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DNA Tech, Life Science Top Science Schedule as Station Boosts Orbit
November 13, 2024
Wednesday’s research schedule aboard the International Space Station was packed with DNA-like nanomaterials, ultrasound scans, and a variety of advanced science hardware maintenance.
The Expedition 72 crew also continued its ongoing life support and systems servicing ensuring the upkeep of the orbital outpost.
NASA Flight Engineers Suni Williams and Nick Hague continued exploring manufacturing DNA-like nanomaterials to develop therapies and treat space-caused and Earthbound conditions on Wednesday.
The duo processed and imaged messenger RNA (mRNA) samples in the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox to evaluate their quality in space.
The results will be compared to Earth-developed samples testing the hypothesis that space-manufacturing will create superior vaccines, regenerative medicine, and more.
NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore kicked off the DNA therapy manufacturing experiment by relocating a laptop computer to support the biotechnology study.
Afterward, Wilmore replaced hardware and experiment samples inside the Combustion Integrated Rack continuing a study that observes how solid fuels burn in microgravity potentially increasing spacecraft fire safety.
NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit spent most of his day transferring biology hardware from an incubator to a glovebox located inside Kibo to study the effects of space-caused inflammation.
Following that, the four-time space station visitor spent the rest of the afternoon on orbital plumbing tasks in the Tranquility module.
Roscosmos Flight Engineers Ivan Vagner and Aleksandr Gorbunov scanned their stomachs with an ultrasound device after breakfast on Wednesday.
The cosmonauts were exploring how the digestive system adapts to the long-term weightless environment aboard the orbital outpost.
Vagner and Gorbunov later joined Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin and checked the Zvezda service module’s telerobotically operated rendezvous system, or TORU, that can be used to control Roscosmos spaceships from the station.
Finally, Ovchinin and Vagner tested ways to improve communications with international crews and flight controllers while Gorbunov checked thermal sensors inside the Zarya module.
The International Space Station is orbiting higher today after the Progress 89 cargo craft docked to the rear port of Zvezda fired its thrusters for over 31 minutes.
The orbital reboost places the station at the correct altitude for the Progress 90 resupply mission planned to launch next week after the departure of the Progress 88 cargo craft.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2024/11/13/dna-tech-life-science-top-science-schedule-as-station-boosts-orbit/
NASA Data Helps International Community Prepare for Sea Level Rise
Nov 13, 2024
The information will help people who live in coastal areas prepare for impacts caused by rising sea levels.
Earth’s ocean is rising, disrupting livelihoods and infrastructure in coastal communities around the world.
Agencies and organizations are working to prepare people as their world changes around them, and NASA information is helping these efforts.
The agency’s global data is now available in the sea level section of the Earth Information Center.
NASA developed the global sea level change website in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense, the World Bank, the U.S. Department of State, and the United Nations Development Programme.
The site includes information on projected sea level rise through the year 2150 for coastlines around the world, as well as estimates of how much flooding a coastal community or region can expect to see in the next 30 years.
The projections come from data collected by NASA and its partners and from computer models of ice sheets and the ocean, as well as the latest sea level assessment from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and other sources.
“NASA innovates for the benefit of humanity.
Our cutting-edge instruments and data-driven information tools help communities and organizations respond to natural hazards and extreme weather, and inform critical coastal infrastructure planning decisions,” said Karen St. Germain, director of the Earth science division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Information to Action
International organizations such as the World Bank will use the data from the global sea level change site for tasks including the creation of Climate Risk Profiles for countries especially vulnerable to sea level rise.
The Defense Department will continue to incorporate sea level rise data into its plans to anticipate and respond to hazards posed to its facilities by the effects of rising oceans.
Similarly, the State Department uses the information for activities ranging from disaster preparedness to long-term adaptation planning to supporting partners around the world in related efforts.
“We are at a moment of truth in our fight against the climate crisis. The science is unequivocal and must serve as the bedrock upon which decision-making is built.
