Skip to main content
Ingenium Logo

You are leaving IngeniumCanada.org

✖


This link leads to an external website that Ingenium does not control. Please read the third-party’s privacy policies before entering personal information or conducting a transaction on their site.

Have questions? Review our Privacy Statement

Vous quittez IngeniumCanada.org

✖


Ce lien mène à un site Web externe qu'Ingenium ne contrôle pas. Veuillez lire les politiques de confidentialité des tiers avant de partager des renseignements personnels ou d'effectuer une transaction sur leur site.

Questions? Consultez notre Énoncé de confidentialité

Ingenium The Channel

Langue

  • Français
Search Toggle

Menu des liens rapides

  • Ingenium Locations
  • Shop
  • Donate
  • Join
Menu

Main Navigation

  • Browse
    • Categories
    • Media Types
    • Boards
    • Featured Stories
  • About
    • About The Channel
    • Content Partners

Two things you should know about the science of wind chill, and the Orion spacecraft's selfies.

Share
8 m
Dec 9, 2022
Categories
Earth & Environment
Categories
Engineering & Technology
Meteorology
Sciences
Space
Media
Article
Profile picture for user Cassandra Marion
By: Cassandra Marion, PhD
Canada Aviation and Space Museum
Michelle Campbell Mekarski, PhD
Canada Science and Technology Museum
A rear view of a person wearing a yellow coat and backpack in winter, a close-up view of bright red poinsettias with small yellow central flowers.

Meet Cassandra Marion and Michelle Campbell Mekarski.

They are Ingenium’s science advisors, providing expert scientific advice on key subjects relating to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, and the Canada Science and Technology Museum.

In this colourful monthly blog series, Ingenium’s science advisors offer up quirky nuggets related to their areas of expertise. For the December edition, they explain the science of wind chill, and the spectacular selfies captured by the Orion spacecraft.

A rear view of a person wearing a brown backpack and a thick yellow coat with the hood up. They are walking down a snow-covered street with cars and other pedestrians in the background. It is snowing heavily.
Photo Credit
Thom Holmes | Unsplash

Wind chill: the science of making winter feel even colder

Have you ever been in this situation: It’s the middle of winter and you’re deciding how many sweaters to put on before leaving to run errands. You ask the nearest person (or the weather app!) how cold it is outside. In response, they may say something like: “It’s minus 15, but it feels like minus 20 with the wind chill.”

If you live in northern latitudes, you’re no stranger to the “wind chill.” As temperatures plummet, even the lightest breeze can make the air outside feel much colder than the number on the thermometer. But why is that? Let’s look at the science of wind chill. 

Humans are warm-blooded, which means that our bodies generate heat. This heat warms anything nearby that is colder than your body. This is why after a few minutes of lying in bed, your sheets get nice and warm! When we stand in still air, our bodies heat the air surrounding us. This creates a thin layer of warm air around our bodies. The colder the air is, the more heat your body loses in order to warm the surrounding air. When the wind blows, it blows away the thin layer of warm air surrounding your body, stealing the heat that your body created. The faster the wind blows, the faster the heat is removed. 

Atmospheric scientists and physicists use an equation to calculate how much heat is lost from an average person based on the surrounding air temperature and wind speed. This equation is what gives us the wind chill index. For example, at -20⁰C with 20 km/h winds, the wind chill makes it feel like -30⁰C. 

And why does it feel colder? When you feel cold, what you’re actually feeling is the sensation of heat leaving your body. The faster the heat is leaving, the colder you feel. Since adding wind to cold temperatures makes heat leave your body faster, a cold and windy day will feel colder to you than an equally cold, windless day.  

You can avoid the effects of wind chill by covering your skin with windproof layers. A thick coat will trap the warm air against your body and prevent the wind from blowing it away. Anywhere you have exposed skin (e.g., your face, ears, or hands) is at a much higher risk of frostbite since your body is not generating heat fast enough to keep the exposed skin warm.  

The wind chill index is a guide for how extra-chilly you are going to feel on any given day of winter. Use it as a tool to protect yourself and others from cold conditions and stay warm out there! 

By Michelle Campbell Mekarski

The Orion spacecraft in the left foreground, with a view in the background of the Earth and Moon, both partly in shadow against the black of space.
Photo Credit
NASA

View of the Earth and Moon from the Orion spacecraft at its maximum distance from Earth.

Successful Artemis I mission’s Orion spacecraft captures images to inspire

The Artemis I mission successfully launched to the Moon on November 16, 2022! The Orion spacecraft was put in a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon – where the spacecraft orbits the Moon in the opposite direction to which the Moon orbits the Earth – and frequently sent back spectacularly beautiful imagery of itself, the Moon, and the Earth.

