’s magnetosphere will at some point have an IMF
orientation that favors generation of geomagnetic storming. Geomagnetic
storms are classified using a five-level NOAA Space Weather Scale. SWPC
forecasters discuss analysis and geomagnetic storm potential of CMEs in the
forecast discussion and predict levels of geomagnetic storming in the 3-day
forecast.

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Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters: Near Earth Asteroids
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are space rocks larger than
approximately 100m that can come closer to Earth than 0.05 AU. None of the
known PHAs is on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers
are finding new ones all the time.
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Velocity (km/s)
Diameter (m)
2020 GW1
2020-Apr-08
5.9 LD
13.3
25
2020 GF1
2020-Apr-08
1.5 LD
6.1
20
2020 FL4
2020-Apr-09
10.4 LD
4.6
14
2015 GK
2020-Apr-09
12.2 LD
12.9
25
2020 FW4
2020-Apr-09
19.7 LD
18.6
162
2020 GE
2020-Apr-10
5.4 LD
2.2
8
2019 HM
2020-Apr-10
7.2 LD
3.2
23
2020 GM1
2020-Apr-11
10.2 LD
25.5
65
2020 GU1
2020-Apr-11
5.9 LD
6.9
14
2020 GG
2020-Apr-11
9.7 LD
5.5
17
2020 GA2
2020-Apr-11
8.6 LD
24.7
208
363599
2020-Apr-11
19.2 LD
24.5
224
2020 GF2
2020-Apr-12
2.4 LD
10.3
23
2020 FX3
2020-Apr-15
14.1 LD
10.3
54
2020 FZ6
2020-Apr-15
20 LD
21.7
189
2020 GH2
2020-Apr-15
0.9 LD
8.7
18
2020 GJ2
2020-Apr-17
11.5 LD
8
42
2020 FV6
2020-Apr-19
10.8 LD
19.8
92
2019 HS2
2020-Apr-26
13.6 LD
12.6
17
2019 GF1
2020-Apr-27
18.7 LD
3.2
12
2020 FM6
2020-Apr-27
14.3 LD
16.9
156
52768
2020-Apr-29
16.4 LD
8.7
2457

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2020 DM4
2020-May-01
18.4 LD
6.4
162
438908
2020-May-07
8.9 LD
12.8
282
2016 HP6
2020-May-07
4.3 LD
5.7
31
388945
2020-May-10
7.3 LD
8.8
295
2000 KA
2020-May-12
8.9 LD
13.5
162
478784
2020-May-15
8.5 LD
3.6
28
136795
2020-May-21
16.1 LD
11.7
892
163348
2020-Jun-06
13.3 LD
11.1
339
2013 XA22
2020-Jun-09
10.6 LD
6.5
98
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. 1 LD
also equals 0.00256 AU. MAG is the visual magnitude of the asteroid on the date of closest approach
Technology Transfer
From Astronomy to Industry
Some of the most useful examples of technology transfer between astronomy
and industry include advances in imaging and communications. For example,
a film called Kodak Technical Pan is used extensively by medical and
industrial spectroscopists, industrial photographers, and artists, and was
originally created so that solar astronomers could record the changes in the
surface structure of the Sun. In addition, the development of Technical Pan —
again driven by the requirements of astronomers — was used for several
decades (until it was discontinued) to detect diseased crops and forests, in
dentistry and medical diagnosis, and for probing layers of paintings to reveal
forgeries (National Research Council, 1991).
In 2009 Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith were awarded the Nobel Prize in
Physics for the development of another device that would be widely used in
industry. The sensors for image capture developed for astronomical images,
known as Charge Coupled Devices (CCDs), were first used in astronomy in
1976. Within a very few years they had replaced film not only on telescopes,
but also in many people’s personal cameras, webcams and mobile phones. The
improvement and popularity of CCDs is attributed to NASA’s decision to use

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super-sensitive CCD technology on the Hubble Space Telescope (Kiger &
English, 2011).
In the realm of communication, radio astronomy has provided a wealth of
useful tools, devices, and data-processing methods. Many successful
communications companies were originally founded by radio astronomers.
The computer language FORTH was originally created to be used by the Kitt
Peak 36-foot telescope and went on to provide the basis for a highly profitable
company (Forth Inc.). It is now being used by FedEx worldwide for its tracking
services. Some other examples of technology transfer between astronomy and
industry are listed below (National Research Council, 2010):
QSI 532 CCD Camera on Celestron C5 Schmidt-Cassegrain

