Category Archives: Space Travel

The race to commercial space flight has well and truly started, with more than 85 companies and organizations seeking a future in interplanetary tourism. Yet some researchers worry we might be getting ahead of ourselves.

Before travel outside of Earth becomes a regular event, the world needs to implement some basic biosecurity measures, they warn. Otherwise, we could start receiving unwelcome alien visitors.

If a foreign organism manages to hitch a ride back to our planet on one of our spacecrafts, it could wreak havoc on Earth's equilibrium.

The chance of that actually happening is improbable, especially since we haven't yet found life outside of Earth. But given how bad it could get, it's a reality some think we should prepare for.

A more likely scenario would be a human tourist carrying an Earthly organism to space, and that's also a significant risk.

In space-like conditions, studies have shown some microbes can undergo rapid genetic mutations. After growing a thousand generations of Escherichia coli in micro-gravity conditions, for instance, researchers found the harmful bacteria grew even more competitive, acquiring antibiotic resistance.

If that resistant strain is then carried back to Earth, it could seriously threaten human life.

"Risks that have low probability of occurrence, but have the potential for extreme consequences, are at the heart of biosecurity management," says invasion biologist Phill Cassey from the University of Adelaide in Australia.

"Because when things go wrong, they go really wrong."

The international Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) has put together a Panel on Planetary Protection, but no current member has expertise in invasion science.

Invasion biologists in Australia think that's a serious oversight. They say we need more sophisticated protocols to prevent biological contamination from extraterrestrial environments to Earth and vice versa.

"Given the enormous foundation of research in the science and management of invasive species," the biologistswrite, "we contend that greater collaboration between invasion biologists and astrobiologists would enhance existing international protocols for planetary biosecurityboth for Earth and for extraterrestrial bodies that could contain life."

Because right now, it seems our biosecurity protocols are failing us.

When an Israeli spacecraft crashed into the Moon in 2019, for instance, it dumped dehydrated tardigrades onto the surface, which could possibly still be alive.

Even more worrisome, bacterial strains with signs of extreme resistance have also been isolated in NASA "clean rooms" where employees assemble spacecraft.If these dangerous microbes hitchhike into space, there's a chance they could grow even more virulent in microgravity.

Stopping that from happening in the first place is much easier than trying to tackle mutating organisms once they make it to, say, Mars.

Even then, however, some experts think it might be nearly impossible keeping Earthly microbes here on Earth. Everywhere else humans have gone, we've inevitably taken organisms with us.

Space, invasion scientists warn, is merely "the next frontier of biosecurity risk".

The study was published in BioScience.

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Alien Pathogens Could 'Hitchhike' to Earth - And We're Totally Unprepared, Experts Warn - ScienceAlert

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For decades, anybody searching forthe "taste" of the Apollo moon program could reach for those little packets of freeze-dried ice cream that were createdto bring America's first astronauts some ersatz comfortfood on their journey to the lunar surface.

Now with travel to Mars on the horizon,the time has comefor space ice cream to step aside and make room for the flavor of new era of planetary travel: tomato ketchup, the "Marz Edition."

Heinz, acompany synonymous with ketchup, successfully funded and collaborated with biologists at Florida Tech's Aldrin Space Instituteto grow tomatoes in Mars-like conditions here on the Space Coast to show once and for allthat even on faraway worlds humanscan have the perfect condiment.

The experimentis the first of its kind. It actually produced a single bottle of ketchup that was unveiled onMonday at Heinz HQ in Pittsburgh, PA.

With the help of 14 graduate and undergraduate students,AndrewPalmer,associateprofessor of biological sciences at Florida Tech, grew 450 tomato plants in regolith, the loose unconsolidated rock and dust that coverplanets like Mars.

Replay:SpaceX Crew-3 launch from Kennedy Space Center

Photos: NASA / SpaceX Crew-3 launch from Kennedy Space Center

Heinz was certainly proudof the accomplishment that took two years to complete.

"The team successfully yielded a crop of Heinz tomatoes, from the brand's proprietary tomato seeds, with the exacting qualities that pass the rigorous quality and taste standards to become its iconic ketchup," the company said in a statement last week.

