Star Shrinking

A massive star in Orion, has been shrinking for the past 15 years and astronomers do not know why.The star is a red super giant and named Betelgeuse. When massive stars are nearing the end of their lives, they swell to 100 times their original size before they explode as supernova or collapse to form black holes. The star's brightness has not dimmed over the past years. The study of the red supergaint is important to understanding of space because astronomers are not clear over how red supergaints end their lives.

Planet in Threat?

The future of our solar system could be violet according to some experts. In a new computer simulation, a disruption of the planetary orbits could lead to a collision of Earth with Mercury, Mars, or Venus in the next few billion years. Mercury would be the greatest risk despite it's smaller size. The computer model shows that there is a once percent chance that the elongation of Mercury's orbit will increase so that the planet's path around the sun will crosses Venus path. This would cause Mercury to be ejected from the solar system where it could collide with the sun or even Earth. The idea is remote but still a possibility. This is just one scenario of 2,501 that were stimulated by the computer model. Most do not involve a crash but 25 led to a disruption in Mercury's orbit.

Meteorite Hits Teen Boy?

A 14 year old boy from Germany claims he was hit by a small meteorite that left a scar. The boy claims the meteorite hit him so hard that he fell to the ground. Astronomers have analyzed the rock and have discovered it is from outer space. Other experts claim the boy is lying because it's impossible for a meteorite to move the way the boy claims. Most meteors vaporize in the atmosphere creating "shooting stars". They usually never reach the ground. The ones that do are mostly metal.

Moon Water Debate

There has been raging debates over the years over the occurrence of frozen water on the moon. The new NASA lunar orbiter will help to cease the debates by the new picturing. All moon rocks suggest the surface is dry and that water is baked off by the sun. However there may be water in the deep craters at the moon's poles that have not seen sunlight for over 2 billion years. Evidence of potential water on the moon begin in 1996 with radar scans of the moon that reflected back signals that would be expected of ice. Doubters claim the reflections are from piles of rocks, not ice. The results from the new orbiter are crucial in future planning of space travel.

Moon Orbiter

NASA's first robotic lunar scout has made it safely to the moon on early Tuesday. It's mission is to seek our potential landing sites and hidden water ice for future expeditions. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter started it's 40 minutes maneuver to begin orbiting the moon. These will be the first unmanned moon shots since 1998. A LRO project scientist leader said that they are here to stay on the moon and not to look past it. The orbiter cost around 504 million dollars and was launched on June 18th. The probe will spend at least a year mapping the moon. This is huge new for people wishing for more Mars focus because a lot of money and time is being invested in even more lunar travels.

Killing of Spy Satellites

The Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, plans to kills the program that was begun by the Bush administration to use U.S. spy satellites for domestic security and law enforcement missions. The program was announced in 2007 and has not begun to run because of privacy and civil liberty issues. U.S. agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Interior Department will have access to the satellites but the Homeland Security Department will no longer be involved.

Disaggrement in the Future

The European government and industry officials are disputing over the best and most efficient way to contract and deploy the 30-satellite Galileo navigation and timing constellation. Industry and government officials have openly disputing their disagreement over Galileo's direction on June 15th. The European Space Agency wants to launch the 28 Galileo satellites two at a time with Russian Soyuz rockets. This would cost up to 70 million dollars. However the head officer at Astrium Space Transportation wants several Ariane 5 vehicle to be used to launch Galileo. He disagrees with using Russian hardware because it shoes a dependence on Russia. The two point of views will continue to disagree until a reasonable solution is found. This is just a display of the politics involved with launching into space.

Space Radiation and Mars

The levels of radiation during a space flight to Mars could limit the astronauts survival during flight experts now caution. However new research can reveal how to handle the risks of radiation. Once humans pass the magnetic field of Earth, they become more vulnerable to radiation in space. Many astronauts have seen white flashes in space during to cosmic ray or high energy particles that pass through their hears. For space travel to Mas, Nasa must be prepared for the continued risk of radiation. Present research shows the human crew to Mars could not handle the radiation. But future research could lower the risk of uncertainty. Further research will be made to help with the future human flight to Mars.

Dummy Blast

Nasa will blast a dummy astronaut that is packed with human blood and bone cells with an intense radiation shower. The dummy astronaut will consist of a life-size replica of the human torso that is equipped with hundreds of radiation senors. The torso will have natural bone, simulated skin and organs, and blood cells. This experiment is being held so scientist can understand the full effects of solar radiation for future space exploration. The blood cells were placed in tubes in the stomach and some in the bone marrow. This will help answer the question of whether the shielded parts of bone marrow will be less effected by the radiation. Radiation in the bone marrow increases the risk of leukemia and other cancers. The scientist also want to see the effect radiation has on red blood cells. They want to see how much the radiation will damage DNA and if the cells end up apoptosising or turning cancerous. Many astronauts endures "chronic exposure" to low-level radiation during past missions but for a further flight mission the chances of a solar flare are raised. The biological effects are sensitive to the levels of radiation.