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The company General Motors uses the astronomy programming
language Interactive Data Language (IDL) to analyses data from car crashes.
The first patents for techniques to detect gravitational radiation — produced
when massive bodies accelerate — have been acquired by a company to help
them determine the gravitational stability of underground oil reservoirs.
The telecommunications company AT&T uses Image Reduction and Analysis
Facility (IRAF) — a collection of software written at the National Optical
Astronomy Observatory — to analyses computer systems and solid-state
physics graphics.
Larry Altschuler, an astronomer, was responsible for the development of
tomography - the process of imaging in sections using a penetrating wave -
via his work on reconstructing the Solar Corona from its projections. (Schuler,
M. D. 1979).

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From Astronomy to the Aerospace Sector
The aerospace sector shares most of its technology with astronomy —
specifically in telescope and instrument hardware, imaging, and image-
processing techniques.
Since the development of space-based telescopes, information acquisition for
defence has shifted from using ground-based to aerial and space-based,
techniques. Defence satellites are essentially telescopes pointed towards Earth
and require identical technology and hardware to those used in their
astronomical counterparts. In addition, processing satellite images uses the
same software and processes as astronomical images.
Some specific examples of astronomical developments used in defence are
given below (National Research Council, 2010):
Observations of stars and models of stellar atmospheres are used to
differentiate between rocket plumes and cosmic objects. The same method is
now being studied for use in early warning systems.
Observations of stellar distributions on the sky — which are used to point and
calibrate telescopes — are also used in aerospace engineering.
Astronomers developed a solar-blind photon counter — a device which can
measure the particles of light from a source, during the day, without being
overwhelmed by the particles coming from the Sun. This is now used to detect
ultraviolet (UV) photons coming from the exhaust of a missile, allowing for a
virtually false-alarm-free UV missile warning system. The same technology can
also be used to detect toxic gases.
Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites rely on astronomical objects, such
as quasars and distant galaxies, to determine accurate positions.

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Virtually false-alarm-free UV missile warning system
Thales and Leonardo are being funded by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD)’s Defence Science and Technology
Laboratory (Dstl) to demonstrate the combined end-to-end performance of their respective Elix-IR infrared threat
warning system (IRTWS) and Miysis Directed Infra-Red Counter Measures (DIRCM) system (pictured).

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Photon Counter

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From Astronomy to the Energy Sector
Astronomical methods can be used to find new fossil fuels as well as to
evaluate the possibility of new renewable energy sources (National Research
Council, 2010):
Two oil companies, Texaco and BP, use IDL to analyses core samples around
oil fields as well as for general petroleum research.
An Australian company, called Ingenero, has created solar radiation collectors
to harness the power of the Sun for energy on Earth. They have created
collectors up to 16 meters in diameter, which is only possible with the use of
a graphite composite material developed for an orbiting telescope array.
Technology designed to image X-rays in X-ray telescopes — which have to be
designed differently from visible-light telescopes — is now used to
monitor plasma fusion. If fusion — where two light atomic nuclei fuse to form
a heavier nucleus — became possible to control, it could be the answer to safe,
clean, energy.
The Cygnus Loop Supernova Remnant in X-rays as imaged by three different X-ray telescopes. From the left:
image by early X-ray telescopes mounted on sounding rockets, image by the ROSAT's High Resolution Imager
(HRI) instrument, image by the ROSAT's Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) instrument. (Credits:
rocket image: Rappaport et al, ApJ (1979) 227, 285; ROSAT images: N. Levenson (Johns Hopkins), S. Snowden
(USRA/GSFC).

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Astronomy and Medicine
Astronomers struggle constantly to see objects that are ever dimmer and
further away. Medicine struggles with similar issues: to see things that are
obscured within the human body. Both disciplines require high-resolution,
accurate and detailed images. Perhaps the most notable example of knowledge
transfer between these two studies is the technique of aperture synthesis,
developed by the radio astronomer and Nobel Laureate, Martin Ryle (Royal
Swedish Academy of Sciences, 1974). This technology is used in computerised
tomography (also known as CT or CAT scanners), magnetic resonance
imaging (MRIs), positron emission tomography (PET) and many other medical
imaging tools.
Along with these imaging techniques, astronomy has developed many
programming languages that make image processing much easier, specifically
IDL and IRAF. These languages are widely used for medical applications
(Shasharina, 2005).
Another important example of how astronomical research has contributed to
the medical world is in the development of clean working areas. The
manufacture of space-based telescopes requires an extremely clean
environment to prevent dust or particles that might obscure or obstruct the
mirrors or instruments on the telescopes (such as in NASA’s STEREO mission;
Gruman, 2011). The cleanroom protocols, air filters, and bunny suits that were
developed to achieve this are now also used in hospitals and pharmaceutical
labs (Clark, 2012).
Some more direct applications of astronomical tools in medicine are listed
below:
A collaboration between a drug company and the Cambridge Automatic Plate
Measuring Facility allows blood samples from leukaemia patients to be
analysed faster and thus ensures more accurate changes in medication
(National Research Council, 1991).

