ISS Air Revittilisation System: Astronauts will breathe easier

ISS Air Revittilisation System rack represents the state of the art in spacecraft oxygen recovery technology. 

Credit: NASA

For NASA's long-duration human spaceflight missions, travelers will need to recycle as much breathable oxygen in their spacecraft environments, as possible.

To turn that need into a reality, NASA is seeking proposals for lightweight, safe, efficient and reliable systems for regenerating oxygen on future human exploration missions.

The first of two phases of this new NASA solicitation will consist of a detailed design, development, fabrication, and testing of an advanced oxygen recovery technology.

Under a two year Phase II contract, the proposer then will develop a prototype hardware system, capable of an oxygen recovery rate of at least 75 percent.

"Lengthy spaceflight missions in Earth's orbit and beyond must have life support systems that are more self-sufficient and reliable," said Michael Gazarik, associate administrator for Space Technology at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

"The spacecraft life support system technologies for this proposal must significantly improve the rate of oxygen recovery while achieving high degrees reliability."

"NASA and its partners (ESA) will need to develop new technologies to 'close' the atmosphere revitalisation loop."

In addition to improving the oxygen recovery rate, the new systems must reduce mass required or take up less space and reduce power consumption.

NASA's goal is to award technology development efforts that will increase the oxygen recovery rate to at least 75 percent without adversely impacting other design requirements.

Happy Anniversary Yuri! Celebration of Yuri Gagarin's Epic Trip

On April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (left, on the way to the launch pad) made the first human spaceflight, a 108-minute orbital journey in his Vostok 1 spacecraft. 

Newspapers like The Huntsville Times (right) trumpeted Gagarin's accomplishment.

Credit: NASA

It was 53 years ago today on April 12, 1961 when cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin launched into space aboard his Soviet Vostok 1 and ushered in an era of space travel that continues to this today.

Human Spaceflight, Space Tourism and Habitation: Hotels in Space

Utilising existing technology and sustainably housing humans in space is a seemingly futuristic concept that already has its wheels in motion today.

Canadian Space company Tasha9503 is designing hotels to put into low Earth orbit (LEO) using used rocketry and the available technology of today.

Orbital colonisation is the next step for humanity.

Exploration is in our nature and settling amongst the stars inside orbital habitats is a method through which this can be achieved.

Constant human presence in space has already been established through the International Space Station (ISS), which has housed humans continually ever since its first crew in 2000.

This powerhouse of scientific research is the product of international cooperation between 15 nations and is a powerful testament to our potential in space.

By unlocking this potential capability to work together both on and off of our home planet has been demonstrated and in turn gives rise to a plethora of new orbital habitat concepts that may one day become a reality.

To live in space sustainably, cost needs to be low and reusability must be a key component. This will allow maximum utility to be gained from the grand endeavour.

One such concept that focuses on reusing existing components is HotelsInSpace by Tasha9503, which aims to put great numbers of people in space at a low cost.

The company will build spaceships from specially designed used rockets, which are capable of lifting 6 satellite payloads and up to 200 paying customers.

This ambitious plan arose after the founder Trevor Cooper heard somebody mention that they would like a spaceship in which their children could mine smelt forge at the Asteroid Belt, manufacture living accommodations on site, whilst continuing to study the cosmos. And so, HotelsInSpace was born.

Read more of this article here

Mars Mission 'Risk': Astronauts may suffer Vision Damage

A manned mission to Mars could feasibly launch sometime in the 2030s, according to a panel of experts.

Credit: ESA

Mars may possess a stark and austere beauty, but a manned Red Planet mission will likely not be easy on the eyes.

Recently, scientists have begun realizing that spaceflight can cause serious and perhaps permanent vision problems in astronauts.

NASA researchers are working hard to understand the issue, which could present a major hurdle to mounting manned missions to Mars and other faraway destinations.