With many communities around the world already facing severe impacts from sea-level rise, this new resource provides a vital tool to help them protect lives and livelihoods.
It also illustrates what is at stake between a 1.5-degree-Celsius world and a current-policies trajectory for all coastal communities worldwide,” said Assistant Secretary-General Selwin Hart, special adviser to the United Nations secretary-general on climate action and just transition.
Rising Faster
NASA-led data analyses have revealed that between 1970 and 2023, 96% of countries with coastlines have experienced sea level rise.
The rate of that global rise has also accelerated, more than doubling from 0.08 inches (0.21 centimeters) per year in 1993 to about 0.18 inches (0.45 centimeters) per year in 2023.
As the rate of sea level rise increases, millions of people could face the related effects sooner than previously projected, including larger storm surges, more saltwater intrusion into groundwater, and additional high-tide flood days — also known as nuisance floods or sunny day floods.
“This new platform shows the timing of future floods and the magnitude of rising waters in all coastal countries worldwide, connecting science and physics to impacts on people’s livelihoods and safety,” said Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, director of the ocean physics program at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Data released earlier this year found that Pacific Island nations will experience at least 6 inches (15 centimeters) of sea level rise in the next 30 years.
The number of high-tide flood days will increase by an order of magnitude for nearly all Pacific Island nations by the 2050s.
“The data is clear: Sea levels are rising around the world, and they’re rising faster and faster,” said Ben Hamlington, a sea level researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and head of the agency’s sea level change science team.
“Having the best information to make decisions about how to plan for rising seas is more crucial than ever.”
https://www.nasa.gov/earth/oceans/nasa-data-helps-international-community-prepare-for-sea-level-rise/
NASA Administrator to Visit, Sign Agreement with Peru’s Space Agency
Nov 13, 2024
Continuing his engagement to deepen international collaboration and promote the peaceful use of space, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson will travel to Lima on Wednesday.
Nelson will meet with Maj. Gen. Roberto Melgar Sheen, director of Peru’s National Commission for Aerospace Research and Development (CONIDA) Thursday, Nov. 14, and sign a non-binding memorandum of understanding to enhance space cooperation.
The memorandum of understanding between NASA and CONIDA will include safety training, a joint feasibility study for a potential sounding rockets campaign, and technical assistance for CONIDA on sounding rocket launches.
Nelson will discuss the importance of international partnerships and collaboration in space and celebrate Peru’s signing of the Artemis Accords earlier this year.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-administrator-to-visit-sign-agreement-with-perus-space-agency/
NASA Welcomes Denmark as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory
Nov 13, 2024
Following a signing ceremony Wednesday in Denmark’s capital city, Copenhagen, NASA embraced Denmark as the 48th nation to commit to the safe and responsible exploration of space that benefits humanity.
“We welcome Denmark’s signing of the Artemis Accords today,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
“Denmark, as a founding member of the European Space Agency (ESA), has contributed to space exploration for decades, including collaborating with NASA on Mars exploration. Denmark’s signing of the Artemis Accords will further international cooperation and the peaceful exploration of space.”
Christina Egelund, minister of higher education and science, signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of Denmark.
Alan Leventhal, U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark also participated in the ceremony, and Nelson contributed recorded remarks.
“With the Artemis program, the United States is leading the way back to the moon, and Denmark wants to strengthen the strategic partnership with the United States and other partners for the benefit of both science and industry,” said Egelund.
“The signing of the Accords is in line with the Danish government’s upcoming strategy for space research and innovation.
As part of the strategy, Denmark seeks to strengthen ties with our allies such as the United States.
Space holds great potential, and we want – in cooperation with other countries – to advance scientific breakthroughs and influence the development and use of the space sector in the future.”
In 2020, the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, and seven other initial signatory nations established the Artemis Accords, identifying a set of principles promoting the beneficial use of space for humanity.
