Category Archives: Space Travel

The longest consecutive amount of time anyone has spent in space was roughly 438 days. That's a long time to be up there, and a mission to Mars and back could take even longer, leaving astronauts alone, in confined spaces, deep in the reaches of the cosmos.

But prolonged isolation is, to put it simply, not always great for humans. According to the book Space Psychology and Psychiatry, long duration space travelers have reported depression, abnormal weakness and loss of energy. Another major problem in long term space travel is something termed the "third quarter phenomenon". In the book Spacefaring: The Human Dimension, space missions are described as occurring in distinct periods.

The first is characterized by excitement and anxiety about the mission ahead. During the second, boredom begins to set in alongside depression. But after the halfway point, astronauts are prone to increased aggressiveness and emotionality, and this can ultimately ground a mission.

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ESA:Mars 500: Study Overview

Research Gate:Personality Characteristics and Trait Clusters in Final Stage Astronaut Selection

Space.com:How Long Does It Take to Get to Mars?

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Do You Have The Right Personality For Long-Term Space Travel ... - Seeker

Space exploration is vital to our survival as a species. Its not difficult to see that we are using up and dirtying our planet at an unsustainable rate. Space is our only answer. It is only a matter of time before we begin to have to seriously consider it as a living option. I once heard, space is like Nebraska. Its desolate and not many people live there, but people still find a way.

Furthermore, space is the one endeavor that the human race can agree to partake in as a species instead of by country. Whether or not that lasts in the next one hundred years as space flight and travel become cheaper remains to be seen. But it is vital to hold onto that agreement.

Space Exploration has globally coincided with the scientific boom that led to the creation of smartphones, televisions, internet and computers. While these attempts to colonize or explore outer space may not give immediate returns, this type of scientific inquiry allows mankind to materially prosper as these technologies can be used to improve the quality of life for all people.

The problem arises as nations fail to address problemsthat mankind has caused on Earth. Our hopes to colonize Mars or other planets seems a bit of a cop out for the problems we have on our own planet. The UAE vision to create a peaceful outer colony, while intentionally admirable, fails to address deeper problems within the context of nation states. The United States attempts to train astronauts for moon landings may reveal nostalgic hopes rather than an intent to progress further into scientific space exploration.

Let us remember that science is a tool to understand reality and to progress humanity. It should not be used to escape deeper problems that humankind is plaguing itself with. The deeper issue remains that scientific exploration and advancement must be a higher priority in our education and our political discourse as these pursuits lead to the betterment of the people.

Space makes people believe in the future. The reason that we have had such a great current investment in technology computers, cell phones, etc. is because children saw Neil Armstrong walking on the room. They saw a shuttle blasting into the stars. They believed that there was something more.

Exploring space is probably the most important thing we can do as humans. It makes us believe in something more. Though UAEs plan is far off and far-fetched for now it is extremely important. This plan makes us imagine; it makes us work harder to accomplish this unattainable goal. No one ever thought humans could touch the stars.

I may be somewhat biased, since I grew up near NASA, but there is an inherent need to touch the stars again. Children need a reason to believe in the future again. Space fills that need.

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Focus Friday: The necessity of space travel - The Daily Cougar - The Daily Cougar

Quoting Winston Churchill has always been something of a pastime.

If youre going through hell, keep going.

History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.

What hasnt often been quoted is theessay he penned in 1939 titled Are We Alone in the Universe? concerning that very question.That isnt surprising, as the 11 typed pages were never published before being lost to the world for more than three decades.

Churchill, who served as British prime minister from 1940 to 1945 and then again from 1951 to 1955, updated his manuscript in the late 1950s while staying at a French villa owned by Emery Reves, his publisher. Nothing came of it, and eventuallyRevess wife Wendy passed the manuscript along to the National Churchill Museum in Fulton, Mo. There it gathered dust until last year, when the museums new director, Timothy Riley, discovered and handed it over to Israeli astrophysicist and author Mario Livio.

In anarticle published in this weeks edition of the science journal Nature, Livioexamined the essays contents. Churchills work will be unveiled today at theNational Churchill Museum, where visitors can view several of its pages.

The most striking takeaway from the essay is how modern Churchills conclusions were. One obvious example: One day, possibly even in the not very distant future, it may be possible to travel to the moon, or even to Venus or Mars, he wrote 30 years before Neil Armstrongs historic journey.