While Heinz was no plans to sell any of its Marz Edition ketchup just yet, the project represents more than just space-age, pop-culture marketing. There was serious science behind it with implications for life on earth as well ason the red planet as scientists look to grow food in poor soils.

Before now, most efforts around discovering ways to grow in Martian-simulated conditions are short-term plant growth studies. What this project has done is look at long-term food harvesting," said Palmer in a news release from Heinz.

One of the biggest hurdles with producing food on Mars, Palmer said,is the difference betweenEarth and Martian soil. According to Palmer, the key difference is that Martian soil isn't really soil. Regolith "doesn't have any organic matter, so there's nothing alive...so there's not a lot of organic material there," said Palmer.

To mimic Martian regolith, the team used 7,800 pounds of soil from the Mohave Desert aterracotta-coloredgrit that is similar to Martian regolith, according to a statement released by the Florida Institute of Technology. Though the regolithis dry and fine, the team found that it didn't require more water to sustain the plants than it would have with normal soil.

The tomatoes grewin a greenhouse at Florida Techs Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovative Design in Palm Bay referred to as the "Red House." Temperatures at the Red Housefluctuatedbetween 73 and 83 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on if it was nighttime or daytime, Palmer said.

Space Coast: COVID-19 vaccines for ages 5 through 11 now available in Brevard County

The tomatoes produced under these conditions were held to high standards, said Palmer. Heinz has "Tomato Masters" who inspect the quality of the tomatoes grown to ensure that they meet professional food-grade standards.

When Palmer and his team tried the tomatoes, he said they tasted like tomatoes grown from normal soil. "For me the biggest thing was smell...They have very strong like tomatoquality smell to them,"Palmer said.

The two-year partnership started with an email that Palmer initially thought was a prank.However, after a second read-through, Palmer realized Heinz was interested in partnering with his lab to cultivateMartian tomatoes, said Palmer.

Heinz was most certainly crowing about the achievement.

"Were so excited that our team of experts has been able to grow tomatoes in conditions found on another planet and share our creation with the world. From analyzing the soil from Martian conditions two years ago to harvesting now, its been a journey thats proved wherever we end up, HEINZ Tomato Ketchup will still be enjoyed for generations to come," Cristina Kenz, chief growth officer for Kraft Heinz International Zone, said.

Though the project is now over, the research has cross-planetaryimplications.

Hall of Fame: Pamela Melroy, Scott Kelly and Michael Lopez-Alegria inducted into U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame

Palmer's team documented every part of the process: fertilizer used, details of the water used, and temperatures. The information is crucial for trying to duplicate the experimenton Mars. But Palmer said that theinformation would also benefitagricultural systems here on earth.

"As we think about sustainable agriculture here, the same concerns about inputs need to be considered here, right?So as we develop modern agriculture, someof you know our green revolution that we're trying to generate now, part of that is knowing exactly how much fertilizer you're using and optimizing that so that you don't get run off right.So that you don't have wasted fertilizerthat pollutes our lakes or lagoons," said Palmer.

Though the results from the project were fruitful, Palmer said thatit'll be a while before astronauts will be planting food on Mars.

"We're making more and more progress. I think this is an important component of that. But...what I hope really is the most important thing from this, is it draws attention back to the field and gets people really thinking more about funding this research and the importance of this research in planning for that," said Palmer.

Amira Sweilem is the Data Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY.Contact Sweilemat 386-406-5648orasweilem@floridatoday.com.

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Florida Tech and Heinz collaborate to grow space tomatoes for 'Marz Edition' ketchup - Florida Today

WhenSuzanne Asbury-Olivers father received a Fathers Day gift of a ride in a sailplane, he naturally took Suzanne with him. Upon landing, her father proclaimed his love of flying and enthusiastically asked when Suzanne could begin takinglessons. She began flying gliders at 14, and first soloed when she wasjust 15 years old. By the time she was 18,Asbury-Oliverhad her powered-aircraft instrument rating, commercial certificate, flight instructor,and instrument-flight instructor certificates, as well as a multiengine rating. She had become an aviation professional.

