The Prometheus League
Breaking News and Updates
- Abolition Of Work
- Ai
- Alt-right
- Alternative Medicine
- Antifa
- Artificial General Intelligence
- Artificial Intelligence
- Artificial Super Intelligence
- Ascension
- Astronomy
- Atheism
- Atheist
- Atlas Shrugged
- Automation
- Ayn Rand
- Bahamas
- Bankruptcy
- Basic Income Guarantee
- Big Tech
- Bitcoin
- Black Lives Matter
- Blackjack
- Boca Chica Texas
- Brexit
- Caribbean
- Casino
- Casino Affiliate
- Cbd Oil
- Censorship
- Cf
- Chess Engines
- Childfree
- Cloning
- Cloud Computing
- Conscious Evolution
- Corona Virus
- Cosmic Heaven
- Covid-19
- Cryonics
- Cryptocurrency
- Cyberpunk
- Darwinism
- Democrat
- Designer Babies
- DNA
- Donald Trump
- Eczema
- Elon Musk
- Entheogens
- Ethical Egoism
- Eugenic Concepts
- Eugenics
- Euthanasia
- Evolution
- Extropian
- Extropianism
- Extropy
- Fake News
- Federalism
- Federalist
- Fifth Amendment
- Fifth Amendment
- Financial Independence
- First Amendment
- Fiscal Freedom
- Food Supplements
- Fourth Amendment
- Fourth Amendment
- Free Speech
- Freedom
- Freedom of Speech
- Futurism
- Futurist
- Gambling
- Gene Medicine
- Genetic Engineering
- Genome
- Germ Warfare
- Golden Rule
- Government Oppression
- Hedonism
- High Seas
- History
- Hubble Telescope
- Human Genetic Engineering
- Human Genetics
- Human Immortality
- Human Longevity
- Illuminati
- Immortality
- Immortality Medicine
- Intentional Communities
- Jacinda Ardern
- Jitsi
- Jordan Peterson
- Las Vegas
- Liberal
- Libertarian
- Libertarianism
- Liberty
- Life Extension
- Macau
- Marie Byrd Land
- Mars
- Mars Colonization
- Mars Colony
- Memetics
- Micronations
- Mind Uploading
- Minerva Reefs
- Modern Satanism
- Moon Colonization
- Nanotech
- National Vanguard
- NATO
- Neo-eugenics
- Neurohacking
- Neurotechnology
- New Utopia
- New Zealand
- Nihilism
- Nootropics
- NSA
- Oceania
- Offshore
- Olympics
- Online Casino
- Online Gambling
- Pantheism
- Personal Empowerment
- Poker
- Political Correctness
- Politically Incorrect
- Polygamy
- Populism
- Post Human
- Post Humanism
- Posthuman
- Posthumanism
- Private Islands
- Progress
- Proud Boys
- Psoriasis
- Psychedelics
- Putin
- Quantum Computing
- Quantum Physics
- Rationalism
- Republican
- Resource Based Economy
- Robotics
- Rockall
- Ron Paul
- Roulette
- Russia
- Sealand
- Seasteading
- Second Amendment
- Second Amendment
- Seychelles
- Singularitarianism
- Singularity
- Socio-economic Collapse
- Space Exploration
- Space Station
- Space Travel
- Spacex
- Sports Betting
- Sportsbook
- Superintelligence
- Survivalism
- Talmud
- Technology
- Teilhard De Charden
- Terraforming Mars
- The Singularity
- Tms
- Tor Browser
- Trance
- Transhuman
- Transhuman News
- Transhumanism
- Transhumanist
- Transtopian
- Transtopianism
- Ukraine
- Uncategorized
- Vaping
- Victimless Crimes
- Virtual Reality
- Wage Slavery
- War On Drugs
- Waveland
- Ww3
- Yahoo
- Zeitgeist Movement
-
Prometheism
-
Forbidden Fruit
-
The Evolutionary Perspective
Category Archives: Transhuman News
Indians seem to have genetic and regional advantages in fight against coronavirus – ThePrint
Posted: April 6, 2020 at 5:05 pm
Text Size:A- A+
The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) first appeared in the Wuhan district of Hubei province of China in early December 2019. The first case was reported by China on January 7, 2020, and this aroused variable interest worldwide, with most countries initially ignoring the novel infection. Fortunately, Indian health authorities sensed the danger, largely because the country has always been alert to new infections. The scientific think-tank at the Indian council of Medical Research (ICMR) became active immediately and the first laboratory confirmed case was identified at ICMRs National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, sometime towards the end of January.
A look at the world Covid meter shows that there is striking variation in mortality rates across countries, ranging from 0.2% to 15% depending on age, the smoking habit and pre-existing co-morbidities. It may be too early to tell, but in general, countries in the Northern hemisphere have faced the maximum brunt, and those in the Southern hemisphere (and those located proximate to the Equator) have so far escaped high infection numbers.
Three factors seem to be playing a role in the observed lower numbers in India with almost zero occurrence of severe Covid-19 cases (until now). First, broad-based immunity in the population due to the extensive microbial load. The Indian population has been exposed to a vast variety of pathogens, including bacteria, parasites and viruses leading to the generation of broad specific memory T-cells in the system, ready to attack additional foreign invaders.
For example, the three main killers of Tuberculosis, HIV and Malaria have plagued India, Africa and several countries in the Southern hemisphere much more than the European and North American nations. In the context of CoV-2 coronavirus, the beneficial role of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine has been much talked about and debated, while there has already been an extensive usage of this drug at the community level in India this too may ultimately prove beneficial.
Also read: In fight against coronavirus, India has age on its side. Numbers show
Second, epigenetic factors that include environment and food habits may also play a beneficial role for countries such as India; much literature is already available in Ayurveda and other Indian systems of medicine on the definitive beneficial effects of Indian spices in augmenting immunity.
Third, and most important, is the possible role of immune response genes in the Indian population. These genes are collectively referred to as comprising the human leucocyte antigen system or simply, the HLA genes. Their main biological function is to present invading foreign antigens to the immune systems, since T-cells, which act as the bodys soldiers come into play only when pathogens are presented to them in a more formal manner in association with HLA genes. In other words, the pathogen must first attach to compounds created by HLA genes before T-Cells attack it. If no such compounds are produced by the body, then the T-Cells are ineffective. As a consequence of the microbial load, the Indian population possesses a high genetic diversity of HLA, much more extensive than Caucasian populations. Indeed, studies by the author at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, over several decades revealed the presence of several novel HLA genes and their alleles in the Indian population, most of which do not occur in other ethnic groups. Such genetic diversity of HLA could affect viral fitness.
