Stargazer Phill marks 15 years since rock's space quest

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ASTRONOMER Phill Parker has marked the 15-year anniversary of a curious episode that saw him send a rare piece of rock on a mission into space.

Mr Parker was walking in Butterton, Newcastle, in 1993, when he stumbled on a piece of ancient 'dolerite' rock, which was first discovered by legendary scientist Charles Darwin during his many geological surveys.

The rock has since been adopted by space travellers because of its association with the evolutionary theorist, who penned the famous work, On the Origin of Species.

And, as an experiment, Mr Parker organised for his own rock believed to be between 50 and 60 million years old to be blasted into space with Russian astronauts.

During the project, in 1999, the rock, dubbed the Darwin Millennium Space Rock, spent a total of 380 days at the Russian MIR Space Station.

It was later exhibited in museums around the world including the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery and the Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex in Florida, where it was viewed by more than 100,000 visitors.

Now a photo of the famous rock has been sent into space via a high altitude balloon to mark the 15th anniversary of the rock's interstellar adventure.

Mr Parker, aged 67, of the Westlands, said he hoped the rock would act as an inspiration for people to continue the exploration of space.

He said: "When I first sent that piece of rock to Moscow, I never imagined it was going to be showcased in museums around the world.

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Stargazer Phill marks 15 years since rock's space quest

NASA to admit that space suit leaked on TWO separate occasions

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Astronaut Luca Parmitano's helmet began leaking on a spacewalk in July Cooling water covered his ears, nose and mouth, and he nearly drowned Only now is NASA admitting that it was the second leak on the same suit Mishap Board to speak at news conference at 2pm EST (7pm GMT)

By Sara Malm and Alex Greig

PUBLISHED: 04:14 EST, 26 February 2014 | UPDATED: 06:58 EST, 26 February 2014

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NASA is set to admit that an astronaut who nearly drowned in space had water leak into his space suit twice last year.

Luca Parmitanos pressurized helmet began to fill with water, covering his eyes, ears and nose, while he was carrying out a space walk at the International Space Station in July.

Blinded by the water, Italian Parmitano relied on his memory to get him back to the airlock cabin and had to be pulled back inside the space station by his fellow astronauts.

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NASA to admit that space suit leaked on TWO separate occasions

2/25/2014 FORMER NASA SCIENTIST CONFIRMS ALIEN LIFE ON MARS – EVIDENCE DESTROYED! – Video

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2/25/2014 FORMER NASA SCIENTIST CONFIRMS ALIEN LIFE ON MARS - EVIDENCE DESTROYED!
2/25/2014 Astrobiologist Richard Hoover spent more than forty six years working at NASA. In that time, he established the Astrobiology Research Group at the ...

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2/25/2014 FORMER NASA SCIENTIST CONFIRMS ALIEN LIFE ON MARS - EVIDENCE DESTROYED! - Video

India unveils its first home-grown astronaut capsule

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INDIA is about to take one small step towards human space flight. Last week the country's space agency unveiled a prototype of its first crew capsule, a 4-metre-high module designed to carry two people into low Earth orbit.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning a test flight for later this year even though it still awaits government approval and funding for a human space-flight programme. The unpiloted capsule will fly on the maiden launch of a new type of rocket that would otherwise have carried a dummy payload.

"We thought it better to gain some confidence in the design of our crew module," says Sundaram Ramakrishnan, director of ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Built by Hindustan Aeronautics in Bangalore, the prototype capsule cannot be hermetically sealed and so cannot take people into space. But if the rocket launch is a success, ISRO should be able to remotely test some in-flight controls and see how the module survives the stresses of re-entry and landing at sea.

The capsule will fly on a new variant of India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, with its first test in a few months. When fully operational the rocket will loft satellites of about 4 tonnes to geosynchronous orbit, or place up to 9 tonnes into low Earth orbit. It could even be used to launch a future robotic moon mission.

The rocket's test flight will only explore part of its capabilities, but it should be enough to launch the crew capsule into sub-orbital flight, just over 100 kilometres above Earth. Instruments will relay data about the capsule's speed, acceleration and temperature.

