Quantum Day

Showing posts with label Space Travel. Show all posts

25 January 2014

Fruit Flies Raised in Outer Space Have Weak Immune System

An experiment that involved Drosophila fruit flies being raised in outer space at the Space Shuttle Discovery showed that the flies have a weaker immune system compared to regular Drosophila flies raised on Earth.

The flies were sent into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery as eggs. It takes about 10 days for the flies to develop into adults and after the return trip, scientists found that the space flies had a weak immune response system to fungus. However, the immune system reacted normally to bacteria.

Scientists noted that the flies also showed a high expression of heat-shock protein genes that moderate the Toll pathway which mediates fungus infections. They also believe that aside from the heat-shock proteins, microgravity could also interfere with the protein behaviors outside the cell which are important for Toll pathway signalling.

The 12 day space mission brings to light the link between gravity and the immune system.

Study Finds Sleep Patterns And Neurobehavioral Effects As A Concern On Manned Mission To Mars

Researchers analyzing data on the the sleep, performance, and mood behavioral impact of deep space travel to astronauts find that sleep patterns and neurobehavioral effects on the crew members must be addressed for successful adaption to prolonged space missions.

For quite some time, Mars has been a hot topic when it comes to sending humans into outer space. Just recently, NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover landed on Mars and have been taking tests of the surface of the planet. It has even picked up what might possibly be evidence of water on Mars.

Travelling to Mars takes lots of preparation. For one, there are only four windows of opportunity that cycles every fifteen years to require the least amount of energy to transfer from an Earth orbit to the Mars orbit.

The next window for a low energy orbit transfer would occur in 2018.

It would take roughly 250 days to travel from the Earth to Mars. During the trip, astronauts are exposed to dangerous cosmic radiation, space debris, a zero gravity environment and even psychological effects from prolonged isolation.

The United States delayed its plan to send astronauts to Mars by 2020. Instead, the plan is to send a manned mission to an asteroid in 2025 and plan for a Mars trip by 2030.

Mars One, a private endeavor to set up a human colony on Mars led by Dutch entrepreneur, Bas Lansdorp, was announced on June 2012. The project's plan is to land humans on Mars to establish a permanent settlement in 2023. A new set of four astronauts would then arrive every two years.

Mars One is set up to be a one way trip to Mars for the astronauts.

Deep Space Travel Can Be Harmful To The Brain Due To Cosmic Radiation

ISS View of an Aurora Caused By A Geomagnetic Storm From The Sun

Study shows that exposure to galactic cosmic radiation from deep space travel can cause harmful biological processes and changes to the brain such as cognitive impairments and Alzheimer's disease.

Outer space is not as serene as it looks. It is full of radiation. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun can cause rapid sunburn and skin cancer. During solar flare activity, x-rays, gamma-rays, and energetic particles that can cause radiation sickness are ejected from the Sun and shot into space.

Without proper protection such as UV protection and a solar flare shelter, astronauts would be in constant danger.

Aside from the Sun, there is also radiation from outer space. These are produced from exploding stars and other objects, and unlike radiation from the Sun (which usually peaks during solar flares and storms), cosmic radiation is constant and continuous.

On a side note, the comic book Fantastic Four, chronicles the adventures of four superheroes who gained superpowers through cosmic ray exposure in outer space. The Fantastic Four experienced changes that granted them superhuman ability from the exposure to the radiation.

Nothing can be further from the truth. In reality, the effects on real life astronauts may be the opposite.

Previous NASA studies have shown that cosmic radiation increases the risk of cancer and that according to their estimates, for every week of exposure in a cosmic ray environment will shorten life expectancy by about a day (more if cancer sets in).

This sets up a problem when planning deep space missions, specially to Mars. Scientists are busy trying to study what other effects cosmic rays have on the human body in deep space travel and how to mitigate these.

Russians Send Probe To Mars Moon

Russian Phobos-Grunt mission will launch a probe to the Mars moon Phobos. It will scoop up rock and dust samples from the Martian moon and bring them back to Earth.

On Wednesday at 00:16 local time (20:16 GMT Tuesday), the probe will lift off from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It will be lifted off to space on a Zenit-2SB rocket. According to calculations, the probe will reach Phobos in September 2012. The Mars moon samples will be back on Earth in 33 months time.

