Monthly Archives: October 2019

An Israeli start-up has successfully cultured lab-grown meat in spacethe first time this has been achieved.

In a proof-of-concept experiment, Aleph Farmin collaboration with partners 3D Bioprinting Solutions, Meal Source Technologies and Finless Foodsproduced the meat aboard the International Space Space Station, which orbits the Earth at an average altitude of about 250 miles.

The latest method, which requires less resources than traditional animal farming,could potentially be used in future to produce food on long space missions, according to the company. They also say that the technique could have important implications for cultivating lab grown meat on Earth.

"In space, we don't have 10,000 or 15,000 liters (3,962 gallons) of water available to produce one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of beef," Didier Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms, said in a statement.

"This joint experiment marks a significant first step toward achieving our vision to ensure food security for generations to come, while preserving our natural resources," he said.

To create the cultivated beef steaks, Aleph Farms devised a method which mimics the natural process of tissue regeneration inside a cow's body.

The company harvested cow cells on Earth before launching them to the ISS. In the Russian segment of the space station, astronauts then created small-scale muscle tissue from the cells using a 3D bioprinter in the microgravity conditions.

The company say the experiment demonstrates that this cell cultivation process can generate food using minimal resources.

"This cutting-edge research in some of the most extreme environments imaginable, serves as an essential growth indicator of sustainable food production methods that don't exacerbate land waste, water waste, and pollution," the company said in a statement. "These methods are aimed at feeding the rapidly growing population, predicted to reach 10 billion individuals by 2050."

Recent scientific research has highlighted how traditional animal farming is a significant driver of climate change, and that cutting down on meat and dairy products is one of the best ways for individuals to curb their carbon footprint.

Lab-grown meat has been touted as one potential way to help mitigate the environmental impact of the animal farming industry as demand for meat rises around the world. At the moment no true lab-cultivated meat products are commercially available, however, this situation could change in the next few years as technology improves.

"The mission of providing access to high-quality nutrition anytime, anywhere in a sustainable way is an increasing challenge for all humans," Jonathan Berger, CEO of The Kitchen, said in a statement. "On Earth or up above, we count on innovators like Aleph Farms to take the initiative to provide solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems, such as the climate crisis."

In December 2018, Aleph Farms announced that it had produced the world's first lab-grown steak with a muscle-like texture, although they admitted at the time that the taste needed work.

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Lab-grown Meat Produced in Space for First Time Aboard International Space Station - Newsweek

As I write these words, an originally clear weather forecast for this week has changed to a possibly very cloudy one. It all depends on whether a developing coastal low gets stuck and bedevils us for several days.

Despite this newer weather forecast, Im going to remain optimistic and tell you about two fine passes of the International Space Station scheduled for us tonight and especially Wednesday night. Our other topics today include the Hunters Moon this coming Sunday and a touch of Halleys Comet meteors two Mondays from now.

Tuesday and Wedneday nights good space station passes. Lets hope we at least get breaks in the clouds during evening twilight tonight and Wednesday night. If so, well get views of the ISS the International Space Station from here in South Jersey.

Tonights pass is most interesting when the ISS is on the verge of passing into Earths shadow. At 8:02 p.m. tonight, look for a point of light brighter than any other, partway up the south sky. At 8:03:55 p.m. it is not greatly far to the right of the moon when suddenly in just a few seconds it will fade completely from view. What has happened is that the ISS, more than 200 miles above Earths surface, has finally entered into Earths shadow a few hundred miles southeast of Bermuda.

Wednesday nights ISS pass is brighter, higher in the sky, and goes closer to the moon in our sky. It does occur much earlier in twilight. But around 7:13 p.m. you should see the ISS weather permitting climbing from out of the northwest sky. The brilliant point of the ISS appears virtually overhead for people in South Jersey as it passes approximately over Delaware Bay and near the bright star Vega. The space station fades somewhat as it heads down the southeast sky but is still prominent at 7:16:20 p.m. as it passes not far left of the big moon. The ISS fades into the earths shadow over the Atlantic a few hundred miles from North Carolina at 7:17:51 p.m.

