China sends human bone cells to Tiangong space station (video) – Space.com

A Chinese space freighter has delivered human bone cells to the Tiangong space station for on-orbit research.

The Tianzhou 7 cargo spacecraft launched on a Long March 7 rocket from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Jan. 17, reaching the Tiangong space station just over three hours later. Among its cargo of around 12,350 pounds (5,600 kilograms) were more than 60 experiments, including human bone cells for research into bone mineral density.

The cells grow quickly, meaning the experiment needed to be installed just hours ahead of launch to ensure optimal cell activity before they fill the space available for them. Their growth will be closely monitored and data transmitted back to Earth for analysis.

Related: The latest news about China's space program

"Our experimental equipment in space will guarantee the physical and chemical conditions for cell culture like the replacement of nutrient fluid and the gas for bone cells, Shang Peng, a professor at the Northwestern Polytechnical University, told CCTV.

It also carries a fluorescence microscope and ordinary light microscope to monitor the growth of the cells. Some of this information will be recorded and transmitted to the Earth for analysis in real time and in the future."

Astronauts in orbit are instructed to exercise for hours each day to help prevent the bone loss associated with living long-term in a microgravity environment.

This can exercise their skeletal muscles and also prevent their bone loss effectively," Shang said.

Such research, which is also being conducted cooperatively with scientists from other countries, could lead to better ways to tackle bone loss problems experienced on Earth as well as in space.

"We will do further projects in the operation phase of China's space station. Based on these, we will develop relevant medicines and test them. They will not only help taikonauts in space but also humans on the Earth, particularly the elderly. This will be very meaningful," said Wang Jinfu, professor with the Zhejiang University in east China.

China's Tianzhou 1 mission, launched in 2017 as a prototype space station cargo and refueling mission to dock with the Tiangong 1 space lab, carried stem cells. That was a rare opportunity for such tests.

Having the Tiangong space station in its operational phase with the Tianhe core module recently passing 1,000 days in orbit means more and regular opportunities for China's science community to carry out scientific experiments in space.

See the rest here:

China sends human bone cells to Tiangong space station (video) - Space.com

Lichen Survives on Outside of International Space Station Explorersweb – ExplorersWeb

To ask if you could live outside the International Space Station (ISS) is rhetorical at best but could any living organism on Earth manage it?

One unassuming toughie did, and provided at least rough proof of concept that life could exist on Mars.

Lichen from Antarcticas McMurdo Dry Valleys survived 18 months on a platform attached to the outside of the ISSs Columbus module, Futurism reported. Though they emerged in worse shape than temperate lichens tested separately in Mars-like conditions, many still survived.

The International Space Station. Photo: NASA

The study authors focused on the success of the species in the Martian simulation.

The most relevant outcome was that more than 60% of the cellsremained intact after exposure to Mars, said Rosa de la Torre Noetzel of Spains National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) and co-researcher on the project.

Survival in outer space itself was lower. Only around 35% of these lichens cells retained their membranes throughout the experiment.

Nevertheless, this is strong evidence that lichen is tougher than anything alive by many orders of magnitude.

For carbon-based life forms, outer space is in a word unsurvivable. In no particular order, space is:

However, repeated experiments have proven lichens resistance to these conditions.

In 2005, researchers placed lichens aboard a rocket and then attached them to a European Space Agency module outside a Russian satellite. They left them for 16 days, then brought them back home.

All exposed lichens, regardless of the optical filters used, showed nearly the same photosynthetic activity after the flight, the study said. These findings indicate that [most lichen cells] can survive in space after full exposure to massive UV and cosmic radiation, conditions proven to be lethal to bacteria and other microorganisms.

Read more:

Lichen Survives on Outside of International Space Station Explorersweb - ExplorersWeb

Isro tests futurist fuel cell system that could power space station – IndiaTimes

BENGALURU: Isro Friday said it has successfully tested a futuristic fuel cell based power system that could help power the proposed space station while also holding the potential for significant societal applications. The 100W class Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell based Power System (FCPS) was tested in space on the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module or POEM, launched onboard PSLV-C58 on January 1. Fuel cell is an ideal power source for the Space Station as it provides both power and pure water. The objective of the experiment was to assess Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel cell operation in space and to collect data to facilitate the design of systems for future missions. During the short duration test onboard POEM, 180W power was generated from Hydrogen and Oxygen gases stored onboard in high-pressure vessels, Isro said.

ISRO rings in New Year with successful launch of PSLV-C58 carrying XPoSat and 10 payloads

The ability to produce electricity directly from fuels without any intermediate step renders them very efficient, the space agency said, adding that with water as the only byproduct, they are totally emission free. These features make them ideal candidates for space missions involving humans where electric power, water and heat are essential since a single system can meet multiple requirements in the mission. Fuel Cells also possess significant societal application potential, Isro said. They are also considered to be the most appropriate solution to replace the engines of various type of vehicles in use today and to power standby power systems. Fuel Cells can provide range and fuel recharge time equaling that of todays conventional engine, which gives them a distinct advantage over batteries, and are expected to facilitate emission free transportation. Fuel cell is an ideal power source for the Space Station as it provides both power and pure water, Isro said.

Read more:

Isro tests futurist fuel cell system that could power space station - IndiaTimes