The question then is:Why should genetic variation in HLA genes play a role in the Covid-19 progression? One hint comes from earlier studies in related viral diseases: Certain genetic variants of the HLA system provide protection against such viruses, while others increase genetic susceptibility to them. Another source of indirect evidence comes from recent clinical Covid-19 studies which showed that rapid T-cell response appears to be crucial for recovery from Covid-19, and reduced functional diversity of T cells in peripheral blood could predict progression of Covid-19.
The big question is:Does this give Indians a better chance at fighting the virus effectively? From the epidemiological data so far, it seems so (although much more extensive research is required). However, it is important for us to keep viral loads in check and below the threshold levels. In this context, the complete lockdown announced by the government is highly timely and most desirable. It is imperative that the virus replication cycle gets disrupted as early as possible before it gains numbers that may become difficult for us to counter.
To this end, the images of crowds gathering in several places whether for panic buying or interstate movements are disturbing. They could jeopardise all efforts and mitigate whatever natural advantages we enjoy.
The State must act fast to enforce the lockdown, even forcibly if necessary. India may be the outlier in fighting the coronavirus infection and succeed in keeping the overall numbers lower than the rest of the world with minimal deaths.
Narinder Kumar Mehra is the ICMR National chair and former Dean of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
The views expressed are personal
By special arrangement with
Also read: Indias fight against Covid-19 needs wartime industrial production, not more red tape
ThePrint is now on Telegram. For the best reports & opinion on politics, governance and more, subscribe to ThePrint on Telegram.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Read the original:
Indians seem to have genetic and regional advantages in fight against coronavirus - ThePrint
Posted in Gene Medicine
Comments Off on Indians seem to have genetic and regional advantages in fight against coronavirus – ThePrint
Optics, Photonics and COVID-19 – Optics & Photonics News
Posted: at 5:05 pm
[Image: Getty Images]
As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the world, patients, technicians and scientists depend on state-of-the-art molecular-analysis instruments as they fight against SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing this disease. Optics and photonics technologies embedded in these instrumentssuch as high-quantum-efficiency multispectral cameras, visible-light laser diodes and LEDs, infrared bolometer arrays, narrowband optical filters and wideband multispectral optical spectrometersplay an essential part in the story.
Whether in the hospital or in the lab, optics technologies make possible rapid preliminary screening of potentially infected individuals, more accurate molecular diagnosis, reliable monitoring of disease progression and even, potentially, disinfection of contaminated surfaces. Our community developed these enabling technologies over the past several decades for applications ranging from telecommunications to machine and night vision. Now, theyre playing a life-saving role in the battle against SARS-CoV-2.
Early detection of infected patientsone of the primary challenges of the COVID-19 pandemicis complicated by the wide variability in the diseases symptoms. Monitoring for an increase in body temperature is the most commonly used preliminary screen. Under normal circumstances, direct body-cavity temperature measurements are the most accurate way to monitor a fever; however, given the pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2, remote, non-contact options that employ infrared imaging cameras to simultaneously image and measure groups of individuals provide a significant safety advantage.
Many clinicians now rely on infrared-based thermometers for measuring forehead temperature. These imaging and spot-measurement thermometric devices provide medical personnel with a safer and useful non-contact patient screen. These thermometers are based on single detectors or arrays of MEMS-based microbolometers or semiconductor diode detectorsthermal sensors that are sensitive in the far-infrared spectral region (8 to 14 m) and detect changes in the blackbody radiation intensities in persons with above-normal body temperatures.
Cepheid doctors office RT-PCR instrument. [Image: Courtesy of Cepheid]
In TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction, a nucleic-acid probe molecule, tagged with a fluorescent molecule and an accompanying quencher, attaches to the stretch of DNA or RNA being copied. With each round of amplification, the fluorescent molecule is released into the buffer solution and separated from the quencher, allowing the amplification of the targeted genetic sequencesuch as one from SARS-CoV-2to be detected via fluorescence in real time. [Image: Wikimedia Commons]
If a patient presents with a fever or other symptoms typical of viral infection (sore throat, dry cough, muscle aches and fatigue), the next step is a molecular diagnostic test. This screen, based on a technique called real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), uses sensitive spectroscopic methods to detect extremely small quantities of viral genetic material from a patients nasal or throat swab. And once again, optical technology is an essential component for disease detection.
The diagnostic procedure requires significant sample processing, beginning with a specimen collected from a patient. Real-time RT-PCR works by copying specific nucleic acid sequences within that sample, using probesnucleic-acid primersthat selectively bind very specifically to the RNA sequences present in the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The probes are tagged with molecules of fluorescent dye.
Enzymes are then used to copy the nucleic-acid sequences bound to the probes. The sample is thermally cycled roughly 40 times between37 C and 95 C. If the target nucleic-acid sequences are present, they are amplified twofold with each cycle.
It is optical technology that puts the real time in RT-PCR. As the amplification enzymes create the duplicate copies, the fluorescent molecules are released into the buffer solution. The overall fluorescence is measured in real time after each cycle, increasing as the number of amplicons increases for positive samples. By measuring the intensity buildup during the thermal cycling, the virus is detected and the amount of virus present (the viral load) can be estimated.
Real-time RT-PCR instruments employ narrowband visible laser diodes or LEDs as excitation sources and semiconductor diodes or photomultipliers with narrow band-pass optical filters for detection. These instruments are fully automated and can typically process 96 or 384 samples in parallel in less than an hour.
Real-time RT-PCR is one of the most sensitive and specific molecular-analysis techniques available today. This assay is crucial for tracking and controlling the spread of COVID-19. However, the overall sensitivity of the method may be limited by the efficiency of the sample collection and preparation process. The amount of virus present in the sampled tissue, which varies between individuals and as the disease progresses in each patient, may also be a limiting factor.
The false-negative rate of this approach is currently estimated at roughly 30%. Repeated testing can reduce this admittedly significant percentage, which is why many hospitals require two or three sequential negative real-time RT-PCR tests after a patient has recovered before that patient is classified as non-infectious.
In addition to molecular diagnostics, imaging of the lungs of COVID-19 patients has also proved very sensitive for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection using high-resolution computed tomography (CT) scans. Clinicians look for signs of lung damage as evidenced by ground-glass patterns in the lung tissue or fluid accumulation as signatures of pneumonia. Clinics in China have reported that this approach can detect a significant number of infected individuals that have negative RT-PCR readingsonly, however, later in disease progression, once lung damage manifests.
