Issue 7 - October 23 2008

Vol. XXXI, No: 1October 23 – 29, 2008 - Vol. XXXI, No: 7

Planet

Publications

presents:

China blasts offFar East goes far outCAROLINE GEORGE

International Events Bureau

China has proved that this year belongs to them. The nation who hosted one of the most successful Olympics in recent history under-went their 'rst spacewalk this past month, marking their emergence into an exclusive club whose mem-bers previously included only Russia and the United States.

On September 25th, the Shenzhou 7 space capsule, carrying astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Jing Haipeng and Liu Boming onboard, blasted o) from the Jiquan Space Centre in China’s northwest Gansu province. The historical event lasted just 20 min-utes, but the voyage demonstrated China’s advancing technical prowess in its aim to conduct a space walk.

”The space program as a whole is part of a greater scheme of techno-logical development for China. For this spacewalk, for the 'rst time, they used a second satellite,” notes Yuan Wang, a second year student specializing in East Asian studies. “They can use the second satellite as a transmitter. This is really important because it has a great commercial purpose, as well as a military pur-pose.”

The space walk is part of a larger plan for the Jiquan Space Agency. Within 10 years, it hopes to achieve lunar exploration, 'rst performed by American Neil Armstrong in 1969..

“There is a race, but not in a nega-tive way. It’s a new era and space resources are important. Everyone’s trying to get it, just like everyone is trying to get water,” Wang explained.

The mission marked China’s third successful manned launch. The 'rst occurred in 2003 aboard the Shenzhou 5. With speculation of a moonwalk scheduled for as early as 2017 and completion of a space sta-tion by 2020, Wang cites the Chinese philosophy of “taking smaller strides, but fast,” in the nation’s endeavors to conquer space exploration.

“It’s de'nitely going to improve China’s international status,” Wang says of the implications this mission will have on China’s global impact in the future. “It’s also going to have a greater emphasis on China’s neigh-bours, India and Japan, for space exploration because they don’t want to fall too far behind.”

2 the newspaper October 23 – 29, 2008

the inside

the mission statementthe newspaper is proud to be University of Toronto’s ONLY independent

news source. We look to our readers and contributors to ensure we provide a

consistently superior product. Our purpose is to provide a voice for university

students, staff, faculty and U of T’s extended community.

This voice may at times be irreverent but it will never be irrelevant.

write between the lines

the table of CONTENTS

the inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

the editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

the news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 5

the arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 7

the end . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Administrative AssistantCaroline George

the newspaperPublisher

Matthew Pope

News EditorJennifer Spiers

Arts EditorHelene Goderis

Copy EditorsMichelle Ferreira, Tayyaba Jiwani

LayoutJe!rey Spiers

ContributorsSa"a Aidid, Bryce Croll, Matt Draiminsky, Alicia Elena, Shauna C. Keddy,

Tristan Liang, Nina Manasan,Thomas Shifrer, Suganthan Thivakaran

1 Spadina Crescent, Suite 245

Toronto, Ontario,

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fax: (416) 593-0552

Editor-in-chiefAri Simha

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the newspaper 3October 23 – 29, 2008

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the editorial

Death Star > USS Enterprise

Star Wars has presented some of the most villainous characters ever to grace the silver screen. Hear that menacing inhaling and exhaling? That’s the iconic Darth Vader, who tortured his own daughter, permitted her home planet to be blown up, and even sliced his own son’s hand o!. You don’t get any more villainous than that; sorry Romulans, you’re going to have to try harder.

Who doesn’t remember professional scoundrel and rogue, Han Solo, who always proved to be a true epic hero? A reluctant criminal, Solo took an ordinary transport mission from Ben Kenobi and found himself embroiled in a rebellion against the Galactic Empire. “Sorry about the mess,” he fam-

ously shrugged as he strolled out of Mos Eisley Cantina, an as-sassin’s remains smoking behind him. Quick-witted, even quicker with a blaster, Solo is someone Picard can’t even hope to rival.