Asbury-Oliversearched for a way she could do what she loved, fly, and make a living. At the start of the1980sthe major airlines were in trouble and there was little opportunity for public aviation careers. When she saw an advertisement put out by Pepsi-Cola for a skywriter,Asbury-Oliverfirst thought it would be impossible to get the job. But she realized there probably wasnt anyone more qualified,so sheinquired about the position and was promptly putina plane with the current Pepsi skywriter.Asbury-Oliverwas almost instantly successful and worked withpilot JackStrayer for a year before heretiredand she became head skywriter. Suzanne and her husband, Steven Oliver, became Americas only husband and wife professional skywriting and aerobatic team.

Skywriting is not only a time-honored advertising tradition, but one of the most exciting and influential forms of advertisement.Though it is rarely used today, skywritingisvery impressive and effective.The Pepsi-Cola company has used the skywriting advertising technique since 1932, and it is perhaps the only company that still employs skywriting today.

Asbury-Oliver has been skywriting messages across the skies above the United States and Canada for Pepsi since 1980. From the open cockpit of the famous 1929 Travel Air biplane, the PepsiSkyWriter, Oliver created thousands of letters 3,048 meters (10,000 feet) above the earth for Pepsi Cola. While she has logged over 5,500 flying hours, her personal favoritesarethose spent inthe TravelAir.She remarked about the planethat,I fell in love with the open cockpit flying. Most pilots stare out at the sky through two layers of dirty Plexiglas, but in the open cockpit plane, there is just the sky, the wind, the cold, the ground, and me. Touring North America from coast to coast,Asbury-Oliver, now flying a modified De Havilland Chipmunk, skywrites over 500 messages in more than 150 locations each year. She remains the only professional female skywriter in the world.

This content was migrated from an earlier online exhibit,Women in Aviation and Space History, which shared the stories of the women featured in theMuseum inearly 2000s.

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Skywriting Your Name in History: Suzanne Asbury-Oliver - National Air and Space Museum

After almost three years in development, were thrilled to announce that Heavenly Bodies will be launching on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on December 7, 2021. Weve been working hard to make this game everything wed imagined, and we cant wait to share it with you. Our new gameplay trailer below hints at some of the varied, alluring and often ridiculous scenarios youll find yourselves in, whether playing solo or with a space pal via local co-op.

Previously, weve written about how the game feels to play and what youll be doing out there in space. To celebrate the game being so close to release, we thought wed dive into the reference that inspired us and how Heavenly Bodies came to look the way it does.

The games visual style is influenced by mid-century technical illustrations, archival imagery of early space flight exploration and cutaway drawings that allow the viewer to see detailed structures. Our goal has been to create something that appears more like an artists interpretation of space rather than striving for realism. The work of Soviet architect and designer Galina Balashova and NASA collaborator illustrator Russ Arasmith has been vital in informing our visual language.

Image credit: Artwork by Russ Arasmith, Date Unknown. NASA

To reproduce this bold, graphical and analogue aesthetic, we first analysed what it was that we needed to effectively reproduce in an interactive, real-time context. The key features we wanted to include were:

high contrast between highlights, mid-tones and shadows with little blending in between;

the ability to replicate illustrative techniques such as hatching and stippling;

grain that feels relative to the scale of the objects in the scene;

ability to control the roughness of an object;

texture support for hand painted details.

The results of our initial experiments are below, and we felt they were an early step in the right direction.

Once wed encapsulated these properties in real-time 3d on smaller objects, we were keen to apply them to larger, playable environments.

Our main considerations in translating this style across to Heavenly Bodies were:

prioritising the playable space and interactive objects over unnecessary detail or clutter;

using colour to highlight essential items and different interaction types;

preferencing analogue technology and large forms that communicate their operation.

Heres a look at the scenario Data in the game, where you can see all of these elements coming together.

The information required to complete the task at hand is delivered from Mission Control via the Communications Terminal in every level. This information arrives as a paper printout which is then added to the Operations Manual carried by the player.

The Operations Manual is informed by NASA handbooks and checklists issued to astronauts for quick reference in stressful situations, of which there are plenty in the game. Preferencing analogue technology over digital, modern and sci-fi is an underlying direction for the game. Below are some early concepts for the clunky Communications Terminal, followed by an example of the materials they dispense in the level Energy.

