Tag Archives: Astronauts

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Russia has lost its power over NASA and in the space business: experts

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Russia continues to degrade its role in the space industry, alienating itself from international customers it has long supplied space resources to because President Vladimir Putin refused to back down from the attack on Ukraine.

Since Russia began its invasion last week, the head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin refused to launch a UK-satellite company’s payloads and stopped supplying Russian-built rocket engines to US customers and threatened to cut ties with its International Space Station partners, including NASA.

The most delicate ongoing space policy issue is the International Space Station.

For over 20 years, NASA and Russia worked together to build and maintain the orbiting laboratory 200 miles above Earth. The first modules were American and Russian. The first two astronauts to enter the space station when the lights were turned on were an American and Russian cosmonaut together, an intentional choice by STS-88 mission Commander Robert Cabana.

Russia’s space program could lose all access to the International Space Station as the US and other countries refuse to partner with the war-waging nation.
NASA via AP

When the space shuttle program ended, the US lost its ride to space for American astronauts. It began purchasing seats on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft for more than $80 million for nine years until SpaceX began launching astronauts under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Since Elon Musk’s company began launching Americans from Florida in May 2020, NASA had purchased fewer seats from Russia and was negotiating for a cosmonaut to launch on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon when the Ukraine invasion began.

Get the latest updates in the Russia-Ukraine conflict with The Post’s live coverage.

Rogozin has threatened to pull out of the ISS altogether and ended on-orbit science activities between cosmonauts and their international astronaut counterparts.

American astronauts may no longer be allowed to ride on Russian aircrafts in space.
NASA/Mike Vrbanic

University of Central Florida space policy expert Roger Handberg said Russia has lost its upper hand.

“They’re not getting money because a good part of their space program had been selling seats on Soyuz missions to the United States,” Handberg said. “The Russians have lost their leverage, as you say, over the United States because they provided the access. Now we have independent access.”

In April, NASA Astronauts Mark Vande Hei is set to undock from the space station with two cosmonauts and return to Earth on a Russian spacecraft landing in Kazakhstan. He may be the last American to fly on a Russian vehicle if the relationship deteriorates.

A Soyuz-2.1b rocket booster carrying British OneWeb satellites is transported to a launch pad in Kazakhstan on March 2, 2022.
Roscosmos Press OfficeTASS via Getty Images

Secondly, the US, Europe and Japan are working to extend the life of the ISS until 2030, but Russia has only committed to 2024, and those negotiations were also underway.

If Russia drops out by 2030, that’s where things get complicated.

“Does that mean we have to disassemble and take their modules off? That’s the kind of complicated question. We’re not there yet,” Handberg said.

Russia’s space program has promised to maintain the International Space Station until 2024.
NASA

Since the end of the shuttle program, the ISS has depended on Russian spacecraft to lift the space station and move it in debris avoidance maneuvers. 

However, the Northrop Grumman cargo spaceship Cygnus might be capable of taking on that job. A recently docked Cygnus at the ISS will conduct the first US reboost test while in orbit, potentially providing an alternative option.

If Russia chooses to take immediate action and sever ties with its International Space Station partners, it’s unclear how that would work. The ISS was not designed to be divided.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is anticipated to contribute more into American space travel as NASA abandons the Russians.
NASA/Cover Images/INSTARimages.com

“Many things are intertwined. So are we no longer allowed to use the Russian modules on this space station? Or vice versa, we don’t allow them to use our modules,” Handberg said. 

“In the confined circumstances they’re in, that gets pretty bizarre.”

Handberg believes Russia is locked into the ISS until 2024, but there is always uncertainty with Putin.

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Science

Spaceflight doesn’t just change astronauts’ bodies, it also rewires their brains

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It’s been more than 50 years since humans first left our planet and ventured into the reaches of space. Hundred of astronauts and cosmonauts have orbited the Earth and a select few have journeyed to the Moon to circle that desolate globe or set boots down on its surface.

In the decades since the beginning of the space race, we’ve learned a lot about how the human body interacts with the environment of space and what challenges we might face on long-duration missions to other worlds. Despite all of our knowledge, however, we know very little about how space travel impacts the brain.

