Monthly Archives: January 2014

First CASIS-Sponsored Payloads Berthed to the International Space Station

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The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), is proud to announce its first sponsored payloads berthed with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, January 12. Orbital Sciences Corporations Cygnus capsule successfully berthed with the ISS, marking the completion of its first full ISS resupply mission. CASIS is tasked with managing and promoting research on board the ISS U.S. National Laboratory.

Research on board Orbitals Cygnus capsule included a range of experiments from physical science, life sciences and education related payloads. On its test flight in September 2013, the Cygnus capsule transported three CASIS-funded education payloads from the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). However, this flight signifies the first major payloads that CASIS brokered through its own outreach activities.

Below is an overview of the major payloads now on board the ISS sponsored by CASIS:

Antibiotic Effectiveness in Space (AES-1)

This investigation will examine how spaceflight-induced changes in bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics relate to antibiotic resistance in disease treatment on Earth. By studying physical and gene expression changes in bacteria in space, scientists hope to uncover the mechanisms involved in antibiotic susceptibility and resistance. This may help in identifying new targets for antibiotics or new approaches to reduce resistance of disease-causing bacteria.

Ants In Space (CSI-06)

This experiment analyzes the interrelationship between the interaction rate of a group of ants and the density of the group in normal gravity conditions versus microgravity. This and related experiments are designed to engage the K-12 community on Earth in near real-time ISS science.

Binary Colloidal Alloy Test: Low Gravity Phase Kinetics Platform (BCAT-KP)

This investigation will use the absence of buoyancy-driven convection in microgravity to examine aspects of complex fluid physics specifically, the movement of particles within colloids and the way these mixtures crystallize, melt and undergo phase separation. A fundamental understanding of the underlying physics needed to stabilize everyday commercial products may help in the development of new colloidal materials and product formulations with unique properties. These improved products may have enhanced performance, longer shelf life and lower manufacturing costs.

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First CASIS-Sponsored Payloads Berthed to the International Space Station

"Astro Mike" Returns to Campus to Inspire a New Generation to Explore Space – Video

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"Astro Mike" Returns to Campus to Inspire a New Generation to Explore Space
Astronaut Michael Massimino is bringing space to the Engineering School as a visiting professor on loan from NASA for this 2013-2014 academic year. He #39;s look...

By: columbiauniversity

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"Astro Mike" Returns to Campus to Inspire a New Generation to Explore Space - Video

Human spaceflight – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Human spaceflight (or manned spaceflight or crewed spaceflight) is space travel with humans aboard spacecraft. When a spacecraft is manned, it can be piloted directly, as opposed to machine or robotic space probes controlled remotely by humans or through automatic methods on board the spacecraft.

Humans have been continually present in space for 700113000000000000013years and 700174000000000000074days on the International Space Station. The first manned spaceflight was launched by the Soviet Union on 12 April 1961 as a part of the Vostok program, with cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin aboard.

Currently, only Russia and China maintain human spaceflight capability independent of international cooperation. As of 2013, human spaceflights are only launched by the Soyuz program conducted by the Russian Federal Space Agency and the Shenzhou program conducted by the China National Space Administration. The United States lost human spaceflight launch capability upon retirement of the space shuttle in 2011.

In recent years there has been a gradual movement towards more commercial means of spaceflight. The first private human spaceflight took place on 21 June 2004, when SpaceShipOne conducted a suborbital flight. A number of non-governmental startup companies have sprung up, hoping to create a space tourism industry. NASA has also tried to stimulate private spaceflight through programs such as Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) and Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS). With its 2011 budget proposals released in 2010,[1] the Obama administration moved towards a model where commercial companies would supply NASA with transportation services of both crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. The vehicles used for these services would then serve both NASA and potential commercial customers. NASA intended to spend $6 billion in the coming years to develop commercial crew vehicles, using a model similar to that used under COTS.[2]

The first human spaceflight took place on 12 April 1961, when cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made one orbit around the Earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft, launched by the Soviet space program. Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space aboard Vostok 6 on 16 June 1963. Both spacecraft were launched by Vostok 3KA launch vehicles. Alexei Leonov made the first spacewalk when he left Voskhod 2 on 8 March 1965. Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to do so on 25 July 1984.

The United States became the second nation to achieve manned spaceflight with the suborbital flight of astronaut Alan Shepard aboard Freedom 7 as part of Project Mercury. The spacecraft was launched on 5 May 1961 on a Redstone rocket. The first U.S. orbital flight was that of John Glenn aboard Friendship 7, launched 20 February 1962 on an Atlas rocket. From 1981 to 2011, the U.S. conducted all its human spaceflight missions with reusable space shuttles. Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983. Eileen Collins was the first female shuttle pilot, and with shuttle mission STS-93 in 1999 she became the first woman to command a U.S. spacecraft.

China became the third nation to achieve human spaceflight when Yang Liwei launched into space on a Chinese-made vehicle, the Shenzhou 5, on 15 October 2003. The flight also made China the third nation to have launched its own manned spacecraft using its own launcher. The first Chinese woman, Liu Yang, was launched in June 2012 aboard Shenzhou 9. Previous European (Hermes) and Japanese (HOPE-X) domestic manned programs were abandoned after years of development, as was the first Chinese attempt, the Shuguang spacecraft.