If a patient is diagnosed with COVID-19, disease progression and respiratory function are determined using an oxygen-saturation meter, which measures the percentage of oxygenated hemoglobin in blood. As the disease progresses, breathing can become difficult, causing a reduction in oxygenated hemoglobinif levels dip below certain thresholds, then supplementary oxygen or a ventilator may be warranted.
Oxygen-saturation devices use LEDs emitting at two different wavelengths, typically around 665 nm and 894 nm. The oxygen-saturation percentage is measured from the ratio of the absorption at these two wavelengths. These battery-powered devices fit comfortably on a finger or toe, providing real-time measurement of oxygen-saturation levels.
96 sample well plate ELISA instrument. [Image: 2020 Berthold Technologies. Used under permission. http://www.berthold.com]
Schematic of ELISA, which measures the presence of specific antibodies in a COVID-19 patients sample. The technique relies on a colorimetric change in the sample generated by an enzyme attached to antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2 virus. [Image: Cavitri/Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY 3.0]
Optical instruments are also used to test whether a person has been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 virus and has developed an immune response. These instrumentswhich can be automated to analyze hundreds to thousands of samples per dayuse a technique called an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) to measure the presence of antibodies specific to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a patients blood-serum sample.
In a typical assay, an antigen found on the virus surface is immobilized on the bottom of a sample well, which is optically transparent. Antibodies in the serum sample are attached to an enzyme (typically horseradish peroxidase) and allowed to incubate on the surface containing the immobilized antigen. Any antibodies specific for the SARS-CoV-2 antigen bind to the target and become immobilized on the surface of the optical window. The unbound, nonspecific antibodies are washed off.
A solution containing the enzymes substrate with a colorimetric indicator is then added to the sample well, and the enzyme linked to the antibody reacts with the substrate, producing a color change in the sample. The enzyme reacts with multiple substrate molecules, thereby amplifying the signal. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the blood serum can then be detected and quantified, via multispectral imaging of the sample substrates fluorescence or absorption indicator.
This approach is used to measure the extent of the virus spread within a community, even after the pandemic has passed; to measure the duration of an individuals immune response; and to investigate the efficacy of antiviral drug candidates and potential vaccines. Currently, medical workers who have recovered from COVID-19 and have a protective immune response to the virus are being identified using an ELISA. Once immunity is confirmed, these personnel safely resume working with infected patientsa common approach in pandemic medicine.
Optical devices also form the core technology for the most common high-throughput gene-sequencing instruments. These typically use high-quantum-efficiency, very-high-resolution multispectral cameras to map the sequences of hundreds of millions of target DNA molecules simultaneously and can sequence the complete genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in just a few hours. Virus genetic sequences can vary with location, since the SARS-CoV-2 virus occasionally mutates during its replication phase. Infections in separate geographic regions can be compared, and the origins of infections traced, by comparing the specific mutations in samples taken from patients in different locations.
High-throughput sequencing of the virus genome also can determine the proteins in the virus and identify suitable targets for synthetic vaccines that will safely stimulate immune response. This technology has greatly improved over the past 20 years, largely due to the human genome project, and will be an essential tool for developing effective vaccines and antiviral drugs to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prototype of an LED sterilization system being tested by Bolb Inc. [Image: Bolb Inc.]
Beyond the molecular-biology lab, optics is emerging as a weapon on another vital front: the sterilization of surfaces. Most viruses and bacteria are very sensitive to ultraviolet light, particularly in the UV-C spectral region (200280 nm), which causes mutations in the RNA that is essential for viral replication. Recently, great progress has been made in the development of UV LEDs that emit in this region. LED arrays emitting hundreds of milliwatts have been developed with lifetimes of over 1000 hours and electrical efficiencies around 10%.
Arrays of these diodes can generate significant UV power levels to potentially decontaminate certain surfaces more efficiently than chemical reagents. Recent lab results indicate that exposure times of about 1 minute were sufficient to kill bacteria and viruses with a 1-W-average-power device located about 1 meter above a contaminated surface. Further testing on the efficacy of UV LEDs for decontaminating surfaces infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus is in progress.
As global health faces this novel and deadly threat, laboratories around the world are using technologies developed by the optics and photonics community to help stem the spread and save lives. In the near future, as social distancing begins to slow the spread of COVID-19 disease, medical focus will shift to the early detection and isolation of COVID-19 recurrence in hot spots, which will present new challenges for diagnostic and decontamination technologies. These challenges represent new opportunities for optics and photonics technologieswith their advantages of low cost, high speed, sensitivity and specificityto make major contributions to global health. OPN
Note: This article will also be published in the May 2020 issue of Optics & Photonics News.
2009 OSA President Thomas M. Baer (tmbaer@stanford.edu) is with Stanford University, USA. Christina E. Baer is with the University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA.
See the rest here:
Optics, Photonics and COVID-19 - Optics & Photonics News
Posted in Gene Medicine
Comments Off on Optics, Photonics and COVID-19 – Optics & Photonics News
Jeffrey Epstein and the Hideous Strength of Transhumanism – National Catholic Register
Posted: at 5:05 pm
Transhumanism rides roughshod over the dignity of the human person in its quest for the technologically created superman.
The sordid life of Jeffrey Epstein serves to highlight the decadence of the deplorable epoch in which we find ourselves, as do the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. The web of vice and viciousness that he had spun was widespread, serving to entrap not only underage girls but also the rich and famous who preyed upon them. Using the allure of underage sex to lure his wealthy associates into his web, Epstein secretly filmed them in the act of sexually abusing minors, thereby turning his associates into his blackmail victims.
Epstein seems to have believed that the powerful people whom hed entrapped in his insurance policy would have a vested interest in keeping him safe from the law, a strategy which worked for a while. In 2008, Epstein was convicted in Florida of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl, receiving a scandalously light sentence, but due to a plea deal he was not charged with sexually abusing 35 other girls whom federal officials identified as having been abused by him.