His more nuanced views of the potential for extraterritorial life, though, mirrors many modern arguments in astrobiology, most notably that in the ever-expanding vastness of the universe, such life is likely. As Livio wrote:

In essence, he builds on the framework of the Copernican Principle the idea that, given the vastness of the Universe, it is hard to believe that humans on Earth represent something unique.

Perhaps Churchills mostintuitive prediction, as Livio noted, was that of the habitable zone. While Churchill didnt use this modern term, he closely described it.

After noting thatall living things of the type we know require water, Churchill observed that the presence of water thus the potential for life likely requires a rocky planet at the right distance from a star to be between a few degrees of frost and the boiling point of water.

Then, as Livio wrote, Churchill also considers the ability of a planet to retain its atmosphere, explaining that the hotter a gas is, the faster its molecules are moving and the more easily they can escape. Consequently, stronger gravity is necessary to trap gas on a planet in the long term.

Given these requirements, the former prime minister concluded that Venus and Mars were the only places in our solar systemthat could support life.

In other words, he predicted the first definition of the habitable zone more than 60 years ago. According to PBS, The habitable zone first encompassed the orbits of Venus to Mars, planets close enough to the sun for solar energy to drive the chemistry of life but not so close as to boil off water or break down the organic molecules on which life depends.

One of the aspects of Churchills essay most praised by Livio, ironically, is a segment in which Churchill was off the mark.

In a segment focused on other solar systems (I am not sufficiently conceited to think that my sun is the only one with a family of planets, he wrote), Churchill wrote in affirmation of a model suggested in 1917 by astrophysicist James Jeans which argued that stars are formed from the gas that is torn off a star when another star passes close to it.

But Livio praised Churchills skepticism of the now dismissed model. Via Livio:

Now Churchill shines. With the healthy skepticism of a scientist, he writes: But this speculation depends upon the hypothesis that planets were formed in this way. Perhaps they were not. We know there are millions of double stars, and if they could be formed, why not planetary systems?

In his essay, Churchill blended his science with his experience with humankind: I, for one, am not so immensely impressed by the success we are making of our civilization here that I am prepared to think we are the only spot in this immense universe which contains living, thinking creatures, or that we are the highest type of mental and physical development which has ever appeared in the vast compass of space and time.

Churchills curiosity about the universe shouldnt come as a surprise. In addition to being a regaled statesman and military strategist, Churchill had a scientific mind.

He had a tremendous intellect, Westminster College president Benjamin Ola Akande said in a statement. Even though Great Britain was on the brink of war at the time, Churchill continually educated himself and wrote thought-provoking essays that demonstrated his leadership beyond government and military affairs, but also in science.

Renaissance man that he was, Churchill was keenly interested in science,Liviosaid in a statement. For example, he was the first British prime minister to hire a science adviser and made the UK a friendly environment for scienceand scientists.

If nothing else, the unearthed essay serves as a reminder that politics and science can and indeed have gone hand in hand, each benefiting from the other. In a world in which the two are treated by some as adversaries, this message might be more powerful than ever.

As Livio wrote, At a time when a number of todays politicians shun science, I find it moving to recall a leader who engaged with it so profoundly. Particularly given todays political landscape, elected leaders should heed Churchills example: appoint permanent science advisers and make good use of them.

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In recently unearthed essay, Winston Churchill anticipated space travel and extraterrestrial life - Washington Post

National Post

Make space travel great again: NASA, heeding Trump, may add astronauts to a test flight moon mission National Post President Donald Trump has indicated that he wants to make a splash in space. During his transition, he spoke with historian Douglas Brinkley about John F. Kennedy's famous 1961 vow to go to the moon before the decade was out. Now Trump and his aides ... This guy invented a genius solution for pooping in space here's how it worksBusiness Insider NASA Just Cracked An Embarrassingly Human ProblemGOOD Magazine Space Poop: NASA's 3 ingenious ideas to help astronauts go to the looThe Memo Slate Magazine (blog) -Kern Golden Empire -Observer Online -HeroX all 197 news articles »

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Make space travel great again: NASA, heeding Trump, may add astronauts to a test flight moon mission - National Post

Space exploration is vital to our survival as a species. Its not difficult to see that we are using up and dirtying our planet at an unsustainable rate. Space is our only answer. It is only a matter of time before we begin to have to seriously consider it as a living option. I once heard, space is like Nebraska. Its desolate and not many people live there, but people still find a way.

