'Pregnancy Test' of Mars - to search for signs of life on Mars

The European Space Agency's (ESA) postage-stamp-sized experiment, called the "Life Marker Chip" (LMC), was launched last week aboard a Russian rocket launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

A new experiment similar to a pregnancy test but designed to search for signs of life on Mars is now exposed to the vacuum of space above Earth.

Strapped to the ESA's large Foton-M3 capsule, the tiny experiment harbors more than 2,000 life-detecting samples that glow if they encounter life-critical compounds, such as proteins or DNA.

Scientists and engineers hope the life-sensing chip can remain viable in the harsh radiation, temperatures and vacuum of space during a trip to Mars.

"This will be the first time that these types of materials will have flown unprotected in space in a manner similar to a flight to Mars," said Andrew Steele, a molecular biologist at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C.

The LMC experiment works like a pregnancy test, which uses color-changing chemicals to pick up traces of hormones found in greater numbers after conception
Scientists will examine the LMC's samples once the Foton-M3 mission returns to Earth on Sept. 25 near the Russia-Kazakhstan border.

The experiment's managers ultimately hope to strap their fully tested device aboard the ESA's "ExoMars" robotic rover mission, planned for launch in 2013, where it would serve as a tiny "lab-on-a-chip" to detect traces of past or present martian life.

"This mission will be an important stepping stone in our ultimate goal of putting a LMC experiment on the surface of Mars and using it to search for evidence of life," said Mark Sims, an LMC mission manager at University of Leicester in the U.K.

The LMC experiment is one of nine others found in the cylindrical "BIOPAN-6" compartment bolted to the outside of the Foton-M3 capsule. When the satellite reached a stable orbit on Friday, BIOPAN-6 opened its hatch to begin exposing the 10 experiments to space for 12 days.

Technorati : 'Pregnancy Test' of Mars

MIT hosts sneak preview of Apollo missions film

Many of the engineers who developed the Apollo guidance system at MIT in the 1960s and 1970s were among the standing-room-only crowd that gathered Sept. 10 on campus for a special sneak preview of the documentary film, "In the Shadow of the Moon."

The film brings together for the first time the surviving crew members from every single Apollo mission that flew to the moon, and allows them to tell their story in their own words.

Four of the 12 astronauts who walked on the moon during Apollo program received degrees from MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Each was interviewed in the making of the film, which intersperses high-resolution footage from the Apollo missions with interviews of 10 of the original Apollo astronauts.

"The biggest joy was on the way home… an overwhelming sense of connectedness to the universe accompanied by a moment of ecstasy…an epiphany," said Edgar D. Mitchell (Sc.D., 1964) who walked on the moon during the Apollo 14 mission in 1971.

David R. Scott (S.M. and E.A.A., 1962) reflected on viewing the Earth from the moon. "It truly is an oasis, and we don't take good care of it," said Scott in the film. Scott commanded the Apollo 15 lunar landing mission in 1971 and also flew on Apollo 9 in 1969 with MIT alum Russell L. Schweickart (B.S. and M.S., 1963).

MIT's Instrumentation Lab (now Draper Laboratory) developed the onboard guidance, navigation, and control systems for the Apollo command and lunar modules. During the first lunar landing, the guidance computer displayed program alarms when simultaneous procession of the landing solution and the abort rendezvous solution led to an overload condition. "That combination wasn't anticipated by the guys at MIT," said Buzz Aldrin (Sc.D. 1963), who was the lunar module pilot of the Apollo 11 mission that accomplished the first lunar landing in July 1969.

The Apollo guidance computer experienced no hardware errors during 15 flights of the Apollo spacecraft with astronauts on board, including nine flights to the moon and six successful lunar landings.

Following the Sept. 10 screening at MIT, Professor David Mindell moderated a panel discussion on the film. Panelists included Professor Emeritus Robert C. Seamans, Jr. (S.M. 1942, Sc.D.), who led the Apollo program while he served as NASA's deputy administrator from 1960 to 1968, and Professor Jeffrey A. Hoffman, who flew five space shuttle missions as a NASA astronaut. The film's director, David Sington, and co-producer, Christopher Riley, also participated in the discussion.

"It was a great film," said Seamans. "It not only portrayed an epic period, but it put heart and soul into it."

Seamans, who briefed President John F. Kennedy on NASA's early planning for a lunar landing in 1961 and helped shape the goal of landing of landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade, said the eight years he spent at the U.S. space agency represent "the most important part" of his life.

