Spacewalking Astronauts Begin Prep for Space Taxis

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Spacewalking astronauts routed more than 300 feet of cable outside the International Space Station on Saturday to prepare for the arrival of new American-made crew capsules. It was the first of three spacewalks planned for NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Terry Virts over the coming week.

Altogether, Wilmore and Virts have 764 feet (233 meters) of cable to run outside the space station. They got off to a strong start Saturday, rigging eight power and data lines, or about 340 feet (105 meters). The longest single stretch was 43 feet (13 meters). "Broadening my resume," Virts observed.

NASA considers this the most complicated cable-routing job in the 16-year history of the space station. Equally difficult will be running cable on the inside of the complex.

The extensive rewiring is needed to prepare for NASA's next phase in spaceflight: the 2017 arrival of the first commercial spacecraft capable of transporting astronauts to the orbiting lab. NASA is paying the Boeing Co. and SpaceX to build the capsules and fly them from Cape Canaveral, Florida, which hasn't seen a manned launch since the shuttles retired in 2011. Instead, Russia is doing all the taxi work for upwards of $70 million a seat.

The first of two docking ports for the Boeing and SpaceX vessels still under development is due to arrive in June. Even more spacewalks will be needed to set everything up.

Spacesuit concerns stalled the work by a day. NASA wanted to make certain that the suits worn by Wilmore and Virts had reliable fan and pump assemblies. Two other fan-pump units failed aboard the space station in recent months and were returned to Earth earlier this month for analysis. Corrosion was discovered, the result of water intrusion from testing. The spacewalkers' suits seemed to work fine Saturday.

First published February 21 2015, 8:23 AM

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Spacewalking Astronauts Begin Prep for Space Taxis

Preview: Regina Pats vs. Red Deer Rebels

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February 21, 2015 - Western Hockey League (WHL) Regina Pats Regina, Saskatchewan - The Regina Pats (31-19-4-3) take on the Red Deer Rebels (30-19-4-5) as Red Deer makes its first visit to the Brandt Centre since October 5th. It's the third time the teams face off this season with the Pats holding a 0-0-1-1 record against the Rebels. Last time out, the Pats came back from a 3-1 deficit in the third period, only to fall 4-3 in a marathon shootout. Taylor Cooper leads the Pats with four goals in five games against the Rebels split between the Pats and Hurricanes. Presten Kopeck heads up the Red Deer attack with four points (3G, 1A) in two games against Regina. The Pats snapped a three game losing streak, winning 4-1 over Saskatoon last night. Meanwhile, the Rebels hit Regina after a 4-2 loss in Swift Current. Tune into today's game on 620 CKRM starting at 6:35 p.m.

Lead Up: Pats Blitz Blades in 4-1 Win

The Pats struggled to get much going on in the first and third periods against a stifling Saskatoon attack, but broke things open in the second period. Braden Christoffer opened the scoring on the powerplay and was quickly followed by Carter Hansen and Jesse Gabrielle to open up a 3-0 lead. Ryan Graham broke up Daniel Wapple's shutout bid with a shorthanded marker in the third, but Adam Brooks restored the three goal lead. Wapple turned away 32 shots in the win.

Welcome Back Connor

The Pats welcome back a familiar face to the Brandt Centre as former teammate Connor Gay hits the ice with the Rebels. Gay played 135 games in the Blue and White while totaling 92 points (40G, 52A). Since heading to Red Deer, Gay has 11 points (2G, 9A) in 17 games.

Picking Up Where He Left Off

Adam Brooks returned to the lineup last night against Saskatoon and picked up right where he left off before suffering a lower body injury. The Winnipeg, MB product had a seven game point streak going before the injury and picked up a goal and an assist to turn it into an eight game run with 12 points.

Cole Contributing

Rykr Cole registered the first multi-point game of his career last night with a pair of assists in the Pats' win. The Pats' 3rd Round pick in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft hasn't gone more than two games without a point since January 10th and is tied for 2nd on the Pats' rookie scoring list with 15 points (6G, 9A).

