Daily Archives: December 17, 2014

"Ptolemy Wept" Animated STAR TREK episode, Part 6 – Video

Posted: December 17, 2014 at 3:45 pm


"Ptolemy Wept" Animated STAR TREK episode, Part 6
PART 6 - The U.S.S. Enterprise crew takes on a Federation historian to investigate an ancient space station which has suddenly appeared in orbit of a planet that the crew has visited before....

By: CHDanhauser

View original post here:
"Ptolemy Wept" Animated STAR TREK episode, Part 6 - Video

Posted in Space Station | Comments Off on "Ptolemy Wept" Animated STAR TREK episode, Part 6 – Video

CASIS SpaceX-5 Payload Overview – Video

Posted: at 3:45 pm


CASIS SpaceX-5 Payload Overview
This video provides an overview of a CASIS/NASA/NIH investigation focused on immune suppression for aging adults by former astronaut Dr. Millie Hughes-Fulford. It will launch to the International...

By: ISSCASIS

See original here:
CASIS SpaceX-5 Payload Overview - Video

Posted in Space Station | Comments Off on CASIS SpaceX-5 Payload Overview – Video

Space Station Live: Untangling Alzheimers Proteins on Orbit – Video

Posted: at 3:45 pm


Space Station Live: Untangling Alzheimers Proteins on Orbit
NASA Public Affairs Officer Brandi Dean speaks with Dr. Sam Durrance of the Florida Institute of Technology about his space station research NanoRacks Self Assembly in Biology and Origins of...

By: ReelNASA

See more here:
Space Station Live: Untangling Alzheimers Proteins on Orbit - Video

Posted in Space Station | Comments Off on Space Station Live: Untangling Alzheimers Proteins on Orbit – Video

SpaceX readies barge for off-shore rocket landing

Posted: at 3:45 pm

A 300-foot-long barge will be used as an off-shore landing platform during launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Friday. The primary goal of the flight is to deliver critical supplies and equipment to the space station, but SpaceX hopes to land the rocket's first stage on the barge for possible refurbishment and reuse -- a key milestone in the company's push to reduce launch costs. Harwood/CBS News

SpaceX engineers are gearing up to launch a Dragon cargo ship atop a Falcon 9 rocket Friday for the company's fifth operational space station resupply mission. And if all goes well, the Falcon 9's first stage will attempt to land on a barge stationed off the coast of Jacksonville, Fla., a key milestone in SpaceX founder Elon Musk's drive to lower costs by reusing boosters that otherwise would be discarded in the sea.

The Marmac 300, a platform barge listed on McDonough Marine Service's website and modified for use by SpaceX, features a spacious deck measuring 300 feet long and 170 feet wide. The barge, which SpaceX calls an autonomous spaceport drone ship, was seen by reporters over the weekend docked adjacent to the Jacksonville cruise ship terminal.

"Reusability is the critical breakthrough needed in rocketry to take things to the next level," Musk said during the MIT AeroAstro Centennial Symposium in October. "We've been able to soft land the rocket booster in the ocean twice so far. Unfortunately, it sort of sat there for several seconds then tipped over and exploded (laughter). It's quite difficult to reuse. It's as tall as a 14-story building. When a 14-story building falls over, it's quite a belly flop!

"So what we need to do is be able to either land on a floating platform or ideally boost back to the launch site and land back at the launch site. But before we boost back to the launch site and try to land there, we need to show that we can land with precision over and over again, otherwise something bad could happen."

The SpaceX barge would appear to be an ideal offshore landing platform. The deck's dimensions are listed as 300 feet by 100 feet on McDonough Marine's website, but the barge was widened by two wing-like additions seen extending from its sides. Company officials did not return a phone call seeking additional information, but the barge is believed to be equipped with powerful thrusters capable of maintaining its position to within a few tens of feet and internal water tanks to help damp out wave action.

An industry source said the platform will be operated remotely or autonomously on launch day with a crew stationed on another ship a safe distance away.