After a further 10 years in which Epstein masterminded the trafficking of young girls to satisfy the pornographic and pedophilic appetites of his powerful network of friends, he was finally charged in July of last year with the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York. A month later, he was found dead in his jail cell. Although the medical examiner originally recorded the death as being a case of suicide, there are so many anomalies and mysteries surrounding the circumstances of Epsteins death that many people agree with Epsteins lawyers that the death could not have been suicide. One thing that is certain is that Epsteins death removed the possibility of pursuing criminal charges. There would be no trial, and therefore no exposing of Epsteins powerful associates by their victims in a court of law. Seen in this light, or in the shadow of this possible cover-up, it is tempting to see Epsteins insurance policy as his death warrant. He was too dangerous to be allowed to live when the lives of so many others depended on his timely death. It is no wonder that Epstein didnt kill himself has become a hugely popular meme, nor that HBO, Sony TV and Lifetime are planning to produce dramatic portrayals of Epsteins life and death.
One aspect of Epsteins life which is unlikely to be the focus of any TV drama is his obsession with transhumanism. For those who know little about this relatively recent phenomenon, transhumanism is usually defined as the movement in philosophy which advocates the transformation of humanity through the development of technologies which will re-shape humans intellectually and physiologically so that they transcend or supersede what is now considered human. At the prideful heart of this movement is a disdain for all that is authentically human and a sordid desire to replace human frailty with superhuman or transhuman strength.
Transhumanism rides roughshod over the dignity of the human person in its quest for the technologically created superman. Its spirit was encapsulated by David Bowie in the lyrics of one of his songs: Homo sapiens have outgrown their use Gotta make way for the homo superior.
Most of Epsteins so-called philanthropy was directed to the financing and promotion of transhumanism. The Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation pledged $30 million to Harvard University to establish the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics and also bankrolled the OpenCog project which develops software designed to give rise to human-equivalent artificial general intelligence. Apart from his support for the cybernetic approach to transhumanism, Epstein was also fascinated with the possibility of creating the superman via the path of eugenics. He hoped to help in a practical way with plans to seed the human race with his DNA by impregnating up to 20 women at a time at a proposed baby ranch at his compound in New Mexico. He also supported the pseudo-science of cryonics which freezes human corpses and severed heads in the hope that technological advances will eventually make it possible to resurrect the dead. He had planned to have his own head and penis preserved in this way.
In addition to his bizarre association with the wilder fringes of technological atheism, Epstein also co-organized a conference with his friend, the militant atheist Al Seckel, who is known, amongst other things, for his creation of the so-called Darwin Fish symbol, seen on bumper stickers and elsewhere, which depicts Darwins superior evolutionary fish eating the ichthys symbol or Jesus fish of the Christians. Seckel fled California after his life of deception and fraud began to catch up with him and he was found at the foot of a cliff in France having apparently fallen to his death. Nobody seems to know whether he slipped, jumped or was pushed.
Apart from his unhealthy interest in atheistic scientism, Jeffrey Epstein was also a major figure amongst the globalist elite. According to his lawyer, Gerald B. Lefcourt, he was part of the original group that conceived the Clinton Global Initiative which works to force the poor countries of the world to conform to the values of the culture of death. Even more ominously, Epstein was a member of the Trilateral Commission and the Council on Foreign Relations, two of the key institutions responsible for fostering and engineering the globalist grip on the worlds resources.
As we ponder the sordid and squalid world of Jeffrey Epstein and his associates, we cant help but see his life as a cautionary tale, the moral of which is all too obvious. It shows that pride precedes a fall and that it preys on the weak and the innocent. It shows that those who think they are better than their neighbors become worse than their neighbors. It shows how Nietzsches Untermensch morphs into Hitlers Master Race and thence to the Transhuman Monster. It shows that those who admire the Superman become subhuman. It also shows that the subhuman is not bestial but demonic. It shows that those who believe that they are beyond good and evil become the most evil monsters of all.
Those of us who have been nurtured on cautionary tales such as Mary Shelleys Frankenstein or C. S. Lewiss That Hideous Strength will know that fiction often prefigures reality. We will see that the real-life figure of Jeffrey Epstein is a latter-day Viktor Frankenstein, reaping destruction with his contempt for his fellow man and his faith in the power of scientism to deliver immortality to those who serve it. We will also see that the transhumanism which Epstein financed is a mirror image of the demonic scientism of the secretive National Institute of Coordinated Experiments in Lewis prophetic novel. We will also be grimly amused by the fact that the leader of the demonic scientistic forces in Lewis tale is a severed head which has apparently been brought back to life.
And there is one final lesson that the pathetic life of Jeffrey Epstein teaches us. It shows us that the adage that the devil looks after his own is not true. It is in fact a lie told by the devil himself. The devil hates his disciples as much as he hates the disciples of Christ; once he has had his way with them, he disposes of them with callous and casual indifference, much as Jeffrey Epstein disposed of those whom he sexually abused.
This essay first appeared in Crisis Magazine and is republished with permission.
Go here to read the rest:
Jeffrey Epstein and the Hideous Strength of Transhumanism - National Catholic Register
Posted in Transhumanist
Comments Off on Jeffrey Epstein and the Hideous Strength of Transhumanism – National Catholic Register
NASA Scientists Say We Could Colonise The Moon by 2022 …
Posted: April 2, 2020 at 5:47 pm
A lot of focus over the past 12 months has been on NASA's journey to Mars. But a group of space experts, including leading NASA scientists, has now produced a special journal edition that details how we could establish a human colony on the Moon in the next seven years - all for US$10 billion.
Although that's pretty awesome, the goal isn't really the Moon itself - from an exploratory point of view, most scientists have bigger targets in sight. But the lessons we'll learn and the technology we'll develop building a human base outside of Earth will eventually be the key to colonising Mars, and other planets, according to the experts.
"My interest is not the Moon. To me the Moon is as dull as a ball of concrete," NASA astrobiologist Chris McKay, who edited the special, open-access issue ofNew Spacejournal, told Sarah Fecht over at Popular Science. "But we're not going to have a research base on Mars until we can learn how to do it on the Moon first. The Moon provides a blueprint to Mars."
The journal articles came out of a workshop held back in August 2014, when some of the greatest minds in space research and business were brought together to explore and develop low-cost options for building a human settlement on the Moon.
We haven't gone back to the Moon since 1972 simply because of how expensive it is - the Apollo program that put the first humans on the lunar surface would have cost US$150 billion by today's standards, Fecht reports. And with a budget of US$19.3 billion for the whole of 2016, NASA hasn't been able to consider the Moon as well as Mars.
But thanks to new technology, it no longer has to be that way.