Finally, let’s consider public approval. How often does someone remark, “Oh! That’s from Star Trek!”? Well sorry Trek-kies, but the only thing anyone knows is that William Shatner once played captain in some sci-# TV show and even that’s pushing it. On the other hand, say to someone “Luke, I am your father!” and watch them stare at you perplexedly, and ask why you’re quoting Darth Vader’s earth-shattering revelation from “The Empire Strikes Back.”

There really isn’t any contest. Star Wars clearly dominates with much better villains, heroes and some of the most well-recognized #gures of the 21st century, and any Trekkie that

thinks otherwise can go beam himself to another planet! And shoot yourself with a phaser while you’re there!

Trek WarsThe ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny

THOMAS SHIFRER

Rebel Alliance Bureau

MATTHEW POPE

United Federation of Planets Bureau

Engaging the Force

Little divides the nerd community more than the Star ‘Trek vs. Wars’ debate, and without cause. Star Trek rules the galaxy. The asthmatic Spaceball Darth Vader - the only decent product of the Star Wars universe - is a predictable one-trick pony. The warlike Klingons, the crafty Romulans and indomitable Borg compose a multifarious palate of evil for the Star Trek universe

For the good guys, you have a parade of magnanimous char-acters: iconic rough-and-tumble Kirk; Picard, a man of honour and distinction; Janeway, the trailblazing female (women in Star Wars are ancillary or in gold bikinis).

Star Wars is also a dead franchise. The last noteworthy movie broke in 1983 and the only mention of the pitiful prequels is crying, while the Star Trek franchise is consistently and successfully re-envisioning Gene Roddenberry’s universe after 42 years. The Star Trek show has spawned countless movies while the only actor whose career wasn’t ruined by Star Wars is Har-rison Ford.

Star Trek is a world that deals with familiar issues on a galactic scale - a world we’d want to live in. Whereas the barren deserts, ice planets and lack of sanitation in Skywalker’s universe are hardly enticing.

Darth Vader is a toothless ice-pop with gumball eyes (I found one in someone’s freezer) and the incarna-tions of the series are a bad joke. Star Trek’s impact is real and sustained. Because of Trek, tricorders and bio-beds are now a reality. Even the recently unveiled and accredited theory for faster-than-light travel bears a shocking resemblance to Roddenberry’s “warp” concept.

Finally, Star Trek is so ubiquitous that its devotees are a neologism. “Trekkie” now appears in the Oxford dictionary. So, what’s the word for a Star Wars fan? Lame. Kiss my Federation butt.

Welcome to issue 7 of our 31st year. The newspaper is still moving forward, discovering its voice with the help of a handful of intelligent and extraordinary people. My personal thanks to everyone who has come by our o*ces since Sep-tember and contributed in countless ways. We could not continue to be here without you. Moreover, I want to thank our readers. Your support (and even hatemail) has helped to make our newspaper better.

I now present to you our Space issue. All the news that gives you #ts, from across the galaxy to your ink-stained hands. I think you will enjoy what we have in store. Inspired by the re-cent anniversary of Sputnik (and our parent company’s name) we decided to try something di!erent by creating a themed issue while still bringing you items of news and personal interest. The idea was to have some fun but to avoid journalis-tically jerking o! with super+uous content.

The University of Toronto has made, and continues to make,

important contributions in #elds like astronomy, bioscience and aerospace; we touch on some of them here. There are numerous organizations in and around campus that enhance our extra-terrestrial lives, or give us ways to live them out.

Space is not just for Treks and Wars, it is increasingly be-coming a primary part of the global consciousness. China has made its #rst steps o!-world, with India close behind. The Inter-national Space Station is coming together with large Canadian contributions, and a trip to Mars could conceivably be realized in our lifetime.

The newspaper’s Space Issue is not just a journalistic experi-ment in themes, it is an e!ort to bring a galactic issue down to the local level. I hope you enjoy it.

Universally yours,Matthew Pope - Publisher

Publishing: THE !nal frontierA letter from the Publisher

4 the newspaper October 23 – 29, 2008

the news

Stargazers wantedInvite to explore the unknownSUGANTHAN THIVAKARAN

Campus Clubs Bureau

Who hasn’t gazed up at the stars and wondered what is really out there? Down on earth, the answer to this and other space-related questions can be found on campus at the Astronomy and Space Exploration Society (ASX).

