Eric Dane departs 'Grey's Anatomy'

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Greys Anatomy star Eric Dane is hanging up his scrubs.

After six years aboard the hit ABC medical drama, CNN's confirmed that the actor will not be back for the shows ninth season will be leaving the show.

Series creator Shonda Rhimes told TVLine in a statement, [We] did not come to this decision lightly, but after much consideration and conversations, he and I have decided that this is the right time for his storyline to end."

Dane, who played Dr. Mark Sloan, thanked Rhimes and the cast of "Grey's" for the memories in a statement of his own. "I am extremely grateful to everyone at 'Grey's,' ABC and Shondaland for the experience," Dane told TVLine. "It has been wonderful to work alongside and learn from a creative force such as Shonda Rhimes."

Danes leaving is just the latest high-profile departure from "Grey's": The actor's fellow cast members Kim Raver and Chyler Leigh also exited the series after its eighth season finale in May.

"Grey's Anatomy" returns on September 27.

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Eric Dane departs 'Grey's Anatomy'

Labyrinth, SPARK! students help with healing at Good Samaritan

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Last summer, young folks involved with SPARK!, a Trinity Episcopal Cathedral service program, constructed a labyrinth in the Chapel Courtyard at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Northwest Portland, hoping it would help patients and their families through the medical and spiritual challenges that can accompany hospitalizations.

Labyrinths are meditative pathways resembling mazes. The idea: Slow down, take deliberate steps, make a spiritual journey. The one at Good Sam was made of interlocking puzzle pieces and patterned after one in Chartres Cathedral, southwest of Paris, though on a far smaller scale.

Next Tuesday, 12- to 14-year-old SPARK! students will be back at Good Sam to set up the labyrinth again and adorn the courtyard with some new plantings.

"It is a very touching and beautiful garden," said Megan Turnell, the hospital's public relations and community relations specialist, "garden and the service and commitment of these middle school students to the garden is also very compelling."

- Katy Muldoon; twitter.com/katymuldoon

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Labyrinth, SPARK! students help with healing at Good Samaritan

Russia to retry space station docking

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Russia will try to test a new spacecraft docking system again Saturday with an unmanned cargo ship at the International Space Station, after a first attempt earlier this week failed and was prematurely aborted.

A robotic Russian Progress 47 cargo ship undocked from the space station on July 22 for the test, and will attempt to automatically link up to the orbiting outpost tomorrow at 9 p.m. EDT. The Progress 47 arrived at the space station in April, and had been attached to the Pirs docking compartment on the Russian segment of the orbiting laboratory.

Russian flight controllers tried to test the new Kurs-NA docking system on Monday, but a technical glitch stopped the spacecraft from arriving at the space station. The spacecraft's onboard computers kept it a safe distance away from the orbiting laboratory while Russian engineers on the ground tried to diagnose the problem.

"The Progress has been experiencing some issues with the new Kurs-NA system," Dan Harman, NASA's International Space Station manager of operations and integration, told reporters in a news briefing Thursday. "Right now they're continuing to work through those."

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Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Is the plan for the Curiosity rover's landing so crazy it just might work? Or just so crazy? Either way, it will change the course of Mars exploration.

The Kurs-NA docking system is an upgraded version of the Kurs system that has been used for years on Russian spacecraft. The Kurs-NA system features updated electronics, and is expected to use less power and improve safety. Russia intends to eventually use the newer automated system on future robotic and manned missions to the International Space Station.

During Saturday's docking test, the Progress 47 spacecraft will approach the station to within roughly 29 miles (46 kilometers). At this point, the Kurs-NA system will be activated, and if the spacecraft appears to be performing well, Russian flight controllers will proceed with the automatic docking.

NASA Television will broadcast live coverage of the attempted redocking beginning at 5 p.m. EDT on Saturday. NASA TV can be viewed here: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

The docking attempt will come just a day after Japan safely docked its own unmanned cargo spaceship, HTV-3, at the space station. The robotic freighter arrived Friday morning to deliver a new batch of food, supplies and science experiments.