"The US could lead a return of humans to the surface of the Moon within a period of 5-7 years from authority to proceed at an estimated total cost of about $10 billion (30 percent)," conclude NASA'sAlexandra HallandNextGen Space's Charles Millerin one of the papers.
As Jurica Dujmovic notes for MarketWatch, that's cheaper than one US aircraft carrier.
"The big takeaway,"McKay toldPopular Science,"is that new technologies, some of which have nothing to do with space - like self-driving cars and waste-recycling toilets - are going to be incredibly useful in space, and are driving down the cost of a moon base to the point where it might be easy to do."
NASA
According to the research papers, the lunar base would house around 10 people for stays of up to a year at first - and could eventually grow to a self-sufficient settlement of 100 within a decade.
They'd get to the Moon on SpaceX's soon-to-be-launched Falcon Heavy, and while they'd have to take quite a lot of equipment on the first trip, 3D printing could be used to produce pretty much everything else once they get there.
The colony would most likely be established on the outer rim of one of the Moon's poles, which receive more sunlight than the rest of the surface, so would help keep solar-powered equipment running. As Marketwatch reports:
"Furthermore, all that energy could provide power for robots that would excavate large amounts of ice detected within the craters. Water gathered that way could then be used for life support, as well as for providing oxygen, or it could be processed into rocket fuel, which would be sold or stored for refuelling space crafts."
The astronauts would probably live in the something similar to Bigelow Aeropsace's inflatable habitat, the researchers write, which is radiation resistant and would allow for a range of living areas, as well as easy storing and transport.
It could also provide protected habitats for basic crops, which would be fertilised with the help of a toilet that recycles human waste into energy, clean water, and nutrients, such as the Gates Foundation-funded blue toilet.
BigelowAerospace
The rest of the food and supplies for 10 people that couldn't be grown and 3D printed on the Moon could be shipped by SpaceX for less than US$350 million per yearusing the reusable Falcon 9 rocket.
It all sounds amazing, but the elephant in the room is the fact that the US$10 million establishment cost is more than NASA's existing space flight budget of US$3-4 billion per year. But assuming setting up the colony is a flat fee, it's definitely still affordable and could run alongside plans to Mars, the scientists write.
And things could get even cheaper if commercial service providers are involved, which would then beprime position to sell propellant from the Moon's orbit to NASA and any other space agencies trying to get humans to Mars.
All of the papers in the special edition of New Spaceare freely available online for you to peruse and use to plan your future in space. Get dreaming, because it's closer than you think.
"It is time to go back to this Moon, this time to stay," concludes the journal's preface. "and funding is no longer the main hurdle."
Read the original post:
NASA Scientists Say We Could Colonise The Moon by 2022 ...
Posted in Moon Colonization
Comments Off on NASA Scientists Say We Could Colonise The Moon by 2022 …
Astronauts could use their own urine to build moon bases: study – New York Post
Posted: at 5:47 pm
Stuck on the moon with no lunar base? Just take a whiz and youre in biz!
An international team of researchers have proposed that NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and Chinas space organization build their future structures out of lunar soil and urea yes, pee. Turns out, the bodily fluid is a pretty effective binding agent for concrete.
In the event of global disaster, there has been some discussion of colonization of the moon. However, the monumental effort poses a number of logistical issues, such as how to get building materials to the desolate, dusty wasteland that is the moons surface. Study authors note that transporting just 0.45 kilograms (just under a pound) of cargo to space costs about $10,000.
Urine, however costs $0.
Engineers from Norway, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy, whose findings were recently published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, showed that incorporating urea into a concrete blend could make the mixture more pliant and thus easier to handle under the moons harsh conditions.
To make the geopolymer concrete that will be used on the moon, the idea is to use what is there: regolith (loose material from the moons surface) and the water from the ice present in some areas, said study author Ramn Pamies, a professor at the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (Murcia).
In his statement, he added, with this study we have seen that a waste product, such as the urine of the personnel who occupy the moon bases, could also be used. The two main components of this body fluid are water and urea, a molecule that allows the hydrogen bonds to be broken and, therefore, reduces the viscosities of many aqueous mixtures.
To test out the pee theory, the researchers used a material supplied by the ESA, which is similar to the moon dirt, or regolith, along with urea and various other plasticizers to 3D print mud cylinders for testing under various conditions. They revealed that the samples made with urea supported more weight and kept their shape better compared to the others.
They also held up when exposed to ultra high and low temperatures.
Scientists admitted that there is the problem of how an astronaut would be expected to separate the urea, which is ammonia and carbon dioxide, from the rest of the stuff in pee, including mostly water, expelled nutrients and other compounds.
We have not yet investigated how the urea would be extracted from the urine, said researcher from the Netherlands Anna-Lena Kjniksen.
However, she added, Perhaps its other components could also be used to form the geopolymer concrete. The actual water in the urine could be used for the mixture, together with that which can be obtained on the Moon, or a combination of both.
In other words, no, they did not use their own pee to conduct these experiments. They concluded that more research is needed.
Read the original:
Astronauts could use their own urine to build moon bases: study - New York Post
Posted in Moon Colonization
Comments Off on Astronauts could use their own urine to build moon bases: study – New York Post
Cosmos: Possible Worlds’ brings the search for E.T. down to Earth – Space.com
Posted: at 5:47 pm
In episodes 7 and 8 of "Cosmos: Possible Worlds," host Neil deGrasse Tyson explores themes of science as an instrument of hope and tenacity, and as a means by which the human race can realize its true potential.
Episode 7, titled "Search for Intelligent Life," focuses specifically on first contact and the search for intelligent life in the vastness of the cosmos. Are humans ready to make first contact with other intelligent beings? Is our technology even sophisticated enough to detect communication signals from another world?
Seeking an answer, Tyson introduces us to China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, or FAST, as it's more commonly known. FAST is the largest radio telescope on Earth and can detect radio waves across the universe.
Related: 20 sci-fi movies and TV shows to binge watch on Netflix right now
Tyson points out that we've only had the technology to detect radio signals for a little over a century, making FAST a truly monumental achievement. FAST has already detected a number of pulsars or compact stellar corpses and will continue to search for gravitational waves and signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, among other data it collects.
However, there's an intricate global communications network hidden here on Earth that we've only just become aware of. Tyson turns our attention to a "hidden matrix the creation of an enduring collaboration among fungi, plants, bacteria and animals." He's referring to the mycelium, a complex network of threadlike filaments that forms the functional structure of a fungus and extends to other species, such as trees. These hauntingly beautiful hyphae, or the branching filaments that make up the mycelium, illustrated in the show by special effects to interweave in the soil beneath our feet, reveal the forests' complex and interlinked nature.