Over 1,500 dedicated ASX members devote themselves to educating the public on topics ranging from space exploration to astronomy. Activities include ‘observing events’, movie nights and “Faces of Space” discussions, among several others. ASX events are not just restricted to science bu# s, but are suit-able for everyone. As president Farnaz Ghadaki explained, “Joining ASX means having the chance to meet great leaders in the space industry, as well as being part of an organization that hosts one of the largest events on campus,”.

The annual ASX Symposium is the grand $ nale of the ASX calendar, fea-turing several prominent speakers from around the world. In the past, speakers have included Canadian astronaut Chris Had$ eld and astronomy professor Mike

Brown (discoverer of the “tenth planet”). This year’s event, scheduled to be held at Convocation Hall, is anticipated to be spectacular and will kick-start the 2009 International Year of Astronomy (IYA). Speakers include in particular, Anousheh Ansari, the $ rst female private space ex-plorer, and Laura Luciet of the Canadian Space Agency. The event will be open to everyone, while students with ID will be allowed free entry.

Whether you’re a space newbie or veteran, those interested in joining ASX are welcome to attend meetings and sign up for the monthly e-newsletter from their website, asx.sa.utoronto.ca. Members have the opportunity to organize events and assume leadership roles while engaging in several forums on space exploration.

Ultimately, knowing what’s out there begins with knowing what’s available on campus - so get involved!

The Rocket ManLicense not required for jet packTRISTAN LIANG

Science BureauEver since cave men began drawing

on walls, man has dreamed of & ying through the sky propelled by a liquid fuel rocket. Unfortunately, rockets are dangerous, di* cult to control, and cannot burn for very long on a single charge. While the German and American military both tackled the problem, and many private companies have in fact built jet packs for public sale, none have become even remotely common. This is due mostly to the immense danger inherent in their operation, low & ight time (up to 9 minutes), and very high price tag. Priced at approximately two hundred thousand dollars, a jet pack may be as expensive as a Ferrari, but is more likely to kill you.

However, the Russian Aircraft Com-pany has solved these problems with a “Jet Pack” that runs a four cylinder, two

hundred horsepower gasoline engine. Yes, that technically means it isn’t a “jet pack” at all - but on the upside it won’t burn your pants o# . Theoretically it will run for thirty minutes at speeds reaching sixty miles per hour while the projected & ight ceiling is eight thousand feet. Lift is provided by fans, which can create up to eight hundred pounds of thrust.

The safety problem has also been addressed. The device is equipped with a “Ballistic Parachute”, which can be de-ployed at relatively low altitudes, Martin Aircraft believes the safety margin will be high enough to attract a market of buyers previously nonexistent. A $ ve day training course is included in the hun-dred thousand dollar price tag, and since it is technically classi$ ed as an ultralight aircraft, a state license is not required.

Sputnik was launched into space by the USSR on October 4 1957. It weighed (on earth) 83.6 kg and was constructed of aluminium-magnesium-titanium alloy. It broadcast radio signals of its data for 22 days, until the transmitter batteries ran out on October 26, 1957.On January 4, 1958 it fell from orbit and burnt up upon reentering Earth’s atmosphere. These events are seen to have initiated the Space Race. These are ‘the facts’. History.

Numerous reports from various people around the world claim to have a piece of the satellite and many mu-seums claim to have parts from sputnik on display in their collections. The truth remains obscure, beyond reach. Out of focus.

This weeks’ issue is about space. Not a metaphor about emptiness between things, between words, between you and me (though maybe it is, regardless) but Space. Outer-space. Herein, in this rapidly aging format known as print you’ll $ nd numerous articles about man’s curiosity, man’s ambition, man’s competitiveness, man’s hubris but above all man’s capacity to dream. To dream big.

Like the unknown $ nal resting place of our beloved solenoid soviet satellite, so much of what lies beyond our sphere and its’ protective skin is unknown to us, seemingly unknowable. For the $ rst time since the initial Space Race it would seem, that seems like just a matter of time.