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Russia to retry space station docking

32 fish to fly to the space station

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When the next Russian-built Soyuz capsule launches to the International Space Station in October, it will deliver three new crew members to the orbiting outpost. But the trio of spaceflyers will be sharing their ride with some special cargo: 32 small fish for a science experiment at the space lab.

NASA astronaut Kevin Ford and Russian cosmonauts Evgeny Tarelkin and Oleg Novitskiy are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on Oct. 15 from the Baikonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Their Soyuz TMA-06M capsule will also be carrying 32 medaka fish a type of fish native to Southeast Asia to the orbiting complex.

"They'll be on our Soyuz with us 32 fish, plus the three of us," Ford told reporters in a news briefing Thursday.

The medakas will become part of an experiment carried out on the station to investigate the effects of microgravity on fish. The astronauts aboard the outpost will monitor changes in the fish as they live in orbit. [ 7 Everyday Things that Happen Strangely In Space ]

"When we come onboard, one of the first items will be to get these fish transferred and into their habitat and get the experiment under way," Ford explained.

The fish will stay in a special aquatic habitat that is being delivered to the space station by a robotic Japanese cargo freighter. The Japanese unmanned H-2 Transfer Vehicle-3, or HTV-3, launched into orbit on July 20 and arrived at the space station Friday.

Scientists are particularly interested in how the skeletal systems of fish change in the near weightless environment aboard the space station, said Julie Robinson, an International Space Station program scientist.

It has long been known that exposure to microgravity for extended periods of time can carry negative consequences, including loss of muscle and bone density. To prevent lasting harmful effects, space station astronauts adhere to rigorous exercise regimens, and doctors on the ground closely monitor their health.

But experiments such as the one with medaka fish do not hold potential benefits for only spaceflyers. The results of these types of studies can have far-reaching effects on Earth, too.

"It's an experiment, essentially, for osteoporosis," Ford explained.

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32 fish to fly to the space station

Japan spacecraft docks at space station

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The third in a series of robotic Japanese spaceships safely arrived at the International Space Station on Friday, bearing a delivery of food, equipment and student science experiments for the orbital outpost.

The unmanned, school bus-size H-2 Transfer Vehicle-3 (HTV-3), also called Kounotori 3 ("White Stork" in Japanese), flew to about 40 feet (12 meters) away from the ISS, where it was grabbed at 8:23 a.m. ET by the space station's 58-foot long (18 m) robotic arm, which was controlled from inside by astronauts Joe Acaba of NASA and Aki Hoshide of JAXA (the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency).

Using the Canadarm2 robotic arm, Acaba and Hoshide maneuvered Kounotori 3 to the Earth-facing docking port on the space station's Harmony node at 10:34 a.m. ET.

"I think we couldnt have had a better day and we're looking forward to a great HTV mission," Capcom Cady Coleman told the astronauts from Mission Control in Houston.

"You guys were great, thanks a lot for helping us out," Acaba replied. "Thanks a lot for all the food."

Today's arrival follows the failed docking attempt on Monday of an unmanned Russian Progress spacecraft. The Progress 47 craft was testing a new rendezvous system, which apparently failed to work as planned. The vehicle, which had already been at the space station, had undocked in order to test the new system in a redocking. Russia plans to try again on Sunday to dock the Progress 47.

Kounotori launched atop a Japanese H-2B rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan on July 20. It is the third such vehicle launched from Japan, following the flights of HTVs 1 and 2 in September 2009 and January 2011, respectively. [ Photos: Japan Launches 3rd Robotic Supply Ship to Space Station ]

The spaceship is loaded with 4 tons (3,600 kg) of cargo, including care packages with food, clothing and other items for the space station's crew. The vehicle, which is 33 feet (10 m) long and 13 feet (4 m) wide, is also carrying a camera called the ISERV (International Space Station SERVIR Environmental Research and Visualization System).