The width of the Marmac 300 barge was extended to provide additional landing space for the Falcon 9 first stage, which has a leg span of some 70 feet. The dimensions of the landing platform are 300 feet by about 170 feet.

Harwood/CBS News

View post:
SpaceX readies barge for off-shore rocket landing

Posted in Space Station | Comments Off on SpaceX readies barge for off-shore rocket landing

City lights from space

Posted: at 3:45 pm

An urban sprawl engulfs San Francisco Bay in a sea of lights. The three bridges Oakland Bay Bridge, San Mateo Bridge and Dumbarton Bridge glow as straight lines connecting the coasts. From top right going clockwise, freeways pass through Oakland, Hayward, Fremont, San Jose, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Mateo and San Francisco.

The bright lights of the cities are themselves surrounded by natural parks. Past the coastal Eastern Bay Regional Parks to the right, the cities of Pleasanton and Walnut Creek keep the dark wilderness at bay with their street lighting. To the left, apart from the Half Moon Bay Airport on the coast, the blackness of the Pacific Ocean prevails. This image was taken on December 23, 2012 from the International Space Station.

The European Space Agency developed an automatic camera tripod that compensates for the speed of the Space Station flying at 28,800 km/h to take sharper pictures at night.

Here is the original post:
City lights from space

Posted in Space Station | Comments Off on City lights from space

Russia 'Considering' Constructing Rival To International Space Station With Recession Looming

Posted: at 3:45 pm

There soon could be more than one massive space station floating above Earths atmosphere if Russia follows through on a plan to construct a rival to the International Space Station. I confirm we are considering such an option, Oleg Ostapenko, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, told news agency RIA Novotsi, as quoted by Reuters. This is a possible direction of development.

NASA expects the $100 billion ISS, which is maintained and shared by 15 countries, to remain in service until at least 2024. Yet rumors have circulated in the Russian media for months that the Kremlin, which is engaged in prolonged, intense hostility with the West over Ukraine and other issues, hopes to build its own space station. With the oil-dependent country facing a currency crisis and expected to enter recession in 2015, however, experts wonder where the funding would come from.

How can they suddenly plan a new space station? Its impossible, Russian space industry analyst Pavel Luzin told the English-languageMoscow Times.

Officials have maintained that Russia will honor its commitment with the ISS, a partnership that lasts until 2020. Also, in September Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, head of the space industry, said the federal space budget for the years 2016 to 2025 will dedicate 321 billion rubles ($6.8 billion) to continuing development on the ISS.

Experts have suggested that the contradiction only highlights the current conflict within the Kremlin. President Vladimir Putins popularity has hovered around 80 percent, in part because of a Russian national image thats become more assertive even as the value of the ruble falls.

The best thing for the economy short of an oil price which the Kremlin has no influence over would be to negotiate a settlement with Ukraine and climb down the escalation, foreign policy expect and Russian commentator Ian Bremmer told Business Insider. But that flies against whats actually sustained Putins popularity and the primary driver of his entire strategy for the past year.

Follow this link:
Russia 'Considering' Constructing Rival To International Space Station With Recession Looming

Posted in Space Station | Comments Off on Russia 'Considering' Constructing Rival To International Space Station With Recession Looming

Full Sail grads seek Steam listing for Mars video game

Posted: at 3:45 pm

One of Orlandos newest homegrown video games, PeriAreion, has a very Central Florida theme: Mars colonization.

Three masters degree graduates from Full Sail University built the 3D strategy game, called PeriAreion. They have had a successful KickStarter campaign to raise $6,000, and are now on the verge of having the game listed on the popular gaming website Steam Greenlight for independent developers.

We were partly inspired by the mission to Mars that NASA is planning, said Erica Holcomb, producer and lead designer on the game.

PeriAreion was created by Orlando-based TBA Games, which includes Holcomb; Cameron Bolinger, lead programmer; and Joseph Arcidiacono, lead writer and promotion coordinator.

The game is already for sale on its own website for $14.99, for Mac and PC.