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Radio astronomers developed a method that is now used as a non-invasive
way to detect tumours. By combining this with other traditional methods,
there is a true-positive detection rate of 96% in breast cancer patients (Barret
et al., 1978).
Small thermal sensors initially developed to control telescope instrument
temperatures are now used to control heating in neonatology units — units
for the care of newborn babies (National Research Council, 1991).
A low-energy X-ray scanner developed by NASA is currently used for
outpatient surgery, sports injuries, and in third-world clinics. It has also been
used by the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to study whether certain
pills had been contaminated (National Research Council, 1991).
Software for processing satellite pictures taken from space is now helping
medical researchers to establish a simple method to implement wide-scale
screening for Alzheimer’s disease (ESA, 2013).
Looking through the fluid-filled, constantly moving eye of a living person is
not that different from trying to observe astronomical objects through the
turbulent atmosphere, and the same fundamental approach seems to work for
both. Adaptive optics used in astronomy can be used for retinal imaging in
living patients to study diseases such as macular degeneration and retinitis
pigmentosa in their early stages. (Boston Micromachines Corporation 2010)

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Astronomy in Everyday Life
There are many things that people encounter on an everyday basis that were
derived from astronomical technologies. Perhaps the most commonly used
astronomy-derived invention is the wireless local area network (WLAN). In
1977 John O’Sullivan developed a method to sharpen images from a radio
telescope. This same method was applied to radio signals in general,
specifically to those dedicated to strengthening computer networks, which is
now an integral part of all WLAN implementations (Hamaker et al., 1977).
Other technologies important to everyday life that were originally developed
for astronomy are listed below (National Research Council, 2010):
X-ray observatory technology is also used in current X-ray luggage belts in
airports. In airports, a gas chromatograph — for separating and analyzing
compounds — designed for a Mars mission is used to survey baggage for
drugs and explosives.
The police use hand-held Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) photometers —
instruments developed by astronomers for measuring light intensity — to
check that car windows are transparent, as determined by the law.
A gamma-ray spectrometer originally used to analyses lunar soil is now used
as a non-invasive way to probe structural weakening of historical buildings or
to look behind fragile mosaics, such as in St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice.
More subtle than these contributions to technology is the contribution that
astronomy has made to our view of time. The first calendars were based on
the movement of the Moon and even the way that we define a second is due
to astronomy. The atomic clock, developed in 1955, was calibrated using
astronomical Ephemeris Time — a former standard astronomical timescale
adopted by the IAU in 1952. This led to the internationally agreed-upon re-
definition of the second (Markowitz et al., 1958).

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These are all very tangible examples of the effect astronomy has had on our
everyday lives, but astronomy also plays an important role in our culture.
There are many books and magazines about astronomy for non-
astronomers. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking is a bestseller and
has sold over ten million copies (Paris, 2007) and Carl Sagan’s television
series, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, has been watched in over 60 countries by
more than 500 million people (NASA, 2009).
Many non-astronomers also engaged with astronomy during the International
Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009), the largest education and public outreach
event in science. The IYA2009 reached upwards of eight hundred million
people, through thousands of activities, in more than 148 countries (IAU,
2010).
MD200 COD Vario Photometer - Colorimeter for COD