The camera is to be installed on the station, for use by ground-based scientists who can manipulate it via remote control. The system is intended for studies of natural disaster sites and environmental issues on Earth.

Two student-designed experiments are also packed aboard Kounotori 3. These projects won the YouTube Space Lab competition, which allowed students between the ages of 14 and 18 to envision space station experiments and describe them in videos submitted to YouTube. The winners were chosen by public voting.

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Japan spacecraft docks at space station

Japanese spacecraft docks with Space Station

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Unlike the recent failed Russian's test mission, a robotic Japanese spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station Friday.

The HTV-3 Japanese cargo spacecraft was successfully captured with the International Space Stations Canadarm 2 robotic arm, and then installed to a docking port. JAXA astronaut Aki Hoshide berthed the HTV supply ship, called Kounotori3, or white stork, at 14:19 GMT (10:19 EDT) on July 27, 2012 to the Earth-facing side of the Harmony node on the ISS.

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Below is a timelapse of the capture and berthing provided bySpaceVids. Earlier, working from the robotic workstation inside the stations cupola, NASA Flight Engineer Joe Acaba, with the assistance of Hoshide, captured the 16.5-ton cargo ship with the stations Canadian Space Agency-provided robotic arm, and as the spacecraft flew within about 12 meters (40 feet) of the ISS. The unmanned cargo ship is 10 meters (33 feet) long and 4 meters (13 feet) in diameter and is capable of delivering both internal and external supplies and hardware to the station.

The name Kounotori was chosen because it the ships arrival represents an important delivery. The space station crew later opened the hatches and began the process of removing about 3,175 kg (7,000 pounds) of supplies from inside the Kounotori3s Pressurized Logistics Carrier. That cargo includes food and clothing for the astronauts,an aquatic habitat experiment, a remote-controlled Earth-observation camera for environmental studies, a catalytic reactor for the stations water regeneration system and a Japanese cooling water recirculation pump.

Kounotori3s Unpressurized Logistics Carrier is carrying more than 1,000 pounds of cargo to be attached to an experiment platform at the end of the Kibo module on August 6.

Kounotori3 launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan on July 21. It will stay attached to the ISS until September 6 when, like its predecessors, it will be detached from the Harmony node by Canadarm2 and released for a fiery re-entry over the Pacific Ocean. The outer hull of the spacecraft is fitted with monitors to provide data about its re-entry.

Nancy Atkinson is Universe Today's Senior Editor. She also is the host of theNASA Lunar Science Institute podcastand works with theAstronomy Castand365 Days of Astronomypodcasts. Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador.

Connect with Nancy onFacebook|Twitter|Google +|Website

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Japanese spacecraft docks with Space Station

Success: Japanese robot spaceship docks with space station

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A robotic Japanese spacecraft carrying food, equipment, and student science experiments for the International Space Station successfully docked with the orbital outpost.

The third in a series of robotic Japanese spaceships has safely arrived at the International Space Station today (July 27), bearing a delivery of food, equipment and student science experiments for the orbital outpost.

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The unmanned, school bus-size H-2 Transfer Vehicle-3 (HTV-3), also called Kounotori 3 ("White Stork" in Japanese), flew to about 40 feet (12 meters)away from the ISS, where it was grabbed at 8:23 a.m. ET (1223 GMT) by the space station's 58-foot long (18 m) robotic arm, which was controlled from inside by astronauts Joe Acaba of NASA and Aki Hoshide of JAXA (the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency).

Using the Canadarm2 robotic arm, Acaba and Hoshide maneuvered Kounotori 3 to the Earth-facing docking port on the space station's Harmony node at 10:34 a.m. ET (1434 GMT).

"I think we couldnt have had a better day and we're looking forward to a great HTV mission," Capcom Cady Coleman told the astronauts from Mission Control in Houston.

"You guys were great, thanks a lot for helping us out," Acaba replied. "Thanks a lot for all the food."