The farthest destination for a human spaceflight mission has been the Moon. The only manned missions to the Moon have been those conducted by NASA as part of the Apollo program. The first such mission, Apollo 8, orbited the Moon but did not land. The first Moon landing mission was Apollo 11, during whichon 20 July 1969Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to set foot on the Moon. Six missions landed in total, numbered Apollo 1117, excluding Apollo 13. Altogether 12 men walked on the Moon, the only humans to have been on an extraterrestrial body. The Soviet Union discontinued its program for lunar orbiting and landing of human spaceflight missions in 1974 when Valentin Glushko became General Designer of NPO Energiya.[3]

The longest single human spaceflight is that of Valeriy Polyakov, who left Earth on 8 January 1994, and did not return until 22 March 1995 (a total of 437 days 17 hr. 58 min. 16 sec.). Sergei Krikalyov has spent the most time of anyone in space, 803 days, 9 hours, and 39 seconds altogether. The longest period of continuous human presence in space is 700113000000000000013years and 700174000000000000074days on the International Space Station, exceeding the previous record of almost 10 years (or 3,634 days) held by Mir, spanning the launch of Soyuz TM-8 on 5 September 1989 to the landing of Soyuz TM-29 on 28 August 1999.

For many years beginning in 1961, only two countries, the USSR (later Russia) and the United States, had their own astronauts. Citizens of other nations flew in space, beginning with the flight of Vladimir Remek, a Czech, on a Soviet spacecraft on 2 March 1978. As of 2010[update], citizens from 38 nations (including space tourists) have flown in space aboard Soviet, American, Russian, and Chinese spacecraft.

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Human spaceflight - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Christian Vazquez, Bryce Brentz Among Red Sox Prospects Eyeing 2014 MLB Debut

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The future is rapidly approaching for many of the Red Sox top prospects. Boston is holding its 2014 Rookie Program this week, in which 10 of the organizations top prospects will participate in workouts and seminars focused on easing each players transition to the major league level. Its obviously not a guarantee that any of the players participating in the program will make their way to The Show in 2014, but the camp typically involves players who are believed to be 12- to 18 months away from making the majors.

Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr. two players expected to be in the Red Sox 2014 Opening Day lineup participated in the Rookie Camp last offseason and made their major league debuts in 2013.

The complete list of 2014 Rookie Camp participants can be seen at the link below. But with the program in full swing, this seems like a good time to look at which players in the Red Sox organization could make their MLB debuts in 2014. Lets sort them according to their odds of being called up at some point this year.

(Bogaerts, Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster and some others technically can be considered prospects, but lets focus on those who have yet to taste the majors.)

Strong chance of making MLB debut in 2014

Christian Vazquez, C

Christian Vazquezs rocket arm turned heads at spring training last year, and the Red Sox have high hopes for both him and fellow catching prospect Blake Swihart. Swihart is a year or two away from breaking into the majors, but Vazquez is on the cusp of a call-up and could find himself in The Show at any moment. The Red Sox were reluctant to give Jarrod Saltalamacchia or any other catcher a multiyear contract this offseason because they view Vazquez and Swihart as their future catching tandem.

Vazquez spent most of his 2013 season with Double-A Portland, where he threw out a league-best 47 percent of would-be base stealers. The 23-year-old also made strides offensively, hitting .289 with a .376 on-base percentage in 96 Eastern League games. A.J. Pierzynski and David Ross are penciled in as Bostons two major league catchers for 2014, but both are aging veterans and Ross has a concussion history. Vazquez could find himself in the majors if either gets hurt, although the Red Sox would need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster to call him up.

Vazquez is one of this years Rookie Camp participants.

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Christian Vazquez, Bryce Brentz Among Red Sox Prospects Eyeing 2014 MLB Debut

Dress Hybrids: How Julia Roberts, Emma Watson Broke the Red Carpet Mold

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Jan 14, 2014 11:36am

ABC News Taylor Behrendt and Tara Berardi report:

The Golden Globes red carpet was packed with some major fashion show-stoppers, but two unique looks in particular had heads turning and people talking.

The first was Harry Potter starlet Emma Watson, stunning the crowd in a peek-a-boo pant number by Christian Dior.

Cameron Silver, owner of Decades in Los Angeles, notes that Watson has rocked the pants look before and says we should expect to see it even more in the future.

What I loved about Emma Watsons look is that she looked demure from the front, but gave us complete drama in the back, Silver told ABC News, adding this style could be a hint of what might be seen next week in Paris at the couture shows. I think this is a very modern, fresh perspective on how to dress. This was definitely the intention of the look.

RELATED: Inside Julia Roberts Golden Globes Prep

The other hybrid that had tongues wagging was Julia Roberts Dolce and Gabbana number, which was designed just for her. The belted and bejeweled part dress and part blouse ensemble caused a frenzy online.

This year she gave us a new idea and I think a lot of people were surprised, said Silver. But shes a trendsetter in her own non-fashionista way. Shes never a fashion victim. She wears what she likes and Dolce and Gabbana custom-made this look for her and I thought it was really flattering.

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Dress Hybrids: How Julia Roberts, Emma Watson Broke the Red Carpet Mold