Throughout the game weve hidden a bunch of special collectable items for players to find and send back to Mission Control to be placed proudly on display. These collectables are our nod to significant achievements in space history, such as Sputnik, the first satellite put into orbit, and the Voyager Golden Record that blasted through the cosmos containing the sounds of our universe, and more, which well leave for you to discover.

The artwork for the PlayStation trophies are our way of acknowledging the efforts of our brave cosmonauts, commemorating their efforts in the form of a physical artefact for players to collect and reflect oncreating their own history of memorable events. Vintage space memorabilia, including stamps, matchboxes, pins and badges, were integral sources of reference, so making our own set of assets felt like a great way to pay tribute to a past era of space exploration.

Our love of historical space illustration extends to every corner of Heavenly Bodies, and weve aimed to capture the magic of mid-century graphic illustration wherever possible. For us, this era embodies the early romanticism and optimism of space travel. While loosely set in the late 60s, early 70s, weve adapted events and technologies from later decades to create the kinds of scenarios we want players to experience, and we hope you enjoy it.See you in orbit! Heavenly Bodies releases for PS4 and PS5 on December 7, 2021 you can wishlist the game here.

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Inside the art design of Heavenly Bodies, launching December 7 - PlayStation.Blog

Nasa has shared its vision for human space exploration in the future in a new sci-fi video.

The minute-long Visions of the Future short shows holiday destinations booked through the Exoplanet Travel Bureau, such as the Moon, and Mars.

Venus has a futuristic observation deck looking like an ice cream cone with a large glass come over it while Enceladus, one of Saturns moons, is orbited by a metal bubble with a family inside gazing at the ringed planet.

Another astronaut kayaks on one of Saturns other moons, Titan, and yet another skydives into the exoplanetHD 40307 g, which was discovered to be a potential super-Earth that could have a life-supporting climate and even water.

The video was inspired by a series of travel posters created by Nasas Jet Propulsion Lab, with the agency sharing a series of behind-the-scenes shots showing the before-and-after of green screen technology.

Human exploration of other planets has seemingly become a closer reality with the development of private space travel, although many have criticised the billionaires responsible for failing to help those struggling on Earth or tackle climate change.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said that he plans to send the first craft to Mars by 2022, with humans following in the next four to six years.

Id say six years from now, highly confident [that humans will travel to Mars]. If we get lucky, maybe four years, and then were going to try and send an uncrewed vehicle there in two years, he said in December 2020.

Im mostly concerned with developing the technology that can enable a lot of people to go to Mars and make life multi-planetary, have a base on the moon, a city on Mars, and I think its important that we strive to have a self-sustaining city on Mars as soon as possible.

The billionaire believes that terraforming -blasting the planet with nuclear weapons at its poles to cause the ice caps to melt and induce accelerated warming will be a key component to live on other planets.

Life in glass domes at first. Eventually, terraformed to support life, like Earth, he said.

However, the path to another world will not be easy. "A bunch of people will probably die in the beginning", he said candidly in an interview in April 2021. Even if humans do get to Mars the battle between these corporations and Earth governments to develop Martian laws will be intense, and unlikely to be resolved quickly.

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Nasa reveals the future of space travel in incredible sci-fi video - The Independent

NASA has shared a video imagining the whimsical future of human space travel. Created by NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center, the brief visual envisions what the planets would look like as faraway vacation destinations arranged through the fictional Exoplanet Travel Bureau.

On Mars, a parent and their child watch as a rocket takes off from the dusty red ground. Meanwhile, on Venus, people gather enclosed with a clear dome.

Beyond merely the immediate planets, NASA depicts what it would be like to hang out on Enceladus or kayak through the waters of Titan, both of which are moons of Saturn.

The videos description explained that it was inspired by a series of travel posters produced by NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Goddard Centers Chris Smith used green screens and computer graphics to render the vivid scenes.

While the only place besides Earth where humans have stood is the Moon, NASA reminded viewers that plans for the first visit to Mars are well underway.

In other tech news, Activision Blizzard fired 20 employees as part of an ongoing investigation into harassment claims.