Today's arrival follows thefailed docking attempton Monday (July 23) of an unmanned Russian Progress spacecraft. The Progress 47 craft was testing a new rendezvous system, which apparently failed to work as planned. The vehicle, which had already been at the space station, had undocked in order to test the new system in a re-docking. Russia plans to try again on Sunday (July 29) to dock the Progress 47.

Kounotori launchedatop a Japanese H-2B rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan on July 20. It is the third such vehicle launched from Japan, following the flights ofHTVs 1 and 2in September 2009 and January 2011, respectively.[Photos: Japan Launches 3rd Robotic Supply Ship to Space Station]

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Success: Japanese robot spaceship docks with space station

Success: Japanese robot spaceship docks with space station (+video)

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A robotic Japanese spacecraft carrying food, equipment, and student science experiments for the International Space Station successfully docked with the orbital outpost.

The third in a series of robotic Japanese spaceships has safely arrived at the International Space Station today (July 27), bearing a delivery of food, equipment and student science experiments for the orbital outpost.

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition

The unmanned, school bus-size H-2 Transfer Vehicle-3 (HTV-3), also called Kounotori 3 ("White Stork" in Japanese), flew to about 40 feet (12 meters)away from the ISS, where it was grabbed at 8:23 a.m. ET (1223 GMT) by the space station's 58-foot long (18 m) robotic arm, which was controlled from inside by astronauts Joe Acaba of NASA and Aki Hoshide of JAXA (the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency).

Using the Canadarm2 robotic arm, Acaba and Hoshide maneuvered Kounotori 3 to the Earth-facing docking port on the space station's Harmony node at 10:34 a.m. ET (1434 GMT).

"I think we couldnt have had a better day and we're looking forward to a great HTV mission," Capcom Cady Coleman told the astronauts from Mission Control in Houston.

"You guys were great, thanks a lot for helping us out," Acaba replied. "Thanks a lot for all the food."

Today's arrival follows thefailed docking attempton Monday (July 23) of an unmanned Russian Progress spacecraft. The Progress 47 craft was testing a new rendezvous system, which apparently failed to work as planned. The vehicle, which had already been at the space station, had undocked in order to test the new system in a re-docking. Russia plans to try again on Sunday (July 29) to dock the Progress 47.

Kounotori launchedatop a Japanese H-2B rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan on July 20. It is the third such vehicle launched from Japan, following the flights ofHTVs 1 and 2in September 2009 and January 2011, respectively.[Photos: Japan Launches 3rd Robotic Supply Ship to Space Station]

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Success: Japanese robot spaceship docks with space station (+video)

Success: Robotic Japanese spaceship docks with space station (+video)

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A robotic Japanese spacecraft carrying food, equipment, and student science experiments for the International Space Station successfully docked with the orbital outpost.

The third in a series of robotic Japanese spaceships has safely arrived at the International Space Station today (July 27), bearing a delivery of food, equipment and student science experiments for the orbital outpost.

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition

The unmanned, school bus-size H-2 Transfer Vehicle-3 (HTV-3), also called Kounotori 3 ("White Stork" in Japanese), flew to about 40 feet (12 meters)away from the ISS, where it was grabbed at 8:23 a.m. ET (1223 GMT) by the space station's 58-foot long (18 m) robotic arm, which was controlled from inside by astronauts Joe Acaba of NASA and Aki Hoshide of JAXA (the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency).

Using the Canadarm2 robotic arm, Acaba and Hoshide maneuvered Kounotori 3 to the Earth-facing docking port on the space station's Harmony node at 10:34 a.m. ET (1434 GMT).

"I think we couldnt have had a better day and we're looking forward to a great HTV mission," Capcom Cady Coleman told the astronauts from Mission Control in Houston.

"You guys were great, thanks a lot for helping us out," Acaba replied. "Thanks a lot for all the food."

Today's arrival follows thefailed docking attempton Monday (July 23) of an unmanned Russian Progress spacecraft. The Progress 47 craft was testing a new rendezvous system, which apparently failed to work as planned. The vehicle, which had already been at the space station, had undocked in order to test the new system in a re-docking. Russia plans to try again on Sunday (July 29) to dock the Progress 47.