"This is one that we don't yet have a good handle on, and it can be a showstopper," Mark Shelhamer, chief scientist for the NASA Human Research Program at Johnson Space Center in Houston, said last week during a presentation with the agency's Future In-Space Operations (FISO) working group.



The human body suffers in the microgravity environment of space. For example, without effective countermeasures — i.e., vigorous weight-bearing exercise — astronauts' muscles atrophy and their bones shed calcium, becoming more and more brittle over time.

Spaceflight can also affect the eyes. Researchers have known this for decades, but they're just now beginning to appreciate the gravity of the situation.

"Over the last 40 years there have been reports of visual acuity impairments associated with spaceflight through testing and anecdotal reports," a 2012 NASA report about spaceflight-related vision problems states.

"Until recently, these changes were thought to be transient, but a comparison of pre- and postflight ocular measures have identified a potential risk of permanent visual changes as a result of microgravity exposure."

Human Spaceflight: Just two weeks in orbit causes changes in Astronauts' eyes

Animal Enclosure Modules similar to the one shown here, being inspected by Mission Specialist Tracy Caldwell, Ph.D., and Pilot Charles Hobaugh aboard Space Shuttle Endeavor (STS-118), are used to study animals in low gravity conditions. 

Scientists are reporting mice traveling aboard STS-133 showed evidence of ocular nerve damage and changes in eye gene expression. 

Credit: NASA

Just 13 days in space may be enough to cause profound changes in eye structure and gene expression, report researchers from Houston Methodist, NASA Johnson Space Center, and two other institutions in the October 2013 issue of Gravitational and Space Research.

The study, which looked at how low gravity and radiation and oxidative damage impacts mice, is the first to examine eye-related gene expression and cell behavior after spaceflight.

Patricia Chévez-Barrios

"We found many changes in the expression of genes that help cells cope with oxidative stress in the retina, possibly caused by radiation exposure," said Houston Methodist pathologist Patricia Chévez-Barrios, M.D., the study's principal investigator.

"These changes were partially reversible upon return to Earth. We also saw optic nerve changes consistent with mechanical injury, but these changes did not resolve."

"We also saw changes in the expression of DNA damage repair genes and in apoptotic pathways, which help the body destroy cells that are irreparably damaged."

Since 2001, studies have shown astronauts are at increased risk of developing eye problems, like premature age-related macular degeneration. Experts suspect the cause is low gravity, heightened exposure to solar radiation, or a combination of the two.

In Nov. 2011, a NASA-sponsored Ophthalmology study of seven astronauts showed that all seven had experienced eye problems after spending at least six months in space.

Doctors saw a flattening of the back of the eyeball, folding of the choroid (vascular tissue behind the retina), excess fluid around and presumed swelling of the optic nerve, or some combination of these.

High-energy radiation from the Sun can cause nasty, extremely damaging chemical reactions in cells, collectively called oxidative stress.

Earth's atmosphere reflects or absorbs much of this radiation and is, ironically, a much better shield than the thick metal hulls of space shuttles and the International Space Station.

Damage to eyes isn't merely a long-term health issue for some astronauts back on Earth—it could interfere with future missions.

Any loss of focus or vision will make it difficult for humans to complete long missions, such as round-trip travel to Mars (12 to 16 months) or to the moons of Jupiter (about two years).

If both radiation exposure and gravity loss are to blame, one solution to save astronauts' eyes might be a spacecraft with a more protective hull and inside, a spinning hamster wheel that simulates gravity similar to those envisioned by futurist author Arthur C. Clarke and realized in Stanley Kubrick's film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

First woman in space ready for 'one-way flight to Mars'

Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova is seen during a training session aboard a Vostok spacecraft simulator on January 17, 1964.

Tereshkova, the first woman to go to space, said on Friday she was ready to score another coup and fly to Mars, even if it would be just a one-way trip.

Russia's Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to go to space, said on Friday she was ready to score another coup and fly to Mars, even if it would be just a one-way trip.

"Mars is my favourite planet," the 76-year old told a news conference in Zvyozdny Gorodok (Star City) outside Moscow, home to a cosmonaut training centre.