Furthermore, space is the one endeavor that the human race can agree to partake in as a species instead of by country. Whether or not that lasts in the next one hundred years as space flight and travel become cheaper remains to be seen. But it is vital to hold onto that agreement.

Space Exploration has globally coincided with the scientific boom that led to the creation of smartphones, televisions, internet and computers. While these attempts to colonize or explore outer space may not give immediate returns, this type of scientific inquiry allows mankind to materially prosper as these technologies can be used to improve the quality of life for all people.

The problem arises as nations fail to address problemsthat mankind has caused on Earth. Our hopes to colonize Mars or other planets seems a bit of a cop out for the problems we have on our own planet. The UAE vision to create a peaceful outer colony, while intentionally admirable, fails to address deeper problems within the context of nation states. The United States attempts to train astronauts for moon landings may reveal nostalgic hopes rather than an intent to progress further into scientific space exploration.

Let us remember that science is a tool to understand reality and to progress humanity. It should not be used to escape deeper problems that humankind is plaguing itself with. The deeper issue remains that scientific exploration and advancement must be a higher priority in our education and our political discourse as these pursuits lead to the betterment of the people.

Space makes people believe in the future. The reason that we have had such a great current investment in technology computers, cell phones, etc. is because children saw Neil Armstrong walking on the room. They saw a shuttle blasting into the stars. They believed that there was something more.

Exploring space is probably the most important thing we can do as humans. It makes us believe in something more. Though UAEs plan is far off and far-fetched for now it is extremely important. This plan makes us imagine; it makes us work harder to accomplish this unattainable goal. No one ever thought humans could touch the stars.

I may be somewhat biased, since I grew up near NASA, but there is an inherent need to touch the stars again. Children need a reason to believe in the future again. Space fills that need.

Read the original here:

Focus Friday: The necessity of space travel - The Daily Cougar

Space travel can do funky things to the human body. Its possible for astronauts to return to Earth slightly taller, with smaller muscles, more fragile bones, and the worst hangover ever.

When the American astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth, Nasa scientists had a unique opportunity: the ability to look at how space travel influences a persons DNA.

Scott Kelly is a twin. Between 2015 and 2016 he spent 340 days in space, making the International Space Station his home. Before, during, and after his trip, Scott gave blood samples for researchers to examine. Back on Earth, Scotts twin brother and retired astronaut, Mark Kelly, was also giving blood samples to researchers.

Since Scott and Mark are twins, they share the same DNA. They are part of the aptly named Nasa Twin Study, in which 10 research labs from 12 US universities compare the changes to space traveller Scotts DNA versus those of Mark to see if there are differences in Scotts DNA which they could attribute to space travel.

One year later, the researchers are beginning to publish their early results.

Almost everyone is reporting that we see differences, states Christopher Mason, a geneticist from Weill Cornell Medicine and a researcher involved in the study.

Differences were expected. But many of the differences the researchers are finding are simply surprising.

One of the biggest surprises was the lengthening of Scotts telomeres while he was in space.

Telomeres are biological markers located at the end of DNA. Associated with health, age, and longevity, telomeres naturally shorten as a person ages.

According to Susan Bailey, another researcher involved in the study, [this] is exactly the opposite of what we thought. The common belief was that space travel would shorten the telomeres because of cosmic radiation and other dangers associated with space travel. But, curiously, once Scott returned to Earth his telomeres shortened to their normal length.

Some scientists speculate that the lengthening of Scotts telomeres is associated with exercise and a specialised space diet. However, this theory has not garnered consensus, and Nasa is now undergoing a one-year study looking at changes to the telomeres of astronauts.

Another surprise was the presence of 20,000 unique variations of mRNA in Scotts during space blood sample.

mRNA is a type of molecule produced directly from DNA. Different genes in the DNA can produce different mRNA, and mutations to DNA produce variations of the same mRNA molecules. However, the large number of mRNA variations seen in Scotts blood samples indicate the possibility of a space gene, which only produces these mRNA variants when the person is in space.

Other noted differences included different composition of gut bacteria and a decrease in DNA methylation, a biological marker which indicates the activity of a gene.

However, the researchers are careful to qualify which differences are due to space travel and which are due to the natural variation of DNA that occurs because of different overall life experience.

The information from the Nasa Twin Study marks the beginning of looking at space travel effects from a nature versus nurture standpoint.

Nasa plans to use this information to produce personalised medicine and diet during long term missions and further examine the stresses of long term space travel.