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Preview: Regina Pats vs. Red Deer Rebels

Yvonne Pendleton: "NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute" – Video

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Yvonne Pendleton: "NASA #39;s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute"
Recognizing that "science enables exploration" and "exploration enables science", NASA created the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERV...

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NASA Holds Expedition 42 Space Walk Briefing from Johnson Space Center in Houston – Video

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NASA Holds Expedition 42 Space Walk Briefing from Johnson Space Center in Houston
As two NASA astronauts from the International Space Station #39;s Expedition 42 crew prepare to venture outside the orbital complex on Friday, Feb. 20, NASA Television provided a preview news...

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NASA Holds Expedition 42 Space Walk Briefing from Johnson Space Center in Houston - Video

NASA Thinks There May Be Life on Jupiters Moon

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David Bowie once speculated about life on Mars, and now NASA scientists are wondering the same thing about Jupiters moon Europa.

A potential mission may soon be sending NASA scientists to the small, icy moon to search for signs of alien life, Space.com reports. NASA officials held a workshop Wednesday at the Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley to discuss the matter.

This is our chance, said NASA science chief John Grunsfeld. I just hope we dont miss this opportunity for lack of ideas.

Specifically, scientists plan to search the plumes of water vapor, first spotted by NASAs Hubble Space Telescope in 2012, that blast from the moons south polar region. This will allow researchers to sample the liquid hidden beneath Europas icy surface.

Plans for a Europa mission have been in the works for years, but NASA got closer to making it a reality when the White House allocated $30 million for a Europa mission in its 2016 budget request.

[Space.com]

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NASA Thinks There May Be Life on Jupiters Moon

Could NASAs Europa mission search for alien life?

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February 21, 2015

This artist's impression shows Jupiter and its moon Europa using actual Jupiter and Europa images in visible light. The Hubble ultraviolet images showing the faint emission from the water vapor plumes have been superimposed, respecting the size but not the brightness of the plumes. (Credit: NASA/M. Kommesser)

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com @BednarChuck

NASA officials have reportedly asked scientists to determine if the US space agencys upcoming mission to Jupiters moon Europa could be used to search for signs of extraterrestrial life.

[STORY: NASA discusses future robotic lander mission to Europa]

The voyage to Europa, which could be ready to launch within the next decade, was initially not designed to seek out signs of alien life. Instead, Kevin Hand, Deputy Chief Scientist for Solar System Exploration at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, said earlier this month that the goal of the mission was to understand habitability; the ingredients for life.

However, as reported Friday by Space.com, NASA may be doing an about-face on that, as they are exploring the possibility of searching for evidence of organic life in water vapor plumes that blast into space from the moons southern polar region during the mission. Those plumes could give scientists a way to sample Europas buried ocean of liquid water, the website said.

Last call for aliens

During a workshop at NASAs Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley on Wednesday, science chief John Grunsfeld told reporters that this is our chance to find out whether or not life exists on the Europa, and he hoped that they dont miss this opportunity for lack of ideas.

As revealed in the agencys 2016 budget, NASA plans to send an unmanned mission to Europa in order to study those vast oceans, which are buried beneath layers of ice. The spacecraft used on the mission will be known as the Europa Clipper, which will be comprised of an orbiter that will conduct roughly 45 flybys of the moons surface over the next three years.

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Could NASAs Europa mission search for alien life?

Companion Diagnostics – Streamlining drug development and advancing personalized medicine – Video

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Companion Diagnostics - Streamlining drug development and advancing personalized medicine
The report, Companion Diagnostics - Streamlining drug development and advancing personalized medicine was written to support both the biopharmaceutical and diagnostic industries better ...

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MD (allopathic) and DO (osteopathic) Medical School Application Similarities – Video

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MD (allopathic) and DO (osteopathic) Medical School Application Similarities
After discussing the differences between DO (osteopathic) and MD (allopathic) medical programs (http://youtu.be/kZx7hRZeDUs), we now discuss their similariti...

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MD (allopathic) and DO (osteopathic) Medical School Application Similarities - Video