"The rocks Apollo brought back from the moon have been like a Rosetta stone in understanding the evolution of the universe," said Hoffman. "The value that we got scientifically from Apollo should not be underestimated."

"I think the film is an optimistic film because it represents what we can do, what we can achieve," said Sington. "If this film ends up sending a few more people to MIT, then it will have been a success."

MIT hosts sneak preview of Apollo missions film

Many of the engineers who developed the Apollo guidance system at MIT in the 1960s and 1970s were among the standing-room-only crowd that gathered Sept. 10 on campus for a special sneak preview of the documentary film, "In the Shadow of the Moon."

The film brings together for the first time the surviving crew members from every single Apollo mission that flew to the moon, and allows them to tell their story in their own words.

Four of the 12 astronauts who walked on the moon during Apollo program received degrees from MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Each was interviewed in the making of the film, which intersperses high-resolution footage from the Apollo missions with interviews of 10 of the original Apollo astronauts.

"The biggest joy was on the way home… an overwhelming sense of connectedness to the universe accompanied by a moment of ecstasy…an epiphany," said Edgar D. Mitchell (Sc.D., 1964) who walked on the moon during the Apollo 14 mission in 1971.

David R. Scott (S.M. and E.A.A., 1962) reflected on viewing the Earth from the moon. "It truly is an oasis, and we don't take good care of it," said Scott in the film. Scott commanded the Apollo 15 lunar landing mission in 1971 and also flew on Apollo 9 in 1969 with MIT alum Russell L. Schweickart (B.S. and M.S., 1963).

MIT's Instrumentation Lab (now Draper Laboratory) developed the onboard guidance, navigation, and control systems for the Apollo command and lunar modules. During the first lunar landing, the guidance computer displayed program alarms when simultaneous procession of the landing solution and the abort rendezvous solution led to an overload condition. "That combination wasn't anticipated by the guys at MIT," said Buzz Aldrin (Sc.D. 1963), who was the lunar module pilot of the Apollo 11 mission that accomplished the first lunar landing in July 1969.

The Apollo guidance computer experienced no hardware errors during 15 flights of the Apollo spacecraft with astronauts on board, including nine flights to the moon and six successful lunar landings.

Following the Sept. 10 screening at MIT, Professor David Mindell moderated a panel discussion on the film. Panelists included Professor Emeritus Robert C. Seamans, Jr. (S.M. 1942, Sc.D.), who led the Apollo program while he served as NASA's deputy administrator from 1960 to 1968, and Professor Jeffrey A. Hoffman, who flew five space shuttle missions as a NASA astronaut. The film's director, David Sington, and co-producer, Christopher Riley, also participated in the discussion.

"It was a great film," said Seamans. "It not only portrayed an epic period, but it put heart and soul into it."

Seamans, who briefed President John F. Kennedy on NASA's early planning for a lunar landing in 1961 and helped shape the goal of landing of landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade, said the eight years he spent at the U.S. space agency represent "the most important part" of his life.

"The rocks Apollo brought back from the moon have been like a Rosetta stone in understanding the evolution of the universe," said Hoffman. "The value that we got scientifically from Apollo should not be underestimated."

"I think the film is an optimistic film because it represents what we can do, what we can achieve," said Sington. "If this film ends up sending a few more people to MIT, then it will have been a success."

Four MIT faculty win NIH awards

Four MIT faculty have been honored by the National Institutes of Health for their "exceptionally innovative" research.

Professor Emery Brown is among 12 scientists nationwide to receive 2007 Pioneer Awards, while three other faculty are among 29 winners of New Innovator Awards. Pioneer Awards support scientists at any career stage, while New Innovator Awards are reserved for new investigators.

Brown will receive $2.5 million over five years. Professors Ed Boyden, Alan Jasanoff, and Mehmet Fatih Yanik will each receive $1.5 million over five years for winning New Innovator Awards.

"MIT is extremely proud to have Professors Brown, Boyden, Jasanoff, and Yanik honored in this way by the NIH. These awards reflect their strong records of innovation and creativity and confirm, once again, that our faculty are truly among the best," said Provost Rafael Reif.

"Novel ideas and new investigators are essential ingredients for scientific progress, and the creative scientists we recognize with NIH Director's Pioneer Awards and NIH Director's New Innovator Awards are well-positioned to make significant--and potentially transformative--discoveries in a variety of areas," said NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni.