Tereshkova, who became a national heroine at the tender age of 26 when she made a solo space flight in 1963, said she had been part of the group who studied the possibility of going to the Red Planet.

"But we know the human limits and for us this remains a dream. Most likely the first flight will be one way. But I am ready," she said.

Under the call sign Chaika (Seagull), Tereshkova during her three-day mission circled the Earth 48 times, her flight becoming a major propaganda coup for the Soviet Union.

On June 16, Russia will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Tereshkova's historic flight.

In 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to go to space.

Russian Retrieves Soyuz Bion-M Capsule; 45 Mice, 15 Newts Space Experiment

A Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket, carrying an Bion-M capsule is seen on the launch pad a Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome on April 18, 2013. 

The Russian capsule filled with 45 mice and 15 newts along with other small animals has returned from a month's mission in orbit with data scientists hope will pave the way for a manned flight to Mars.

A Russian capsule filled with 45 mice and 15 newts along with other small animals returned from a month's mission in orbit on Sunday with data scientists hope will pave the way for a manned flight to Mars.

Russian Mission Control said the Bion-M craft landed softly with the help of a special parachute system in the Orenburg Region about 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) southeast of Moscow.

The capsule was also carrying snails and gerbils as well as some plants and microflora. There was no immediate information about how many of the animals survived.

The TsSKB-Progress space research centre's department head Valery Abrashkin said on the day the mission took off in April that the study was aimed at determining how bodies adapt to weightlessness "so that our organisms survive extended flights."

A field research lab has been deployed near where the capsule landed to quickly test the animals' response to their journey and return to Earth.

Scientists said the animals were needed because they were subject to the kinds of experiments that are impossible to be conducted on humans who are currently operating the International Space Station (ISS).

They added that the small menagerie would have posed a health risk if simply placed on board the ISS for a month.

The experiment's designers said the tests primarily focused on how microgravity impacts the skeletal and nervous systems as well organisms' muscles and hearts. The capsule spun 575 kilometres (357 miles) above Earth.

Russia has long set its sights on Mars and is now targeting 2030 as the year in which it could begin creating a base on the Moon for flights to the Red Planet.

But recent problems with its once-vaunted space programme—including the embarrassing failure of a research satellite that Moscow tried sending up to one of Mars's moons last year—have threatened Russia's future exploration efforts.

Nuclear Fusion Rockets could transport humans to Mars

A concept image of a spacecraft powered by a fusion-driven rocket. 

In this image, the crew would be in the forward-most chamber. 

Solar panels on the sides would collect energy to initiate the process that creates fusion. 

Credit: University of Washington

Human travel to Mars has long been the unachievable dangling carrot for space programs.

Now, astronauts could be a step closer to our nearest planetary neighbour through a unique manipulation of nuclear fusion, the same energy that powers the sun and stars.

University of Washington researchers and scientists at a Redmond-based space-propulsion company are building components of a fusion-powered rocket aimed to clear many of the hurdles that block deep space travel, including long times in transit, exorbitant costs and health risks.

John Slough

"Using existing rocket fuels, it's nearly impossible for humans to explore much beyond Earth," said lead researcher John Slough, a UW research associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics.

"We are hoping to give us a much more powerful source of energy in space that could eventually lead to making interplanetary travel commonplace."

The project is funded through NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts Program.

Last month at a symposium, Slough and his team from MSNW, of which he is president, presented their mission analysis for a trip to Mars, along with detailed computer modeling and initial experimental results.

Theirs was one of a handful of projects awarded a second round of funding last fall after already receiving phase-one money in a field of 15 projects chosen from more than 700 proposals.

The plasma (blue) is injected into the rocket nozzle. 

Lithium metal rings (red) then collapse at great force around the plasma, compressing it to fusion conditions. 

The sudden release of fusion energy vaporises and ionises the lithium in the magnetic nozzle, causing it to eject and power the rocket forward. 

