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Further Information
For further information, contact:
Sandra Radford, ISSET
email: sradford@isset.org
telephone: +44 (0)2920710295
The Astronaut Leadership Experience exposes people to the challenges of human survival similar to exploration on a distant planet. A wilderness environment simulates the physical realities associated with establishing and maintaining a human presence where none existed before.
The Transit of Venus
A transit is similar to a solar eclipse. The Transit of Venus is when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth. Transits of Venus are among the rarest of predictable astronomical phenomena. The gaps between the transits are over 100 years. When the transits do appear they are in pairs which are separated by 8 years.
The first pair of transits of Venus in the 21st century took place on 8th June 2004 and the next will be on 6th June 2012.
After 2012, the next transits of Venus will be in December 2117 and December 2125. Previous to 2004, the last pair of transits were in December 1874 and December 1882
The Transit of Venus on 6th June 2012 will take about 6 hours during which it is possible to see the alien and hostile world of Venus pass across the face of the Sun.
The Gobi Desert
It will only be possible to view the complete Transit of Venus from the green areas on the diagram. Many of these areas, however, may be affected by cloud, mist and possibly rain.
The Gobi Desert is the most likely place on earth to give clear skies to view the transit and added to this the Gobi is one of the most adventurous places on Earth to visit.
The Gobi is our choice because it offers a full view of the entire transit, the best opportunity of clear skies and it is a great place to develop leadership and adventure skills.
The Gobi Desert is half a million square miles of diverse and beautiful wilderness that includes giant sand dunes, towering orange glowing cliffs and deep canyons with ice formations that last until mid-summer. It is home to nomadic families living in round white gers, Mongolian herdsmen, shaggy two-humped camels, Gobi bears, ibexes and gazelles.
Explorers will learn the leadership, team building and communication skills required to conduct complex missions. The challenging environment will enable the explorers to help each other and work as a team in a truly unique situation.
The Astronaut Leadership Team
The Transit of Venus team will include:
(Click images to see Bio)
Ken Ham
NASA Astronaut and Space shuttle Commander
Dr Rhodri Evans
Physicist & Astronomer
Michelle Ham
Senior Astronaut Trainer
Chris Barber
Space Educationalist