Kounotori launchedatop a Japanese H-2B rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan on July 20. It is the third such vehicle launched from Japan, following the flights ofHTVs 1 and 2in September 2009 and January 2011, respectively.[Photos: Japan Launches 3rd Robotic Supply Ship to Space Station]

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Success: Robotic Japanese spaceship docks with space station (+video)

How NASA launched the 2012 Olympics

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The Olympics officially launch Friday in London, but it was a NASA mission from 12 years ago that first lifted off to space with 2012 Summer Games' memorabilia.

Space shuttle Atlantis blasted off on May 19, 2000, on a 10-day mission to the International Space Station. Aboard the orbiter were supplies for the nascent complex, which at the time comprised just two of its eventual 12 modules.

The STS-101 mission came a few months before the start of the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney, Australia. To pay tribute to the international nature of the Games, the shuttle's crewmates carried a banner for the Olympics and a replica of the 2000 Sydney Torch.

But the flag and flameless beacon weren't the only items commemorating the Olympics that were on board Atlantis. Stowed inside a locker was a small package of souvenirs for the Summer Games set to take place 12 years into the future though not in London. [ Summer Olympics Cities Seen From Space (Gallery) ]

Houston, (can) we have an Olympics? Every NASA space shuttle mission carried a small pouch of souvenirs, called the Official Flight Kit, or OFK, packed with mementos to thank the NASA employees and outside organizations who helped make the mission possible.

The space agency would also sometimes use the OFK to fly items for outreach projects and for groups supporting the local communities around NASA centers, such as the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

As Atlantis orbited high above the Earth, Houston was in the running to be the U.S. Olympic Committee's bid city to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, competing against New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.-Baltimore.

(Ultimately, the U.S. committee selected the Big Apple Houston was eliminated in 2002 but New York City lost out to London when the International Olympic Committee voted in 2005.)

NASA, in support of bringing the Olympics to Houston home of Mission Control and the U.S. astronaut corps launched aboard Atlantis 1,000 lapel pins for the Houston 2012 Foundation. The organization described its role as "to identify, package and communicate the reasons why Houston is the best place for the 2012 Olympic Games."

The lapel pins were the shape of the space shuttle orbiter with the foundation's stylized Texas flag torch logo at their center. Under the red, white and blue torch was inscribed, "Houston 2012."

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How NASA launched the 2012 Olympics

NASA space program clears milestone review

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An artist rendering of the various configurations of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS). Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON, July 27 (UPI) -- NASA says the rocket system that will launch humans farther into space than ever before has reached a milestone by passing a major agency revue.

The Space Launch System Program completed a combined System Requirements Review and System Definition Review, which set requirements of the overall launch vehicle system, meaning SLS moves to its preliminary design phase, the agency reported.

The review set technical, performance, cost and schedule requirements to provide on-time development of the heavy-lift rocket.

The SLS is intended to launch NASA's Orion spacecraft and other payloads and provide the capability for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit.

This new heavy-lift launch vehicle will make it possible for explorers to reach beyond our current limits, to nearby asteroids, Mars and its moons and to destinations even farther across our solar system," said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington.

"The in-depth assessment confirmed the basic vehicle concepts of the SLS, allowing the team to move forward and start more detailed engineering design."

SLS reached the review milestone less than 10 months after the program's inception.

"This is a pivotal moment for this program and for NASA," SLS Program Manager Todd May said. "This has been a whirlwind experience from a design standpoint.

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NASA space program clears milestone review

Inmates build satellite parts for NASA

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. The NASA Ames Research Center is known for establishing innovative partnerships and Pete Worden, the former Air Force general who serves as the centers director, is known as a maverick. Still, the latest joint venture to come to light has caught even some longtime NASA observers by surprise.