Sputnik may no longer be in orbit but it’s remnants are still visible and continue to circulate in a hundred per-mutations of furniture design (google; sputnik lamp), and it is in honour of Sputnik that the newspaper has decided to take up a collection. The next Sputnik will be dispatched to investigate Saturn, our celestial mascot. If any of you reading this know anything about science, astrophysics, or photoshop please contact Project Saturn at the newspaper. Help make it happen.

Supernally yours,Ari Simha - Editor-in-Chief

Why the space issue?The view from up here

the newspaper 5October 23 – 29, 2008

tn: What was known about the relationship between the ‘Mars

dichotomy’ and its magnetic fields before your work?

SS: The MGS mission used gravity and laser altimetry to map crustal thicknesses and topography which demonstrated the crustal dichotomy: the northern hemisphere crust is thin and low whereas the southern hemisphere crust is thick and high. At this time it was noticed that the magnetic fields are concentrated in the southern highlands and hence there seems to be some correlation. However, the correlation isn’t completely obvious; for example, there are some magnetic fields in the northern hemisphere, they just aren’t very strong.

tn: What were your findings?

SS: We found that in our simulations, the magnetic field generation concentrated in the southern hemisphere. If our dynamo model is representative of ancient Mars’ dynamo, then this means that when the crustal rocks cooled and froze in the planet’s magnetic field, only the southern hemisphere rocks were strongly magnetized. This is how we explain the fact that Mars only has strong crustal magnetic fields in the southern hemisphere - the magnetic field was only strong in the southern hemisphere.

tn: Some who have commented on your study have said that this

clears up one of the biggest remaining mysteries about Mars. Where

do you believe your findings fit in the growing body of knowledge

about the planet’s internal structure?

SS: Mars is amazing in the number of big mysteries it has, especially about its early history - what’s with the crustal magnetism? Where did the water go? What happened to the thick atmosphere? Was there or is there life? I hope that our study can provide information on a time in Mars’ past that was very different from the Mars we see today, and that, hopefully, planetary scientists will someday solve some of these great mysteries. But, I think the key to solving them involves getting more data from Mars. For example, a low flying balloon or plane could take magnetic field measurements close to the planet’s surface and provide the much needed answers to some of our questions about Mars’ magnetism. Samples of the magnetized rocks would help in determining the magnetic carriers and provide information on why the crustal fields are so strong. Putting seismometers on Mars would be a great way to determine properties of Mars’ interior, such as the size of the core, and if it has an inner core.

tn: What other questions about Mars’ atmosphere would you like to

see answered in the future?

SS: Mars once had a thick atmosphere, thick enough so that liquid water was stable on the surface. Since the current atmosphere is quite thin, Mars must have lost its atmosphere over time. Further work is needed to understand how Mars lost its atmosphere, especially with the implications of our study that the magnetic field shielding from the solar wind would have only been effective in the southern hemisphere. I would like to know how Mars’ atmosphere behaved with this limited shielding.

tn: What’s next for your research?

SS: As a planetary scientist, its always wise to follow the data. The current Messenger mission at Mercury and the Cassini mission at Saturn are providing some fabulous data about these planets’ interiors and magnetic fields. I will try to use the data in combination with numerical simulations to determine information on Mercury’s and Saturn’s interiors. In addition, the planned Juno mission to Jupiter would provide an amazing close-up view of a planet’s dynamo source region. And, of course, I’ll continue to keep an eye on Mars and all the new data from current and future missions.

Professor Stanley’s complete study can be found in the September 26th issue of

Science Magazine, published by the American Association for the Advancement of

Science.

Dr. Stanley on MarsU of T prof decodes the Red PlanetSAFIA AIDID

University News Bureau

Scientists have long wondered about Mars’ asymmetric magnetic !eld which is strongest in its southern hemisphere., and they have speculated about a possible link to its odd surface features, dubbed the ‘Mars dichotomy’. In a recent study performed by University of Toronto’s Dr. Sabine Stanley, a planetary scien-tist with colleagues from MIT and Brown they found a correlation between Mars’ magnetic !eld and its crustal features, which highlighted important di"erences between the planet’s atmosphere and our own. Using computer models to simulate Mars’ magnetic !eld genera-tion process, known as the dynamo, Stanley and her team examined what the temperature variation inside the mantle would mean for this process. The newspaper discussed the !ndings

with Professor Stanley.

the newspaper: What led you and your colleagues

to research Mars’ magnetic fields?