New Protocol for Mars Missions

Nasa has set new rules for cleaning space hardware that goes on "Search for Life" missions. This new protocol is set for decontamination of objects to Mars, cocktail of chemicals that clean the hardware of all bacteria, viruses, and cells. It insures that no cells from Earth take a ride over to Mars. This new protocol helps eliminate the case of mistake indenity during the search for life. This is especially important for Mars since if there are biological life forms on Mars, they will be scare. The new protocol eliminates the background noise and will help scientists focus better on the search for life.

Microbe, key to extraterrestrial life?

Dr. Loveland-Curtze and her team at Pennsylvania State University have discovered a novel microbe, Herminiimosa glaciei. H. glaciei was brought to life by the team. The dormant mirobe was taken into a 2 degree Celsius chamber for 7 months and then into a 5 degree Celsius chamber for 4 and half months. After the incubation small colonies of H. glaciei were found. This microbe is about 10 to 15 times smaller than E. coli. A small size is advantageous is living in harsh conditions. The microbe was probably able to survive in liquid veins of ice crystals or liquid film on surfaces. Studying how such small microbes can survive in harsh conditions can lead to a better understanding of small cells on other planets and how we can discover them.

Young Girl Discovers Supernova

A young 14 year old girl has discovered the smallest supernova recorded. Caroline Moore discovered the exploding star in her backyard using a very low powered telescope. The supernova was in a Galaxy 70 million light years away. The star was labeled SN 2008ha. Normal supernovas explode with so much energy that they outshine their own Galaxy, while this supernova was a faint explosion of light.

Zero-G and Immune System.

A new study was found that weightlessness is stressful on the human organs that create immune cells. The study was performed on mice that were stimulated in zero-gravity. This showed that a protein, osteopontin (OPN), a stress hormone is involved with the waste of the spleen and thymus organs. These are the organs that create white blood cells that are able to battle infections. Without the correct amount of white blood cells, a human is at threat for disease, viruses, and bacteria. Osteopontin signals cells for survival and to stay on the offensive during injury and stress, doctors think that it also suppresses the immune system during this time. This new study can lead to research on cutting down the risk of getting sick in space on long space flights.

Sick in Space

Illness During Space Travel. Microgravity during space flight weakens the immune system so astronauts need to be extremely careful of catching a virus before flight. With the spread of swine flu, astronauts for the May 11th flight, the Atlanti's STS-125 Crew, had to be even more careful. NASA is always cautious of exposing crew members with any virus or bacteria before flight, even the common cold can by problematic. The crew entered quarantine weeks before the flight to avoid catching a sickness. 10 days before the launch the crew undergoes a physical exam to make sure they are not infected. They then go into a strict quaratine the week before and are examined once again 2 days before the launch. However, sometimes sickness can still come through. The atmosphere can also cause the astronauts to become sick. The prevention and protocol for sickness during space flight is very important for human missions to Mars. It would not be good to have astronauts sick during such long flights.

Zero G

Balance during Zero G. A commercial aircraft, G-Force One, is offering a 3,00$ ticket for a flight that offers a sample of weightlessness. This is down by he plant alternating between an upward climb and downward dive. During the climbs, passengers experience twice the pull of gravity. Of course this weightlessness also brings motion sickness. Motion sickness can by slight discomfort to nausea and vomiting. All of this is a result of one common spot in the human head. Motion sickness starts with the body's internal balance system which is adapts for Earth's gravity, 1g. Inside the human inner ear, the 3 semicircular canals serve as accelerometers using their tiny hairs and fluids. This canals determine the body's position in space. When the body is thrown into weightlessness, it becomes in a state of confusion. The inner ear becomes confused which cause the effects of motion sickness. To help with motion sickness, passengers can take medicine or minimize their movements during weightlessness.

Headaches in Space

New Study on Headaches During Space Travel. A study of 17 astronauts was found that most of them experiences painful headaches after traveling beyond Earth. This has prompted doctors to call for headaches to be a secondary disorder of space flight. This headaches were use to be thought as a connection with the common motion sickness during space flight. However this study has showed that motion sickness and headaches of space travel are not related. Space flight can trigger headaches with out space motion sickness. Why headaches? Doctors are still not a 100 percent sure, but think that the headaches are related to the microgravity on the human body. The gravity disrupts the human body's sense of balance and equilibrium. This study can lead to preventive ways to help with the headaches which in all eases an astronauts trip to space.

Glitch in Mars Orbiter

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was Saved. NASA was able to revive the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter from a glitch that silenced observations last week. The orbiters has been near Mars since 2006 and is mapping and observing the red planet. Last Tuesday, June 6th, the orbiter went into standby mode and silenced all observations. On June 9th, NASA was able to revive and began observations again. They had to reboot the main computer which they suspect was hit by a cosmic ray or solar particle. This is the 6th time in 3 years the orbiter has entered safe mode. Safe mode is a way of self-defense for the orbiter where it shut downs and waits for instructions from Earth. It's important to keep the orbiter running because it is hunting for potential landing sites for the next NASA mission to Mars.