Suppose the sky is overcast either? You can get a highly detailed simulated view of what it would look like from the space station itself as it passes by us. Just go to heavens-above.com and click on the feature ISS Interactive 3-D visualization. And whether you see the ISS in the sky or on a devices screen, just remember: this is a space station with solar panels that stretch across a span similar to that of two football fields all traveling more than 17,000 mph with human beings on board.

Hunters Moon: The most famous moon is Harvest Moon the full moon closest to autumn equinox, the start of autumn. But the next full moon has some of the same qualities including sometimes looking like a big orange-gold pumpkin as it rises around sunset. This moon, which usually happens in October, is called Hunters Moon. This year, the exact moment of full moon occurs at 5:08 p.m. on Oct. 12 this coming Sunday. Thats actually before moonrise here in New Jersey but dont worry: the Hunters Moon will look as round and fully lit as could be when it rises for us around sunset that day. And it will look that way all night long in fact, look almost full even the night before and after.

Can you see a Halleys C omet meteor? If the night of Oct. 21 to 22 is clear, scan the sky from around 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. for shooting stars from the east meteors from the Orionid meteor shower. The 40% lit moon rises right after that hour and so may hinder us seeing some of the larger number of Orionids youd normally expect from the southeast around 2 a.m. and from the south around 4 a.m. If, however, you see even just one of these Orionid meteors, youre seeing a very special bit of space rock burning high in our atmosphere. Why special? Because the Orionids are pieces of dust and rock released at past returns of the famous Halleys Comet.

Fred Schaaf is a local author and astronomer. He can be reached at: fschaaf@aol.com.

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Catch a quick glance of the International Space Station in the South Jersey sky - Press of Atlantic City

Learning how everyday things work in space, such as how to effectively brush teeth or how hair grows, is intriguing, but knowledge of how medical research translates from Earth's surface to above its atmosphere is limited.

A new alliance between the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory aims to drive the progress of regenerative medicine research in microgravity environments specifically, aboard the ISS.

The questionis What can we do in space that we can't do on Earth that makes a difference?" said William Wagner, director of the McGowan Institute. "That's a pretty exciting question, because it's currently unanswered; we don't know what the key value of microgravity is. I think when we find that, we can attract investment, we're going to begin to identify what the most promising technology is."

The ISS National Laboratory and the McGowan Institute will collaborate with partners from industry as well as other academic research centers and government agencies to drive the progress of regenerative medicine research aboard the ISS. As part of this alliance, Pitt will develop facilities on campus to advance research and meet with potential partners, while working in coordination with the ISS National Laboratory on flight opportunities to the orbiting laboratory. The program will focus on microgravity life sciences research and development, with a line of sight toward products and services for clinical application on Earth.

"What has to happen now is knowing how we can leverage research into a treatment or technology that someone will invest in because it will replace the current way we do things here on Earth," Wagner said. "We are very enthusiastic about this, because we believe the time is right to move from the observational to the more practical, moving things toward commercialization. One of the things we're going to try to do is give industry the best and brightest research in our country, not just at Pitt, but other universities as well, to pitch different concepts and partner with those concepts to help develop them."

An example of this research in action could include exploiting the unique behavior of stem cells in microgravity in order to improve cell-based therapies for a variety of diseases and impairments, such as traumatic brain injury and type I diabetes. Similarly, microgravity could allow 3D printers to create complex tissue structures that are difficult to achieve in the presence of full gravity.

This alliance a core element of the ISS National Laboratory Industrial Biomedicine Program was unveiled at the 8th annual ISS Research and Development Conference held in Atlanta earlier this year.

University leaders are optimistic this alliance will be the next big step in space research and commercialization.

The McGowan Institute has built on its deep history advancing the development of artificial organs to establish a position of internationally recognized leadership in regenerative medicine, said Rob A. Rutenbar, senior vice chancellor for research at Pitt. The ISS National Laboratory will benefit from that deep expertise, as well as our commitment to rapid clinical translation.

The products of the Industrial Biomedicine Program will help build the fundamental business case for the industrialization of crewed platforms in low Earth orbit. In future alliances, the ISS National Laboratory will work with companies and research partners who seek to find solutions to common problems on Earth through space-based experimentation on the ISS National Laboratory.

