ALL HAIL THE SPACE SKULL OF HALLOWEEN

The Body’s Price on Space Exploration

It can be easy to get wrapped up in the dollar amount when talking about the price of sending humans to Mars but there is a factor that no amount of government or private funding can overcome: the human body.

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NASA Wants Deep Space Habitat Ideas

How will humans live on Mars? Well, NASA’s not really sure yet, but if you’ve got any ideas you can submit them now. The agency has just put out a call for proposals for “deep space habitation prototypes.”

from NASA’s press release:

NASA is soliciting proposals for the development of prototypes for deep space habitats that will give astronauts a place to call home during long-duration missions supporting the agency’s Journey to Mars.

You Can Now Access All Of NASA’s Research Online For Free

Geeks and wannabe astronauts rejoice – NASA has announced they’re making all their research publicly available on a new online portal.

The new site PubSpace will put up any research or data that NASA has funded within one year of publication. That also includes any peer-reviewed scholarly journals and papers, which are often barred by paywalls.

“At NASA, we are celebrating this opportunity to extend access to our extensive portfolio of scientific and technical publications,” NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman said in a press release. “Through open access and innovation we invite the global community to join us in exploring Earth, air and space.”

The pledge is in light of the government’s request to make science agencies more transparent and accessible. NASA hopes this increased public access accelerates the spread of information, fosters interest, and ultimately advances scientific knowledge.

The European Union recently said they also hope to make all of their scientific research free and accessible by 2020.

“Making our research data easier to access will greatly magnify the impact of our research,” said NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan. “As scientists and engineers, we work by building upon a foundation laid by others.”

You can check it all out here: https://www.nihms.nih.gov/db/sub.cgi

~ IFL Science

Why Sequencing DNA in Space is a Big Deal

… And How You Can Talk to the Scientists Who Made It Happen

Less than one month ago, DNA had never been sequenced in space. As of today, more than one billion base pairs of DNA have been sequenced aboard the International Space Station, Earth’s only orbiting laboratory. The ability to sequence the DNA of living organisms in space opens a whole new world of scientific and medical possibilities. Scientists consider it a game changer. 

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, who has a background in genomics, conducted the sequencing on the space station as part of the Biomolecule Sequencer investigation. A small, commercial, off-the-shelf device called MinION (min-EYE-ON), manufactured by Oxford Nanopore Technologies in the UK, was used to sequence the DNA of bacteria, a virus and rodents. Human DNA was not sequenced, and there are no immediate plans to sequence human DNA in space. 

(Image Credit: Oxford Nanopore Technologies)

The MinION is about the size of a candy bar, and plugs into a laptop or tablet via USB connection, which also provides power to the device. The tiny, plug and play sequencer is diminutive compared to the large microwave-sized sequencers used on Earth, and uses much less power. Unlike other terrestrial instruments whose sequencing run times can take days, this device’s data is available in near real time; analysis can begin within 10-15 minutes from the application of the sample.

Having real-time analysis capabilities aboard the space station could allow crews to identify microbes, diagnose infectious disease and collect genomic and genetic data concerning crew health, without having to wait long periods of time to return samples to Earth and await ground-based analysis.

The first DNA sequencing was conducted on Aug. 26, and on Sept. 14, Rubins and the team of scientists back at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston hit the one-billionth-base-pairs-of-DNA-sequenced mark.

Have more questions about how the Biomolecule Sequencer works, or how it could benefit Earth or further space exploration? Ask the team of scientists behind the investigation, who will be  available for questions during a Reddit Ask Me Anything on /r/science on Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. EDT. 

The participants are:

Dr. Aaron Burton, NASA Johnson Space Center, Planetary Scientist and Principal Investigator

Dr. Sarah Castro-Wallace, NASA Johnson Space Center, Microbiologist and Project Manager

Dr. David J. Smith, NASA Ames Research Center, Microbiologist

Dr. Mark Lupisella, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Systems Engineer

Dr. Jason P. Dworkin, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Astrobiologist

Dr. Christopher E. Mason, Weill Cornell Medicine Dept. of Physiology and Biophysics, Associate Professor

When Japan began to rebuild after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, artist Manabu Ikeda started a massive pen & ink piece. He worked 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, for 3.5 years before finishing ‘Rebirth’, a 13x10 foot drawing of a tree rising from chaos and ruin. Source Source 2

Unfollow me if you wish, but this blog will NEVER support Trump and instead supports the LGBT community, racial minorities, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, Muslims, Jewish people, and anyone else who is afraid now. I am with you, and this will always be a safe space for you.

Moral of the story:

Don’t fuck with the scientists and park rangers.

They largely consider themselves above politics.

The Republicans have awakened a sleeping giant.

China's colossal radio telescope begins testing - BBC News

The world's largest radio telescope has received its first signals from space and is now entering an intensive testing phase.

Fantastic success story for the astronomy community of China, congratulations!