KCL Space

Welcome to uni! Come meet us at our first fair of the year: the NMES fair! We are so thrilled to see you all! ✨🔭 🔬

🎉Introducing your new KCL Space Society Committee 24/25! 🎉

💫We are thrilled to meet you all in September and are looking forward to the exciting line-up of events for the year ahead! See you all soon!! ⭐️

We're so excited to announce our final academic event of the year with Professor David Jamieson on The Arrow of Time: Why is the Future Different From the Past? 🕰️

A little background on our speaker: He is teaching at the University of Melbourne and his research expertise in ion beam physics applied to test some of the key functions of a revolutionary quantum computer constructed in silicon in the Australian Research Council Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology. He has also received a fellowship to work on new ideas for engineering silicon with single atoms, including the production of low-entropy isotopically pure silicon for atomic quantum bits! We're so excited to have him for this talk 🌟

This event is open to EVERYONE, regardless of your year and degree subject! This is a really fun topic, and you don't need any prior knowledge! We can't wait to see you there 🤍

⏰ Friday, 21st June, 5:30pm
📍 Room 2.12 SE Wing, Bush House

NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) observations have revealed a planet sized somewhere between Earth and Venus, 40 light years away! 🔭

So far, this is the nearest Earth-sized planet found. The planet, Gliese 12b, orbits a red dwarf star Gliese 12, orbits its star every 12.8 days and possibly has a surface temperature of 42 degrees Celcius 🌍🌟

The size and mass of red dwarf stars make it easier to detect these smaller, Earth-sized planets, which also lie nearer to habitable zones! Studying planets like these help astronomers learn about atmosphere development and evolutions of planets in terms of habitability ✨

for more information: https://science.nasa.gov/universe/exoplanets/nasas-tess-finds-intriguing-world-sized-between-earth-venus/

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If you saw northern lights (or aurora borealis) this weekend, you were witnessing the reactions of solar flares hitting Earth! ☀️🌍

The sun peaks in solar activity and ejections of plasma every 11 years – and it is in the middle of a peak now! Slide 1 is a picture obtained by NASA on 11 May, showing intense activity on the sun. Charged particles from the sun hit the Earth's atmosphere and react, causing them to glow in this fashion (slide 2).

These are mostly kept at the magnetic poles of the Earth (called 'aurora aurealis' in the south), but in times of heightened solar activity such as this, they can be witnessed from much lower 🤩✨

photo 1: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1ej1kk0d88o.amp
photo 2: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14589

for more information on northern lights: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/what-causes-northern-lights-aurora-borealis-explained

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Introducing the next speaker for our X3 Space Conference this Saturday… Yuk Chi Chan! 🚀

Here’s a short brief about him!

Yuk Chi Chan is the Founder and CEO of Charter, the first British space company backed by the Techstars Space Accelerator. Charter is building the OS for the space industry to run, grow, and thrive.

Yuk Chi Chan is a former Army logistics officer and space lawyer. He also handled mission management at a previous startup building satellite propulsion systems. His research has been published by Springer Nature and the European Space Agency, and he is one of the youngest lawyers to have spoken at the United Nations on space sustainability law. He studied law at Durham University and University College London. He trained as a solicitor with Donaldson & Burkinshaw LLP, Singapore’s oldest law firm. He was the winner of the Durham University Startup Blueprint Award in 2021. He is also (in no particular order) a high school dropout, the survivor of a ruptured lung from his days in the Service, and a published science fiction author.

To hear more about his journey and his experiences in space law, join us on Saturday at the conference! Tickets are on sale now, visit the link in our bio! 💫

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Introducing the first speaker for our X3 Space Conference this Saturday… Jorge Arturo-Levario Delagarza! 🚀

Here’s what he had to say!

“My name is Jorge Arturo Levario-Delagarza. Originally from El Paso, Texas, USA, and growing up in Mexico for a few years, I am currently a Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Student at the University of Texas at Arlington. During my time in university, I have completed an internship at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, 2 internships at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and will be joining the SpaceX Starship Launch Team for my 2nd SpaceX internship this Summer 2023.”