The ISS National Laboratory is proud to announce this alliance with Pitt and McGowan in order to develop biomedical products in space that could benefit human health on Earth, said ISS National Laboratory Chief Strategy Officer Richard Leach. Part of the role of the ISS National Laboratory is to create and implement innovative strategies to enhance the research capacity of the orbiting laboratory, and we believe alliances like this will pave the way for future collaborations to advance the discoveries of space-based science.

More details about the alliance are available on the ISS National Laboratorys website.

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Exploring Regenerative Medicine in Microgravity Aboard the International Space Station - UPJ Athletics

The National Science Foundation Division of Chemical, Bioengineering and Environmental Transport (CBET) in the Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) is partnering with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) to solicit research projects under NSF 20-501, in the general field of fluid dynamics, particulate and multiphase processes, combustion and fire systems, thermal transport processes, and nanoscale interactions that can utilize the International Space Station (ISS) National Lab to conduct research that will benefit life on Earth. Only U.S. entities including academic investigators, non-profit independent research laboratories and academic-commercial teams are eligible to apply.

Please note that while the proposal deadline window is open until March 2020, the final deadline for submitting the required feasibility review form to NSF is January 10, 2020*. Please see the full announcement for additional details.

*If you are interesting in applying for this funding opportunity, please start a routing sheet as soon as possible. As a reminder, proposals must be completed and submitted to OSRP no later than January 8, 2020 for submission to the sponsor. If you should have any questions, please contact OSRP.

Originally posted here:
NSF/CASIS Collaboration on Transport Phenomena Research on the International Space Station (ISS) to Benefit Life on Earth - IIT Today

A fire protection products company in the Fort Wayne area has collaborated with a Reston, Virginia-based science and technology company to supply the International Space Station with lithium-ion Battery Fire Containment Bags.

Spencerville-based Brimstone Fire Protection partnered with Leidos on the project for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, according to a prepared statement.

Leidos had NASAs ISS Vehicle Office and Johnson Space Center Battery Group cargo mission contract to develop a safe new packing product for lithium-ion batteries stored on the space station and teamed up with Brimstone for that.

Their new product was brought aboard the space station the last weekend of September.

NASA safety standards previously relied on extensive pre-flight screening of lithium-ion batteries and storage constraints once they were on board the space station.

But, the ISS has seen an influx of new, smaller payload providers, each using their own type of battery packs to power the equipment they are transporting there for experiments, the statement said.

This created a need for a standardized battery packaging product for NASAs Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, it said.

NASA, Leidos and Brimstone started an extensive process early this year of designing, then testing, packaging made specifically for battery storage in space.

A detailed series of frequent, repeated tests on Brimstones Fire Containment Bags, which started early this year, showed when used with an insulating wrap they prevented thermal runaway into other bags touching them.

This meets all the criteria for the envisioned NASA implementation, including size, materials, accessibility, packing density, and cost, the statement said.

Daniel Barineau, a Leidos senior project manager who has supported ISS and Space Shuttle hardware development projects for 30 years, praised Brimstone and its leadership for rapid delivery and frequent consultation, which included offering historical expertise on the development of the battery stowage bags.

I have had the chance to work with many subcontractors and suppliers. In all those years, I have never come across a company that was as responsive, customer focused, and easy to work with as Brimstone, he said.

They have modified their off-the-shelf designs to meet our needs and have shown a willingness to go above and beyond to make our efforts a success under a compressed schedule.

Recreational vehicle manufacturers, suppliers and dealers celebrated the opening of the newly renovated, 18,000-square-foot RV Technical Institute facility in Elkhart last month.

A grand opening for the facility there at 3333 Middlebury St. took place Sept. 23. Visitors had a chance to see its new office space, student lounge, seven classrooms and 10,000-square-foot bay area with RVs for hand-on training as well as component parts lesson areas.

Our dedicated staff have created a visionary, forward-thinking program designed to solve our industry-wide need for trained technicians, Curt Hemmeler, executive director for the institute, said in a statement.

Today marks the first step on that journey as we officially open our doors and invite students into our new facility to become trained technicians, expand on their existing education and launch the program to regional partners across the country.

