Daily Archives: April 2, 2017

Spacewalk support personnel quickly teamed up for a solution to cover the Tranquility modules port after a thermal and micrometeoroid shield was inadvertently lost during todays spacewalk. The team supporting EVA Officer John Mularski explored options in a room nearby Mission Control, and chose to install a cover that had been removed earlier from the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3.

Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson of NASA concluded their spacewalk at 2:33 p.m. EDT. During the spacewalk, which lasted just over seven hours, the two astronauts successfully reconnected cables and electrical connections on the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3. PMA-3 will provide the pressurized interface between the station and the second of two international docking adapters to be delivered to the complex to support the dockings of U.S. commercial crew spacecraft in the future.

The duo were also tasked with installing four thermal protection shields on the Tranquility module of the International Space Station. The shields were required to cover the port where the PMA-3 was removed earlier in the week and robotically installed on the Harmony module. During the spacewalk, one of the shields was inadvertently lost. The loss posed no immediate danger to the astronauts and Kimbrough and Whitson went on to successfully install the remaining shields on the common berthing mechanism port.

A team from the Mission Control Center at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston devised a plan for the astronauts to finish covering the port with the PMA-3 cover Whitson removed earlier in the day. The plan worked, and the cover was successfully installed, providing thermal protection and micrometeoroid and orbital debris cover for the port.

To round out the spacewalk, Kimbrough and Whitson also installed a different shield around the base of the PMA-3 adapter for micrometeoroid protection. The shield was nicknamed a cummerbund as it fits around the adapter similar to a tuxedos cummerbund worn around the waist.

Having completed her eighth spacewalk, Whitson now holds the record for the most spacewalks and accumulated time spacewalking by a female astronaut.

Spacewalkers have now spent a total of 1,243 hours and 42 minutes outside the station during 199 spacewalks in support of assembly and maintenance of the orbiting laboratory.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

Astronaut Peggy Whitson signs her autograph near an Expedition 50 mission patch attached to the inside the International Space Station.

At 11:51 a.m. EDT, Peggy Whitson broke the record for cumulative spacewalking time by a female astronaut, previously held by NASA astronaut Sunita Williams. This was Whitsons eighth spacewalk.

So far, Whitson and NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough have successfully installed an upgraded computer relay box and hooked up cables and electrical connections on the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3. PMA-3 will provide the pressurized interface between the station and the second of two international docking adapters to be delivered to the complex to support the dockings of U.S. commercial crew spacecraft in the future.

The duo were also tasked with installing four thermal protection shields on the Tranquility module of the International Space Station. The shields were required to cover the port where the PMA-3 was removed earlier in the week and robotically installed on the Harmony module. During the spacewalk, one of the shields was inadvertently lost. The loss posed no immediate danger to the astronauts and Kimbrough and Whitson went on to successfully install the remaining shields on the common berthing mechanism port.

A team from the Mission Control Center at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston devised a plan for the astronauts to finish covering the port with the PMA-3 cover Whitson removed earlier in the day. The plan worked, and the cover was successfully installed, providing thermal protection and micrometeoroid and orbital debris cover for the port.

The spacewalk is planned to last six and a half hours.

Follow @space_station on Twitter for updates. For more information about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

Astronaut Shane Kimbrough is pictured during a spacewalk that took place Jan. 6, 2016.

Two astronauts switched their spacesuits to battery power this morning at 7:29 a.m. EDT aboard the International Space Station to begin a spacewalk planned to last about six-and-a-half hours. Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson of NASA will further prepare the space station for commercial spacecraft dockings, as well as perform maintenance and inspection.

Watch the spacewalk on NASA TV and on the agencys website.

Kimbrough is designated extravehicular crew member 1 (EV 1), wearing the suit bearing red stripes and helmet camera #18. Whitson is designated extravehicular crew member 2 (EV 2), wearing the suit with no stripes and helmet camera #17.

Follow @space_station on Twitter for updates. Learn more about the International Space Station online, including additional information about the current crew members.

Astronauts Peggy Whitson and Shane Kimbrough participate in a pre-breathe session before starting a spacewalk Jan. 6, 2017. Astronaut Thomas Pesquet (foreground) assisted the duo.

Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson of NASA will venture outside the International Space Station for a six-and-a-half hour spacewalk Thursday, March 30. The spacewalk will begin at about 8 a.m. EDT, with complete coverage on NASA Television and the agencys website starting at 6:30 a.m.