Artemis I was a 25.5 day-long uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the first of many missions intended to return humans to the Moon. Artemis II will be the first crewed mission in the series planned to launch no earlier than 2024, on which a Canadian astronaut will fly around the Moon. 

The Orion spacecraft on the left with a view of the far side of the Moon on the right, all against a black background
Photo Credit
NASA

The Orion spacecraft entered into orbit around the Moon, and on the sixth day of the mission took a selfie that includes part of the far side of the Moon.

A few hiccups occurred before the SLS launched, including a faulty temperature sensor, a few helium leaks, and a couple hurricanes, but the rocket launched majestically off the Earth on November 16, 2022.  Once launched and in space, the mission proceeded as planned.

To capture the amazing views of NASA’s return to the Moon as well as collect important engineering and navigational data for the mission, a total of 24 cameras were installed: 8 on SLS and 16 on Orion. Most of the exceptional Earth and Moon views were captured by the cameras attached to the tip of each of the spacecraft’s four solar array wings on the service module. These cameras were also great for assessing the exterior condition of the capsule. 

Greyscale view inside the Orion spacecraft busy with tubes, knobs, and cables. There are windows above, a manikin seated on the left, a Callisto tech demo in the centre with a small coloured Snoopy doll with orange spacesuit floating in the centre.
Photo Credit
NASA

Inside the Orion capsule while in orbit around the Moon. Note the manikin on the left and the zero-gravity indicator Snoopy doll, centre-right.

Orion broke records: it officially achieved the farthest distance from Earth by a human-rated spacecraft, at 432,230 km, a record previously set by the Apollo 13 mission. The mission wasn’t aiming to break any records, but planned a really large orbit and high altitude around the Moon to intentionally stress the Orion spacecraft to test its limits. 

The Artemis I’s mission consisted of a series of important tests completed with the Orion spacecraft including navigational star tracking, thruster control, as well as monitoring the environment and technology inside the cabin, such as measuring radiation exposure levels and testing the new voice assistant technology named Callisto.

A close up of the Orion spacecraft in the left foreground, and a portion of the lunar surface in the background. The surface is grey with a range of smooth and rough terrain and craters.
Photo Credit
NASA

A close-up of a portion of the Moon beyond the Orion spacecraft, taken on the 20th day of the Artemis I mission.

On December 5, the Orion spacecraft completed its second and final close pass by the Moon on its return path to Earth and executed a flawless re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere and safely splashed down into the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022.

Go Further

Get the latest photos and video: https://go.nasa.gov/3TXYptr

By Cassandra Marion 

A previous version of this article included a story on cuetlaxochitl (poinsettias).


Enjoying the Ingenium Channel? Help us improve your experience with a short survey!

Share your insights
Tags
Wind chill, wind chill factor, heat, cold, winter, Artemis, orion, moon, space, spacecraft, photos, orbit
Author(s)
Profile picture for user Cassandra Marion
Cassandra Marion, PhD
Follow

Cassandra is the Science Advisor for the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. She has a PhD in geology and planetary science and exploration. Her research is focused on meteorite impact craters in the Canadian Arctic. She has more than a decade of experience in education and public outreach, developing and delivering science programming. She is dedicated to sharing her passion for Earth and planetary sciences with communities near and far, and improving science literacy in Canada.

Profile picture for user Michelle Campbell Mekarski
Michelle Campbell Mekarski, PhD

As the Science Advisor at the Canada Science and Technology Museum, Michelle’s goal is to bridge the gap between the scientific community and the public — specializing in making science and technology engaging, accessible, and fun. Michelle earned a PhD in evolutionary biology and paleontology and has many years of experience developing and delivering science outreach activities. When away from her job at the museum, she can be found teaching at the University of Ottawa or Carleton University, digging for fossils, or relaxing by the water.

More Stories by

Profile picture for user Cassandra Marion
Cassandra Marion, PhD
Canada Aviation and Space Museum
A dirty glass slide of a stromatolite with a dirty cotton swab at the bottom; a close-up on a bee with a green head and thorax on a yellow flower; a false colour 3D view of the surface of Venus showing volcanoes and lava flowing towards the foreground.

3 Things you should know about how native bees are important pollinators, how saliva is used to clean artifacts, and active volcanism on Venus

A woman examining a bottle of olive oil in a grocery store, Gravel terrain in beige with boulders identified in pink, craters in purple, and crater rims in turquoise, A close up of the tread of a winter tire showing deep, wide, jagged grooves and wavy sipes.

3 things you should know about food fraud, how winter tires work and Canadian artificial intelligence headed for the Moon.

A spliced, three-part image depicts a green-and-red plastic gadget attached to a cow’s tail, a composite image showing hundreds of meteors, and a close-up of a pair of glasses sitting on top of an open book.

3 things you should know about tech-enabled cows, meteors, and presbyopia

A close-up front view of the telescope’s primary mirror which resembles a golden honeycomb; a secondary mirror is folded up in front of it.