PeriAreion isnt the first Mars colony game, but it has some unique challenges. It also offers a lot of documented science and current technology regarding space travel and Mars.

At certain stages of play, you unlock notes about Mars exploration facts and illustrations, Bolinger said. We only used current peer-reviewed science, but it is aimed a junior high audience, so it can be a legitimate education tool.

Players are in charge of a mission that has just landed on Mars, starting with a small spaceship module.

The goal is to build and manage the first sustainable extraterrestrial colony. There are no enemies except the hostile environment.

Players must mine minerals, construct food modules to harvest plants, overcome illness and storms, and eventually build out their base. There are three possible landing sites, and three difficulty levels.

Excerpt from:
Full Sail grads seek Steam listing for Mars video game

Posted in Mars Colonization | Comments Off on Full Sail grads seek Steam listing for Mars video game

NASA Study Proposes Airships, Cloud Cities for Venus Exploration

Posted: at 3:44 pm

Image: NASA Langley Research Center

It has been accepted for decades that Mars is the next logical place for humans to explore. Mars certainly seems to offer the most Earth-like environment of any other place in the solar system, and its closer to Earth than just about anyplace else, except Venus. But exploration of Venus has always been an enormous challenge: Venuss surface is hellish, with 92 atmospheres of pressure and temperatures of nearly 500 C.

The surface of Venus isnt going to work for humans, but what if we ignore the surface and stick to the clouds? Dale Arney and Chris Jones, from the Space Mission Analysis Branch of NASAs Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate at Langley Research Center, in Virginia, have been exploring that idea. Perhaps humans could ride through the upper atmosphere of Venus in a solar-powered airship. Arney and Jones propose that it may make sense to go to Venus before we ever send humans to Mars.

To put NASAs High Altitude Venus Operational Concept (HAVOC) mission in context, it helps to start thinking about exploring the atmosphere of Venus instead of exploring the surface. The vast majority of people, when they hear the idea of going to Venus and exploring, think of the surface, where its hot enough to melt lead and the pressure is the same as if you were almost a mile underneath the ocean, Jones says. I think that not many people have gone and looked at the relatively much more hospitable atmosphere and how you might tackle operating there for a while.

At 50 kilometers above its surface, Venus offers one atmosphere of pressure and only slightly lower gravity than Earth. Mars, in comparison, has a sea level atmospheric pressure of less than a hundredth of Earths, and gravity just over a third Earth normal. The temperature at 50 km on Venus is around 75 C, which is a mere 17 degrees hotter than the highest temperature recorded on Earth. It averages -63 C on Mars, and while neither extreme would be pleasant for an unprotected human, both are manageable.

Whats more important, especially relative to Mars, is the amount of solar power available on Venus and the amount of protection that Venus has from radiation. The amount of radiation an astronaut would be exposed to in Venuss atmosphere would be about the same as if you were in Canada, says Arney. On Mars, unshielded astronauts would be exposed to about 0.67 millisieverts per day, which is 40 times as much as on Earth, and theyd likely need to bury their habitats several meters beneath the surface to minimize exposure. As for solar power, proximity to the sun gets Venus 40 percent more than we get here on Earth, and 240 percent more than wed see on Mars. Put all of these numbers together and as long as you dont worry about having something under your feet, Jones points out, the upper atmosphere of Venus is probably the most Earth-like environment thats out there.

Its also important to note that Venus is often significantly closer to Earth than Mars is. Because of how the orbits of Venus and Earth align over time, a crewed mission to Venus would take a total of 440 days using existing or very near-term propulsion technology: 110 days out, a 30-day stay, and then 300 days backwith the option to abort and begin the trip back to Earth immediately after arrival. That sounds like a long time to spend in space, and it absolutely is. But getting to Mars and back using the same propulsive technology would involve more than 500 days in space at a minimum. A more realistic Mars mission would probably last anywhere from 650 to 900 days (or longer) due to the need to wait for a favorable orbital alignment for the return journey, which means that theres no option to abort the mission and come home earlier: If anything went wrong, astronauts would have to just wait around on Mars until their return window opened.