Kimbrough and Whitson will reconnect cables and electrical connections on the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3), which was robotically moved Sunday, March 26 from the Tranquility module to the Harmony module on station. The PMA-3 provides the pressurized interface between the station modules and the docking adapter. The duo will also install the second of the two upgraded computer relay boxes on the stations truss and install shields and covers on PMA-3 and the now-vacant common berthing mechanism port on Tranquility.

This will be the 199th spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance. Kimbrough will embark on the sixth spacewalk of his career. This will be the eighth spacewalk by Whitson, who will surpass NASA astronaut Suni Williams record for the most spacewalks by a female astronaut.

Follow @space_station on Twitter for updates. For more information about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station. To subscribe or unsubscribe from this list, please email heo-pao@lists.nasa.gov.

Astronaut Peggy Whitson was pictured during her seventh spacewalk which took place Jan. 6, 2017.

Expedition 50 Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson is set to go on her eighth spacewalk Thursday morning and surpass astronaut Suni Williams record for the most spacewalks by a female astronaut. Whitsons last spacewalk was on Jan. 6 with Commander Shane Kimbrough when she hooked up new lithium-ion batteries and inspected the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.

Read more about spacewalks at the International Space Station.

Thursdays spacewalk will see Whitson and Kimbrough finish cable connections at the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 just recently attached to the Harmony modules space-facing port. The PMA-3 relocation gets the station ready for the new International Docking Adapter-3 set to be delivered on a future SpaceX Dragon cargo mission.

European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who conducted last weeks spacewalk with Kimbrough, will assist the duo in and out of their spacesuits and monitor the activities from inside the station. The spacewalkers are scheduled to exit the Quest airlock Thursday at 8 a.m. EST for 6.5 hours of station maintenance work. NASA TV will cover all the spacewalk activities beginning at 6:30 a.m.

The Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 is in the grip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm during its relocation and attachment to the Harmony module on March 26,2017.

The crew researched the effects of living in space and set up a specialized microscope for a physics experiment today. Two astronauts are also getting ready for a Thursday spacewalk to continue setting up the International Space Station for commercial crew vehicles.

Flight Engineers Peggy Whitson and Thomas Pesquet used a tape measure this morning and measured their arms, legs, hips, waist and chest. Researchers are studying how microgravity impacts body size and shape and are comparing crew measurements before, during and after a space mission.

Whitson later began setting up gear for the ACE-T-1 (Advanced Colloids Experiment Temperature Control-1) physics study. She opened up the Fluids Integrated Rack and reconfigured the Light Microscopy Module to research tiny suspended particles designed by scientists and observe how they form organized structures within water.

Commander Shane Kimbrough is getting ready for another spacewalk on Thursday at 8 a.m. EDT. This time hell go outside with Whitson to finish cable connections at the Harmony module where the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3) was robotically attached on Sunday. The PMA-3 relocation gets the adapter ready for the new International Docking Adapter-3 set to be delivered on a future cargo mission.

Astronaut Shane Kimbrough takes an out-of-this-world selfie during a spacewalk on March 24, 2017.

The Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3) was robotically removed Sunday from the Tranquility module and attached to the Harmony module after being prepared during a successful spacewalk Friday. A second spacewalk is scheduled for Thursday at 8 a.m. EDT to finalize the PMA-3 cable connections on Harmony.

Download hi-res video of briefing animations depicting the activities of all three spacewalks.

Commander Shane Kimbrough disconnected cables from PMA-3 while still attached to Tranquility during a spacewalk on Friday. That work allowed ground controllers to use the Canadarm2 robotic arm to remotely grapple and remove PMA-3 from Tranquility and attach it to Harmony.

The relocation readies the PMA-3 for the future installation of the new International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3) set to be delivered on a future cargo mission. The IDA-3 will accommodate commercial crew vehicle dockings and provide the pressurized interface between the station and the adapter.

Thursdays spacewalk will see Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson complete the PMA-3 attachment work on the Harmonys space-facing port. The duo will also install computer relay boxes containing software upgrades to enable future commercial crew vehicle dockings at the International Space Station.

Spacewalkers Thomas Pesquet (left) and Shane Kimbrough meet at the Quest airlock to begin wrapping up their successful spacewalk. Credit: NASA TV

Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency concluded their spacewalk at 1:58 p.m. EDT. During the spacewalk, which lasted just over six-and-a-half hours, the two astronauts successfully disconnected cables and electrical connections on the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 to prepare for its robotic move Sunday, March 26.