Engineers will also monitor its structural integrity as it re-enters the atmosphere, as well as the performance of heat-resistant tiles and a carbon nose-cap designed to protect astronauts from the heat of re-entry. The capsule will deploy two parachutes as it falls back to Earth, which should allow it to splashdown gently in the Bay of Bengal.

India most recently launched its first Mars mission, and ISRO has plans to send a lander and rover together to the moon around 2017. But there is no time frame for government approval of human space-flight, and Ramakrishnan reckons it would take at least five years from getting approval to putting Indian astronauts into low Earth orbit.

While about 70 per cent of the manufacturing for any given ISRO mission is done by India's private sector, it is unlikely that a single commercial firm will step in to the space race, as several companies have done in the US.

Still, Ramakrishnan thinks human space flight is a crucial component of any advanced space programme and an important step for India. A crewed mission to Mars, for instance, may have to be an international collaboration as it will probably be too expensive for any one nation to pull off alone. "In that context, our having this capability makes us a strong partner for any international effort," says Ramakrishnan.

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India unveils its first home-grown astronaut capsule

New Ways To Protect Astronaut DNA Before Entering Space Radiation Environments

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Significant attention has been given to methods of shielding human space participants from radiation on missions. But what if some astronauts suffer from susceptible DNA before entering the space radiation environment? Two American scientists have proposed that certain astronaut molecular profiles may 1) reduce inherent DNA stability, 2) slow DNA repair, and 3) render DNA more susceptible to mutational events when exposed to the radiation of space.

Michael A. Schmidt, Ph.D. (Sovaris Aerospace) and Thomas J. Goodwin, Ph.D. (NASA Johnson Space Center) have identified a novel approach to space radiation countermeasures, which is based on understanding the DNA stability, DNA repair capability, and oxidative susceptibility of individual astronauts before they enter the space environment. This methodology is linked to individual genotype and micronutrient status, both of which are potentially modifiable by appropriate pre-flight and in-flight countermeasures.

For instance, common gene mutations affecting one carbon metabolism (MTHFR, MTR, MTRR) may result in the build-up of a faulty base (uracil) within the DNA backbone. This can lead to single strand DNA breaks and double strand DNA breaks, before astronauts enter space. The effect of this is amplified by folate and B12 deficiency.

Other common gene mutations (Hfe) trigger excessive iron accumulation, which creates unstable DNA through oxidative stress mechanisms, also before entering space. Magnesium is a central atom in most DNA repair enzymes. Significant serum, urine, and muscle loss of Mg has already been found in ISS astronauts on long missions, thus raising the question about whether we are already flying some astronauts with diminished capacity to repair DNA damage.

According to Schmidt, "We are examining how individual molecular influences affect DNA stability and repair before astronauts enter the elevated radiation conditions of space, and then how to manage those influences while they live in space. But we are looking well beyond DNA and into the vast network of molecular influences on astronaut physiology. We and our colleagues are using genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics to develop a platform for personalized medicine that will guide the present and future of human space flight. As the field evolves, we expect to increasingly be able to individualize countermeasures, so that each astronaut receives the protocol that is most suitable to him or her. This will be crucial for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Of equal importance, we use what we've learned from the complexity of space to translate these benefits to earth-based medicine."

Goodwin states, "In the end, it is about advancing the science and about developing solutions, which we see evolving in phases. Our goal, at minimum, includes: (1) establish the criteria for 'best evidence' that can be used to develop individualized countermeasures today; (2) establish the criteria for best evidence that prioritizes research, clinical assessment, and individualized countermeasures to be developed in the near term; and (3) establish a deliberate discovery path that seeks to develop sophisticated and more complex models for long-term deployment of personalized medicine, as the future standard of preparation and care in human space flight."

Their paper, entitled Personalized Medicine in Human Space Flight: Using Omics Based Analyses to Develop Individualized Countermeasures that Enhance Astronaut Safety and Performance, was recently published in the journal Metabolomics.