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NASA Envisions the Future of Human Space Travel in a Colorful Video - HYPEBEAST

When Sina Bahram shifted into weightlessness for the first time on Sunday, he could feel the air brushing past his skin as his body began to float into the air. As someone whod longed to be an astronaut since he was four years old, hed been waiting many years to have this exact feeling.

I knew it would be a joyous experience just because I looked forward to it for many decades of my life, but the visceral nature of that joy wasnt brought home until you actually experience it, Bahram, a computer scientist who runs Prime Access Consulting, tells The Verge. It is truly indescribable.

Bahram got to perceive free fall for the first time onboard a specially outfitted plane operated by the Zero-G Corporation, a company that provides parabolic flights that mimic the feeling of being weightless in space. He experienced the moment using his senses of touch, sound, smell, and taste but not sight. Bahram has been legally blind for most of his life, something that effectively bars him from flying to space with NASA.

But now, having experienced weightlessness himself, hes more confident than ever that his disability should not be a barrier to space travel. Even when youre feeling completely out of control because everything you know about the world from your entire lifespan is no longer true, in terms of gravity down being down; up being up even with all of those removed, there was never a sense of uncertainty or danger, says Bahram.

Bahram was one of 12 people with a disability to experience weightlessness on Sunday, October 17th, during a parabolic flight, which took off from Long Beach, California. It was the first flight of its kind, arranged by a non-profit called Mission: AstroAccess, which has the stated goal of flying one or more of these flyers called ambassadors to space in the years ahead.

Its a goal that would certainly shake up the current model for who is allowed to fly to space. To become a NASA astronaut, for instance, a candidate must be in excellent health and has to undergo a stringent physical to be considered for the program. NASA astronauts used to need 20/20 vision, though the space agency now allows individuals who wear glasses or who have had surgical procedures to correct their vision to 20/20. But NASA will not consider individuals who are blind, and any other major medical disabilities related to deafness or mobility will automatically disqualify someone from the application process.

However, human spaceflight is in the midst of a major transformation. For one thing, its not just NASAs game anymore. Numerous private companies have sprung up in the last few decades aiming to send humans to various parts of space. Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin have both developed suborbital vehicles that are designed to take paying customers to the edge of space and back so that flyers can experience a brief glimpse of Earth from above. Meanwhile, SpaceX has started flying people to low Earth orbit on its new Crew Dragon spacecraft. While the company built the vehicle primarily to carry NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station, SpaceX recently flew a crew of four civilians to orbit on the vehicle during a private three-day mission. One of those passengers, Hayley Arceneaux, had an internal prosthesis in her leg something that would have disqualified her from flying as a NASA astronaut.

Recently, the European Space Agency announced plans to select an astronaut with a physical disability through its Parastronaut Feasibility Project. With more opportunities than ever for non-NASA astronauts to fly to space, Mission: AstroAccess is striving for people with disabilities to be included in future missions suborbital or orbital. Ultimately, AstroAccess wants to know how the physical space inside a spacecraft might be updated so that people with sight, sound, and mobility disabilities might be able to work and thrive in a space environment.

Before that happens, though, AstroAccess wanted to give people with disabilities the opportunity to simply experience weightlessness. A crew of 12 were selected from a pool of applicants from all over the world to fly aboard the Zero-G Corporations Boeing 727. The belly of the plane is mostly gutted and padded to provide plenty of room to float around as the pilot steers the vehicle on a series of peaks and valleys to simulate weightlessness.

Once the crew had been selected, they were grouped into teams. One group, which included Bahram, had people with varying degrees of limited vision. Another group had astronauts with varying levels of deafness. And a third group had those with limited mobility people who either use prostheses or wheelchairs to move. Together the teams came up with different types of research and experiments they wanted to conduct during the flight. Bahram and his group decided to bring Braile displays to see how they fared in weightlessness, as well as tactile sensors to help determine the direction and orientation of the plane.

Not all of their experiments panned out, Azubuike Zuby Onwuta, who is also legally blind, tells The Verge. We brought on certain tools to help us conduct sound experiments, but then the roar of the engine drowned those tools that emitted sound, said Onwuta, a US Army veteran and disability advocate who trained at Harvard-MIT.