The PMA-3 provides the pressurized interface between the station modules and the International Docking Adapter, which will accommodate commercial crew vehicle dockings.

The astronauts also lubricated the latching end effector on the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator extension for theCanadarm2robotic arm, inspected a radiator valve and replaced cameras on the Japanese segment of the outpost.

A second spacewalk has been rescheduled to Thursday, March 30, and a third spacewalk now is targeted for Thursday, April 6.

The second spacewalk will feature Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson of NASA reconnecting cables and electrical connections on PMA-3 at its new home on top Harmony. They also will install the second of the two upgraded computer relay boxes on the stations truss and install shields and covers on PMA-3 and the now-vacant common berthing mechanism port on Tranquility.

The plan for the final spacewalk is for Whitson and Pesquet to replace an avionics box on the starboard truss called an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier, a storage platform. The box houses electrical and command and data routing equipment for the science experiments and replacement hardware stored outside of the station. The new avionics box is scheduled to launch on the upcoming Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo spacecraft mission.

Spacewalkers have now spent a total of 1,236 hours and 38 minutes working outside the station during 198 spacewalks in support of assembly and maintenance of the orbiting laboratory.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

Spacewalker Thomas Pesquet took a selfie during a spacewalk on Jan. 13, 2017.

Two astronauts switched their spacesuits to battery power this morning at 7:24 a.m., EDT aboard the International Space Station to begin a spacewalk planned to last about six-and-a-half hours. Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) will further prepare the space station for commercial spacecraft dockings, as well as perform maintenance and inspection.

Watch the spacewalk on NASA TV and on the agencys website.

Kimbrough is designated extravehicular crewmember 1 (EV 1), wearing the suit bearing red stripes. Pesquet is designated extravehicular crewmember 2 (EV 2), wearing the suit with no stripes.

Follow @space_station on Twitter for updates. Learn more about the International Space Station online, including additional information about the current crew members.

Astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Shane Kimbrough are seen during a pre-breathe exercise before starting a spacewalk on Jan. 13, 2017.

Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) will venture outside the International Space Station for a six-and-a-half hour spacewalk Friday, March 24. The spacewalk will begin at 8 a.m. EDT, with complete coverage on NASA TV and the agencys website starting at 6:30 a.m.

The two astronauts will prepare the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3) for installation of the secondInternational Docking Adapter, which will accommodate commercial crew vehicle dockings.

Kimbrough and Pesquet will disconnect cables and electrical connections on PMA-3 to prepare for its robotic move Sunday, March 26. The PMA-3 provides the pressurized interface between the station modules and the docking adapter. PMA-3 will be moved from the port side of the Tranquility module to the space-facing side of the Harmony module, where it will become home for the docking adapter, which will be delivered on a future flight of a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. The spacewalkers also will install on the starboard zero truss a new computer relay box equipped with advanced software for the adapter.

The two astronauts will lubricate the latching end effector on the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator extension for theCanadarm2robotic arm, inspect a radiator valve suspected of a small ammonia leak and replace cameras on the Japanese segment of the outpost. Radiators are used to shed excess heat that builds up through normal space station operation.

This will be the 198th spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance. Kimbrough, who will embark on the fifth spacewalk of his career, will be wearing helmet camera #18. This will be the second spacewalk of Pesquets career, and he will be wearing helmet camera #20.

Follow @space_station on Twitter for updates. For more information about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

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Space Station - blogs.nasa.gov

Astronauts were conducting a routine spacewalk when they encountered a major problem that required evasive action.

It was supposed to be a triumphant moment for Astronaut Peggy Wilson as she completed a record-breaking spacewalk on the International Space Station, but it quickly turned into an emergency that required evasive action. A piece of cloth shielding suddenly went floating away, prompting Wilson to report the problem to Mission Control at NASA, who will need to monitor the piece in case it comes flying back toward the space station.

Its an important piece of shielding because it stops micrometeorite debris from damaging the ISS. It was one of four pieces that Whitson and Shane Kimbrough, the other astronaut working with her, had to install near the docking location on the space station. The three other shields were put in spots that protected the ISSs most vulnerable areas in that location.

Whitson was clearly frustrated by the mishap in her communications with Mission Control, according to media reports, but it doesnt change the fact that she is now the worlds oldest and most experienced woman in space with her eighth career spacewalk.