To hear more about Jorge’s journey and his experiences in the space industry, join us on Saturday at the conference! Tickets are on sale now, visit the link in our bio! 💫

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Tickets for KCL Space's inaugural X3 SPACE CONFERENCE are now available! 🥳

After years in the making, we're thrilled and super excited to finally announce this out-of-this-world event, happening at our Strand Campus at King's College London this Saturday, March 11th from 9am-6pm! 🌌

We've worked hard to give you this event - so join us for an unforgettable experience: featuring talks from the brightest minds in the space sector, skill-building workshops, meeting companies and a chance to network with top industry professionals. Whether you're a science enthusiast, a student in STEM, or just looking to expand your horizons, this conference is a must-attend! 💫

Get your tickets through our KCLSU site here or by using the link in our bio: 

https://www.kclsu.org/organisation/15397/

More details: 
Name: The X3 Space Conference 
Date: Saturday 11th March 2023
Timings: 09:00 - 18:00
Location: Strand Campus, King's College London, WC2R 2LS

We look forward to seeing you all there! Please feel free to contact us for any questions 🚀

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‼️ ANNOUNCEMENT ‼️

Get ready to blast off with KCL Space's inaugural X3 SPACE CONFERENCE! 🚀

After years in the making, we're thrilled and super excited to finally announce this out-of-this-world event, happening at KCL on March 11th from 9am-6pm 🌌

The X3 Space Conference will be KCL Space's biggest event of the year. Our members asked, and we listened - we present to you our conference: the ultimate KCL Space event!

Join us for an unforgettable experience: featuring talks from the brightest minds in the space sector, skill-building workshops, meeting companies and a chance to network with top industry professionals. Whether you're a science enthusiast, a student in STEM, or just looking to expand your horizons, this conference is a must-attend! 💫

Tickets will be available soon.

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Old soul, young heart…

A new study led by a joint team at Nagoya University and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan has measured the cosmic age of the most distant galaxy with oxygen to date! 🚀

The galaxy, GHZ2/GLASS-z12,  was first detected by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, with its exact cosmic age then pinpointed by radio telescope ALMA. 📡

This galaxy clocks in at 367 million years after the Big Bang, meaning that the signal detected by ALMA has been traveling for approximately 97% of the age of the universe! 🌌

The existence of oxygen was confirmed through a spectral emission line associated with ionized oxygen near the galaxy, which is an abundant element in distant galaxies due to its relatively rapid formation after the Big Bang.

These deep ALMA observations provide profound importance for revealing details about the  first generation of stars and their lifetime – from their formation to evolution.🌌

Feel free to discover more about this novel research from the article below! 📚

https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/news/astronomers-confirm-age-most-distant-galaxy-oxygen

📷: NASA / ESA / CSA / T. Treu, UCLA / NAOJ / T. Bakx, Nagoya U.

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The Annual UKSEDS National Student Space Conference is taking place on the 4-5 March 2023 at the University of Manchester this year! 🥳

UKSEDS (UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space) are the biggest student led space organisation in the UK. For over 30 years, they have been supporting students and young professionals across the country by running events, providing resources, and teaching them new skills.

Their National Student Space Conference (NSSC) brings more than 500 delegates (from students to academia and industry) together to network and share knowledge every year ✨

Fun fact- Last year’s UKSEDS NSSC was hosted by KCL Space at KCL!

We highly recommend you to purchase the tickets to the NSSC, as it is truly the premier event for students interested in space. Purchase link is in our bio!

We also recommend you to sign up to be a member of UKSEDS- membership is free and comes with a lot of perks such as insight into space careers and lots of networking opportunities!

Looking forward to seeing you all there! 🚀

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Interested in working in the space industry and want to know more about internships?

Join our first UP!Skilling workshop this THURSDAY! During this session, we will go over various tips on how to apply to space internships, how to write a CV/cover letter, and will also be answering your questions 💫

This workshop will be led by our amazing Vice President, Apolline Horn, who is a former European Space Agency (ESA) intern and has lots of experience in the space sector! 🚀

‼️ This session can only host 25 people- it will be on a first come first serve basis. Sign up for free using the link in our bio now to avoid disappointment ‼️

UP!Skilling sessions is a new series of sessions by KCL Space which will consist of workshops and presentations. Our aim is to bridge the gap between students interested in space and the space industry through these sessions 🚀

Looking forward to seeing you all there! 🥳

Sign up using the link in our bio.

⏰ 16 February, 11am-1pm
📍K0.31 (The Small Committee Room), King’s Building, Strand Campus

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Today, on February 11th we celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science👩‍🔬👩‍🚀

This day allows us to recognise the vital contributions of women and girls in science and technology developments, as well as looking forward to future generations of women and girls in STEM 🚀

📸: NASA, STEM Women

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A huge thank you to everyone who joined and supported our charity bake sale! 🍪🍰

We were able to raise £271 for In2Science UK! 🥳

If you would like to donate to In2Science UK, a wonderful organisation that helps young students get into STEM, you can do so using this link! 🧑‍🔬👩‍🔬👨‍🔬

https://www.justgiving.com/page/kclspace

We will be hosting more of these events so keep an eye on our page! 🚀

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We are so excited to have our first BAKE SALE of the year! 🧁🎂🍰🍪🍩

Come visit us at the Old Entrance Hall at Strand from 9am-5pm where you will be able to enjoy some of our delicious and homely baked goods 🍰

We will ONLY be accepting CASH! 💷

All proceeds from this bake sale will go to In2Science, which is a great charity that helps disadvantaged young students to get into STEM 🧑‍🔬👩‍🔬👨‍🔬

Here is a link if you would like to donate to In2Science:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/kclspace

See you tomorrow! 🤩

Note: Although all ingredients will be listed, all bakes may contain traces of allergens and are not suitable for people with allergies.