For Viktoria Modesta, one of her biggest tasks ahead of the flight was coming up with the designs for the flight suits, which had to be tailored very specifically for each individual. Opting for black material with plenty of zippers and pockets, Modesta made sure each suit was crafted very specifically with each wearer in mind.

A lot of customization was done to peoples flight suits, specifically with openings, pockets, extra straps, and different ways of helping their body function in zero gravity, Modesta, a singer and performance artist who had her left leg amputated below the knee years after an accident at birth, tells The Verge. Having such highly tailored suits became critical for some of the mobility crew to have the best possible experience. For instance, one of the ambassadors had a suit with special straps that held his legs together, which made it easier to focus on maneuvering through the space. And when some of the mobility crew found themselves floating, it was the first time in years that they could move around without the use of their chair.

Each experience was different for each ambassador, and now Mission: AstroAccess has plenty of new data to help suggest what kind of accessibility-related changes should be incorporated in future spacecraft. That might include directional fabrics on the walls, for instance, to help those with limited vision determine their orientation. Bahram argues that making these kinds of updates is not just about being inclusive but also about making flights safer for every astronaut. He cited one instance in which astronaut Chris Hadfield went temporarily blind during a spacewalk when cleaning solution squirted into his eye.

That is a failure of the system, Bahram says. There is no reason whatsoever that that should have been as dangerous as it was. It was because NASA has not considered persons with disabilities as viable candidates. That could have been a complete non-issue.

With more accessible tools, all astronauts from the able-bodied ones to those with disabilities might have more options to remain safe during an emergency scenario. And it starts with designing a space with all types of bodies in mind.

Its one of these things where this level of ableism has been built into our society, and we need to understand that it is our environments that are disabling, not individuals that are disabled, Bahram says.

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The mission to break barriers to space travel for people with disabilities - The Verge

As more people travel into space, Johns Hopkins Medicine experts expect more physicians will see patients with space travel-related pain.

Although most back pain in space disappears on its own, space travelers are at higher risk for sciatica a form of back pain that can radiate down the legs.

Humans can grow up to 3 inches in space as the spine adapts to microgravity.

Stress, trauma and changes in nutrition likely contribute to back pain developed during space travel.

Newswise With growing numbers of humans venturing into space, experts predict an increase in the number of people experiencing the physical toll of such travel, including highly common forms of back pain.

The prediction comes in a new report by researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine, published in the September issue of Anesthesiology, based on a comprehensive review of past studies measuring the effects of space travel on the spine, and exploring methods to prevent, diagnose, and treat back pain. The scientists say further study among astronauts of these methods including specialized suits and certain exercises may provide insights for treating back pain in the estimated 80% of Earth-bound people who experience some form of it over their lifetimes.

Steven Cohen, M.D., professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins and a retired Army colonel. Perhaps more importantly, insight into back pain in space travelers may provide usable information to treat back pain in other populations.

An Aching Back: A Common Low Gravity-Related Pain

According to the review, past studies of astronauts have shown that 52% of space travelers report some form of back pain in the first two to five days of space travel. That figure is based on a retrospective study of 722 space flights worldwide published in Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance in 2012. The condition is now dubbed space adaptation back pain, and although 86% of cases were mild, the pain was enough to hinder an astronauts ability to complete tasks.

In addition to the studies among astronauts, a study from the University of Innsbruck in Austria showed that nearly half of military helicopter pilots and crewmembers who experience fluctuating gravitational forces report low back pain. The pilots are almost three times more likely to develop lumbar (lower back) disc herniation an injury to the soft connective cushioning in the spine compared with the general population. Astronauts are more than four times as likely to herniate a disc, according to a NASA study in 2010, and the risk was even higher in the first year after returning to Earth.

The Spine Changes in Space

Penchev says the high prevalence of back pain among these groups is understandable because the human spine is built to support our bodies under the gravitational forces experienced on Earth. One prominent feature is the spinal curvature an S-shaped bend in the spine that allows it to resist gravity, remain flexible and absorb weight and impact. However, in microgravity, this curve is reduced. Some of the earliest data from space explorations, say the researchers, showed astronauts grew over 3 inches in space due to the loss of this curve. More recent studies using MRI scans showed modern-day astronauts have a reduced curve in their spine.