"Who are we to search for alien intelligence when we can't even recognize or respect the consciousness all around us, or even beneath our feet," Tyson says, strolling through the forest on top of the soil that's protecting the mycelium beneath his feet. Still, conversations with different worlds, Tyson says, will be done in the language of science.
"The symbolic language of the scientist, mathematician and engineer avoid those things that are lost in translation from one culture to another," Tyson says, explaining that this type of language is more precise and less open to misinterpretation. If we find extraterrestrial intelligent life, will we be communicating with them in a language that resembles a computer programming language, built on the binary code?
Humans have actually already made "first contact" with other intelligent life that communicates through equations and a symbolic language, Tyson points out: bees. Insects in general have played an instrumental role in the development of the natural world, mostly by spreading pollen. Each grain of pollen has been"sculpted differently by evolution each a novel strategy for survival, sharpened by vast expanses of time, " Tyson says.
Insects are as much a part of the Earth's history as the earth itself; The "great Ordovician biodiversity event," when our world began to change as plants and insects left the sea and began to make the land their home, occurred approximately 480 million years ago (or Dec. 20 on Tyson's "cosmic calendar," where the Big Bang marks New Year's Day). The world Tyson describes is an alien one; giant mushrooms tower over trees that only grew a few feet tall, and insects ruled the skies, undisturbed by other winged creatures.
It was Austrian ethologist Karl von Frisch who unlocked the secrets of bee behavior in the early 20th century. "For thousands of years, bees have been symbols of mindless industry shackled to the dreary roles assigned to them by nature," says Tyson, but von Frisch found in his studies that bees lead much more complex lives. They communicate through mathematical equations expressed in their movements, appearing to the untrained eye to be little more than a waggle, but in reality can be an incredibly accurate set of coordinates to a food source meters away.
Tyson calls this a "first contact story" because bees and humans evolved on very different trajectories, and yet both species risked everything and chose the unknown; it's as if there were an unwritten code common to bees and human beings driving those ambitions. This echoes the work of legendary scientist Charles Darwin, who realized if all life is related, certain philosophical implications had to follow. Darwin realized we are "surrounded by other ways of being alive and conscious," Tyson says, and that science had the potential to expand our capacity for empathy and compassion.
Building on those themes of compassion and ambition, episode 8, "The Sacrifice of Cassini," chronicles tales of sacrifice and reveals the little-seen sentimentality and emotion that often accompany our greatest scientific endeavors. The episode honors the efforts and sacrifices of scientists Giovanni Cassini, Galileo Galilei, Christiaan Huygens, and Alexander Shargei, among others.
The episode opens with Tyson's recap of the Cassini-Huygens mission, a joint effort between NASA and the European Space Agency that launched Oct. 15, 1997. The spacecraft would embark on an epic voyage that would last more than two decades and culminate in a final, fatal mission of self-destruction by flying itself into Saturn's atmosphere in 2017.
Spacecraft sent to the outermost regions of our solar system, like Cassini, have brought back valuable data. Researchers are especially interested in any information about the mysterious ringed planets, which puzzled early planetary scientists like Galileo. These ring systems have been notoriously difficult to detect; Galileo's early research on Saturn had him believe the planet had two symmetrical moons, which we now know to be Saturn's rings. What would Galileo say if he could see Saturn as we see it now through the eyes of powerful scientific instruments?
NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft and Cassini also sent back valuable data about the atmospheres and other physical properties of our cosmic neighbors, like the elusive Uranus. Without Voyager 2, we wouldn't know about the planet's long summers and winters, or that while Uranus doesn't generate any internal heat and the outer edges of its atmosphere is hotter than 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 degrees Celsius), Uranus also has the coldest clouds in the solar system, nearly 400 degrees Fahrenheit (240 degrees Celsius) below zero.
Interestingly, as Tyson reviews Giovanni Cassini's early life in what is now Italy, he notes that the Italian scientist began his career as an astrologer; a pseudoscientist. Louis XIV of France, the "Sun King," who would be the first monarch to recognize the power of science and the opportunities it afforded national security, would play a pivotal role in Cassini's career development. It was Louis XIV, who established the Paris Observatory a scientific powerhouse and who gave Cassini the tools he needed to pursue his research.
Cassini's observations of Saturn and its moons would have an enduring effect on the scientific world among his other accomplishments, like having discovered Jupiter's Great Red Spot (independently from Robert Hooke) and having calculated the length of a day on Mars; he was only off by 3 minutes.
Cassini's work on Saturn also greatly furthered human beings' knowledge on the planet at the time; he was the first to know Saturn's rings were composed of natural satellites orbiting the planet, and that there were gaps between them. Decades later, a bus-size 12,000-lb. (5,400 kilograms) spacecraft, sent on a years-long voyage to that same celestial body, would be named in his memory.
The scientists who worked closely with the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, some of them since the very beginning, undoubtedly became emotional as it completed its final mission, as did spectators around the world who witnessed its final moments.
The probe's travails, however, cannot compare to the pain and tragedy of scientist and visionary Oleksandr Shargei, a forgotten pioneer of spaceflight. Shargei was orphaned at a young age and, while studying engineering at a university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, was drafted to the army to serve the Russian Empire in World War I. After the Russian Revolution, when the Bolsheviks overthrew the government, he changed his name to Yuri Kondratyuk out of fear for his life.
In 1926, Kondratyuk self-published a manuscript on rocket motion and space colonization, which would end up capturing the attention of an engineer working on the Apollo program, John Houbolt, decades later. Houbolt's updating of Kondratyuk's theories convinced NASA to select the lunar orbit rendezvous flight plan for Apollo, and to win the Space Race.
Seeing footage from Apollo 11 in the episode elicits a sentimental feeling as it dawns on us that we're witnessing Kondratyuk's dreams become reality, and that his dreams are still coming true to this day; even the Cassini mission used gravity assist maneuvers, also conceived by Kondratyuk, to explore the Saturn system.
The final scene of the episode is of Kondratyuk's childhood home a place where he endured much tragedy in his early years, and sought refuge in physics books. It was also here that Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong made a pilgrimage after his historic flight to the moon, to honor the man who made that voyage possible.
"There are all kinds of stories in the struggle to understand the cosmos," Tyson reflects. "Sometimes your dreams die with you, but sometimes the scientists of another age pick them up and take them to the moon, and far beyond."
