Citizen Journalist: humans

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

NASA says Artemis I Mission is proceeding as per plan

The Orion spacecraft, which is at the core of NASA’s historic Artemis I mission, reached its farthest distance from Earth. It shattered the earlier record for the maximum distance a spacecraft designed to carry humans has ever traveled. NASA confirmed that the Orion capsule had reached about 270,000 miles from Earth. This is the midpoint of its uncrewed mission around the moon. This distance is more than 40,000 miles beyond the far side of the moon. Apollo 13 mission in 1970 holds the previous record for the farthest a human-rated spacecraft has traveled. That mission had humans on board and it had stretched out to 248,655 miles from our home planet. The goal of the present Artemis I mission is to test the Orion capsule to its limits. The objective is to ensure that the vehicle is ready to host humans. The trial run is part of NASA’s broader Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since the 1970s. In a program of this nature, there could be problems and these have not posed any problems. Orion Program Manager Howard Hu said the spacecraft’s performance has been “outstanding.” In fact, the spacecraft is outperforming expectations in some respects. An example is producing about 20 percent more power than needed. NASA’s Orion spacecraft reaches record-breaking distance from Earth on Artemis I mission. The satisfactory progress of work impressed NASA. It plans to add seven additional mission objectives. These will gather additional data about the spacecraft’s capabilities and performance.

The spacecraft will swoop back toward the moon before firing its engines exit its current trajectory and head back toward Earth. The Orion capsule will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on December 11. Experts will keep a watch on the behavior of the heat shield. After landing, Orion must safely deploy parachutes to ensure a gentle ocean splashdown. A NASA recovery ship will be ready to haul the Orion capsule to safety. The success of Artemis I mission will mean NASA will proceed to choose a crew to fly on the Artemis II mission. This could take off as soon as 2024. Its mission would be to fly around the moon but not land on its surface. That will be mission of Artemis III in 2025. It will be unique because it will include the first woman and the first person of color to achieve such a milestone.

Friday, November 11, 2022

China will send monkeys to its Tiangong space station to experiment with reproduction in space

Populating another planet is the ultimate goal for all humans. China plans to send monkeys to its Tiangong space station to see if they can reproduce in space. Humans have to wear spacesuits to keep from floating away in the zero-gravity environment and rely on oxygen cylinders to prevent dying of asphyxiation. China will face the teething problems with monkeys. Others will wait to see how the animals adapt to such conditions and how long it takes them to reproduce in space. Moreover, whether the final product will resemble a normal baby or an alien. Space stations are laboratories where scientists test their hypotheses. In the past scientists have studied many pregnant animals in space. These include salamanders, fish and rats. China is now poised to use its Tiangong space station to up the ante by sending monkeys and rats to space. Such experiments will help scientists to assess the feasibility of reproduction of mammals in a zero-gravity environment. China to Send Monkeys to The Tiangong Space Station to Study Reproduction In Space.

Zhang Lu is a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Speaking to a section of the media he said – “some studies involving mice and macaques will be carried out to see how they grow or even reproduce in space. These experiments will help improve our understanding of an organism's adaptation to microgravity and other space environments.” He will conduct the study in the Tiangong space station's largest module. This module is primarily reserved for experiments in life sciences and currently has only enough room for algae, fish or snails. However, its design allows for expansion and reconfiguration to cater to larger organisms. When monkeys are sent into the space station, they will need to be fed and their wastes have to be disposed off. Soviet researchers had sent the rats into space for an 18-day mating experiment earlier. However, upon their return to Earth, none of them gave birth. It probably highlights the fact that it is not easy to conceive in surroundings of zero gravity.