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UKSEDS (UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space) is hosting their Cluster Events tomorrow, 4th February 2022! ✨

These events are tailored for university students interested in space. The Cluster Events will allow you all to network and foster connections with other branches and members, ask questions to professionals within the space sector, meet people and branches from different universities and get a better insight into being a UKSEDS member. You may find your next sponsor or collaborator at these events! 🪐

The Cluster Events will be held at various regions around the UK, and the London and South England event is ONLINE, from 11am to 4pm! 🤩

We highly recommend our members to attend this online event as you will be hearing from experts in the industry and this will allow you to further explore your interest in space and astronomy! 💫

Register now for free using the ink in bio! We are looking forward to seeing you all there 🚀

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One of the most awaited astronomical events of this year is catching the comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) between January and February, with the peak estimated to be around Feb 1/2! 💫

But what exactly are comets? Comets are like cosmic snowballs made of gases, rocks and dust. As the comet is on it’s orbit and it gets close to a Star it heats up and spews dust. This dust and gas is what forms the notable tails of comets! 🌠

This particular comet is calculated to orbit the sun every 50,000 years which means it’s previous approach to our solar system was at the time of Neanderthals. It has a green glow that arises from the presence of the diatomic carbon atoms. These diatomic molecules emit green light when excited by UV rays in solar radiation. 🌌

Be sure to catch this “cosmic snowball” this winter with your friends and family in the next few days! ❄️

For more information, check out the links below:

- solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/overview

- theguardian.com/science/2023/jan/23/exotic-green-comet-not-seen-since-stone-age-returns-to-skies-above-earth

📸 Credits: Dan Bartlett/Nasa/AFP/Getty Images

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On this day, 55 years ago, the Apollo 5 mission took off 🚀

An uncrewed flight, the main objective of the Apollo 5 mission was to test the Lunar Module (LM) for the first time, along with verifying performance systems in the orbit of the Earth 🛸

With a duration of 11h and 10min, this mission was highly successful, and the Lunar Module would later go on to carry the first astronauts to the surface of the moon and back 🌙

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UK’s first ever orbital space launch from British soil is ready to blast off! 🚀

Tonight’s mission will see a repurposed 747 jumbo jet release a rocket over the Atlantic to take nine satellites high above the Earth. Newquay Airport in Cornwall is the starting point for the operation, at 22:00 BST.

When the 747 leaves Newquay, it will head west out over the Atlantic to a designated launch zone just off the coast of the Irish counties of Kerry and Cork.

At the appropriate moment and at an altitude of 35,000ft, the Virgin jet will release the rocket, which will then ignite its first-stage engine to begin the climb to orbit.

If the launch goes to plan, nine small satellites will be released into an orbit more than 500km above the planet. They have a mix of civil and military applications, ranging from ocean monitoring to navigation technology 💫

Keep an eye on our stories for more information! 😍

Credits: BBC News Climate and Science, Rebecca Morelle and Jonathan Amos.

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KCL Space wishes you all a Merry Christmas and happy holidays🎄

We hope you get to spend this time with your friends, family and loved ones ❤️

May this season be full of love and light! 💫

After four years of science and service, NASA’s InSight Mars lander retired on December 21, 2022.

Short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, InSight was launched on 5th May 2018 to study the deep interior of the red planet. Since landing on Mars, InSight has given us valuable information about its nature, with its highly sensitive seismometer detecting around 1,313 ‘Marsquakes’ 🚀

This image is the final image sent by InSight from Mars 📸 Power had been declining for months, as expected, and the last time InSight communicated with Earth was 15th December 2022, and after two failed reconnection attempts, the mission was retired.

Although it is the end of operations for the lander, InSight’s legacy and findings will live on forever! 🤍

For more information about InSight, check out this blog by NASA 📚

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-retires-insight-mars-lander-mission-after-years-of-science

📸 credits: NASA

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✨JWST PICTURE REVEAL✨

On the 16th of November, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope revealed characteristics of the early formation of a star (protostar) hidden within the dark cloud L1527.

This image was captured by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). The protostar (a relatively young body - only 100,000 years old) is hidden from view in the neck of the hourglass shape. The disk seen as a dark band in the image is about the size of our solar system! 🌠

Currently, L1527 is about 20 to 40% the mass of our Sun, hence, does not generate its own energy through nuclear fission of hydrogen (an essential characteristic of stars) yet.