Credit: University of Washington

NASA estimates a round-trip human expedition to Mars would take more than four years using current technology.

The sheer amount of chemical rocket fuel needed in space would be extremely expensive – the launch costs alone would be more than $12 billion.

Slough and his team have published papers calculating the potential for 30- and 90-day expeditions to Mars using a rocket powered by fusion, which would make the trip more practical and less costly.

The Curious Case of the Wrong Monkey - Iran

Iran's announcement that it had successfully sent a monkey into space stirred questions on the Internet.

Curious people pointed to differences between official images of the primate before takeoff and after landing.

On January 28, official Iranian media published pictures of a monkey named Pishgam (Pioneer) prior to the launch.

The animal had light grey fur and a red mole above its right eye.

But later, the ISNA news agency released photos taken during presenting the monkey to the press after its landing which showed a darker fur and no mole.

These differences have been pointed out by Western media, which have questioned the success of the monkey space mission. A previous attempt by Iran, to send a primate into space, failed in 2011.

On Facebook, a comment underneath the monkey's pictures reads: the monkey "went into space and met a doctor who removed its mole," an ironic reference to some Iranians passion for cosmetic surgery (and misleading information regarding their scientific and aerospace capabilities).

Iranian authorities did not directly respond to these questions.

Iran has successfully launched a live monkey into Earth Orbit

A view of an observatory at the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) in Mahdasht, about 60 km west of Tehran.

REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi 

Iran has successfully launched a live monkey into space, the Fars news agency reported on Monday, lauding it as an advance in a missile and space program that has alarmed the West and Israel.

There was no independent confirmation of the report and there have been no announcements by Western powers of any Iranian launch late last week.

Fars said the monkey was launched into space on a Kavoshgar rocket. The rocket reached a height of more than 120 kilometers and "returned its shipment intact", Fars reported.
Iran announced plans in 2011 to send a monkey into space, but that attempt was reported to have failed.

Western countries are concerned the long-range ballistic technology used to propel Iranian satellites into orbit could be used to launch atomic warheads. Tehran denies such suggestions and says its nuclear work is purely peaceful.

NASA ISS IV-TEPC Instrument: Tissue-equivalent proportional counter

The Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC), in situ on the ISS, consists of a spectrometer and cylindrical detector with which to measure external radiation doses.

The purpose of the TEPC is to collect a record of the International Space Station (ISS) environment to construct exposure history records for the crew.

Credit: NASA, JPL

Description
The Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC) is a gas proportional counter used to characterize the radiation environment.

TEPC will also provide near real-time measurements to ground personnel during radiation events and make survey measurements in different parts of the ISS for shield verifications.

TEPC collects data as a function of time to measure the dose and estimate the dose equivalent by making spectral measurements of the lineal energy loss of the radiation as it passes through the detector volume.

The omni-directional detector is surrounded by a tissue equivalent plastic and the internal gas (propane) provides an energy deposition response similar to human tissue. The detector gas is at a very low pressure such that the mass of the gas is approximately that of a cell.

The 512 channel spectrometer stores the lineal energy data in energy bins ranging from approximately 25 keV/micron through channels exceeding 1000 keV/micron. The crew is able to read the current level through an electronic display and has the capability to telemeter data to the ground every 10 seconds.

TEPC is a portable piece of equipment, integrated with numerous ports in various modules to support the survey function of the equipment.

TEPC is an automatic micro-dosimetry system. Each TEPC consists of two main components, the spectrometer unit and the detector unit.

The spectrometer unit contains a powerful computer that allows real-time analysis of the data and provides calculations of total dose, total dose equivalent and incremental dose, as a function of linear energy transfer (LET) and time, for penetrating radiation in space.

The detector unit is attached directly to the multi-channel analyzer (MCA) card in the spectrometer.

Different size detectors can be attached to the TEPC depending on the desired task.

The radiation data that is measured can be stored inside the spectrometer unit for later analysis or communicated via RS-232 to a host computer.