"Cosmos" airs on the National Geographic channel on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT and will be reprised on the Fox television network this summer.
Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
Original post:
Cosmos: Possible Worlds' brings the search for E.T. down to Earth - Space.com
Posted in Moon Colonization
Comments Off on Cosmos: Possible Worlds’ brings the search for E.T. down to Earth – Space.com
Belgian couple arrested for selling airline tickets to The Moon – Aviation24.be
Posted: at 5:47 pm
Photo byBriana TozouronUnsplash
This morning, a Belgian couple was arrested for selling airline tickets to The Moon. They allegedly sold the tickets on the street for 99,99 to hundreds of people and promised that each ticket reserved the passenger a first-class seat.
Bart, one of the arrested, explained to Belgian newspaper Het Eerste Nieuws he didnt do anything wrong: For less than 100 a bargain I take these passengers to higher spheres, I really do not understand the fuzz. My first-class flying saucer was ready for boarding! Besides, our on-time performance is one of the highest in the industry.
Bart now risks a heavy fine for deliberate deception of passengers. During a further house search, the police found back the money, fake airline tickets and a baby alligator.
Affected passengers can always file a complaint via this link.
Related
The rest is here:
Belgian couple arrested for selling airline tickets to The Moon - Aviation24.be
Posted in Moon Colonization
Comments Off on Belgian couple arrested for selling airline tickets to The Moon – Aviation24.be
Urine of astronauts will simplify the construction of the lunar base – FREE NEWS
Posted: at 5:47 pm
European engineers have shown that urea can serve as a suitable plasticizer for concrete mortar for the construction of the future lunar base.
Colonization of the Moon is fraught with a great many difficulties and challenges: a dangerous level of radiation, extreme temperature drops, the risk of meteorites falling, and so on. All of them are completely solvable if a reliable, protected and hermetic base is built on the satellite. But for this, the main problem remains to be solved the logistics.
Shipping every kilogram of cargo to the moon costs tens of thousands of dollars, so transporting building materials to a satellite would be too expensive. Therefore, engineers are developing technologies for building a base of lunar regolith using robotic technology and 3D printing. The find made by the team of Anna-Lena Knicksen from Estoll University College in Norway promises to further ease this task.
In an article published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, they examine the possibility of utilizing the urine of future colonists for the construction of a lunar base. According to engineers, urea isolated from it can serve as a plasticizer for cement mortar. Such an additive increases the ductility of concrete makes it easier to work with it and increases the density and resistance to deformation.
The idea is to use what can be found on the spot: regolith and water from the ice present in many areas, the authors explain. Moreover, we have shown that waste such as urine from the personnel of the lunar base is also useful for the matter. Its two main components are water and urea, whose molecules weaken hydrogen bonds and reduce the viscosity of many aqueous solutions.
For their experiments, scientists used a lunar soil simulator created in ESA and a suitable 3D printer, with which they printed out samples, and then sent them for detailed analysis. The components printed with the addition of urea as a plasticizer underwent several cycles of freezing-thawing and heating to 80C but retained their structural properties completely.
We have not yet considered the process of extracting urea, adds Anna-Lena Knicksen, since we have not yet figured out whether other urine components can be used to add to the building mixture. Perhaps water will go into it, along with the one that can be found on the moon itself.
Continue reading here:
Urine of astronauts will simplify the construction of the lunar base - FREE NEWS
Posted in Moon Colonization
Comments Off on Urine of astronauts will simplify the construction of the lunar base – FREE NEWS
Bioengineering to help future Mars Colonies and Earths Global Warming – News Landed
Posted: at 5:47 pm
Today many aerospace industries and nations are competing in the race for Mars. Some with a plan for crew flybys, others with short term scientific missions, and some with the higher objective of colonization of Mars. Mars, as we know, is an arid planet that cannot support life. All the necessary life support systems have to come from the Earth, which would be too expensive as we rely heavily on chemical rockets.
One of the solutions would be to manufacture the necessary raw materials like fuel, organic compounds, and drugs on Mars, maximizing the available resources on the planet. Mars has abundant carbon dioxide (about 96%) and water at its poles in the form of polar ice caps and likely frozen underground reservoirs. Chemist at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has designed a hybrid system using nanowires and bacteria to harness sunlight, carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and, water to create the building blocks for organic material.
The system is made by packing Sporomusa ovata bacteria into a forest of nanowires that are one-hundredth the width of human air. The nanowires would absorb sunlight, generate electrons that the bacteria take, and converts two carbon dioxide molecules and water into Acetate and Oxygen.
Acetate is one of the building blocks for many organic compounds, including fuels, drugs, and plastics. We can manufacture other organic compounds from acetate using bioengineering. Oxygen, which is the by-product of this process, can replenish the artificial atmosphere for the colonists. The possibilities are endless.
According to the project leader Peidong Yang, when they tried to pack the bacteria into nanowires to increase efficiency, they faced a problem of elevated pH level of the surrounding water. This increase in pH level (or decrease in acidity) caused the bacteria to detach themselves from the nanowires, causing a break in the circuit. They eventually found a solution to keep the acidity slightly higher and increase efficiency. Their system has a record efficiency of 3.6%, which means 3.6% of solar energy gets converted and stored.
Professor Yang and his team continue to tweak the system to improve efficiency and to manufacture other organic compounds like acetic acid. This system can be a solution to address our global warming issue by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide and converting them into organic compounds. Professor Yang and his team are also working on other systems to produce sugars and carbohydrates efficiently, which, one day, can provide food to the colonists.
Join our writing teamand develop your writing skills, as you see your articles featured onApple News,Google News, and allaround the world.Subscribe to our newsletter,What Just Happened, where we dive deep into the hottest topics from the week!
Source: Phys.org
+ Scientists propose that COVID-19 could have lived with us for years+COVID-19 may be airborne, according to a new study+ Galaxy-ripping quasar winds discovered by Hubble telescope+Coronavirus patient zero identified to be a Wuhan shrimp seller+Study suggests smoking worsens COVID-19 effects, especially in men
+ Disney might stream Black Widow online instead of in theatres+Astronaut urine could be used to build bases on the moon+YouTuber has recreated the entire Earth in Minecraft+Zoom illegally shared data with Facebook, according to lawsuit+The Astro Slide 5G has some of the most interesting hardware ever
Read the rest here:
Bioengineering to help future Mars Colonies and Earths Global Warming - News Landed
Posted in Moon Colonization
Comments Off on Bioengineering to help future Mars Colonies and Earths Global Warming – News Landed
Growing Vegetables In Space Is Easier Than It Sounds – LIVEKINDLY
Posted: at 5:47 pm
Science fiction has often imagined what food in space would be like. In the various Star Trek series, food has evolved from colorful cubes in the original series to being synthesized by machines. It even predicted cell-based meatand, fresh vegetables grown in space.