A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Neural Circuits is the first to explore the way space changes the structure and wiring of the brain. Floris Wuyts, from the Lab for Equilibrium Investigations and Aerospace at the University of Antwerp, and colleagues, measured structural changes in the brains of astronauts and cosmonauts before and after flights to the International Space Station.

“It’s really pioneering work. We’re exploring not space itself but what space is doing to humanity,” Wuyts told SYFY WIRE. “It’s not all about muscle, it’s not all about bone and cardiovascular stuff and the inner ear. We have a brain, and it hasn’t really been touched upon before now.”

Wuyts first became interested in investigating structural changes in the brains of space travelers after attending the mid-winter brain conference at Copper Mountain in 2009. There, he saw a presentation analyzing the brains of soldiers who had suffered blast injuries. That study was using a method known as tractography which uses MRI scans to visualize nerve pathways in the brain.

“I thought it seemed like an interesting thing to do in astronauts and cosmonauts. At the time, I had no clue what we would find,” Wuyts said.

Gathering data about the ways space changes the brain in real time is a particular challenge. MRI machines weigh thousands of kilograms and getting one into orbit would be a considerable undertaking. Instead, the team took brain scans before and after flight to look for changes in nerve pathways. Upon returning to Earth, they found that astronauts and cosmonauts had considerable changes in brain structures related to motor function.

“Space is an extreme environment. It’s similar to if you went to Antarctica or the deep sea. There’s no other option but to adapt and apparently our brain is quite good at adapting,” Wuyts said. “Going to space requires you to adapt to the fact that the way you move around is totally different to how you move on Earth.”

At present, it’s unclear how long it takes for the brain to rewire itself in order to operate in space, but the resulting changes appear to persist for months or longer after returning to Earth.

Scientists took additional scans eight months after cosmonauts returned to Earth and found that the new nerve pathways were still present. They believe these pathways imprint themselves on the brain in a permanent or semi-permanent fashion, such that astronauts who conduct subsequent flights more easily adapt to the environment than they did during their first visit.

“We think it’s like a bimodal system. They can swap between one and another. What we see is connectivity, but even if a connection is there, it doesn’t mean it will be used. It’s like if you’re riding a bike or a motorcycle, even if you only do it once in a while, the wiring is there once you learn it,” Wuyts said.

The impact of the research has potential for developing better training systems for future astronauts, by helping them more quickly develop the required nerve pathways. It also has potential applications here on the ground.

Wuyts found similarities in the way astronauts’ brains are wired after flight and the brain wiring of patients suffering from vertigo. Earth-bound vertigo patients don’t have the benefit of before and after brain scans but analyzing the structural changes in space travelers can provide a sort of roadmap, telling doctors and scientists where to look and how the brain adapts or maladapts under different circumstances.

Understanding the impact of space travel on the brain will be a critical step in the future of human spaceflight, particularly as we move toward crewed missions to Mars. Our first steps on the red planet won’t be very impressive if we can’t even stand up when we get there.

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Science

Astronauts snap stunning views of February’s Full Snow Moon from space (photos)

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Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) captured stunning views of February’s Full Snow Moon this week.

Full moons occur when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun, which happens roughly every 29.5 days. The Full Snow Moon arrived on Wednesday (Feb. 16) at 11:57 a.m. EST (0457 GMT), offering striking views from Earth and space. 

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei shared a photo of the full moon from his vantage point on the ISS. The moon peeks over Earth’s horizon, shining bright against the dark backdrop of space. 

Related: Full moon calendar 2022

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“Shockingly bright as I opened our shades, the moon lingered, strutting by,” Vande Hei wrote on Twitter. “Lots of time to find good camera settings! Soon we’ll be exploring our neighbor again.” 

Astronauts on the orbiting lab were also treated to breathtaking views of Earth’s natural satellite in the days leading up to it reaching peak fullness. On Feb. 15, the moon was photographed above the Red Sea. This view was captured as the ISS orbited 257 miles (414 kilometers) above the Nile River in the African nation of Sudan.