"The conceptual and technological breakthroughs that are likely to emerge from their highly innovative approaches to major research challenges could speed progress toward important medical advances," he added.

Brown, a professor in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, is the third member of the MIT faculty to win a Pioneer Award.
According to the NIH, Brown "will develop a systems neuroscience approach to study how anesthetic drugs act in the brain to create the state of general anesthesia."

Boyden, the Benesse Career Development Professor in the Department of Biological Engineering and in the Media Lab, will "invent and study new methods of controlling the neural circuits that malfunction in neurological and psychiatric disorders." Boyden also has an appointment in the McGovern Institute for Brain Research.

Jasanoff, N.C. Rasmussen Assistant Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering, will "devise genetically controlled, noninvasive methods for measuring brain activity in animals." Jasanoff also has appointments in the Department of Biological Engineering, the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and the McGovern Institute for Brain Research.

Yanik, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, will "develop microchip technologies to perform extremely fast studies of gene function in small animals to rapidly identify genetic targets for new drugs." Yanik also has an appointment in the Research Laboratory of Electronics.

This is the first group of New Innovator Awards and the fourth group of Pioneer Awards. Both programs are part of an NIH Roadmap for Medical Research initiative that tests new approaches to supporting research

'Pregnancy Test' of Mars - to search for signs of life on Mars

The European Space Agency's (ESA) postage-stamp-sized experiment, called the "Life Marker Chip" (LMC), was launched last week aboard a Russian rocket launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

A new experiment similar to a pregnancy test but designed to search for signs of life on Mars is now exposed to the vacuum of space above Earth.

Strapped to the ESA's large Foton-M3 capsule, the tiny experiment harbors more than 2,000 life-detecting samples that glow if they encounter life-critical compounds, such as proteins or DNA.

Scientists and engineers hope the life-sensing chip can remain viable in the harsh radiation, temperatures and vacuum of space during a trip to Mars.

"This will be the first time that these types of materials will have flown unprotected in space in a manner similar to a flight to Mars," said Andrew Steele, a molecular biologist at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C.

The LMC experiment works like a pregnancy test, which uses color-changing chemicals to pick up traces of hormones found in greater numbers after conception
Scientists will examine the LMC's samples once the Foton-M3 mission returns to Earth on Sept. 25 near the Russia-Kazakhstan border.

The experiment's managers ultimately hope to strap their fully tested device aboard the ESA's "ExoMars" robotic rover mission, planned for launch in 2013, where it would serve as a tiny "lab-on-a-chip" to detect traces of past or present martian life.

"This mission will be an important stepping stone in our ultimate goal of putting a LMC experiment on the surface of Mars and using it to search for evidence of life," said Mark Sims, an LMC mission manager at University of Leicester in the U.K.

The LMC experiment is one of nine others found in the cylindrical "BIOPAN-6" compartment bolted to the outside of the Foton-M3 capsule. When the satellite reached a stable orbit on Friday, BIOPAN-6 opened its hatch to begin exposing the 10 experiments to space for 12 days.

Technorati : 'Pregnancy Test' of Mars

Tri-Pedic Mattress Brings Further Innovation To NASA's Technology

I have always taken an interest in the technological advancements that NASA brings to the space community. However, I have to say that I never would have dreamed that one of these advancements would eventually find its way to my bedroom.
The advancement I am referring to is what many people have come to know as memory foam, a technological advancement that NASA developed in the 1970s that allows foam to mould to your body and then return to its original shape once your body moves to a new position.

I have been coveting one of these mattresses for years, but like many consumers was not ready to shell out the extra dollars for a new mattress, let alone one that I knew was bound to cost much more than a traditional spring mattress.

However, one recent uncomfortable and sleepless night, I found myself spending hours researching all there was to know about memory foam mattresses. While I may be a professional researcher by trade, I have to admit that at first I was a bit confused as to which company produced the best memory foam mattress.

I had already heard about the Tempur-Pedic. They were the first company to use NASA's technology for the purposes of consumer bedding. However, I had read that the use of their five pound density foam was too temperature sensitive, and the overall feeling of the mattress was too hot.

From what I could gather, due to the high viscosity of the memory foam that Tempur-Pedic uses, it could feel too firm in cooler temperatures and even too soft for some people when it was heated up. Not being one to be easily discouraged, I continued my investigation and learned that there was a new innovation that solved this dilemma, but more on this in a moment.