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New Ways To Protect Astronaut DNA Before Entering Space Radiation Environments

NASA/JAXA Precipitation Measurement Satellite GO for Feb. 27 Launch Watch Live on NASA TV

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Visualization of the GPM Core Observatory and Partner Satellites. GPM is slated to launch on Feb. 27 from Japan. Credit: NASA See launch animation, Shinto ceremony, Rocket roll out and more below

NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, MARYLAND Blastoff of the powerful and revolutionary new NASA/JAXA rain and snow precipitation measurement satellite atop a Japanese rocket from a tiny offshore island launch pad is now less than 24 hours away on Thursday, Feb. 27, EST (Feb. 28 JST).

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory aimed at improving forecasts of extreme weather and climate change research has been given a green light for launch atop a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island off southern Japan.

Roll out of the H-IIA launch vehicle from the Vehicle Assembly Building is scheduled for this evening, Feb. 26 at 11 p.m. EST.

Update: rocket rolled out. photo below

Following the Launch Readiness Review, mission managers approved the GO for liftoff.

The H-IIA rocket with GPM rolls to its launch pad in Japan! Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Japanese team members also prayed at a Shinto ceremony for blessings for a successful launch at the Ebisu Shrine, the first shrine in a traditional San-ja Mairi, or Three Shrine Pilgrimage on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014 see photo below.

However, the team also set a newly revised launch time of 1:37 p.m. EST (Feb. 28 at 3:37 a.m. JST).

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NASA/JAXA Precipitation Measurement Satellite GO for Feb. 27 Launch Watch Live on NASA TV

High-school teacher's space flight dream to come true

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CHIBA, Japan - High school physics teacher Takanobu Yoneya, 32, who has long dreamed of becoming an astronaut, has won a seat on a suborbital space flight in a national contest.

The contest was organised by Axe, a men's cosmetics brand owned by Unilever.

Yoneya's desire to fly in space was spurred by two key influences. The first came when he was a primary school student and was moved by the star-filled sky above his grandfather's house in Rikuzen-Takata, Iwate Prefecture. Photos of space shuttles from the United States also drove his ambition.

After joining an aviation club when he was in university, Yoneya took to the sky in gliders. He went on to study astrophysics in graduate school. Since acquiring his pilot's license for light aircraft in the United States, he has returned once every few years to fly airplanes there.

Yoneya teaches at Chiba Municipal Chiba High School, his alma mater.

A campaign website was used for the primary selection of candidates from among 1,515 contestants. Yoneya asked students who had taken his supplementary summer class during the school break last year for support, saying, "Please vote for me if you felt my class was helpful."

After passing the primary selection with about 380 votes, he made it through the second-stage screening interview and the final selection phase in the United States. He is one of 25 successful would-be space travelers selected from all over the world.

The flight will be made in the second half of next year at the earliest. The plan is to fly into outer space on a suborbital space plane at an altitude of more than 100 kilometers and to experience zero gravity for about 10 minutes.

"I'm excited to see firsthand phenomena that happen in a gravity-free state," Yoneya said.

He said that after he returns from space, he would like to tell his students, "If you hold fast to your dream, it will surely come true someday."

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NASA Time-lapse Video Shows MIRI Installation on Webb Telescope

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The four science instruments that will fly aboard NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have to be surgically installed for precision and accuracy. NASA has just released a time-lapse video showing how clean room engineers installed one of those instruments into a large component of the Webb telescope.

The Mid-Infrared Instrument, or MIRI, arrived at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., May 28, 2012, and has undergone inspection and testing. Recently, it was integrated into Webb's science instrument payload known as the Integrated Science Instrument Module, or ISIM. The ISIM will house the Webb's four main instruments.

The 1 minute and 1 second time-lapse video covers a period of four hours. It was filmed in the largest clean room at Goddard, where all four of the Webb telescope's instruments and mirrors currently reside. Viewers of the video will see engineers in clean room suits installing the MIRI over time.

"Actual total time to install the MIRI was just over four hours," said Jason Hylan, lead mechanical systems, mechanical integration and test, and opto-mechanical engineer for the ISIM at Goddard. "The MIRI had to be positioned to a tolerance of 25 microns, or one one-thousandth of an inch, which is less than the width of a human hair."