As it continues to gain mass, its core will compress and it will get closer to stable nuclear fission.

Overall, this image of L1527 is pivotal in our understanding of what our Sun and Solar system looked like in their infancy! ☀️

For more information on this fascinating discovery, click on the link below! 🧑‍💻

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-webb-catches-fiery-hourglass-as-new-star-forms

📸 credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI. Image processing: J. DePasquale, A. Pagan, and A. Koekemoer (STScI)

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Happy December! ❄️

It’s finally winter and that can only mean one thing…

Our Annual Winter Ball is only 5 days away 🥳

Tickets are selling out fast, so get yours NOW if you haven’t already! Purchase link in bio.

Tickets cost £15 each, and you may purchase up to two tickets if you would like to bring a plus one (note: this plus one does not have to be a KCL student). Ticket price includes admission, food and drinks.

We hope to see you (and your stunning masks) at our Masquerade ball! 🚀

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We’re so excited to announce that we have a very exciting speaker giving us a talk about space careers 👩‍🚀

Jorge Arturo Levario-Delagraza Jr is an aspiring astronaut, current SpaceX intern and a former NASA intern. In the talk, he will be talking about his career so far and opportunities in the space industry 🚀

We highly recommend you attend the webinar- you will get to hear from someone who has firsthand experience in the space industry and you’ll also get a chance to have your all your queries about space careers answered by him 🥳

This event will take place on Friday, 2nd December from 18:30-19:30. It will be over a Zoom meeting, and the meeting link will be available on our Linktree (link in bio) closer to the meeting time.

Looking forward to seeing you all there! 🚀

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We’re so excited to bring you a space crafts night in collaboration with KCL Maker’s society! 🧑‍🎨

The event will be held on Thursday, the 1st of December, from 6pm-9pm, in Bush House (North East Wing) room -1.01 🥳

Come along for a relaxing evening to chill with your friends and make your very own planet or rocket, which may be used to decorate the KCL Space Winter Ball! ❄️

There will also be some plain masks available to decorate and wear to the ball, so make sure to come and do purchase your tickets to the ball (using the link in our bio) if you haven’t done so already! 🎭

Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday 🚀

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Well done to all the participants of the annual knock-out Space Law Moot, hosted in collaboration with the King's College London Bar and Mooting Society! 🥳

Congratulations also to all the finalists and Conor Walsh, the winner of this year's Space Law Moot.

The finals were held on Wednesday, 16th November and it was an absolute joy to watch you all engage with the problem question, tackling issues such as the applicability of Article 9 of the Outer Space Treaty and liability within a space context.

We hope to see you all next year! 🚀

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The KCL Space Annual Winter Ball ‘22 tickets are now LIVE! 🥳

Head to the link in our bio or the link below to get your tickets now!

https://www.kclsu.org/organisation/15397/

The theme of the Annual Winter Ball is a Masquerade, so make sure you’ve got your formal/black tie outfits ready ✨

You can get up to 2 tickets per person, which means you can get a ticket for yourself and a plus one. This plus one does not need to be a King’s student- we will send out a link for you to input their details later on.

Tickets cost just £15 each, which includes the food, drinks, and admission to the event.

Make sure to wear a masquerade style mask for the event! You can bring your own, or alternatively we’ll have some masks at the hall for you to purchase if you’d like 🎭

Feel free to DM us if you have any questions!

This year, we are partnering with KCL Robotics and KCL Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology to give you the best Winter Ball experience!

We’re so excited to see you there… ❄️

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NASA’s Artemis I has finally been given the ‘go’ for launch 🥳

After initial launch attempts since the original launch date of August 29 2022 being scrubbed due to technical issues, Artemis I is scheduled to launch in a two hour window which begins at 1:04am EST (6:04 BST) on Wednesday, 16 October 2022 🌙

Tune into NASA TV, which will begin live-streaming the launch with commentary at 3:30am BST. To find the livestream, visit the link in our bio! 🎥

For more information about Artemis I, check out our story highlights ‘Artemis’ for a quick update about the mission and its objectives 🚀

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It’s finally time… ❄️

The KCL Space Annual Winter Ball is BACK! 🥳

Join us in the Great Hall on Wednesday, 7 December for a relaxing evening and a chance to dress up and enjoy with friends before heading into exam season in January.

This year, the theme of our annual event will be a Masquerade Ball, so get your black tie outfits and your stunning masks ready 🎭

Tickets will be available to purchase on KCLSU shortly- keep an eye on our page so you don’t miss out!

We’re so excited to see you all there! 💃🕺

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