If reduced gravity allows this curvature to straighten, says Radostin Penchev, M.D., resident physician at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, this not only could be a cause of acute pain in astronauts, but also could affect the stability of their spine when they return to earth.

Preventing and Treating Astronauts Back Pain

In their review of past studies, the researchers said that along with microgravitys stresses, other contributors to back pain in space include the intense physical experience of riding in a rocket and a change in dietary habits that could alter nutritional levels in the body and impact tissue health and healing.

Throughout the Space Age, the researchers say resistance exercises such as isometrics, squats, lunges and bench pressing have been a mainstay of back pain prevention, and space stations are equipped with exercise machines and other resistance training tools.

Science fiction has popularized the spinning space station that uses centrifugal force to mimic gravity, says Penchev. A more realistic and perhaps better alternative, he adds, are specialized suits that provide spinal resistance similar to that experienced under Earths gravity.

The experience is similar to donning rubber bands from the shoulders to hips to help activate the muscle groups that keep us standing upright on Earth, say the researchers. The Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance study of 722 space flights showed that the use of such a resistance suit along with exercise regimens relieved space-adaptation back pain in 85% of subjects. However, some astronauts complain these suits are uncomfortable and impair their range of motion.

Other methods to prevent back pain among astronauts mentioned by the researchers include massage, nutritional supplementation to increase vitamin D and caloric intake, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, and negative pressure devices, all paired with resistance exercise.

To combat the intense vibrations and speed of riding rockets into space, Cohen, Penchev and their team believe that engineering space vehicles to improve impact protection for the flight crew and align the forces of acceleration and impact with human anatomy could reduce the number of astronauts experiencing long-term back pain or injury.

Other researchers who authored the review include Richard Scheuring of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Johnson Space Center; Adam Soto of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the Tripler Army Medical Center; Derek Miletich of the Naval Medical Center San Diego; and Eric Kerstman of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Johnson Space Center and the University of Texas.

This work was supported by the departments of anesthesiology and physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and by the U.S. Department of Defense.

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Back Pain Common Among Astronauts Offers Treatment Insights for the Earth-Bound - Newswise

Thats not to say it could never happen, though, Nelson said.

If we discover in the next century that an asteroid is inbound for Earth an asteroid that would not only blow up Earth or change it like an asteroid did when the dinosaurs lived and wiped out the dinosaurs [DART] is the way of avoiding that catastrophe, Nelson said. Thats all going on right now.

Nelsons comments were part of a wide-ranging discussion on the politics of space that included a question-and-answer session with UVA students.

Nelson addressed, among many topics, space relations with China; the timetable for landing on Mars; partisanship as it relates to space; future affordability of space travel; and possible medical and scientific benefits that might be found in space.

Nelson, who in 1986 flew on the 24th space shuttle flight, also addressed criticism of spending on space instead of addressing problems on Earth. My critics would like me to take a space flight again theyd like me to go to Mars on a one-way trip, he said, smiling.

Nelson said that one of the main objectives of trying to get to Mars and other planets is the search for extraterrestrial life.

Students asked Nelson about the mysterious sightings from pilots that have been the subject of news reports, including one from 60 Minutes.

Ive talked to those pilots and they know they saw something, and their radars locked on to it, Nelson said. And they dont know what is. And we dont know what it is. We hope its not an adversary here on Earth that has that kind of technology. But its something. And so this is a mission that were constantly looking, Who is out there? Who are we? How did we get here? How did we become as we are? How did we develop? How did we civilize? And are those same conditions out there in a universe that has billions of other suns and billions of other galaxies? Its so large I cant conceive it.

Now there are even theories that there might be other universes, Nelson added. And if thats the case, who am I to say planet Earth is the only location of a life form that is civilized and organized like ours?

Of course, no space discussion would be complete without touching on a hot-button topic: Nelson was asked by a student if he preferred Star Wars or Star Trek.

I like them both, said Nelson, smiling.

Nelson said both productions came along at the perfect time, just as the country was really excited about space.