The RV Industry Associations board approved a comprehensive strategic plan and a multi-million-dollar investment in the institute a couple of years ago to boost RV owner satisfaction and strengthen repeat business.

I believe in our new model for technician training and the impact increased tech training will have on the entire industry, Matt Miller, the institutes chairman, said in the statement.

This initiative will help close the skills gap, draw new talent into the growing RV industry, retain existing RV techs and ultimately create a better experience for our customers, the RV consumer, said Miller, who also is president of the luxury motor coach manufacturer, Newmar Corp.

The institutes strategic plan called for it to address the industrys trained technician shortage and establish metrics to track the RV customer experience with a goal of reducing repair event cycle times. The statement said it has received broad industry support.

We now have a standard, a uniform process for training, testing and certification that will be incorporated at a national level through a vast network of regional partners, Craig Kirby, the associations interim president, said in the statement.

Curt came into the process with a vision that combines both his business acumen and his experience within the education and training world. Curt will also tell you that as someone who got his start in the Air Force as a technician, at heart, he is still a tech himself, Kirby said.

Thinking like a technician allows Curt to view the Institutes mission through this lens, developing a program that includes improving the career path so we can better recruit and retain technicians across the country.

The association established the institute with a $5 million investment, which was matched by Go RVing, a consumer outreach campaign it manages with the RV Dealers Association.

Comcast Corp. is increasing broadband speeds for a most of its Indiana customers, who are on some of its most popular Xfinity Internet packages.

The Philadelphia-based provider of broadband, Cable TV and internet phone services started the upgrades late last month. It said it was increasing its Performance tier to 100 megabits per second from 60 Mbps, Blast! to 200 from 150, Extreme to 300 from 250 and Extreme Pro to 600 from 400.

Close to 85% of the companys Indiana customers are on one of the plans scheduled for the faster speeds and the upgrades will take place whether customers are buying Xfinity Internet as part of a package or on a stand-alone basis, the company said in a statement.

Comcast increased speeds for its Blast! and Extreme Indiana subscribers last year, and during the past two years its Indiana customers have seen speeds increase more than 50% on average, it said.

The increases are designed to keep pace with growing demand for high-capacity, extremely fast connections capable of handling an explosion of smart home devices with features requiring Internet access.

Comcast has doubled its fiber miles and quadrupled its network capacity to bring gigabit speeds to more homes than any other internet service provider during the past four years, it said.

Were not only delivering the broadband speed and capacity that customers need to run more sophisticated home networks, were setting the bar for coverage and control, too, Tim Collins, regional senior vice president for Comcast Indiana, said in the statement.

Modern homes require fast Internet, wall-to-wall Wi-Fi, and a way to manage the connectivity needs of the entire household. With xFi, were giving our Internet customers the tools to manage the growing number of connected devices, apps and technologies in their homes.

Customers who lease a gateway from the company will receive the upgrade without needing to reset their modems for it, the statement said.

The company recommends subscribers with their own modems check online to see if they will need a new one to handle the faster speeds.

Jason West of Digital Watchdog was scheduled to speak at the next meeting of the Networking Information Technology Associations Fort Wayne chapter.

West was to speak on internet protocol-based security trends and best practices to help protect employees and assets during the meeting scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Oct. 4 at Catablu, 6372 W. Jefferson Blvd. in Fort Wayne.

With a video security career of more than 15 years, West has helped design and install those types of systems for a variety of industrial, commercial, education, retail and residential customers.

In addition to creating safe environments, he works to design systems that are easy to use and are capable of providing court admissible evidence quickly.

For the rest of this year and next year, the local chapter of NITA said it plans to meet on the first Friday instead of the first Thursday of each month.

The Fort Wayne Inventors Club has scheduled its next meeting for 7 p.m. Oct. 10 at TekVenture, 1550 Griffin St. in Fort Wayne.

The group, formed to advance invention in the region, requires no dues or fees and asks only that individuals come to its meetings with a curious mind, desire to learn and a willingness to help fellow inventors.

More information about it is available from http://www.fortwayneinventorsclub.org or by contacting Dave Gross, president and CEO of Collision Control Communications.

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Brimstone battery bags on board Space Station - FW Business