The TEPC is calibrated in terms of lineal energy, by exposing it to fission neutrons and 137Cesium sources.

Human SpaceFlight: Radiation is the Greatest Danger

Artist's rendering of the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle on a deep space mission. CREDIT: NASA

High radiation levels beyond Earth orbit pose the biggest challenge to human exploration of deep-space destinations, experts say.

With current spacecraft technology, astronauts can cruise through deep space for a maximum of one year or so before accumulating a dangerously high radiation dose, researchers say.

As a result, many intriguing solar system targets remain off-limits to human exploration at the moment.

"There is an equivalent of a Mach 1 — a sound barrier — that exists, in terms of galactic cosmic radiation," Alvin Drew, manager of NASA's Deep Space Habitat Project, during a presentation with the agency's Future In-Space Operations working group.

"Until we solve that, we are still in the age of wooden ships and canvas sail for going out in space," added Drew, an astronaut who has flown on two space shuttle missions.

"Until we get to a point where we are looking at steam engines and ships of iron, we may be very limited in how far we can go."

NASA Ames: Space Habitation - Colony Artwork from the 1970s

Credit: NASA Ames and scans by David Brandt-Erichsen.

According to the Ames Space centre:
"Humanity has the power to fill outer space with life."

"Today our solar system is filled with plasma, gas, dust, rock, and radiation -- but very little life; just a thin film around the third rock from the Sun."

"We can change that. In the 1970's Princeton physicist Gerard O'Neill with the help of NASA Ames Research Center and Stanford University showed that we can build giant orbiting spaceships and live in them."

"These orbital space colonies could be wonderful places to live; about the size of a California beach town and endowed with weightless recreation, fantastic views, freedom, elbow-room in spades, and great wealth."

"In time, we may see hundreds of thousands of orbital space settlements in our solar system alone. Building these settlements will be an evolutionary event in magnitude similar to, if not greater than, ocean-based Life's colonization of land half a billion years ago."

Read the full article on Human Space Settlement here

Three space colony summer studies were conducted at NASA Ames in the 1970s and a number of artistic renderings of the concepts were made.


These have been scanned and are available here as small, medium, large, and publication quality jpeg images.

SpaceX to Launch Dragon Capsules carrying Human Cargo - Astronauts

The SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft is grappled by the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm.

This manouvre was carried out on Oct. 10, 2012 during the spacecraft's first cargo delivery mission for NASA, under a $1.6 billion deal for commercial cargo delivery.

CREDIT: NASA

Representatives from the three different companies chosen by NASA to develop private space taxis to carry astronauts to orbit say their vehicles are making substantial progress toward launching people into orbit within the next few years.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), The Boeing Company, and Sierra Nevada Corp., are competing to fill the gap left by NASA's retired space shuttles for the launching of cargo and crews to the International Space Station.

Each private space taxi firm has received funding from NASA under the Commercial Crew integrated Capability program (CCiCap) to complete a series of development milestones with the goal of taking over transportation to low-Earth orbit from the Russians.

"We're going great guns, we're working very hard, and we hope to have people flying very soon inside the Dragon," SpaceX's commercial crew project manager Garrett Reisman said at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight.

Man will walk on Mars within a generation, says UK's Astronomer Royal

Lord Rees of Ludlow , UK's Astronomer Royal, said the NASA's Curiosity exploration mission, to determine whether MARS could have supported life at some time in it's past, was the first step in accessing Earth's nearest neighbour.

He said the exploration project could mark the start of the "post-human era" despite the risks associated with travelling into the solar system.

"It is foolish to claim, as some do, that mass emigration into space offers escape from Earth’s problems," he said, writing in the Times.

"But I believe, and hope, that some people living now will walk on Mars. Moreover, a century or two from now, small groups of intrepid adventurers may be living there or perhaps on asteroids quite independently from Earth."

Lord Rees predicted a "dramatic cultural and technological evolution" on the planet and beyond as scientists learn more about Mars.