Valentine’s Day brought a sweet view of the waxing gibbous moon on Feb. 14. Astronauts saw the moon rise above Earth’s horizon, as the space station orbited 261 miles (420 km) above the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of British Columbia, Canada.

The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured on Valentine’s Day from the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA)

Wednesday’s full moon was accompanied by Mercury, Venus and Mars in the morning sky. The full moon occurred on the same day Mercury reached its greatest distance, or elongation, west of the sun. 

Commonly referred to as the Snow Moon, the full moon of February has a few other nicknames, including the Bear Moon, the Great Moon, the Black Bear Moon and the Goose moon.

Editor’s note: If you snapped an amazing photo of the full moon or any other night-sky sight and you’d like to share it with Space.com for a story or image gallery, send images, comments and location information spacephotos@space.com.

Follow Samantha Mathewson @Sam_Ashley13. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. 



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Meet the four private Polaris Dawn astronauts SpaceX will launch into orbit this year

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The billionaire commander of SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission is flying back to space again with a set of new crewmates.

Shift4 CEO Jared Isaacman and SpaceX jointly announced Monday (Feb. 14) the creation of Polaris Dawn, a mission set to fly a Crew Dragon to high Earth orbit in late 2022. The mission will be the opening shot for the Polaris Program, which aims both to conduct human spaceflights and to fund causes on Earth.

“The [Polaris] program will consist of up to three human spaceflight missions that will demonstrate new technologies, conduct extensive research, and ultimately culminate in the first flight of SpaceX’s Starship with humans on board,” the program said in a statement.

Related: SpaceX’s private all-civilian Inspiration4 mission in pictures

Isaacman will be joined by three crew members highly experienced in aviation or spaceflight operations: Scott Poteet, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. Their goals include attempting the first-ever commercial spacewalk, testing Starlink laser-based communications in space and doing various scientific experiments.

Meet the crew with their mini-biographies below. 

Jared Isaacman, Polaris Dawn commander

Billionaire Jared “Rook” Isaacman will command the Polaris Dawn civilian astronaut mission on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in late 2022. (Image credit: Polaris Program)

Jared Isaacman, 38, is a spaceflight veteran who commanded the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission that flew to Earth orbit in September 2021. He paid for the trip, having become a billionaire as the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments. 

Besides his business work, he has performed piloting duties including a high-speed circumnavigation of the world, air shows and owning a jet pilot training company (Draken International.) He has roughly 6,000 hours of flight experience.

Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn will be the first two in a series of planned flights that Isaacman will take with different crews. Inspiration4 was charity-focused, raising $240 million for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, and Isaacman told the Washington Post he hopes the next few missions will be similarly beneficial for humanity.

He only agreed to take on the additional flights, he said, if they “serve the bigger purpose of opening up space for everyone and making humankind a multiplanetary species and, ideally, have a benefit for the things we’re trying to accomplish back here on Earth.”

Scott Poteet, Polaris Dawn mission pilot

Scott “Kidd” Poteet, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and former Thunderbird pilot, will serve as mission pilot for the Polaris Dawn SpaceX mission in late 2022. (Image credit: Polaris Program)

Scott “Kidd” Poteet, age not disclosed, is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) Lieutenant Colonel and a pilot with more than 3,200 flying hours in aircraft including the F-16, A-4, T-38, T-37, T-3, and Alpha Jet, according to his Polaris Dawn biography. He also has more than 400 hours of combat time during Operations Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Joint Guardian, Freedom’s Sentinel, and Resolute Support.

His 20 years of Air Force work included several senior roles, such as commander of the 64th Aggressor Squadron, USAF Thunderbird No. 4 demonstration pilot, operational test and evaluation pilot and flight examiner. 

Poteet comes to the mission as a long-time associate of Isaacman’s. His roles have included director of business development at Draken International, as well as vice-president of strategy at Shift4, both companies of Isaacman’s. Poteet was also mission director of Inspiration4.

Aside from his work, Kidd has competed in 15 Ironman triathlons since 2000 and is described as “an accomplished collegiate runner.”

