September 21, 2011

Good Morning,

NASA research has found a correlation between an astronaut's time spent in space and vision problems; a factor that could further stunt space missions requiring prolonged habitation, such as a manned trip to Mars, Check out the details in the second article.

Until Next Time,
Erin

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Unmanned space module launch readied

BEIJING - China's launch of its unmanned space module Tiangong-1, put off earlier this month, is now set for later this month, a spokesman said Tuesday. The launch will occur sometime between next Tuesday and the end of the month, Xinhua news agency reported. Earlier this month, Chinese scientists rescheduled the event due to the failed launch of an experimental orbiter. The project's spokesman said the space module and its carrier rocket, Long-March II-F, have been moved to the launch platform at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province, and all final preparations are running smoothly, the report said. The 18,740-pound (8.5-metric tons) Tiangong-1, or "Heavenly Palace 1," will be sent into space to perform the nation's first space-docking procedure. The module is scheduled to dock with the unmanned Shenzhou-8 spacecraft, which will be sent into space after Tiangong-1's launch. Scientists also plan to test the long-term unmanned operation as well as carry out medical and technical experiments aboard the Tiangong-1. The Long-March II-F belongs to the same series as the malfunctioning rocket that played a role in experimental orbiter SJ-11-04's failure to enter Earth's orbit in August, Xinhua reported.


Astronauts reporting vision problems

ORLANDO, Fla. - Astronauts who've spent long periods in space have experienced blurred vision, a problem that could jeopardize long missions like a trip to Mars, NASA says. In a NASA survey of about 300 astronauts, 30 percent who have flown on two-week space shuttle missions and 60 percent who've spent six-months aboard the International Space Station reported a gradual blurring of eyesight, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Monday. NASA said it is conducting intensive research into the problem. "We are certainly treating this with a great deal of respect," Dr. Rich Williams, NASA's Chief Health and Medical Officer, said. "This [eye condition] is comparable to the other risks like bone demineralization [loss] and radiation that we have to consider � It does have the potential for causing mission impact." While the condition normally goes away once an astronaut returns to Earth, at least one astronaut has reportedly never regained normal vision. "We have seen visual acuity not return to baseline," Williams said. Similar to an Earth-bound condition called papilledema, the blurred vision is thought to be caused by increased spinal-fluid pressure on the head and eyes in microgravity. Long multiyear missions like a trip to Mars could see the blurring of vision become a serious problem, researchers said. "No one has been in space long enough to know how bad this papilledema can get," said Dr. Bruce Ehni, a neurosurgeon who has worked with NASA on the issue. "When they [NASA] start going [to] long-distance [destinations] like Mars, you can't end up having a bunch of blind astronauts."


Electrical impulses grow new brain cells

TORONTO - An animal study shows electrical stimulation of a specific region of the brain may produce new brain cells that enhance memory, Canadian researchers say. In reporting the study in The Journal of Neuroscience, researchers say the findings suggest deep brain stimulation, a clinical procedure that delivers electrical pulses to targeted areas of the brain, may work to improve cognition. "DBS has been quite effective for the treatment of movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, and has recently been explored for treatment of a range of neurologic and psychiatric conditions," Paul Frankland of The Hospital for Sick Children in Ontario said. "These new findings have important clinical implications as they inform potential treatments for humans with memory disorders." New cells are born in the hippocampus, the brain's learning and memory center, throughout life, and Frankland and colleagues found that one hour of electrical stimulation of the brains of mice caused two-fold increase in new cells in the hippocampus. The stimulated animals showed improved performance in tests of spatial learning, they said. "This study suggests that the stimulation of specific brain circuitry may result in the development of new functional brain cells in particular brain regions," said Daniel A. Peterson of the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, an expert on stem cells and brain repair who was unaffiliated with the study.


Search for dark matter has new target

PRINCETON, N.J. - Astronomers seeking evidence of dark matter, the invisible substance thought to constitute much of the universe, say recent work by U.S. researchers may help. Scientists from Princeton University and New York University say a method for detecting the collision of stars with an elusive type of black hole believed to be made up dark matter could serve as observable proof of its existence, a Princeton release said Monday. So-called primordial black holes, theoretical remnants of the Big Bang, are thought to be one source of the mysterious substance but they have yet to be observed. In a collision with a star, a primordial black hole would not "swallow" the star as would a larger black hole but would cause noticeable and, researchers hope, observable vibrations on the star's surface as it passes through. Shravan Hanasoge of Princeton and Michael Kesden of NYU say their computer model, used with current solar-observation techniques, could offer a more precise method for detecting primordial black holes than existing tools. "If astronomers were just looking at the sun, the chances of observing a primordial black hole are not likely, but people are now looking at thousands of stars," Hanasoge said. A primordial black hole, if found, would fit all the parameters of dark matter, he said. "They have mass and force so they directly influence other objects in the universe, and they don't interact with light. Identifying one would have profound implications for our understanding of the early universe and dark matter."


Scientists create brightest gamma rays

GLASGOW, Scotland - Scottish researchers say they've created the brightest gamma ray beam ever generated, which could lead to new diagnostic and treatment options in medicine. Physicists at the University of Strathclyde say the gamma ray beams created by ultra-short duration laser pulses interacting with ionized gas are so intense they can pass through 8 inches of lead, and it would take 5 feet of concrete to absorb them, a university release said Monday. The peak brilliance of the gamma rays was measured at more than a thousand billion times more brilliant than the sun, researchers said. The gamma rays, a form of X-rays, could have applications in medical imaging, radiotherapy and radioisotope production for positron emission tomography, scanning, they said. The device used in the research is smaller and less costly than more conventional sources of gamma rays, making it ideal for use in medical settings, the Strathclyde team said.

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