Image: Alanah Knibb

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Twins in space: intergalactic travel could change DNA - The Student

Back to Blog Chris Hauff Feb 16, 2017

On Thursday, February 23, two-time space traveling astronaut Christopher Cassidy will board the USS Yorktown to discuss the life and accomplishments of S.C. hero Ron McNair during a Patriots Point Black History Month symposium titled In the Spirit of Ron McNair. The free program begins at 11 a.m. and is open to the public.

McNair was born and raised in Lake City, S.C. during the Civil Rights Movement. In 1984, after overcoming countless obstacles, he became the second African-American astronaut to travel to space. Just two years later, he was killed in the tragic space shuttle Challenger explosion.

In addition to learning about McNairs life from his younger brother Eric McNair, the audience, which will include several hundred fifth grade students, will also hear firsthand accounts from Christopher Cassidy about space travel. The current National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut has spent more than 182 days in space, has visited the International Space Station (ISS), and completed six spacewalks.

Christopher J. Cassidy (Captain, U.S. Navy) was selected by NASA in 2004 and is a veteran of two space flights, STS-127 and Expedition 35.

We are honored to have the opportunity to host a program about the extraordinary Ron McNair, said Patriots Point Executive Director Mac Burdette. McNair was raised during times of segregation in the South, and despite that, he was able to persevere to astronomical heights. His story, paired with the experiences of current NASA astronaut Christopher Cassidy, will make for a very inspiring program. There are very few people who can say theyve met an astronaut.

Respected Charleston musicians, Lonnie Hamilton and Ann Caldwell will perform the National Anthem. Hamilton will also perform a song at the conclusion of the symposium in tribute of Ron McNair one McNair had planned to play aboard the space shuttle Challenger before the launch took his life.

Admission and parking for In the Spirit of Ron McNair is free. The program, which will also be streamed live through the museums social media pages, is part of the ongoing Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things symposium series.

Don't miss out upcoming events and happenings at Patriots Point.

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Two-Time Space Traveling Astronaut to Speak at Black History ... - Patriots Point

WASHINGTON (TIP): Space travel may cause changes in gene expression and other biological markers in astronauts, a NASA study of twins has found.

Scientists studied the genetic differences between astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent nearly a year in space, and his identical twin Mark.

Measurements taken before, during and after Scott Kellys mission show changes in gene expression, DNA methylation and other biological markers that are likely to be attributable to his time in orbit.

From the lengths of the twins chromosomes to the microbiomes in their guts, almost everyone is reporting that we see differences, said Christopher Mason, a geneticist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City.

The challenge now is to untangle how many of the observed changes are specific to the physical demands of spaceflight and how many might be simply due to natural variations.

Since the Kelly twins are just two people, the results may not be generalisable to others, researchers said.

Still, the work is some of the most detailed molecular profiling ever done, involving some of the most physically demanding environments.

Scott Kelly spent 340 days in space in 2015-16, giving him a lifetime total of 520 days.

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SPACE TRAVEL MAY CAUSE GENETIC CHANGES: STUDY - The Indian Panorama

Astronaut Scott Kelly launched into space on a one-year mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2015. He was weightless for 340 days.

His identical twin brother, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, stayed on Earth.

Astronauts Scott Kelly, left, and Mark Kelly backstage at the fIfth annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016 at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif.

Because they are identical twins, Scott and Mark Kelly share almost all the same genetic material, or DNA. They agreed to let scientists study them before, during, and after Scotts mission to find out what a year floating in space may do to the human body.

The investigation is known as the Twins Study ... and the first results are now in.

Genetic changes

In the Twins Study, researchers are looking at 10 aspects of the human body. They are doing the investigation for NASAs Human Research Program. NASA is the American space agency.

The researchers who are involved in NASA's Twin Study. (Courtesy NASA)

They introduced some early findings at a conference in Texas last month. At the conference, researchers said that some genetic changes occurred in Scott Kelly while he was in space.

John Charles is the chief scientist for NASAs Human Research Program. He says researchers expected some of those changes. But there was a surprise: a change to Scotts telomeres.

Telomeres sit on the end of chromosomes. Chromosomes are the part of cells that hold DNA.

Usually, as people age, their telomeres become shorter. But when he was in space, Scott Kellys telomeres did the opposite: They became longer.

Charles says usually astronauts have shorter telomeres than other people. He thinks this may be because their intense training on Earth is stressful.