HAVOC comprises a series of missions that would begin by sending a robot into the atmosphere of Venus to check things out. That would be followed up by a crewed mission to Venus orbit with a stay of 30 days, and then a mission that includes a 30-day atmospheric stay. Later missions would have a crew of two spend a year in the atmosphere, and eventually there would be a permanent human presence there in a floating cloud city.

The defining feature of these missions is the vehicle that will be doing the atmospheric exploring: a helium-filled, solar-powered airship. The robotic version would be 31 meters long (about half the size of the Goodyear blimp), while the crewed version would be nearly 130 meters long, or twice the size of a Boeing 747. The top of the airship would be covered with more than 1,000 square meters of solar panels, with a gondola slung underneath for instruments and, in the crewed version, a small habitat and the ascent vehicle that the astronauts would use to return to Venuss orbit, and home.

Getting an airship to Venus is not a trivial task, and getting an airship to Venus with humans inside it is even more difficult. The crewed mission would involve a Venus orbit rendezvous, where the airship itself (folded up inside a spacecraft) would be sent to Venus ahead of time. Humans would follow in a transit vehicle (based on NASAs Deep Space Habitat), linking up with the airship in Venus orbit.

Here is the original post:
NASA Study Proposes Airships, Cloud Cities for Venus Exploration

Posted in Moon Colonization | Comments Off on NASA Study Proposes Airships, Cloud Cities for Venus Exploration

Pioneer Award winners Katherine High, Amit Nathwani, Arthur Nienhuis, and Andrew Davidoff honored

Posted: at 3:44 pm

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

17-Dec-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ryan kryan@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News @LiebertOnline

New Rochelle, NY, December 17, 2014--Recognized for her pioneering work to develop gene therapy for hemophilia spanning several decades, taking it from the laboratory into human clinical trials, is Katherine A. High, MD, Spark Therapeutics. Also recognized for their demonstration of successful clinical applications of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-based gene therapy for hemophilia B are Amit C. Nathwani, MD, PhD, UCL Cancer Institute, and Arthur W. Nienhuis, MD and Andrew M. Davidoff, MD, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, is commemorating its 25th anniversary by bestowing this honor on the leading pioneers in the field of cell and gene therapy selected by a blue ribbon panel* and by publishing a Pioneer Perspective by the award recipients. The Perspectives by Dr. High and Drs. Nathwani, Nienhuis, and Davidoff are available free on the Human Gene Therapy website at http://www.liebertpub.com/hgt.

In the Perspective entitled "Gene Therapy for Hemophilia: The Clot Thickens", Dr. High recounts why hemophilia was an attractive early target for gene therapy research and describes the genetic and physiological basis of the disease. She reviews early efforts using gene-based therapy to treat hemophilia B and provides a detailed account of her group's approach using an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector to deliver the Factor IX gene, which encodes the clotting factor missing in patients with hemophilia B. Dr. High recalls the reasons for selecting skeletal muscle as the injection site for drug delivery, and she describes the limitations and unexpected obstacles that arose, such as patients' immune responses to the AAV vector and evidence of vector genetic material in the semen of the male patients, creating the risk of germline transmission.

In "Our Journey to Successful Gene Therapy for Hemophilia B", Drs. Nathwani, Nienhuis, and Davidoff present a detailed overview of their many years of collaborative research that has included a comparison of the safety and efficacy of different gene therapy delivery sites. The researchers also developed a sensitive assay system to enable detection of low levels of Factor IX and demonstrated stable therapeutic expression of the clotting factor. Over the years, they experimented with AAV vector types to achieve higher gene transfer levels and enable a therapeutic effect using lower and potentially safer doses. They describe the current status of their clinical research program and their early efforts in the development of gene therapy for hemophilia A.