"Perhaps the cosmos teems with life; on the other hand, our Earth could be unique among the billions of planets that surely exist," he added.

"That may be disappointing but would have its upside: it would entitle us to be less cosmically modest. Our tiny planet could then be the most important place in the galaxy. It could perhaps even be a seed from which life could spread through the entire galaxy.

"We may learn this century whether biological evolution is unique to our “pale blue dot”, or whether the wider cosmos teems with life — even with intelligence. As Curiosity trundles through Martian craters, we hope for some early clues."

Announcing the success of the mission, Charles Bolden, Nasa administrator, said it would "blaze a trail for human footprints on Mars".

SpaceX developing SuperDraco engine for surface landings

SpaceX's mission this week to the space station represents just the start of the company's ambitions which include putting a man on Mars by 2020.

But before SpaceX reaches for Mars, their more immediate ambition is create a space launch system that is completely reusable.

Integral to the company’s resuable ambitions (and future interplanetary aspirations) is a powerful new engine currently under development, the SuperDraco, which enable the capsule to land on solid ground rather than dropping into the ocean.

For Dragon's up and coming flight to the space station, now scheduled to launch May 22, Dragon will be powered by SpaceX’s previous-generation engine, the Draco. The Draco thrusters generate 90 lbs of thrust and Dragon will use 18 of them to provide the craft with its exceptional in-orbit manoeuverability.

But SpaceX are hoping that future missions will powered by eight SuperDraco thrusters and be capable of carrying up to seven astronauts.

The SuperDraco can generate an impressive 15,000 lbs of thrust (120,000 lbs altogether) – not enough to take off from Earth – but enough to allow the craft to navigate to Mars, land, take off again and then return to Earth and perform a powered landing. For comparison, the Apollo Lunar Module’s ascent engine created 3,500 lbs of thrust.

Lunar IBS: Fart in a Spacesuit

The worst case of Lunar IBS recorded was never caught on film but has been re-animated in this graphic representation. In Space no-one can hear you fart!

In early expeditions, pressurised suit had to be vented at regular intervals to prevent a catastrophic build up of gases.

Yuri Gagarin: Anniversary of First Man in Orbit

A municipal worker washes the face of the 70-metre high monument to Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, at Gagarin Square in Moscow

Picture: ANDREY SMIRNOV/AFP/Getty Images

Yuri Gagarin's First Orbit of Earth - Video film

The real time recreation of humanity's first human space flight by Russia's Yuri Gagarin in a Soyuz rocket, on 12 April 1961.

This film was created to celebrate our first footsteps into the cosmos.

Click on the Image to visit the First Orbit site and play the whole film.

How many Apollo Goodwill Moon Rocks are missing?

Genesis Rock: Missing presumed Lost

The Apollo program, for all its inspirational accomplishments and technical achievements, was a servant of two masters.

The first was a pure scientific enterprise, to learn as much as possible about Earth’s only natural satellite and to push the boundaries of human spaceflight.

The second was political, with Apollo acting as the most compelling symbol of American technical prowess, industry, courage, and will.

This dichotomy is embodied by the Goodwill Moon Rocks program.

A case can be made that no field of study benefitted more from Apollo than the science of geology. Of the approximately 430 kilograms of known lunar materials on Earth, Apollo astronauts obtained roughly 382 kg.

The vast majority of those samples have been used to further our understanding of planetary formation, geochemistry, and the physical history of our solar system.

However, not all of those moon rocks were recovered in the name of science.

Specific lunar samples from Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 were earmarked as political souvenirs.

Precisely 270 prepared lunar rock samples were distributed as part of the Goodwill Moon Rocks program, most of them going to the 50 U.S. states and a number of foreign countries as tokens of appreciation for support of Apollo, NASA, and U.S. interests.

The recipients were charged with keeping custody of perhaps the rarest and most valuable artifacts ever distributed for diplomatic purposes.

Four decades later, no one can account for a significant number of those 270 valuable, and nigh-irreplaceable moon rocks.