The James Webb Space Telescope: A powerful new space observatory

A spliced, three-part image shows plants growing out of water tubes on the left, a black-and-white image of Ganymede in the centre, and two blue butterflies on a flower on the right.

3 things you should know about aquaponics, Jupiter’s largest moon, and butterflies

Close-up of a hand holding brown soil, a cosmic illustration of spaceships flying across colourful planets, a hiking trail that runs through a deciduous forest.

3 things you should know about soil biology, space tourism, and the healing power of nature

Three images side-by-side, purple lavender blossoms, Ingenuity helicopter in flight, cicada close-up on a flower stock.

3 things you should know about lavender, the Ingenuity helicopter, and cicadas

A six-wheeled rover is stationary on a light-coloured landscape. At the centre of the rover, a camera is mounted on top of a mast. A robotic arm is outstretched in front, and an instrument head at the end of the arm rests just above a rock.

Perseverance rover to land on Mars in search of life

Related Stories

A spliced photo, from left to right: Shaun the Sheep in front of a model of ESA’s European Service Module, a top view into a red bucket containing thousands of light-brown, rod-shaped pellets, and a toddler wearing a wool hat and wool sweater holds a grownup’s finger.

3 things you should know about why wool keeps us warm, and about its surprising uses in the garden and in space.

A large impact crater viewed from the rim, a woodern spoon full of small yellow grains, a close up of a forearm being tattooed.

3 things you should know about the untapped potential of millet, the permanence of tattoos, and asteroid airbursts

The thirty or so Mexican peasants who helped clear the Bacubirito meteorite, not far from Bacubirito, Mexico, 1902. N. Rosst, “La grande météorite de ‘Bacubirito’ (Mexique).” La Nature, 14 February 1903, 173.

A blaze in the northern skies and a cinder of sidereal fire: The Bacubirito meteorite

Three images side by side, Canada’s White Glacier, dried mealworms shown on a round wooden platter, and a pair of hands rubbing together, covered in soap bubbles.

3 things you should know about insects as an important source of protein, the science superpowers of soap, and monitoring glaciers in Canada’s Arctic

Three images side by side, plastic-wrapped cucumbers, a woman with an inflamed shoulder, and the James Webb Space Telescope.

3 things you should know about plastic-wrapped cucumbers, the James Webb telescope, and inflammation

Three images side by side, grocery shelves full of eggs in clear trays, coral reefs seen from space, and a map of Canada divided into four differently coloured shapes.

3 things you should know about egg refrigeration, coral reef satellite maps, and watersheds

Autumn vista of a river winding between pine trees and snow-capped mountains.

AI-Generated sound therapy for critically ill patients

A wide view of the underwater room in the RIPPLE EFFECT exhibition; the walls, floor, and ceiling are blue and information about water conservation adorns the walls.

A refreshing approach: Students create virtual exhibition to inspire water conservation

A spliced, three-part image depicts several unwashed potatoes on a white background, several springtails on ice pellets, and a black and white view of Saturn’s crater-rich moon Mimas, dominated by a very large impact crater on the right.

3 things you should know about PEI potato wart, Saturn’s moon Mimas, and animals with built in antifreeze.

Tomanowos, better known as the Willamette meteorite, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York. Anon., “Ça et là, par l’image.” Le Samedi, 22 February 1947, 8.

Tomanowos, a visitor from the sky or Moon: A brief look at the largest North American meteorite known today

A spliced, three-part image depicts a green-and-red plastic gadget attached to a cow’s tail, a composite image showing hundreds of meteors, and a close-up of a pair of glasses sitting on top of an open book.

3 things you should know about tech-enabled cows, meteors, and presbyopia

A three-part, spliced image of a parched and cracked area of soil, an atom encircled with electrons, and the surface of the Moon.

3 things you should know about salty soil, invisibility, and Canada’s lunar rover

Footer

About The Channel

The Channel

Contact Us

Ingenium
P.O. Box 9724, Station T
Ottawa ON K1G 5A3
Canada

613-991-3044
1-866-442-4416
contact@IngeniumCanada.org
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Channel

    • Channel Home
    • About the Channel
    • Content Partners
  • Visit

    • Online Resources for Science at Home
    • Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
    • Canada Aviation and Space Museum
    • Canada Science and Technology Museum
    • Ingenium Centre
  • Ingenium

    • Ingenium Home
    • About Ingenium
    • The Foundation
  • For Media

    • Newsroom
    • Awards

Connect with us

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest Ingenium news straight to your inbox!

Sign Up

Legal Bits

Ingenium Privacy Statement

© 2023 Ingenium

Symbol of the Government of Canada
  • Browse
    • Categories
    • Media Types
    • Boards
    • Featured Stories
  • About
    • About The Channel
    • Content Partners