If you think back to the original Star Trek, that was a very diverse crew, Nelson said. They had Lt. [Nyota] Uhura, an African American, and the actress Nichelle Nichols, and they had an Asian American that was part of that crew.

That was role-modeling way back even before Apollo. Now were bringing all that into reality with the Artemis generation, added Nelson, alluding to NASAs initiative to put the first woman on the moon, along with the next man, by 2024.

The hourlong interview can be seen in its entirety here.

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Space Jam: Former Senator Talks Aliens, Asteroids and 'Star Trek' With Larry Sabato - UVA Today

Temperature is a key factor in decomposition. On the Moon, for example, temperatures can range from 120C to -170C. Bodies could therefore show signs of heat-induced change or freezing damage

A representational image of an astronaut in space. Shutterstock

As space travel for recreational purposes is becoming a very real possibility, there could come a time when we are travelling to other planets for holidays, or perhaps even to live. Commercial space company Blue Origin has already started sendingpaying customerson sub-orbital flights. And Elon Musk hopes to start abase on Marswith his firm SpaceX.

This means we need to start thinking about what it will be like to live in space but also what will happen if someone dies there.

After death here on Earth the human body progresses through a number of stages of decomposition. These were described as early as 1247 in Song CisThe Washing Away of Wrongs, essentially the first forensic science handbook.

First the blood stops flowing and begins to pool as a result of gravity, a process known as livor mortis. Then the body cools to algor mortis, and the muscles stiffen due to uncontrolled build-up of calcium in the muscle fibres. This is the state of rigor mortis. Next enzymes, proteins which speed up chemical reactions, break down cell walls releasing their contents.

These decomposition processes are the intrinsic factors, but there are also external factors which influence the process of decomposition, including temperature, insect activity, burying or wrapping a body, and the presence of fire or water.

Mummification, the desiccation or drying out of the body, occurs in dry conditions which can be hot or cold.

In damp environments without oxygen, adipocere formation can occur, where the water can cause the breakdown of fats into a waxy material through the process of hydrolysis. This waxy coating can act as a barrier on top of the skin to protect and preserve it.

But in most cases, the soft tissues will ultimately disappear to reveal the skeleton. These hard tissues are much more resilient and can survive for thousands of years.

Halting decompositionSo, what about death in the final frontier?

Well, the different gravity seen on other planets will certainly impact the livor mortis stage, and the lack of gravity while floating in space would mean that blood would not pool.

Inside a spacesuit, rigor mortis would still occur since it is the result of the cessation of bodily functions. And bacteria from the gut would still devour the soft tissues. But these bacteria need oxygen to function properly and so limited supplies of air would significantly slow down the process.

Microbes from the soil also help decomposition, and so any planetary environment that inhibits microbial action, such as extreme dryness, improves the chances of soft tissue preserving.

Decomposition in conditions so different from the Earths environment means that external factors would be more complicated, such as with the skeleton. When we are alive, bone is a living material comprising both organic materials like blood vessels and collagen, and inorganic materials in a crystal structure.

Normally, the organic component will decompose, and so the skeletons we see in museums are mostly the inorganic remnants. But in very acidic soils, which we may find on other planets, the reverse can happen and the inorganic component can disappear leaving only the soft tissues.

On Earth the decomposition of human remains forms part of a balanced ecosystem where nutrients are recycled by living organisms, such as insects, microbes and even plants. Environments on different planets will not have evolved to make use of our bodies in the same efficient way. Insects and scavenging animals are not present on other planets in our system.

But the dry desert-like conditions of Mars might mean that the soft tissues dry out, and perhaps the windblown sediment would erode and damage the skeleton in a way that we see here on Earth.

Temperature is also a key factor in decomposition. On the Moon, for example,temperatures can range from 120C to -170C. Bodies could therefore show signs of heat-induced change or freezing damage.

But I think it is likely that remains would still appear human as the full process of decomposition that we see here on Earth would not occur. Our bodies would be the aliens in space. Perhaps we would need to find a new form of funerary practice, which does not involve the high energy requirements of cremation or the digging of graves in a harsh inhospitable environment.

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As space travel picks up pace its time to explore what may happen to our bodies if we die there - Firstpost