The Artemis Accords are grounded in the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements including the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices and norms of responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.
The commitments to the Artemis Accords and efforts by the signatories to advance implementation of these principles support the safe and sustainable exploration of space.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-welcomes-denmark-as-newest-artemis-accords-signatory/
https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords/
New Stem Cell Data From Space
14-Nov-2024 10:45 AM EST
Cedars-Sinai investigators are one step closer to manufacturing stem cells in space, which could speed up the development of new medical therapies on Earth.
The first published data from the experiments conducted on a private space mission appeared in the peer-reviewed Nature portfolio journal NPJ Microgravity.
By introducing DNA into mature adult cells, scientists can reprogram them into a type of stem cell called induced pluripotent stem cells. They can then turn the cells into other cell types.
This process has been used for years to manufacture or replicate large numbers of cells for research and the development of new disease treatments.
Previous studies have found that when grown under microgravity, the near-weightlessness found in space, stem cells function differently.
The lack of gravity could speed up cell manufacturing, said Arun Sharma, PhD, research scientist in the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, research professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and the Smidt Heart Institute and co-senior author of the study.
“Our goal has been to understand and harness those differences to more effectively and efficiently produce stem cells in a way that’s impossible on Earth,” Sharma said.
“Cedars-Sinai is now the first to successfully introduce DNA into human induced pluripotent stem cells in space, establishing the foundation for our next step toward large-scale manufacturing of stem cells in space.”
The experiments took place aboard Axiom Mission 2, Axiom Space’s second astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
“We are pleased to be partnering with the Cedars-Sinai team on this NASA-funded in-space manufacturing program, leveraging microgravity to establish production of stem cell therapies,” said Pinar Mesci, PhD, global head of Regenerative Medicine & Disease Modeling at Axiom Space.
“This publication is an important step toward demonstration of how human pluripotent stem cells can be cultured, transfected and grown in low-Earth orbit using commercial, off-the-shelf terrestrial hardware that will accelerate research and discovery as well as in-space manufacturing.”
During the mission, cells that had been frozen for transport were thawed and transferred into cell culture dishes by specially trained astronauts.
Among them was Rayyanah Barnawi of the Saudi Space Agency, the first Saudi and female astronaut, first Arab woman in space, and a co-author of the study.
“Among the technical challenges associated with doing this kind of work in space was the challenge of keeping the cells in their dishes,” Sharma said.
“On Earth, if we want to change the nutrients in a dish, we simply open the lid. In microgravity, if you open a lid, everything will escape.
On this mission, we discovered that the surface tension of the fluid in 96-well plates commonly used in labs was enough to hold the cells in place in microgravity, meaning we didn’t need custom equipment for these experiments.”
Investigators on Earth, including lead study author and project scientist Maedeh Mozneb, PhD, performed identical experiments so that the two sets of cells could be compared.
One surprise from space: The cells arranged themselves into three-dimensional spheres, rather than lying flat in a dish as they would on Earth.
“That was a very exciting surprise,” Sharma said. “We weren’t intending to grow the cells in three dimensions. The cells did that on their own.
This makes sense, because in the microgravity found in space, things float around, and the cells floated and arranged themselves into spheres.”
This has made investigators think about the next step in the process of stem cell manufacturing, and how this new discovery might be used.
“We’ve since completed additional missions directed at making human induced pluripotent stem cells entirely in microgravity,” said Clive Svendsen, PhD, executive director of the Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, professor of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai, and co-senior author of the study.
“These studies are ongoing and we hope will ultimately advance stem cell technology by providing a unique type of stem cell—one made in space.”
https://www.newswise.com/articles/new-stem-cell-data-from-space
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41526-024-00435-y
Sierra Space and DoE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory Revolutionizing Thermal Protection for a New Generation of Commercial Space Transportation Vehicles
November 14, 2024 10:00 AM
Sierra Space, a leading commercial space company and defense tech prime that is Building a Platform in Space to Benefit Life on Earth®, announced today a groundbreaking new technology in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The breakthrough development enables exterior spacecraft tiles that can withstand the high temperatures of re-entering Earth’s atmosphere over multiple, frequent missions.