What I did readily notice during my investigation was that there were other companies producing memory foam mattresses that were reported to be just like Tempur-Pedic, but a bit less costly. However, upon further examination many of these companies were using inferior quality foam and I did not feel comfortable that it would stand the test of time.

Then I came upon a new mattress that didn't just try to use NASA's technology and copy Tempur-Pedic. Rather, they were using innovation to improve upon the use of NASA's technology in a design that could answer the concerns that Tempur-Pedic and other memory foam mattress consumers seemed to want addressed.

This new mattress is called the Tri-Pedic. The mattress is relatively new on the market when compared to some of the older and well established names out there, but it was actually developed about five years ago. What makes the Tri-Pedic more innovative than the competition, is that it found a way to address some of the previously mentioned Tempur-Pedic and other five pound density memory foam mattress concerns.

It did this by creating the first three layer memory foam mattress with two different densities. The top layer uses a softer four pound density memory foam that was not nearly as temperature sensitive, and had a more instantly plush feel to it.

Not wanting to lose support they followed this up with a second layer of memory foam that has a firmer and more supportive five pound memory foam. For the third layer, the Tri-Pedic used a very firm and highly durable base foam.

Their confidence in the longevity of the mattresses they sell on Selectabed.com has lead them to offer a 30-year warranty. They also offer a 4-month sleep trial to ensure that your are completely satisfied with your mattress. Selectabed.com is a division of the actual manufacture, Relief-Mart, Inc.

On behalf of Space Daily I ordered Tri-Pedic mattresses for myself, as well as a member of my staff. I will readily admit that I selfishly was hoping to improve my own sleep while testing this mattress on a personal level and rendering an opinion.

Fortunately for Selectabed.com, my staff and I have been thoroughly impressed by how the mattress feels and the level of support that it gives. Therefore, we unanimously decided to give the Tri-Pedic mattress our Space Daily product innovation award for finding a way to improve upon the use of NASA's technology and literally helping to make dreams come true.

MORE NEWS....

Whether you are suffering from back pain, neck pain, arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis or you just need to get a better night's sleep, the Tri-Pedic™ pressure sensitive memory foam mattress may be just what the doctor ordered. Created by Dr. Rick Swartzburg, D.C., to help his patients suffering from all types of pain, the Tri-pedicÔ is the first three layer, pressure sensitive memory foam mattress with three different foam densities. We normally sell 4lb., 4.5lb. and 5lb. densities. Through listening to all of our customer feedback, we have learned that each density has it's own advantage. A 5lb. density is more expensive than a 4lb. density, but it will support you better, and be more temperature sensitive. Although a 5lb. density is what *Tempur-pedic® uses on their mattresses, many of our customers have reported that it is can be too hard when used by itself, especially in cold temperatures. On the other
hand, the soft and plush feeling of a 4lb.ensity makes you instantly comfortable, but lacks the extra support of a 5lb. density. Therefore we are proud to feature the Tri-Pedic™, the first three layer, pressure sensitive, memory foam mattress with 3 different foam densities to give you immediate comfort, with the best support system available. The top two levels total over 4 inches of the highest quality memory foam available for an 8 inch total mattress. We use a very our special 4lb., 10 ILD memory foam over the higher density 5lb., 20 ILD memory foam. We follow this up with a very supportive high resiliency polyurethane base. The Tri-Pedic™ memory foam mattress uses our specially designed hand stitched hypoallergenic, stretchable terry cover that is easily removable for washing. It has a special breathable design that will ventilate better than most covers to keep your body temperature constant, so you will not have to worry about this mattress getting too hot. The Tri-pedicÔ mattress is soft enough to contour to the bumps and curves of your body, but firm enough to provide proper support and will never bottom out. The Tri-pedicÔ uses similar density memory foam as the Tempur-pedicÒ , but never gets hard when the room temperature drops. We are so convinced that you will not find a more comfortable mattress that we are offering a 4-month trial that includes the option of having us pay for the shipping of another mattress if you are unsatisfied for any reason at all. We also back this mattress with a 30-year limited warranty. The Tri-Pedic™ has even been tested and given the award for space technology innovation in the market place for 2005 by the very prestigious global online news source - SpaceDaily. As you can tell we are extremely proud of this mattress and want you to experience first hand why the Tri-Pedic™ and Soft-pedic™ are the best mattress you will ever own!

Technorati : Brings, Further, Innovation, Mattress, NASA's, Tri-Pedic, echnology