Black Hole

A New Size For the Largest Black Hole. Scientists at the University of Texas announced today the finding of the weight of the largest black hole during the 214th meeting of the American Astronomical Society. The black hole is located in the M87 galaxy and is 50 million light years away. The hole was studied and found to be 6.4 billion times the mass of the sun. This study leads to the question of the mass of other black holes and galaxies. This help with understanding the relationship with black holes and galaxies. A higher black hole mass could also help solve the development of developing galaxies called quasars. Quasars are of the early universe and very bright. They develop galaxies by black holes being surrounded by gas and dust, forming stars. They are very large however, around 10 billion solar masses. But the relationship of black holes and quasars is more supported now since the black holes are being discovered to be larger mass than previously thought. This is good news in the science of space, just one step closer to understanding the galaxies and universe.

Rings on Mars

New Rings Found on Mars. New ring formations have been examined by Matt Blume and colleagues. The circles are made of stone and are prompting scientists to rethink Mar's climate history. Blume and others have mapped a new area on Mars where the rings where found that is near the equator, naming the region Elysium Planitia. Blume used the Mar's Reconnaissance Orbiter to take pictures of the area. Similar stone rings are found on Earth. The rings on earth are formed by repeated freezing and thawing of ice with stones in between that are stored in the layers. The structures on Mars where formed by freezing and thawing of water but the type of stones are unclear. Liquid water should be near the surface of these rings. This means that Mar's climate could be 40-60 degrees warmer than thought before.

People and Mars

Can People go to Mars?

A group of 45 space experts including former NASA employees and ex-astronauts meet at Standford University to discuss space exploration. The group agreed that NASA should focus more on human missions to Mars rather than human presence on the moon. An asteroid mission that NASA has proposed was also in talk. The group said the mission would be "foolish". It takes only 3 days for a trip to the moon while the asteroid trip could take months. The group said they did not want NASA to get bogged down on lunar missions and that they should focus on more Mars missions. The group also agreed that the USA needs more cooperation with other countries, including China. This meeting had taken place in 2008, so almost a year ago today. It seems that today, the same ideas are still shared among the space community.

Muscle Fatigue

Nasa Funded Research on Muscle Fatigue

Micheal Reid of the University of Kentucky has been researching N-acetycystiene (NAC) and its effect on limiting free radicals. NAC is used for the liver during a drug overdose because it eliminates free radicals. Free radicals are also made during strenuous muscle activity. Astronaut's huge suits make 6-8 hours of activity seem like a marathon. If NAC can help eliminate the free radicals made, the astronauts could have longer periods of muscle activity without the fatigue. This is very important for astronauts who are involved in deep-space exploration, like a trip to Mars.

Muscle Supplement

A Nutritional Supplement to Fight Muscle Atrophy

New nutritional supplements may help to lessen muscle atrophy for astronauts during space travel. Dr. Wolfe of University of Texas, had subjects stay in bed for 28 days to create similar body conditions felt by astronauts during space travel. These subjects had similar symptoms of muscle atrophy like astronauts have which is due to the lack of muscular activity. Atrophy primary occurs in the legs. While muscles are inactive, they do not produce new proteins. The supplements given are made of amino acids which are the building blocks of proteins, these supplements increase protein synthesis. The supplements were given 3 times a day and showed to maintain protein synthesis and the body mass. Stable isotope analysis was used to analyze the protein synthesis and breakdown rates of the subjects. These new supplements can also help the elderly and patients in the medical field who are bed ridden. The new supplements are needed for human travel to Mars since astronauts will be in space for a very long period during their trip.

New Nasa Leader

Gen. Charles Bolden.

President Obama has elected Gen. Charles Bolden to be Nasa Chief. Bolden is a former astronaunt whom has flown in space four times and sent hubble into orbit in 1990. All his fellow pilots from former missions praise his leadership skills. The change in leadership could effect the way Nasa is moving. Obama has ordered a complete inspection of the Nasa program and Bolden will be involved with this. A shuttle fleet that is suppose to head out to mars is being replaced currently and will not be ready for five years. Many of the big Nasa projects are overbudget. This change in leadership could effect where the empahsis of money and support goes to in the Nasa program. With Bolden having actual experience in the field, I think he will bring a fresh mind and ideads for the program. Hopefully he supports more Mars missions and helps gain the support Nasa needs to complete missions.

Bio/Climate and Humans on Mars

SCIENTIFIC GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE HUMAN EXPLORATION OF MARS, 1. BIOLOGY
AND ATMOSPHERE/CLIMATE.


In this article the biology, climate, and atmosphere on Mars is discussed along with how it would effect humans on Mars. Mars has similar mechanisms that Ear ch posses. Geology records show that Mars has undergone dramatic changes in it's land over time. Early mars had a much denser atmosphere that allowed for water on the planet. Today, Mars has an atmosphere of 6 millibars and is not stable for water to be in liquid form for a long time. The exploration of Mars with humans will involve a synergistic partnership between humans and robots. The risks humans face, toxicity, radiation, and dust hazard will be resolved by robotic precursor missions before the humans land on Mars.