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UPDATE 07:48 GMT Nov 9: The Phobos-Grunt rocket veered off course within minutes of starting its mission. An engine designed to keep the probe on track failed to start and is currently stuck in an Earth orbit. Russian engineers have three days to correct the fault before its batteries run out
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Aside from its main mission, the Phobos-Grunt will also carry China's first Mars satellite, the Yinghuo 1. It will ride piggy back and be released into an observational orbit around Mars.

The European Space Agency assisted with the mission by giving detailed mapping of the moon by it's Mars Express (MEx) satellite. This information is used to identify a suitable location for landing. They also are providing ground support for the mission.

Video: News report on the stalled mission to Mars

Phobos is of interest to astronomers. The Potato-shaped moon is thought to be an asteroid that got caught by the gravity of Mars. Some think that it may be a collection of rocks that formed around Mars after its formation.

It is one of two moons at Mars (the other being Deimos) and has an extremely low density may mean that it has many interior voids.

Once the probe has landed on Phobos, a robotic arm will pick up samples of the regolith or "soil". Analysis will be made within the probe's instruments and around 200g of the material will be transferred to a canister and sent back to Earth. The canister is expected to fall to Earth in the Kazakh desert by August 2014.

Aside from ESA, The French (Cnes) and German (DLR) space agencies also participated by providing instrumentation for Phobos-Grunt. The US advocacy group, The Planetary Society is also contributing to the mission by sending a payload of live microorganisms to test the hypothesis that life can survive in space after being blasted off planets from meteor impacts.

On another front, NASA is partnering with Astrobotic Technology to plan a mission that will mine fuel and minerals (specially Helium 3) on the moon.

Video: Mission animation of the Phobos-Gunt made by the Russian Federal Space Agency

30 October 2011

The Spaceships of Virgin Galactic

500 people have already booked flights. The trip will last two and a half hours. Tickets cost US$200,000. And deposits start at US$20,000.

Yep. It's not a trip on a private jet plane. It's more than a trip on a Gulfstream G5 or a Lear Jet, its on a space ship and it's to outer space. The trip promises a view of the Earth just as the astronauts do when going into space. The flight also includes five minutes of weightlessness.

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic have been on the spotlight since he announced commercial flights to outer space. He recently opened Spaceport America in New Mexico. Sir Richard calls it the "Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space". The take off and landing site for the service.

With names like Space Ship Two, White Knight Two and even Mothership Eve, what do the spaceships look like? Here's an animated video of the space vehicles and how they will bring people into space. It truly is a great video on it:

So, what do you think? As already mentioned, it's not really a private chartered flight on a jet plane from Tokyo to New York. But for 200k, that flight should serve some killer food.

Oh wait, did I mention that the commercial first flights will start around 2013?

26 October 2011

Commercial Space Travel To Start by 2013

Nope. Those aren't UFO's you are seeing in the New Mexico skyline.

Last week, Sir Richard Branson dedicated Spaceport America, the world's first built-from-scratch commercial spaceport. Among the attendees were New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez and astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

The crowd included about 150 people who have already bought tickets for the flights to outer space. They were treated to a flyover from Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo (image), the main vehicle or "mothership" that will launch the suborbital spacecraft.

Here is Sir Richard Branson on a promotional video about Virgin Galactic's space flight:

Owned by Branson's company, Virgin Galactic, he plans to conduct commercial flights to outer space by 2013. The space flight experience promises passengers views of the Earth as seen only by astronauts.

He hopes to launch the outer space service in two years time if things go well. Stephen Attenborough, the firms commercial director stressed that the customers' safety is paramount. Originally, Sir Richard planned a first commercial space trip in 2007 with his spacecraft, SpaceShip Two.

Test flights are currently ongoing, with rocket-powered tests scheduled for next year. The eccentric billionaire hopes hopes that Virgin Galactic's commercial space flights could begin soon after.

Once operational, the 2.5-hour space flight will offer five minutes of weightlessness and cost $200,000. Around 500 people have already bought tickets.

For the first trip, he plans to take his children with him. "They are willing to put a large amount of money up front because they trust us, because they know we will only take them to space if it's safe to do so," he said.