Here are some of the most recent statements from NASA describing the spacewalks.

Expedition 50 astronauts will conduct up to three spacewalks outside the International Space Station (ISS) in late March and early April to prepare for the future arrival of U.S. commercial crew spacecraft and upgrade station hardware. The first spacewalk remains on schedule for Friday, March 24. A second spacewalk has been rescheduled to Thursday, March 30, and a third spacewalk now is scheduled for Thursday, April 6.

NASA TV will provide complete coverage beginning each day at 6:30 a.m. EDT, with the six-and-a-half hour spacewalks scheduled to begin about 8 a.m.

The first spacewalk will prepare the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3) for installation of the second International Docking Adapter, which will accommodate commercial crew vehicle dockings. The PMA-3 provides the pressurized interface between the station modules and the docking adapter. Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) will disconnect cables and electrical connections on PMA-3 to prepare for its robotic move Sunday, March 26. PMA-3 will be moved from the port side of the Tranquility module to the space-facing side of the Harmony module, where it will become home for the docking adapter, which will be delivered on a future flight of a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. The spacewalkers also will install on the starboard zero truss a new computer relay box equipped with advanced software for the adapter.

The two spacewalkers will lubricate the latching end effector on the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator extension for the Canadarm2 robotic arm, inspect a radiator valve suspected of a small ammonia leak and replace cameras on the Japanese segment of the outpost. Radiators are used to shed excess heat that builds up through normal space station operation.

The second spacewalk will feature Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson of NASA reconnecting cables and electrical connections on PMA-3 at its new home on top Harmony. They also will install the second of the two upgraded computer relay boxes on the stations truss and install shields and covers on PMA-3 and the now-vacant common berthing mechanism port on Tranquility.

The final spacewalk will tentatively feature Whitson and Pesquet replacing an avionics box on the starboard truss called an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier, a storage platform. The box houses electrical and command and data routing equipment for the science experiments and replacement hardware stored outside of the station. The new avionics box is scheduled to launch on the upcoming Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo spacecraft mission.

This will be the 198th, 199th and 200th spacewalks in support of space station assembly and maintenance. Kimbroughs two spacewalks will be the fifth and sixth of his career. Whitson will be making the eighth and ninth spacewalks of her career more than any other female astronaut. Pesquet will undertake the second and third spacewalks in his career.

Students from Betsy Ross Elementary School in Anaheim, California, will speak with NASA astronauts living and working aboard the International Space Station at 11:40 a.m. EDT Monday, April 3. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agencys website.

Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson, both of NASA, will answer questions from students in several grades. Students at Betsy Ross Elementary School have been hard at work exploring the space program, NASA and the space station leading up to the downlink. They have conducted research through virtual field trips while also designing realistic models of the space station. With each engaging activity, the students knowledge of NASA and the space program has been greatly enhanced.

Kimbrough launched to the space station Oct. 19, 2016, and will return April 10. Whitson launched to the space station Nov. 17, 2016, and is scheduled to return to Earth later this spring.

Media interested in covering the event should contact Keith Sterling, director of communications & public information, Anaheim Elementary School District. Ross Elementary is at 535 S. Walnut Street in Anaheim.

Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student learning, performance and interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This in-flight education downlink is an integral component of NASA Educations STEM on Station activity, which provides a variety of space station resources and opportunities to students and educators.

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Big mishap hits International Space Station - Morning Ticker

Updated April 02, 2017 16:04:14

For one weekend only, children in Alice Springs have had the opportunity to try their hands at construction, using drills and other tools to make their very own space station.

The free event, called An Unsafe Adventure for Kids was organised by the local Scouts and took place on a vacant site in the heart of the town.

The event was a community affair with local businesses donating the wooden pallets and solar panels used to create the station.

Kids were encouraged, under the watchful eye of their parents, to build their own structures and get involved in risk-taking play, using tools and their imagination.

"One of the big problems today is people hurting themselves and others because they haven't dealt with risk before," project organiser and Scouts leader Eugene Blom said.

Mr Blom said luckily "Alice Springs is full of people who aren't helicopter parents".

In the space station adults were "droids" and did what they were told, but they were also programmed to stop "astronauts" from sawing their fingers off.

For parents, the weekend was an opportunity to get their kids off the couch and to bring risk back into their everyday life.