"Hemophilia B has served as the model by which in vivo gene therapies have been evaluated," says James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Human Gene Therapy, and Director of the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia. "Kathy was there from the beginning and has contributed to every major advance in hemophilia B gene therapy. Art, Andy, and Amit came together as a team soon after the turn of the century to eventually launch a clinical trial with a second generation AAV vector that served as a true milestone in the field of gene therapy. These pioneers are well-deserving of this recognition for their tenacity and courage to stay the course."

*The blue ribbon panel of leaders in cell and gene therapy, led by Chair Mary Collins, PhD, MRC Centre for Medical Molecular Virology, University College London selected the Pioneer Award recipients. The Award Selection Committee selected scientists that had devoted much of their careers to cell and gene therapy research and had made a seminal contribution to the field--defined as a basic science or clinical advance that greatly influenced progress in translational research.

###

About the Journal

View post:
Pioneer Award winners Katherine High, Amit Nathwani, Arthur Nienhuis, and Andrew Davidoff honored

Posted in Genetic Engineering | Comments Off on Pioneer Award winners Katherine High, Amit Nathwani, Arthur Nienhuis, and Andrew Davidoff honored

Behavioral analysis of ISIS brutality presented in Violence and Gender journal

Posted: at 3:44 pm

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

17-Dec-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ryan kyan@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News @LiebertOnline

New Rochelle, NY, December 17, 2014-The Sunni Islamist terror organization known as the Islamic State, or ISIS, uses extreme violence and brutality against anyone it perceives as a threat to its goal of expansion and restoration of an Islamic Caliphate. The significant behavioral aspects of this unparalleled violence and its implications for the future are explored in a compelling Review article published in Violence and Gender, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Violence and Gender website at http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/vio.2014.0037 until January 17, 2015.

In the article "The Violence of the Islamic State of Syria (ISIS): A Behavioral Perspective", coauthors Thomas Neer and Mary Ellen O'Toole, PhD, both retired FBI Agents, describe the growth of ISIS, its membership, and how gratuitous violence has become the organization's "brand." Other topics discussed in their article include violence and psychopathy, personality traits, use of propaganda, ISIS recruitment methods of young men and women, and strategies to counter ISIS.

These authors bring a unique and important perspective to understanding ISIS - a behavioral perspective. Both Mr. Neer and Dr. O'Toole worked for years as Profilers in the FBI's elite Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) where they analyzed violent offenders and their crimes. Mr. Neer's perspectives are also based on operational assignments throughout the world where he conducted behavioral and risk assessments of known and suspected terrorists. Dr. O'Toole lends her expertise in psychopathy and psychopathic behaviors of individuals and groups to ISIS leadership.

"ISIS is a global concern on many levels, and its grandiose display of extreme and ruthless violence is stunning," says Violence and Gender Editor-in-Chief Dr. O'Toole. "In this article, my colleague and I provide a behavioral assessment of this dangerous and evolving group comprised largely of young men in a vulnerable age group - late teens and twenties. I am sure you will find this unique and timely perspective both fascinating and enlightening, and extremely relevant for policy development."

###

About the Journal

Violence and Gender is the only peer-reviewed journal focusing on the understanding, prediction, and prevention of acts of violence. Through research papers, roundtable discussions, case studies, and other original content, the Journal critically examines biological, genetic, behavioral, psychological, racial, ethnic, and cultural factors as they relate to the gender of perpetrators of violence. Led by Editor-in-Chief Mary Ellen O'Toole, PhD, Forensic Behavioral Consultant and Senior FBI Profiler/Criminal Investigative Analyst (ret.), Violence and Gender explores the difficult issues that are vital to threat assessment and prevention of the epidemic of violence. Violence and Gender is published quarterly online with Open Access options and in print, and is the official journal of The Avielle Foundation. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Violence and Gender website at http://www.liebertpub.com/vio.

More here:
Behavioral analysis of ISIS brutality presented in Violence and Gender journal

Posted in Genetic Engineering | Comments Off on Behavioral analysis of ISIS brutality presented in Violence and Gender journal