This new Thermal Protection System (TPS) was created to meet the needs of a commercial space industry that is moving at a faster pace than previous generations of spaceflight, and now requires more missions over shorter periods of time.
The team at Sierra Space and Oak Ridge National Laboratory leveraged more than three decades of experience with NASA’s Space Shuttle program to design the new system.
In the past, exterior tiles used on the Space Shuttle were only needed for an average of five missions per year.
As we enter the second quarter of the 21st century, increased launch frequency means that heat-protection designs for spacecraft must be stronger.
Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser® spaceplane, for instance, is built for a minimum of 15 missions and is contracted with NASA for space station resupply missions with a nine-month reprocessing time.
“Today marks a new era of spaceflight safety technology, and it’s going to enable travel to Low Earth Orbit that will eventually rival the frequency of commercial air travel,” said Sierra Space CEO, Tom Vice.
“Our patent-pending Thermal Protection System is like nothing ever before created and essential to a near future where space travel becomes routine.
Reusability of space vehicles is a key factor in expanding the commercial space industry and to do that we need new technology to keep spacecraft and crew safe.”
The TPS tiles are made of a proprietary composite material that’s as strong as carbon fiber but with the added high-temperature stability of ceramic materials.
The composite tiles have low-density thermal protection properties that are vital for insulative protection and stable flight dynamics.
Atmospheric re-entry exposes spacecraft to speeds of more than Mach 17 (About 13,000 mph or 21,000 kph) with temperatures reaching higher than 3,100 degrees Fahrenheit (1,704 degrees Celsius).
“Every kid when they’re growing up dreams of being involved in spaceflight in one way or another,” said Greg Larsen, ORNL’s group leader for extreme material environment processes.
“To make a new material technology that has the potential to go to space over and over while advancing the U.S. space program is a real thrill.
This is a great example of ORNL’s focus on collaborating with industry by applying our deep materials development expertise to real-world industry challenges.”
Sierra Space and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have completed the first development phase of the patent-pending TPS.
The next phase includes more testing, which includes subjecting the tiles to testing at NASA’s Arc Jet plasma facility, which simulates the conditions of re-entry to Earth from space with heated gas flow.
The second phase also explores using advanced manufacturing techniques to lower the costs of TPS production.
The new TPS system is planned to be used on Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser moving forward, including the second Dream Chaser, called Reverence™, which is currently in production at the company’s Dream Factory in Colorado.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241114858692/en/Sierra-Space-and-DoE%E2%80%99s-Oak-Ridge-National-Laboratory-Revolutionizing-Thermal-Protection-for-a-New-Generation-of-Commercial-Space-Transportation-Vehicles
101st Air and Space Operations Group welcomes new commander
11.13.2024
U.S. Air Force Col. Kevin Slaughter took command of the 101st Air and Space Operations Group during an assumption of command ceremony held here on November 12, 2024.
During the ceremony, an age-old military tradition of passing of flags symbolized the leadership change as Slaughter assumed command of the 101st AOG. U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Richard Coffey, Assistant Adjutant General – Air, and Commander, Florida Air National Guard, presided over the ceremony.
Prior to becoming the 101st AOG commander, Slaughter served as the chief of the Air Mobility Division, and as a Chief of Combat Operations on the 601st Air Operations Center’s (AOC) operation floor.
“I am deeply honored and grateful for this opportunity to lead what I believe is the finest group of men and women in today's military,” said Slaughter.
“The men and women of the AOG are the heart of America’s AOC, and I look forward to serving you in the role as commander.”
The 101st AOG is a Florida Air National Guard unit that provides forces to the 601st AOC to fulfill its critical mission of defending the homeland. The 101st AOG was officially activated July 1, 2009.