"Have fun with your kids. No screens! No internet! No wifi!" one parent said.

The event was a success, with more than 100 children and "droids" turning up with their tool belts.

"We get to use our imagination and just do whatever we want," one young participant said.

The project was also a recruitment drive for the local Scouts group, which is struggling to survive.

"They're on their last legs. We have five Scouts, we have 10 Cubs," Mr Blom said.

It was hoped the event would create community awareness about the kind of activities Scouts run and generate some interest in membership.

"If I wanted to put on an activity like this for Scouts I'd have 20 kids here, but I thought 'you know what the community's up for this'," he said.

Topics: play-and-learning, community-development, community-and-society, alice-springs-0870, nt

First posted April 02, 2017 15:52:00

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DIY space station encourages kids to use tools and imaginations - ABC Online

What do wounded veterans and astronauts have in common? Both could benefit from scientists that are researching a better way to regenerate bone tissue damaged by combat and long periods of time in the weightlessness of space.

Melissa Kacena, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Indiana Universitys School of Medicine, is leading a team studying whether a new treatment for stimulating bone growth is better than current options.

Theres a need to develop new bone-healing therapies that are safe and effective. Thats what my lab has been doing over the last several years, Kacena told Salon regarding a new patent-pending healing agent thats being tested on laboratory rodents and pigs.

If the treatment proves to be viable and safe it could someday be used to treat humans, including victims of car crashes, and be part of future astronauts medical kitsfor long-term space travel, where bone injuries are very likely to occur.

Research into the effects of the microgravity conditions at the International Space Station has concluded that humans lose a considerable amount of bone-mineral density in weightlessness. This phenomenon causes bones to become more brittle, increasing the chances of fractures in an environment where traditional hospitalization and physical therapy isnt an option.

Last week, bone samples from rodents that were administered the healing agent in orbit were shot back to earth from the International Space Station. The samples will give Kacena and a team from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command a better understanding of the effectiveness of the new bone healing agent. The research will also shed light on the biology behind re-growing tissue that could help create new treatment options for patients suffering from chronic non-healing wounds.

Salon spoke with Kacena recently about why some of her research on this project was done using lab rodents at the International Space Station.

Obviously, the question everybody wants answeredis will we be able to regrow lost limbs someday?

[Laughs.] I certainly hope that we can do that. Certainly there are lizards who can re-grow limbs, but its hard for humans. Its more about regenerating really injured limbs. I wouldnt say that were going to be starting from the hip and growing down to the toe. Thats a hard accomplishment. Im sure someday theyll be able to do that, just like they can grow organs.

Walk us through the research that youre doing.

So, my work is supported by the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense. The reason why theyre interested in this is that our military personnel from the Middle Eastern conflicts in the last couple of decades have sustained injuries to their extremities, to their legs and their arms. The armor is much better than it used to be and our responders are much better at dealing with our injured warriors, so a lot of them survive. If orthopedic surgeons are able to salvage the limb and not amputate it the patient needs a large-skeletal reconstruction.

To do this in most cases, surgeons need to use something called bone morphogenetic proteins, or BMPs, to help regenerate the bone tissue, because it wont regenerate on its own. There arent enough viable, live cells for that to occur, so you need something to stimulate them. BMPs have their pros and their cons, but in the last few years there has been some research that indicates that there is a potential of developing cancer with the utilization of the BMPs. Its a small chance, but still, people dont like to hear, I can help your bone but I might give you cancer.

How does doing some of the research at the International Space Station fit into this?

Were looking at how bone-healing occurs with the BMPs and [with] our bone-healing agent, and were looking at that on earth and in space. The reason why we care about looking at this in space is that a lot of drugs work great in animals but they dont work as well as we had hoped in humans. That may be because of the differences in physiology between the humans and the animals, but sometimes it may be because of the model thats being used to test the therapies. Thats what I think is happening here.

Take for example a soldier that has sustained a blast injury, or someone involved in a really bad car accident: If a large chunk of your femur, which is the thigh bone, or your tibia, which is your shin bone, is removed, youre not going to be walking; youre going to be on crutches or bed-ridden for a long time. With our wounded warriors, if youre talking about trying to salvage a limb from amputation, in some cases they could be looking at about six months of limited-to-no weight bearing, so no walking around on the limb.

