Gizmorama - September 2, 2015

Good Morning,

Wonder what life on Mars would be like? Well, half a dozen scientists will spend a year in isolation for an experiment to experience the life and times of the Red Planet. It's like the ultimate version of TripAdvisor.

Learn about this and more interesting stories from the scientific community in today's issue.

Until Next Time,
Erin

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*-- Researchers build shortest wavelength atomic laser --*
TOKYO - A team of researchers in Japan have developed an atomic laser that operates at the shortest wavelength yet. The feat opens the door for new and improved high-resolution X-ray imaging technologies.

X-rays are a specific type of radiation, featuring wavelengths ranging from 0.01 to 10 nanometers. The amplified radiation of a laser beam, on the other hand, typically features wavelengths in the slightly longer UV range.

Scientists began shrinking the wavelengths of laser radiation in the 1960s, allowing lasers to function in a manner similar to X-rays. The technology allowed researchers to produce contrast images -- like those a doctor might use to diagnose a bone break -- of much smaller targets, like a molecule.

Ever since, scientists have been trying to create lasers with smaller and smaller wavelengths -- further stabilizing the laser's X-ray abilities and improving imaging resolutions. The smaller the wavelength, the more detailed the image.

Recently, scientists at Japan's Institute of Lasers built on previous advances, as researcher Linda Young explained, by "bombarding a copper foil with two X-ray pulses tuned to slightly different energies."

The technique expels electrons from their atomic homes, magnifying them into a concentrated stream. The result is a hard-X-ray inner-shell atomic laser capable of producing a beam at tiny wavelengths -- 1.5 angstrom, or 0.1 nanometers.

The technology, detailed in the journal Nature, isn't yet ready for the big time, researchers say. But the breakthrough is expected to eventually produce more stable and concentrated high-res X-ray capabilities -- with potential applications in the fields of particle physics and medicine.


*-- HI-SEAS launches year-long isolation experiment to mimic life on Mars --*
MAUNA LOA, Hawaii - Six scientists have begun a yearlong isolation experiment from within a small dome to mimic life on Mars.

The latest Hawai'i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) mission commenced Friday, Aug. 28, and is part of ongoing research at University of Hawai?i at Manoa, funded by NASA, to test the limits of long-duration space exploration. The team, including Sheyna Gifford, Tristan Bassingthewaighte, Carmel Johnston, Andrzej Stewart, Cyprien Verseux and Christiane Heinicke closed the door to their 100 square-foot home at 3:00 p.m. local time.

The team's dome sits along the side of Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano and measures 36 feet in diameter and two stories tall.

The dome will not allow access to fresh air, fresh food or much private space. However, each member has a small dorm room they can use for privacy. Spacesuits are required for any visits outside of the dome, per the experiment's requirements.

Food provided will come in packets and cans, including powdered cheese and tuna. The University of Hawaii reported the crew members -- a group of scientists, a pilot and an engineer -- will be monitored by cameras, body movement trackers, and electronic surveys. Researchers will collect data on the group's general cohesion over time.

This is HI-SEAS' fourth and longest isolation experiment, their previous one lasting eight months. "The longer each mission becomes, the better we can understand the risks of space travel," Kim Binsted, HI-SEAS principal investigator and UH professor said.

The experiment is costing NASA about $1.2 million, and the space agency has reportedly given the program another million for more missions.

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