Under supervision from NASA Ames, inmates working in the machine shop at Californias San Quentin State Prison are building Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployers (PPODs), the standard mechanism used to mount tiny satellites called cubesats on a variety of launch vehicles and then, at the appropriate time, fling them into orbit.

"Only Pete Worden would do something like that," said Bob Twiggs, who was one of the inventors of the cubesat while he was a professor at Stanford University. "He is a real independent hero to me in blazing new trails rather that sticking close to the safe road," Twiggs, who now serves as a professor at Kentuckys Morehead State University, said by email.

Worden got the idea for the partnership with San Quentinwhile he was at a party, talking to the spouse of a NASA employee who happened to work as a guard on the prisons death row. When the guard mentioned the prisons critical need to establish innovative education and training programs, Worden, a former University of Arizona professor, said, "How about building small satellites?

A couple of weeks later, NASA Ames officials visited the prison and confirmed that inmates had access to the type of machine tools they would need to build PPODs. That led to a two-year, non-reimbursable Space Act Agreement that senior officials from NASA Ames and San Quentin signed in June 2011.

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Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Is the plan for the Curiosity rover's landing so crazy it just might work? Or just so crazy? Either way, it will change the course of Mars exploration.

As part of that agreement, NASA Ames officials developed the educational plan to train inmates to build the small satellite components. The partnership program is designed primarily to help "a few select inmates develop their machining skills to make them more employable in the aerospace industry upon release," Adriana Cardenas, NASA Ames associate director of engineering, said in an emailed response to questions. "The components will never fly in space," said Cardenas, who also serves as NASA Ames' liaison to San Quentin.

However, PPODs manufactured in San Quentins machine shop will be handed over to NASA Ames and "depending on the quality, we may consider the possibility that they could be used as test articles." Center officials have not yet made any plans to use the PPODs built at San Quentin for testing, she added.

Nevertheless, Worden said the hardware produced at San Quentin has been "top notch." In addition to providing training for the inmates, Worden said he has promised to help a couple of them find employment when they are released from prison.

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Inmates build satellite parts for NASA

NASA taps prisoners to build satellite parts

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A new agreement with NASA will see San Quentin Prison inmates building satellite components.

In most cases, when a person is sentenced to prison, the goal is both to remove them from daily life, and teach the convict how to better serve society as a whole. Traditionally this meant stamping out license plates or painting the vehicles of the local police department, but thanks to an innovative new agreement with NASA prisoners at San Quentin State Prison will soon be making amends for their crimes by putting together tiny satellite components.

Known asPoly Picosatellite Orbital Deployers (henceforth PPODs), the devices are used to mount small cubesat satellites on launch vehicles. When correctly configured, the PPOD secures the tiny satellite in place through launch, then releases it into space at the appointed time. Despite its crucial purpose however, the PPOD is a relatively low-tech device. Its simple to build, but NASA needs tons of them and its not terribly cost effective to build an entire fabrication line just to churn out PPODs when we already have a perfectly viable workforce biding its time behind bars.

Thus, former University of Arizona professor Pete Worden hatched a plan to tap the largely unused prison population to build the devices. The goal, according to the scheme Worden outlined for NASA, is to both create a steady supply of PPODs as well as assist a few select inmates develop their machining skills to make them more employable in the aerospace industry upon release. In short, NASA gets new toys for cheap, San Quentin gets a couple million dollars, and a few dozen prisoners pick up a useful skill.

After a visit to San Quentin to determine if inmates had access to all the materials and information they would need to build the PPODs, NASA signed a two year Space Act agreement with the prison. Under the terms, NASA will provide cash and educational opportunities for prisoners, while the prison would ensure that its residents are meeting their PPOD quota and building the devices to meet rigorous NASA standards.

If any of you would-be astronauts are suddenly worried about a bitter convict purposely sabotaging your satellite launching mechanism, dont fret: According to Space.com these particular PPODs will not actually be shot into space. At best theyll be used for testing purposes, though it appears that NASA officials are waiting to see how well the inmates can construct the PPODs before deciding their fate. Worden claims that the PPODs created at San Quentin so far are top notch, though NASA remains unconvinced.