In Star Trek: Enterprise, only certain foods can be replicated by technology. An on-board chef provides the intergalactic travelers with fruits and vegetables grown in a hydroponic greenhouse. And thanks to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), space-grown greens are becoming a reality for astronauts.
Between 2014-2016, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) grew leafy greens from surface-sterilized seeds using the Vegetable Production Systems, nicknamed Veggie.
According to research published in the journalFrontiers in Plant Science,space-grown lettuce is safe to eat. This unlocks new possibilities for what mealtime looks like for astronauts as well as sustainable food production in space. Theoretically, future human settlers on Mars could supplement their diets with plant-based food that they grew themselves.
Undergoing intense physical training, floating weightlessly, and witnesses the Earth from the expanse of space, astronauts have unique experiences. The food, not so much. According to NASA, astronauts can choose from a variety of foods that they would eat at home. Macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, and meat and seafood dishes are all options.
Fresh fruit, nuts, candy, brownies, and ice cream are also available. But, you wont get the freeze-dried astronaut ice cream you can find in science museums. In a zero-gravity environment, crumbs from freeze-dried ice cream or bread could easily fly into the ships controls. Its for that very reason that astronauts use tortillas instead of bread for their sandwiches. Instead of salt and pepper shakers, they have liquid seasoning in packets.
All food comes in disposable packaging and is nonperishable to survive long missions in space.
Although Veggie is a recent innovation, the concept of gardening in space has been in development for more than 30 years. The innovative technology would add variety to astronauts diets and give them access to nutritious, leafy greens.
NASA plant physiologist Ray Wheeler explained to Space.com last November that NASA has been interested in growing plants as a bioregenerative approach for life support, and the plants would provide food and oxygen and could remove carbon dioxide.
In 2015, 44 astronauts aboard the ISS sampled a harvest of Outredgeous red romaine lettuce grown under LED lights. Four years later, in late 2019, astronauts successfully grew mizuna, or Japanese mustard greens. The remainder was stowed in a freezer for later analysis on Earth.
Despite being grown under lower gravity and more intense radiation, research revealed that space greens are free from disease-causing microbes. According to NASA, the Veggie-grown produce is richer in potassium, sodium, phosphorus, sulfur, and zinc. It is also rich in phenolics, molecules with proven antiviral, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activity. It has about the same antioxidant content as Earth-grown produce.
There is evidence that supports fresh foods, such as tomatoes, blueberries, and red lettuce are a good source of antioxidants. Having fresh food like these available in space could have a positive impact on peoples moods and also could provide some protection against radiation in space, Wheeler said.
Veggie comes with other benefits as well. Gardening provides crew members with a much-valued recreational activity on longer-duration missions.
Besides having the ability to grow and eat fresh food in space, there also may be a psychological benefit, said Dr. Gioia Massa, NASA Veggie project lead. For example, future habitat-related modifications could include plant life. A 2015 study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropologyfound that active time with indoor plants can reduce physiological and psychological stress.
Veggie is growing only greens at the moment. But, Massa explained that future tests will involve other varieties of lettuce as well as peppers and tomatoes. The International Space Station is serving as a testbed for future long-duration missions, and these types of crop growth tests are helping to expand the suite of candidates that can be effectively grown in microgravity, she told SpaceRef.
The team at Kennedy Space Center hopes that space gardening will become a valuable part of space travel.
The ability to grow food in a sustainable system that is safe for crew consumption will become critical as NASA moves toward longer missions. Salad-type, leafy greens can be grown and consumed fresh with few resources, said Dr. Christina Khodadad, a researcher at the Kennedy Space Center.
It may also be an integral part of travel to and life on Mars. Massa explained: The farther and longer humans go away from Earth, the greater the need to be able to grow plants for food, atmosphere recycling and psychological benefits. I think that plant systems will become important components of any long-duration exploration scenario.
Will space colonies be vegan? According to a NASA factsheet, the surface diet on the moon and on Mars will be similar to a vegetarian diet one would cook on Earthminus the dairy products.
The organization predicts that residents could grow crops. This includes multiple varieties of potatoes, wheat, rice, soybeans, peanuts, dried beans, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and herbs. Researchers involved in NASAs Advanced Food Technology (AFT) Project are actively exploring bioregenerative solutions to create sustainable food systems in space.
NASA is expected to kick off the Mars 2020 mission this July. The Perseverance rover will be launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. On Mars, it will seek signs of ancient life and collect soil samples for a possible return to Earth.
Billionaire tech entrepreneur and SpaceX founder Elon Musk believes that Mars colonization is possible as well. Using SpaceXs Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket, Musk hopes to facilitate a colony of one million Martians within the next 50-100 years.
A report titled Feeding One Million People on Mars by Kevin Cannon and Daniel Britt at the University of Central Florida, Orlando predicted how such a colony would sustain itself. It ruled out animal agriculture and, in contrast to NASA, plant-based agriculture. Instead, the report predicted that Mars colonists would thrive on produce, insects, and cell-based meat, aka clean meatreal meat grown from animal cells.
The possibility of growing cell-based meat in space was successfully tested by Aleph Farms, an Israeli food tech company, last November. It grew small-scale muscle tissue from cow cells on the ISS using equipment supplied by Russian company, 3D Bioprinting Solutions.
On the website, Eat Like a Martian, Cannon and Britt acknowledge that further research is needed before humans begin colonizing Mars. But, the Martian diet will have several benefits: no mass suffering of caged animals, and sharp cuts in land, water, energy use, and carbon emissions.
Summary
Article Name
Growing Vegetables In Space Is Easier Than It Sounds
Description
What do astronauts eat? Mostly packaged meals, but according to NASA, its Veggie project can provide vegetables, variety, and a recreational gardening.
Author
Kat Smith
Publisher Name
LIVEKINDLY
Publisher Logo
Continue reading here:
Growing Vegetables In Space Is Easier Than It Sounds - LIVEKINDLY
Posted in Moon Colonization
Comments Off on Growing Vegetables In Space Is Easier Than It Sounds – LIVEKINDLY