Sarah Gillis, Polaris Dawn mission specialist

Sarah Gillis, a SpaceX Lead Space Operations Engineer overseeing astronaut training, will serve as a mission specialist on the private Polaris Dawn mission in late 2022. (Image credit: Polaris Program)

Sarah Gillis, age not disclosed, is lead space operations engineer at SpaceX. That role makes her responsible for the company’s new astronaut training program, for missions such as Inspiration4, along with NASA Crew Dragon missions Demo-2 and Crew-1.

Her biography states that Gillis is also experienced in mission control operations, including serving as navigation officer for Dragon cargo resupply missions, and crew communicator for Dragon human spaceflight missions.

Gillis joined SpaceX in 2015 as an intern while studying engineering and dance at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her original career aspiration was to be a classical violinist, but she changed her direction to aerospace engineering through conversations with a high school mentor: former NASA astronaut Joe Tanner.

In her spare time, Gillis enjoys hiking, climbing and wilderness camping.

Anna Menon, Polaris Dawn mission specialist/medical officer

Anna Menon, a SpaceX Lead Space Operations Engineer who manages crew operations development and serves as mission director and crew communicator in mission control, will serve as a mission specialist and medical officer on the Polaris Dawn mission. (Image credit: Polaris Program)

Anna Menon, age not disclosed, is lead space operations engineer at SpaceX, managing crew operations development as well as working in the company’s mission control as both mission director and crew communicator. Her notable mission control missions, her biography states, include NASA crewed spaceflights Demo-2 and Crew-1, along with the uncrewed cargo missions CRS-22 and CRS-23.

“During her tenure at SpaceX, she has led the implementation of Dragon’s crew capabilities, helped create the crew communicator operator role, and developed critical operational responses to vehicle emergencies such as a fire or cabin depressurization,” her biography states.

Menon’s previous role was working for seven years at NASA, serving as biomedical flight controller for the International Space Station. This role included aspects such as supporting orbiting space station crews, working with international partner engineers and medical care providers, and serving as lead for Expedition 47/48’s biomedical operations.

As a biomedical engineer, Menon has worked to implement that experience in organizations including the World Health Organization, Engineers Without Borders and Engineering World Health.

Menon says her passion for space began in fourth grade, when she got to visit NASA on an “immersive field trip.” Her teacher, Alison Smith Balch, was daughter of space shuttle Challenger pilot Michael J. Smith; the elder Smith died during the Challenger shuttle accident in 1986. Menon’s hobbies include hiking, flying small airplanes, salsa dancing and family activities.

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook. 



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Science

What does it take to be a NASA astronaut

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If you ever dreamed of being an astronaut as a kid, then you know that it’s no easy feat — here are NASA’s requirements for the job.

The US space agency has revealed on its website all of the requirements that need to be met by someone before they have a shot at going to space.

What does an astronaut do?

Before we get into what it takes to be an astronaut, here’s what an astronaut actually does.

An astronaut’s role and responsibilities can range anywhere from crewing a spacecraft to working as a scientist on the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA astronauts specifically do a lot of research and conduct hands-on experiments on the ISS — a space laboratory that orbits Earth.

Some of these experiments include researching cancer, the human body, and life in space.

NASA has also long shared its ambitions to send astronauts to Mars, which would be an unimaginable experience for the lucky chosen few.

More recently than that, though, the aeronautical agency is planning to send the first woman and next man to the moon by 2024.

That next scientist in space could be you – if you meet the criteria, that is.

What does it take to be an astronaut

The requirements to be a NASA astronaut have changed over the years to better align with the agency’s mission and values.

As it stands, these are the requirements.

First, a potential candidate must be a US citizen.

They also have to have a master’s degree in a STEM field from an accredited institution – acceptable degrees include engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science, or mathematics.

A potential NASA astronaut candidate must be a US citizen.
Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

On top of that, a potential candidate has to have at least two years of related professional experience after completing their degree, or “at least 1,000 hours pilot-in-command time on jet aircraft,” the agency noted.

NASA also emphasized the types of characteristics it’s looking for in its astronauts, including a skilled leader, a good communicator, and a good collaborator.