Regardless, that aforementioned two-year agreement is non-reimbursable, so no matter what NASA does with the devices, the prison and its inmates will see a nice infusion of cash, and, one hopes, an elementary fabrication background that might one day segue into a private sector aerospace job. Its far easier to avoid the temptation of criminal activity when youre earning $50,000+ annually working in a government-funded fabrication plant.

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NASA taps prisoners to build satellite parts

San Quentin Prison Inmates Build Tiny Satellite Parts for NASA

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The NASA Ames Research Center is known for establishing innovative partnerships and Pete Worden, the former Air Force general who serves as the Center’s director, is known as a maverick. Still, the latest joint venture to come to light has caught even some longtime NASA observers by surprise.

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San Quentin Prison Inmates Build Tiny Satellite Parts for NASA

Cleary: For Olympic rower, the law could wait

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Ottawa Rowing Clubs Morgan Jarvis is an accidental Olympic athlete.

The Winnipeg-born Jarvis retired as a high-performance rower in 2005 to focus on his university education, which led to a BSc in biology, a masters in molecular medicine and his Juris Doctor law degree, all from Queens University.

After he shifted his academic career focus to law from medicine, he earned a summer job at the Ottawa law firm of Gowlings, but continued to maintain his early-morning, late-afternoon participation in rowing.

When Gowlings lawyer Frank Mulock learned about Jarviss talents as a rower bronze medallist in lightweight quad sculls at the 2005 world championships and a bronze winner in lightweight double sculls at the 2004 and 2005 world U23 championships he wondered why there was nothing on his resume about the Summer Olympics.

Jarvis replied that striving for such a monumental goal required a huge time and financial commitment, plus he didnt want to sacrifice losing an articling opportunity at Gowlings.

Mulock tried to get Jarvis to think about chasing the Olympic dream by putting rowing articles on his desk chair during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

On the water, Jarviss training and race results at a much lower level were productive, which allowed him to think he might have a chance to make the Olympic team.

He looked at his athletic career and said: Why not? Why not be the best you can be?

The support and encouragement Jarvis received at Gowlings brought him to a career crossroads. In 2010, he approached Gowlings and asked if he could delay his articling for two years until the fall of 2012. That would give him two years to train for the Games and then allow him start his articling.

Gowlings overwhelming approved of Jarviss Olympic journey.

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Cleary: For Olympic rower, the law could wait

HEALTH: Chinese medicine's view on Diabetes

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Hi everyone,

Last week I wrote about Diabetes from a Western medicine understanding, so this week the focus is on how Chinese medicine views the pattern of disharmony that is common with people who have Diabetes.

The condition has an effect on the triple burner.

These are known as the upper, middle and lower burners.

The triple burner can be defined as "from the diaphragm upwards is the upper burner, between the diaphragm and the umbilicus is the middle burner, below the umbilicus is the lower burner ... the upper burner includes heart, lungs pericardium, throat and head; the middle burner includes stomach, spleen and gall bladder; the lower burner includes liver, kidneys, intestines and bladder." (Maciocia, 1989, pg.119)

The upper burner type is known as heat in the lungs which is characterised by a strong thirst.

The middle burner is considered as heat in the spleen and stomach, which results in symptoms of intense hunger, and the lower burner is related to the kidney's inability to control the orifices, hence the increase volume and frequency of urination.

Chinese medicine views type 1 diabetes as "failure of spleen transformation is due to the spleen not being supported by the kidneys; in type 2 Diabetes it is due to direct damage to the spleen by diet or emotional factors"(Mclean & Lyttleton, 2010, pg. 159)

What does this all mean?

The spleen is an organ that not often talked about in western medicine; however it plays a very important role in understanding how Qi (energy) is produced in Chinese medicine.

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HEALTH: Chinese medicine's view on Diabetes

Poff, Tycoles like satellite med school idea

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A stand-alone medical school for Brandon University may not be realistic, but the findings of the Brandon Medical Education Study to increase training of doctors in rural environments is encouraging, said Ross Tycoles, chairman of the Assiniboine Municipal Health Committee.