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly inside the cupola of the International Space Station, an area that provides a 360-degree viewing of the Earth and the station.

So being in space, Charles says, may actually be less stressful.

Theyre eating well, theyre sleeping we hope well, they have work that is meaningful to them. Theyre exercising, they have two hours everyday for exercise, a luxury many of us on Earth would like but cant afford...

Scott Kellys telomeres shortened again when he returned to Earth.

Microbiomes

Researchers are also looking at the twin brothers microbiomes. Those are the microorganisms, mostly good bacteria, that all humans carry in their intestines to help with digestion.

Scott Kelly with lemons in space. Researchers studied how diet affected his microbiome as part of NASA's Twins Study.

Scott and Mark had different microbiomes, but NASA says that is probably because the men had different diets and different environments.

Charles says Scott Kellys microbiomes showed the astronaut was very healthy going into space, and stayed healthy while he was there.

Bone loss

Scientists also compared the two mens bones. They expected Scott to have more bone loss, a known problem connected to weightlessness in space.

Sure enough, Scotts bone formation decreased during the second half of his mission. But over the year, the hormone that helps with bone and muscle health increased.

Researchers say the increase is probably connected to all the exercising Scott did every day to combat the bone and muscle loss.

So, while his bones did change, they may end up being just as strong as before.

Astronaut Scott Kelly working in the International Space Station. (Courtesy NASA)

Fine motor skills

The researchers also studied the mens fine motor skills how their hands and fingers work.

To test the skills, the twins performed tasks with their fingers on a tablet computer screen. The early results show that Scotts accuracy and reaction time may have decreased while he was in space.

Next steps

As for now, the Twins Study is continuing. NASAs John Charles says the results will give the agency a new and powerful tool to prepare astronauts for long space flights, including going to Mars one day.

If we understand their bodies and how they change in these long duration space missions beyond Earth, then we can better train them, better equip them, better prepare them, better support them for the missions that they are going to undertake.

Charles says the Twins Study will also take mental and emotional factors into account. Because long space flights to and from Mars will mean years away from loved ones on Earth, scientists are studying how to reduce feelings of isolation.

Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly on his third spacewalk outside the International Space Station, Dec. 21, 2015. (Courtesy NASA).

There is something really to think about as we consider sending people off to long duration missions off to Mars, where they wont have instantaneous communication whenever they feel like it...

But, Charles says, do not expect answers soon.

This is a painstaking, tedious process that will only gradually provide the results that were expecting from this mission. So that, give us a year or so to continue the analysis, and let the investigators talk amongst themselves and talk with our colleagues and make sure they have the right results...

Then, he says, there might be some surprises when researchers truly understand what happened genetically to Scott Kelly in space and Mark Kelly on the ground.

Im Anne Ball.

Anne Ball wrote this story for Learning English with material from Reuters. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on our Facebook page.

Check your understanding of the story by taking this listening quiz.

_____________________________________________________________

telomeres n. the items on the end of a chromosome.

stressful adj. full of or causing stress or making you feel worried or anxious

hormone n. a natural substance that is produced in the body and that influences the way the body grows or develops

accuracy n. freedom from mistake or error

instantaneous adj. happening very quickly, in an instant

painstaking adj. done with great care and effort

tedious adj. boring or too slow or long

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How Does Long-Term Space Travel Affect Humans? - Voice of America

When it's not working on its two new games, Starbound developer Chucklefish finds the time to update, well, Starbound, its spacey, science fiction sandbox game. True to that, a new post on the Chuckleblog sheds a bit of light on an upcoming patch that will revamp the way space travel works. You'll soon be able to fly freely around star systems in your little pixel spaceship, or in a bunch of new vehicles that will be added as part of the update. Here's a GIF that shows the work-in-progress system off (I do like how your craft appears to automatically orbit planets if you get close enough).

"Space isnt just about stars and planets," Chucklefish's Molly explains in the update post, "its about the space between them, so youll now be able to fly freely around systems and explore all kinds of new locations, from space stations to traveling merchant ships to mysterious derelicts! Systems wont just be static, eithermoons orbit planets, planets orbit stars, and rich opportunities come and go, rewarding patient explorers with brand new perils and plunder!"

All of which sounds fab, particularly in a space-focused exploration sandbox game like this one. There's no date for the patch yet, so while you wait you'll have to make do with Starbound's current method of space travel. (Thanks, RPS.)

Link:

Starbound to revamp space travel in future update | PC Gamer - PC Gamer