I can take out almost half of a femur of a mouse and it will walk almost immediately after emerging from anesthetic. If you do any of these surgeries on mice, rats and pigs weve also been working with pigs because we are trying to translate this into the clinic, and for FDA approval you need to show the results in rodent as well as large mammal models these animals, as soon as they wake up from anesthetic, immediately start trying to walk around and they do walk around. We cant tell the mice not to do this, but if we put them in space they cant do this.

So you think the weightlessness of space better helps to see the effect of your bone-healing agent.

I think space flight is a better [testing] model. The reason why I say this is that we know that bone-healing and bone-regeneration are better when you bear weight. A therapy may look like its working well in an animal because its bearing weight which is contributing to the healing process. The human thats bed-ridden or on crutches wont be bearing weight and maybe the healing doesnt occur as well as it does in the animals that the healing is from the effect of the weight bearing and maybe not so much the drug. Thats one very critical thing about why were doing this in space.

This research seems to have two components: one for treating injury on earth and the other for treating the human body in space.

So, we need to understand better for the future astronauts, and potentially for the colonization of the Moon and Mars and so forth, how bone healing and regeneration occurs in space. Thats another important aspect. We know that humans lose about oneto threepercent of their bone-mineral density for each month that theyre in space. Somebody with severe osteoporosis loses about onepercent in a year. For a mission to Mars thats 36 months of possibly losing oneto threepercent per month. Right now astronauts tend to be in space for six months at a time. We dont know whether the loss would continue over the whole 36 months or whether it would plateau at some point, but certainly at this point it looks like it [the bone-mineral loss] continues at the same rate, at least through the six months that astronauts tend to be in space.

And theres little they can do for this?

They use drugs that help with osteoporosis here on earth and they use exercise, and the combination of the two is somewhat helpful, at least based on the data Ive seen on this, but it definitely not 100 percent preventative. Given that issue, there would be concern. Mars and the Moon both have partial gravity, so if you are in space flight for some long time where youre essentially in zero gravity, and thenyou go to a partial gravity environment and youve lost a whole bunch of bone, youre increasing your risk of fracturing while youre in space.

From what I have understood through conversations with different folks at NASA, there is concern because astronauts use their arms and hands in space to pull themselves to different places. It may be that instead of a hip fracture or spinal fracture, which are common with osteoporosis, it may be more arm- or hand-related fractures. We need to understand how you can help with fracture healing because you dont have access to hospitals like here on earth. They need to think about what kind of drugs to have in their medical kit to try to help with all of these different scenarios if youre going to be isolated in space for a long period of time.

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International Space Station research could lead to new bone-regeneration therapies - Salon

An artists conception shows the Deep Space Gateway in the vicinity of the moon, with an Orion crew vehicle nearby. (NASA Illustration)

President Donald Trump hasnt yet revealed his choice for NASA administrator, but the space agency is already shifting the focus of its exploration program to a way station known as the Deep Space Gateway.

The concept for a habitable platform in the vicinity of the moon, known as cislunar space, was fleshed out this week on NASAs website, andduring meetings of the NASA Advisory Council in Washington, D.C.

Payloads and astronauts could be sent to the gateway starting in the 2020s using the heavy-lift Space Launch System rocket and the Orion crew vehicle, both of which are still under development.

The gateway would be a crew-tended spaceport with a high-power electric propulsion system.

I envision different partners, both international and commercial, contributing to the gateway and using it in a variety of ways with a system that can move to different orbits to enable a variety of missions, said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASAs associate administrator for human exploration and operations. The gateway could move to support robotic or partner missions to the surface of the moon, or to a high lunar orbit to support missions departing from the gateway to other destinations in the solar system.

During the advisory councils sessions, Gerstenmaier said modules for the gateway would be sent to its assembly point in a series of SLS missions running through 2026, supplemented by commercial shipments.

A new type of reusable vehicle, known as the Deep Space Transport, would be developed for long-duration missions beyond the moon including trips to Mars. The transport would take advantage of electric as well as chemical propulsion, and could use the gateway as its home base.

Sometime in the late 2020s, the gateway and the transport vehicle would go through a yearlong shakedown cruise in the vicinity of the moon to validate the systems readiness for missions to Mars and other deep-space destinations.

The tentative timetable shared with the advisory council calls for the Mars trips to begin in the 2030s, which is consistent with NASAs previously announced exploration goals.

Gerstenmaieremphasized that the plan would incorporate contributions from partner organizations such as the European and Canadian space agencies, as well as commercial ventures.