"Honestly, I think all along (a satellite medical school in Brandon) was their plan," Tycoles said. "Im disappointed that the stand-alone school didnt come through, but the fact is the satellite school will help and it will address the concerns rural communities have."

His view was shared by Brandon University president Deborah Poff, who called the study "a small step in the right direction."

"It doesnt surprise me that there would be no recommendation for an independent medical school," Poff said. "Given the context in Manitoba, I knew that was a long shot beyond belief and I had said that to a lot of people. The satellite school is a half step in that direction."

Poff said her disappointment with the report rests on a conservative implementation schedule of the findings, which includes more residencies in later years of the four-year medical school program and community campuses with teaching units geared towards practising medicine in rural areas.

The provincial government stated in a press release that six residencies were already planned for Brandon, Steinbach and the Boundary Trails Hospital between Morden and Winkler this year and the study called for more next year. A satellite campus of the University of Manitobas medical school in Brandon is listed as a possibility, if more students need to be accepted in the future.

"I think it will take a long while unless theres the political will within the implementation committee to move a little faster," Poff said.

"In every province where this has been happening, which is now the majority of provinces, its taken some political will and commitments. The recommendations are not bad, just extremely slow in terms of the time horizon."

Tycoles said the study recognized the "problem that has always been around" and dealt with those issues, but Dr. Derry Decter, a proponent for training doctors in rural communities, said the study doesnt go far enough, or fast enough to deal with the doctor shortages faced by rural and northern residents.

"There is a bit of a red herring in there," Decter said.

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Poff, Tycoles like satellite med school idea

DMU medical school dean loses his position

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The dean of Des Moines Universitys medical school has been forced out of the position by the universitys president.

Dr. Kendall Reed was the medical-schools dean since 2003.

Dr. Angela Franklin became the universitys president last year. When asked today about word that Reed was out as dean, the universitys spokeswoman replied in an e-mail: Yes, President Franklin made that administrative change last week.

The spokeswoman said Reed remains a tenured professor in the medical school, which trains osteopathic physicians. She said Dr. David Plundo, who was already an associate dean, has been named acting dean. Franklin will conduct a search for a permanent replacement. The spokeswoman declined other comment on the situation.

Reed, who is a surgeon, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tags: Des Moines University, Dr. Angela Franklin, Dr. Kendall Reed

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DMU medical school dean loses his position

UK medical school teaching on physical activity virtually 'non-existent'

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Public release date: 27-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Stephanie Burns sburns@bmjgroup.com 44-020-738-36920 BMJ-British Medical Journal

[Physical activity education in the undergraduate curricula of all UK medical schools. Are tomorrow's doctors equipped to follow clinical guidelines? Online First doi 10.1136/bjsports-2012-091380]

UK medical school teaching on physical activity is "sparse or non-existent," finds research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine today.

This knowledge gap will leave tomorrow's doctors ill equipped to promote physical activity effectively to their patients and stem the rising tide of serious disease associated with lack of exercise, say the authors.

They base their findings on the results of a survey sent to the curriculum lead or director for medical studies for each of the UK's 31 medical schools.

This asked about the form and content of key aspects of education on the promotion of physical activity, in accordance with national guidelines, and the total amount of time given over to teaching the basic science and health benefits of physical activity across the undergraduate course.

The education leads were asked to name the specific teaching modules in which physical activity education appeared. And they were asked if the Chief Medical Officer's (CMO's) guidance on physical activitywhich spans all age groups, and which was published last Julyappeared anywhere in the curriculum.

The responses uncovered "some alarming findings, showing that there is widespread omission of basic teaching elements," say the authors.

All the medical schools responded. Only four (15.5%) included physical activity in each year of the undergraduate course. Five (16%) did not include any specific teaching on it in their undergraduate courses.

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UK medical school teaching on physical activity virtually 'non-existent'