Sabine Stanley: As a planetary scientist, one is always eager to investigate Mars because of all the new data we receive from satellite missions. The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission was the first to map out Mars’ crustal magnetic fields in 1999 and the results were shocking. The fields were much stronger than typical crustal fields on Earth and all the strong fields were concentrated in the southern hemisphere. The crustal fields are also very old, over 4 billion years old, which means we can use them to study Mars’ past. So these data screamed, “something strange happened on ancient Mars”, and this is what got us interested.

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the newscont’d

6 the newspaper October 23 – 29, 2008

October 53rd, 2089. The Mars Diner, ancient restaurant near the intersection of College Boulevard and Hurst-of-the-Bats, has attracted the Friday and Saturday night drunks for decades. A heavily-chromed corridor of formica and chrome, the Mars Diner is not, in fact, named after the late planet Mars, blasted into smithereens by Zebulonese terrorists one fateful Smarch 2053. It is a much older structure, predating even the King Mayor’s College Canal and subsequent in"ll project.

At Mars, a Space Co#ee costs three quidlaks. But why pay so much? Owner Prakesh Patel explains: Two “seismic events”, as he calls them, have deter-mined the prices at Mars. First is the ongoing Arrakis insurgency’s impact on Imperial spice harvesting. Second was the adoption of the metric clock in 2084, which altered the yield patterns of his three dozen co#ee-lactating clones.

In this age of C.H.U.D. swarmings and grease rationing, how can a so-called “greasy spoon” still operate, nay, thrive? Owner Emilio Beltrami explains. First, the spoons at Mars don’t actually need to be greased. He merely washes them in warm soapy water, then dries

them, before presenting them to his customers. “No grease on the spoons means no grease surcharge!” exclaims Beltrami. Second, provincial small business support programs help his operation through their provision of wholesome, hearty grease substitutes, such as Soylent Brown and the ever-popular Soylent Clear.

On a Saturday night, the latest trends are in evidence among the restaurant’s studenty clientele. Several of the customers are eyeless, with fashion-able rhomboid throat-beards. A steady procession of doped-up speed freaks troop to the upstairs washroom, before returning to nervously suck back an-other lukewarm co#ee. They remember that the Mars Diner closes at 8 p.m. every night of the week except Friday and Saturday, when the Diner stays open all night long!

On the "rst Thursday of every month from 8:10 to 10:00 p.m., the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics presents a free public lecture on current exciting topics in astronomy, followed by a public viewing of the celestial sky through their telescopes.

The evening begins with a 45-minute lecture on various subjects of astronomy, di#ering every month,

presented by a Graduate student, Post-doctoral fellow or a Professor from the Department of Astronomy. Past lectures have covered astronomical objects - large and minuscule - ranging from the most massive stars in our galaxy to the cosmic dust, pebbles and leftover rocks that help form the rocky, watery, habitable worlds like our own Earth. A recent lecture featured the ground-

breaking research by a U of T astronomer of a Supernova so massive that it has shattered theorist’s expectations and has forced the rule book governing these enormous objects to be rewritten.

The talks are accessible for individuals of all ages: discus-sions of topics as esoteric as the Big Bang and the accelerating Universe begin with analogies to things as common as the surface of an expanding balloon, and subsequently build in com-plexity from there. Everyone from the most die-hard amateur astronomer to the budding, teenage backyard sky-gazer will head home from these discus-sions informed and entertained.

The public lecture is argu-ably just the appetizer to the feast that follows: an observing session through the Depart-ment of Astronomy’s eight-inch

refracting telescope, located on the 16th )oor of the McLennan Physical Building. If you think that our night sky is obscured by the harsh glare of city lights, think again. Celestial stand-outs in past months have included the Moon during a lunar eclipse, the planets Jupiter, Saturn and Mars, and various binary stars. Highlights in the upcoming months include the Orion and Ring Nebulae, as well as the Andromeda Galaxy.