MIRI will allow scientists to study cold and distant objects in greater detail than ever before. MIRI will observe light with wavelengths in the mid-infrared range of 5 microns to 28 microns, which are longer wavelengths than human eyes can detect and even beyond the 0.6 micron to 5 micron wavelength range of Webb's other three instruments.

MIRI's capabilities will allow it to observe older, cooler stars in very distant galaxies, unveil newly forming stars within our Milky Way, find signatures of the formation of planets around stars other than our own, and record images and spectra of planets, comets and the outermost bits of debris in our solar system.

MIRI's mid-infrared coverage will complement the near-infrared capabilities of the other instruments, including observations of the most distant objects to help determine whether or not they are among the first ones that formed in the universe.

The MIRI was developed by a consortium of 10 European institutions in partnership with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. It was assembled at the Science and Technology Facilities Council's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the United Kingdom and delivered to NASA by the European Space Agency.

The most powerful space telescope ever built, Webb is the successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Webb's four instruments will reveal how the universe evolved from the Big Bang to the formation of our solar system. Webb is a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

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NASA Time-lapse Video Shows MIRI Installation on Webb Telescope

The audacious rescue plan that might have saved space shuttle Columbia

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Enlarge / What might have been.

Lee Hutchinson / NASA / NOAA

If we die, we want people to accept it. We are in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us, it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life.

Astronaut Gus Grissom, 1965

It is important to note at the outset that Columbia broke up during a phase of flight that, given the current design of the Orbiter, offered no possibility of crew survival.

Columbia Accident Investigation Board Report

At 10:39 Eastern Standard Time on January 16, 2003, space shuttle Columbia lifted off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A mere 81.7 seconds later, a chunk of insulating foam tore free from the orange external tank and smashed into the leading edge of the orbiter's left wing at a relative velocity of at least 400 miles per hour (640 kph), but Columbia continued to climb toward orbit.

The foam strike was not observed live. Only after the shuttle was orbiting Earth did NASA's launch imagery review reveal that the wing had been hit. Foam strikes during launch were not uncommon events, and shuttle program managers elected not to take on-orbit images of Columbia to visually assess any potential damage. Instead, NASA's Debris Assessment Team mathematically modeled the foam strike but could not reach any definitive conclusions about the state of the shuttle's wing. The mission continued.

In reality, the impact shattered at least one of the crucial reinforced carbon-carbon heat shield panels that lined the edge of the wing, leaving a large hole in the brittle ceramic material. Sixteen days later, as Columbia re-entered the atmosphere, superheated plasma entered the orbiter's structure through the hole in the wing and the shuttle began to disintegrate.

At Mission Control in Houston, the flight controllers monitoring Columbia's descent began to notice erratic telemetry readings coming from the shuttle, and then all voice and data contact with the orbiter was lost. Controllers continued to hope that they were merely looking at instrumentation failures, even as evidence mounted that a catastrophic event had taken place. Finally, at 9:12 Eastern Time, re-entry Flight Director LeRoy Cain gave the terrible order that had only been uttered once before, 17 years earlier when Challenger broke apart at launch: "Lock the doors."

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The audacious rescue plan that might have saved space shuttle Columbia

TV picks for Thursday: The Red Road, Portlandia and Parks and Recreation

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The Red Road

Set in a moody forested region of New Jersey, this new drama follows a police officer (Martin Henderson) who butts heads with an ex-con (Jason Momoa) while investigating the disappearance of a college student. The premiere feels reminiscent of Twin Peaks (minus the dancing dwarf), but the central mystery is intriguing and the unique setting makes it worth a look. Series premiere, 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, on Sundance (seattletimes.com/tvlistings).

Doug Knoop, Seattle Times staff

dknoop@seattletimes.com or on Twitter @dougknoop

Also on Thursday

Portlandia, 7 p.m. (IFC): A young woman is haunted by very smart ghosts; Doug and Claire make a big commitment to one another; Kath and Dave make the most of 15 minutes; Sandra finally finds a soul mate; Fred is visited by a Date Fact Checker.

Parks and Recreation, 8:30 p.m. (NBC): Ben tries to surprise Leslie with an anniversary gift; Tom and Andy help Leslie put a positive spin on the merger; April flexes her authority as Donnas boss.