Histimetable assumes that NASA will proceed with the development of a more powerful version of the SLS, known as Block 2.

The plan leaves room for the launch of NASAs Europa Clipper probe to an ice-covered moon of Jupiter in 2022. But it doesnt leave room for retrieving and studying a piece of an asteroid, as had been planned by the Obama administration. NASA has essentially acknowledged that the Asteroid Retrieval Mission is no longer in the cards, although the ARM program to work on solar electric propulsion will continue.

Gerstenmaier indicated that NASA was close to decidingwhether itll be feasible to put a crew on the first flight of the SLS, known as Exploration Mission 1 or EM-1. If the answer is yes, EM-1 is likely to be delayed from late 2018 to 2019 or 2020.

That flight would send an Orion vehicle on a nonstop round trip ranging far beyond the moon and back, by virtue of whats known as a free-return trajectory. The only question about EM-1 is whether NASA can justify the added cost and risk of putting a crew on board.

There are other, bigger questions about the overall plan: Does it mesh with President Donald Trumps dream to see American footprints on distant worlds? Will Congress go along with it? And will NASAs 15-year-plus timetable for journeys to Mars be outpaced by SpaceXs grander plan for Mars settlement?

Answers could start coming in the next few weeks, but those answers could be totally different a decade from now. Watch this cislunar space.

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After the International Space Station, NASA plans Deep Space ... - GeekWire

Artist's concept of NASA's "deep space gateway" in lunar orbit. This astronaut-tended outpost would serve as a stepping stone for crewed trips to Mars.

It looks like NASA's stepping-stone to Mars will be a miniature space station in lunar orbit rather than a chunk of captured asteroid.

The agency plans to build an astronaut-tended "deep space gateway" in orbit around the moon during the first few missions of the Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket and Orion crew capsule, which are scheduled to fly together for the first time in late 2018, NASA officials said.

"I envision different partners, both international and commercial, contributing to the gateway and using it in a variety of ways with a system that can move to different orbits to enable a variety of missions," William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C, said in a statement. [Red Planet orBust: 5 Crewed MarsMission Ideas]

"The gateway could move to support robotic or partner missions to the surface of the moon, or to a high lunar orbit to support missions departing from the gateway to other destinations in the solar system," Gerstenmaier added.

One of those "other destinations" is Mars. NASA is working to get astronauts to the vicinity of the Red Planet sometime in the 2030s, as directed by former President Barack Obama in 2010. For the last few years, the agency's envisioned "Journey to Mars" campaign has included the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), an effort to pluck a boulder from a near-Earth asteroid and drag the rock to lunar orbit, where it could be visited by astronauts aboard Orion.

But ARM's future looks bleak; President Donald Trump provided no money for the mission in his proposed 2018 federal budget, which the White House released earlier this month.

There's no mention of ARM in NASA's newly unveiled "gateway" plan, which outlines the basic architecture of a small, sometimes-staffed space station in lunar orbit.

"This deep space gateway would have a power bus, a small habitat to extend crew time, docking capability, an airlock, and [would be] serviced by logistics modules to enable research," NASA officials wrote in the same statement. "The propulsion system on the gateway mainly uses high-power electric propulsion for station-keeping and the ability to transfer among a family of orbits in the lunar vicinity."

Construction and initial use of the gateway would constitute phase one of NASA's crewed efforts in the vicinity of the moon, agency officials said. Phase two involves the completion of a reusable "deep-space transport spacecraft."

"This spacecraft would be a reusable vehicle that uses electric and chemical propulsion and would be specifically designed for crewed missions to destinations such as Mars," agency officials said. "The transport would take crew out to their destination [and] return them back to the gateway, where it can be serviced and sent out again."

If everything goes according to (the new) plan, phase two will wrap up at the end of the 2020s with a one-year mission near the moon, which will validate the ability of the gateway-transport system to operate for extended periods in deep space.

As currently envisioned, the first SLS-Orion flight known as Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) will be an uncrewed journey that makes its way to lunar orbit. However, NASA is considering putting astronauts aboard the flight a change that would likely delay the mission by at least a year.

The second mission, EM-2, is currently slated to send astronauts around the moon. It could launch as early as 2021. After EM-2, NASA aims to begin launching SLS-Orion missions once every year, NASA officials said.

The Orion capsule already has one space mission under its belt. In December 2014, the spacecraft launched atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket on an uncrewed test flight to Earth orbit.

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