No need to despair if the skies are cloudy - if re-quired, public tour operators will project a virtual sky tour against the backdrop of the dome. On your way down, take a peak at Toronto’s skyline from the top of the tallest building on campus; if the celestial sights do not wow you, the terrestrial sights should.

Come out to the U of T free public astronomy tours - open your eyes and gaze upwards to the heavens. You might be surprised by what you’ve been missing.

The next U of T Free Astronomy public tour takes place Thursday, November 6th at 8:10 p.m. in MP 103 (60 St. George Street). For more information about this program please see:

www.astro.utoronto.ca/StGeorge_tours.html

the arts

Photography by Sam Catalfamo

Locals meet at MarsUnited in the name of C.H.U.D.MATT DRAIMINSKY

Community Food Bureau

Heavens on EarthAstronomy tours at U of TBRYCE CROLL

Campus Events Bureau

Photography by Sam Catalfamo

the newspaper 7October 23 – 29, 2008

the artscont’d

2008: a music OdysseyAstronauts’ music from spaceNINA MANASAN

Community Events Bureau

After years of research, analysis and experimentation, I’ve !nally come up with the answer to one of life’s greatest mysteries: the only thing cooler than listening to music is listening to music in space!

Although my history degree may never allow me experience space !rsthand, it’s still interesting to know what kind of music has been listened to by astronauts on past missions. Being the accomplished critic that I am, I was especially drawn to the musical selec-tion for Mission STS-98, which took place from February 7 to 20, 2001.

For thirteen days, the crew of Mission STS-98 awoke to songs from a variety of genres, spanning from classical and jazz, rock and contemporary to techno and Elton John. Energetic rock tracks like “For Those About to Rock” (AC/DC), “Bad to the Bone” (George Thorogood and The Destroyers) and “Fly Away” (Lenny Kravitz) were obvious choices to get the crew pumped up for their day. On February 11th, the crew would

drift gracefully to Johann Strauss’ “Blue Danube Waltz” just like Homer Simpson did, minus the %oating potato chips. Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” was a clever, albeit jazzy, commentary on the mission itself. The Clash rounded o& the mission with their hit, “Should I Stay or Should I Go.”

To be perfectly honest, I chose this particular mission because it contained two of the best guilty pleasures of 2001: “Who Let the Dogs Out” (Baha Men) and “Blue” (Ei&el 65). It just goes to show that even in space, you can’t escape crappy music.

Now if only I knew what Lance Bass would have listened to, I’d have all the answers.

www.athabascau.ca/standout

Out of this worldCult classic is a trashy splendorSHAUNA C. KEDDY

Movie Classics Bureau

A celebration of space would not be complete without revisiting the infamous Ed Wood horror !lm, “Plan 9 From Outer Space.” The 1959 cult classic, regarded as one of the worst movies ever made, features grave robbers from outer space who resurrect the dead in order to thwart human plans to create a solar bomb that would end the uni-verse. The !lm is the epitome of campy and has reached its cult status purely thanks to its unintended hilarity.

Top !ve reasons why “Plan 9” rocks like a giant meteor:Lighting: Night scenes are often shot in broad daylight and vice 1. versa.Special E&ects: The spaceships are tiny toys visibly hung by a 2. string and bodies of victims are noticeably dummies.The Acting: Watch the cop and detective scenes as they fumble 3. with their lines, guns and physical movements. Extras fared much worse, providing the most memorably amusing scenes in the !lm.The Space People: Decked out in silk uniforms complete with a 4. lightening bolt patch and electrode guns, the aliens brandish such “advanced” technologies as a language translator machine and serve up the !lm’s most melodramatic actingThe Replacement Actor: Since Bela Lugosi passed away during 5. !lming, scenes where his character rises from the dead are ‘per-formed’ by another actor who craftily uses a cape to obstruct his face.

If you want bang for your low-budget buck, it is hard to beat “Plan 9 From Outer Space.

8 the newspaper October 23 – 29, 2008

the end

Dreaming of the newspaper...ALICIA ELENA