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Astronomy and international collaboration
Scientific and technological achievements give a large competitive edge to any
nation. Nations pride themselves on having the most efficient new
technologies and race to achieve new scientific discoveries. But perhaps more
important is the way that science can bring nations together, encouraging
collaboration and creating a constant flow as researchers travel around the
globe to work in international facilities.
Astronomy is particularly well suited to international collaboration due to the
need to have telescopes in different places around the world, in order to see
the whole sky. At least as far back as 1887 — when astronomers from around
the world pooled their telescope images and made the first map of the whole
sky — there have been international collaborations in astronomy and in 1920,
the International Astronomical Union became the first international scientific
union.
In addition to the need to see the sky from different vantage points on Earth,
building astronomical observatories on the ground and in space is extremely
expensive. Therefore, most of the current and planned observatories are
owned by several nations. All of these collaborations have thus far been
peaceful and successful. Some of the most notable being:
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international
partnership of Europe, North America and East Asia in cooperation with the
Republic of Chile, is the largest astronomical project in existence.
The European Southern Observatory (ESO) which includes 14 European
countries and Brazil, and is located in Chile.
Collaborations on major observatories such as the NASA/ESA Hubble Space
Telescope between USA and Europe.

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Astronomy & Agriculture: Advanced Plant Habitat
An engineer named Bryan Onate at the Kennedy Center is the forefront of this
technology. Bryan led the team in building Veggie. It is the NASA’s first plant
growth system. Probably next month, he will be sending another improved
version which is the Advanced Plant Habitat. This invention is a mini sized
fridge. It is a system in which enables farmers to study the growth of plants
in space. It helps in analyzing the factors that affects the growth the plants.
This invention has 180 sensors and three cameras positioned in order to
monitor every set of the way.

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The very innovation of this system compared to previous invention is light.
Approximately, the sun emits about 2,000 micromoles to the Earth. However,
with this new development it will only emit 1,00o micro moles of light from
the sun. Light is crucial for plants to grow. In order for plants to produce food,
plants must receive optimal amount of sunlight in order to photosynthesize.
This is made because most of time the spaces stations cannot receive any light.
They have also wanted to test which spectrum will best converts better growth
to the plants. In this test, the astronauts will compare the red, green, blue and
white spectrums. In the interview, he said “We can really target a light
treatment, just so we can start learning the differences.” Truly our childhood
dreams of space farms is coming true.
Martian Soil Gardening

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Astronomy & Geology
This is a view of the third (left) and fourth (right) trenches made by the 1.6-inch-wide (4-centimeter-wide) scoop
on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity in October 2012. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

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Neutral Buoyancy Lab
TechRepublic visited the Neutral Buoyancy Lab at the Johnson Space Center where astronauts train for
spacewalks.
This giant pool is an important piece of training for astronauts who will be completing extra vehicular activities
(EVAs), or spacewalks. The pool prepares them for working in a (mostly) weightless environment, as neutral
buoyancy refers to the equal tendency to float or sink
Astronomy to Tourism
Astronomical tourism represents a less-studied segment of sustainable
tourism, where a dark night sky is the underlying resource. The concept of
Astro_ tourism has expanded over the years, from dictionary definitions of
“activities by tourists paying to travel into space for recreation” to “tourism
using the natural resource of unpolluted night skies for astronomical, cultural,
or environmental activities” (Fayos-Solà and Marín 2009: 7). Dark skies are
becoming a scarce resource as night lighting and atmospheric pollution
increase. Astro-Tourism opens new opportunities of bridging science and

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tourism, motivating alliances for starry nights, science, culture, and nature
(Marín et al. 2011).
Associating nightscapes with heritage is a logical step in Astro-tourism. The
night sky has played a key role in the development of civilization, including
orientation and navigation, agriculture, calendars, cultural travel, and
celebrations. The dawn of many cultures is marked by archeoastronomical
milestones, witnessed at widespread sites, including Stonehenge, Chichen
Itzá, Giza, Mesa Verde, Chankillo, Persepolis, Almendres,.
.

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The Great Pyramid of Giza as providing items of Astro _Tourism

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The Sigiriya Rock as Providing items of Astro_Tourism

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Commercial Access of Zero Gravity Lab

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Summary
In the above text we have outlined both the tangible and intangible reasons
that astronomy is an important part of society. Although we have focused
mainly on the technology and knowledge transfer, perhaps the most
important contribution is still the fact that astronomy makes us aware of how
we fit into the vast Universe. The American astronomer Carl Sagan showed us
one of astronomy’s simplest and most inspirational contributions to society
in his book, The Pale Blue Dot:
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building
experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human
conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our
responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and
cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”

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Integrating Applications of Astronomy
via Multidisciplinary Approach
Aravinda Ravibhnau Sumanarathna
© Department of Research & Innovation – South Asian Astrobiology & Earth
Sciences Research Unit of Eco Astronomy