Reign, 9 p.m. (The CW): Mary and Bash try to help when the younger children of Queen Catherine and King Henry are kidnapped by Clarissa; Francis and Lola grow closer.

The Crazy Ones, 9:31 p.m. (CBS): Simon offers to organize a bar mitzvah for a clients son, but things go south when Zach has a run-in with an ex.

Scandal, 10 p.m. (ABC): Sally Langston makes a shocking announcement; Olivia takes on a challenging new role.

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TV picks for Thursday: The Red Road, Portlandia and Parks and Recreation

Police, city workers not getting fined for running red light cameras

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by Nick Ochsner, 13News Now

WVEC.com

Posted on February 26, 2014 at 5:35 PM

Updated yesterday at 6:41 PM

VIRGINIA BEACH- Running a red light camera at intersections around Hampton Roads normally means a you'll get a fine of up to $50 in the mail.

But a 13News Now investigation has found that's not the case for all area drivers. City employees--including police officers--caught running red lights by cameras in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Newport News do not have to pay the fine for breaking the law.

Our investigation requested information for all of the red light camera violations for for the second half of 2013 from the cities of Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Newport News. Those three cities had fully operational cameras during that time period.

In Virginia Beach, six city employees were caught blowing through solid red lights. Two of those employees were police officers.

In Chesapeake, cameras snapped five city employees breaking the law, including two police officers and a sheriff's deputy.

Newport News refused to provide information in response to our request without us paying hundreds of dollars.

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Police, city workers not getting fined for running red light cameras

'I got to 20 and suddenly my face was flawless': Schoolboy bullied for ginger hair now an international catwalk model …

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Louis Evans was bullied for his red hair and had the nickname Rusty At 20 his acne cleared up and he gained model-worthy cheek bones He now models in Vogue and is about to take up a contract in Milan

By Martha Cliff

PUBLISHED: 11:22 EST, 26 February 2014 | UPDATED: 03:41 EST, 27 February 2014

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A redheaded man who was picked on throughout his schooldays for his bright ginger hair has beaten the bullies by creating a successful modelling career.

Louis Evans, 22, was nicknamed 'Rusty' by his classmates and taunted for his bright red hair and freckled face.

For Louis modelling had never been an obvious career option and his first job was in an office supply company as a cold caller.

Louis Evans beat his high school bullies and has built a successful modelling career

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EQUESTRIAN | Red Wins Region, Looks Forward to Riding at Zones

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By ANNA JOHNSON

The Cornell equestrian team endured a pair of losses to Rochester and Alfred University this weekend.

However, after finding success earlier this season, the Red had already established a convincing lead in the charge for a regional title. Though Alfred and Rochester tied for high point, leaving Cornell reserve, the Red won seven classes and now heads to zones as regional champions.

According to freshman Gabrielle Rutkauskas, who won her class, the team had a unique approach to the contest, setting long-term goals and giving less experienced players the chance to show their skills.

The teams attitude toward the Alfred show was more laid back than it had been the whole season, Rutkauskas said. Because we were winning the regional title by so much, our coach wanted to give some of our girls who dont normally get the chance to show the opportunity to showcase their abilities.

The riders did just that, and the Red saw success on an individual level. Numerous players clinched victories to win the region and junior co-captain Georgiana de Rham was crowned winner of the Caccione Cup. The teams strength was demonstrated even further as the race for this regional award was run between three of Cornells own.

Despite her individual success, de Rham spoke most highly of the teams strong showing overall.

It was an exciting end to the season indeed, [and] exciting competition for many individuals, de Rham said. The most important thing is that the team did well. Integral to the individual success stories was the team effort the Red has been building upon all season, according to freshman Marissa Rice.

I sincerely believe that we have an amazing team this semester. It has been such a pleasure to work with Todd and with the other members of my team, said Rice, reserve high point rider who won both of her classes. Everyone is so supportive, and I think we are looking good for zones and hopefully nationals.

Considering the numerous individual victories at Alfred, The Red has reason to be confident looking ahead.

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EQUESTRIAN | Red Wins Region, Looks Forward to Riding at Zones