The 601st AOC is responsible for detecting, deterring, defending and if necessary, defeating any aviation threat to the citizens of the continental United States and to U.S. critical infrastructure.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/485272/101st-air-and-space-operations-group-welcomes-new-commander
Scientists discover the world’s largest coral — so big it can be seen from space
Updated 8:37 AM EST, Thu November 14, 2024
It’s more than 100 feet long, at least 300 years old and visible from space. The world’s largest coral has just been discovered in the southwest Pacific Ocean, scientists announced Wednesday.
The mega coral was spotted during a scientific expedition launched by the National Geographic Pristine Seas program in October to study ocean health in the Solomon Islands.
It’s three times larger than the previous record-breaker in American Samoa, according to Pristine Seas, and longer than a blue whale, the planet’s biggest animal.
Unlike a reef, which consists of many colonies, this coral is a single specimen that has grown continuously for centuries.
“Just when we think there is nothing left to discover on planet Earth, we find a massive coral made of nearly 1 billion little polyps, pulsing with life,” said Enric Sala, National Geographic explorer in residence and founder of Pristine Seas.
The coral looks like a huge, undulating brown rock from above. Some on the expedition even initially mistook it for a shipwreck.
Marine biologist and underwater cinematographer Manu San FĂ©lix dived down to look.
“In the first second I realized that I was looking at something unique,” he said. It’s “close to the size of a cathedral.”
Scientists later checked satellite images and found the coral is so colossal, it was possible to see it from space.
Up close, the coral morphs into something spectacular, with its complex network of polyps — tiny individual creatures that have grown over centuries to form this enormous coral — and splashes of vivid purples, yellows, blues and reds breaking up its brown hue.
The coral shelters a host of marine life including fish, crabs and shrimp. It’s also like a living encyclopedia, said San Féliz, containing information about ocean conditions going back hundreds of years.
Its sheer size caused some issues as the scientists’ measuring tapes were not long enough. They had to work in teams of two, stretching out the tape between them.
When it ended, one person would stay in that spot while the other reeled up the tape, before swimming to them to continue the process.
The discovery is rare good news in an ocean of bad.
Corals are vital for the marine creatures that rely on them for food and shelter, but also for humans.
They are an indirect food source for an estimated 1 billion people, by helping support fisheries, and provide a buffer against storms and sea level rise.
For the scientists, it’s a career highlight. “Making a discovery of this significance is the ultimate dream,” said Paul Rose, a National Geographic Pristine Seas expedition leader.
For the Solomon Islands, the mega coral could attract researchers, tourists and boost conservation funding, said Dennis Marita, the country’s director of culture at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
“This is something huge for our community,” he said. But, there is also “cause for alarm,” Pristine Sea’s founder Sala said. “Despite its remote location, this coral is not safe from global warming and other human threats.”
Corals are at risk from a range of local factors, including overfishing, which can damage and disrupt the delicate balance of their ecosystems, industrial pollution and sewage.
The biggest threat, however, is a global one: the fossil-fuel driven climate crisis.
Last month, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the global mass bleaching of coral reefs was the most extensive on record due to unprecedented ocean temperatures.
More than 40% of warm-water reef-building coral species now face extinction, primarily because of climate change, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species published Wednesday.
“The ongoing survival of corals… is in jeopardy,” said Derek Manzello, coordinator of NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch.
Yet while the mega coral remains vulnerable, he believes its health and longevity do provide a glimmer of hope.
“The survival of this coral, which is hundreds of years old, illustrates that all is not lost for coral reefs,” Manzello told CNN. “This is a really cool finding to hear about!,” he added.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/14/climate/worlds-largest-coral-solomon-islands/index.html
https://www.gao.gov/blog/tech-horizon-health-space-and-environmental-innovations
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-107542
On the Tech Horizon—Health, Space, and Environmental Innovations
November 14, 2024
Technology is rapidly evolving—raising questions for policymakers about how to promote innovations while also protecting Americans from harm.
Perhaps no example is as striking as the debate over Artificial Intelligence (AI). But AI isn’t the only emerging technology that could dramatically affect human health, the economy, or environment.
Here at GAO, our team of scientists and experts are looking beyond the trends of today to identify emerging technologies that could have broad impacts in the future.
While we regularly report to policymakers about emerging technologies, we recently issued our first periodic report for Congress about major innovations and the policy questions they raise.
Today’s WatchBlog post looks at this first report, which highlights innovations in gene editing, space-based manufacturing, and bioplastics.
Gene editing could treat previously untreatable diseases
Gene editing shows promise for treating and preventing diseases that have previously been hard to treat—such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, cystic fibrosis, high cholesterol, and more.
Gene editing technology alters DNA to change the characteristics of a person’s cells. Perhaps the best-known gene editing tool is CRISPR, which was developed in 2012 and has led to new and improved ways to edit DNA.
So far, gene editing is only approved in the U.S. to treat sickle cell anemia. This treatment involves editing some of a patient’s DNA to correct a genetic mutation in cells.
While the treatment shows promise, it is costly—about $2.2 million per patient. This high price tag is due to the high costs of the treatment’s development, manufacturing, and clinical trials.
Costs like these are just one obstacle that could slow the availability of gene editing treatments.
Advancements and use of gene editing treatments will also depend on policymakers’ decisions affecting health care, reproductive rights, public health, and health privacy.
For example, policymakers may decide new policies and regulations are needed to streamline the regulatory approval process to help bring gene editing treatments to market.
They may also need to decide whether publicly funded programs like Medicare and Medicaid will cover these more expensive treatments.
We outline more of the policy questions and key developments for gene editing in our new report.
Space, the final frontier… for manufacturing?
Decades after humans launched the first satellite, research, exploration, and national security issues have dominated space activity.
But what was once described as the final frontier is now the new frontier—for commerce.
In recent years, private entities have increasingly commercialized space. An emerging application of this commercialization is space-based manufacturing.
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Space’s unique microgravity environment could improve certain manufacturing processes such as crystallization. In microgravity, liquids and gases behave differently, which can result in improved materials or crystalline structures.
And research continues in manufacturing semiconductor materials, pharmaceuticals, fiber optics, and biological tissue in space. In our new report, we specifically looked at space-based manufacturing of semiconductor materials.
Semiconductors are widely used in products such as computers, consumer electronics, communications equipment, medical devices, and automobiles.
Demand for semiconductor technologies is growing—especially in areas like artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and 6G communications. Space-based manufacturing may help meet that demand.
Although promising, the advancement of space-based manufacturing faces some key hurdles. For example, space-based manufacturing requires developing and launching specialized facilities and transporting materials.
While launch costs have decreased significantly over the decades, they are still costly. Additionally, the semiconductor supply chain could still rely on foreign entities for raw materials.
We outlined these challenges and more in our new report. We also look at key policy questions for policymakers.
Biodegradable bioplastics could reduce pollution, but may come with tradeoffs
Plastic pollution is a big problem that has continuously increased over the past 50 years. Biodegradable bioplastics may help downgrade this issue.
These plastics are made from biological materials that break down more quickly than conventional plastics. But they only comprise about 0.5% of global plastic production each year.
Having the prefix “bio” doesn’t necessarily mean that a product is better for the environment. Consumers and policymakers will need to be informed about the tradeoffs when considering plastic alternatives.
For example, while bioplastics may biodegrade faster, they could end up releasing CO2 into the environment (the ocean, for example) more quickly than other plastics.
If this breakdown and release occurred at a high volume, it could lead to acidification of ocean water.
Learn more about the different kinds of materials being used to create biodegradable bioplastics in our new report.
And check out GAO’s additional Science & Technology work for Congress by visiting our special topic page about this work.
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