Physical requirements

It’s not enough to simply be educated to be an astronaut, though, a candidate also has to be able to withstand the physical pressure of being in space.

On that note, a person must be extremely healthy and able to pass the NASA long-duration flight astronaut physical, which tests agility, body coordination, eye coordination, and vision.

Furthermore, NASA astronaut positions require a candidate to be of particular height and weight.

NASA astronauts must be a certain height and weight to qualify.
Getty Images

To be a commander or pilot astronaut, you need to be 158cm to 190cm tall, and to be a mission specialist you need to be between 149cm to 193cm.

In general, astronauts should weigh between 50 and 95 kilograms (110 and 209 pounds) and measure between 149.5cm and 190.5cm.

The selection process

If a person meets all the aforementioned requirements, their application gets sent to NASA’s Astronaut Selection Board for review.

The chances of getting chosen are slim as the agency is inundated with tens of thousands of applications every year (it is the dream job for most, after all).

If successfully picked from the crowd, the board then invites you, along with a small group of the most highly qualified candidates, for interviews at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

NASA receives tens of thousands of astronaut applications every year.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

About half of that group is then invited back for a second interview, and then from those candidates, a select few are welcomed back for a two-year training course.

The course includes basic astronaut skills like spacewalking, operating the space station, flying jet planes, and controlling a robotic arm.

After completing basic training, astronauts then get the opportunity to go where very few have gone: Deep space.

This story originally appeared on The Sun and has been reproduced here with permission.

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Technology

How astronauts could thrive on Mars

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For those of us on Earth, adjusting to a new normal, like extended periods of working from home and disruptions to well-established routines, have created a sensation that time has no meaning.

Astronauts experience a different kind of time warp when they travel to space and spend six months or longer living on the International Space Station. From the perspective of their low-Earth orbit, the crew witnesses 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets per day.

The astronauts’ 12-hour workdays are scheduled down to five-minute increments as they work on experiments, maintain the space station, and conduct routine maintenance and cleaning.

Breaking the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, NASA astronaut Christina Koch spent 328 days in space between March 2019 and February 2020.

“We have a saying in long duration spaceflight that ‘it’s a marathon, not a sprint,'” Koch told CNN. “In my mind, I just change it to, ‘it’s an ultra-marathon, not a marathon.’ And I made sure to let the people around me know that I would probably need help at some point, and I would probably rely on them for different things and that it might not be easy every single day.”

While preparing for her record-breaking mission, Koch spoke with fellow NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who still holds the all-time record with 340 days in space. Kelly reminded Koch that it was crucial to pace herself and be vocal about what she needed in order to recharge. These tips, and the ones that follow, hold true whether you’re in zero gravity or stuck earthbound in a global pandemic.

“We have a lot of psychological countermeasure programs on board: video conferences with our families, the music and TV shows we like being uploaded, and even the workday is all designed to kind of sustain a six-month mission,” Koch said.

“It’s really up to us to let the ground (crew) know what are the psychological countermeasures that we can utilize to keep someone operating at peak performance even longer than what a typical mission is.”

How time passes in space

Dynamic events, like video calls with family, conducting spacewalks outside of the space station, or even celebrating holidays, help the crew distinguish their days and avoid the time warp caused by repetition, Koch said.

“Even if you’re really busy, like we were, the fact that we weren’t seeing new things, smelling new things (and that) our sensory inputs weren’t changing is really what made it feel kind of like that time warp,” she said. Sounds familiar, right?

Koch, along with NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, conducted the first all-female spacewalk in October 2019. During her 11-month stay on the space station, Koch conducted six spacewalks and spent 42 hours and 15 minutes outside of the station.

Yet in Koch’s recollection of her tour of duty, the spacewalks play an outsize role in what she experienced. “When I think back, in my mind, half the time I was doing spacewalks,” Koch said. “But in reality, that was such a small part of what we did. It feels like such a big part in terms of my memories and the experiences that I had up there.”

Another memory that stands out for Koch includes a special Christmas celebration with her crewmates. They turned off all of the lights in the station and created “space candles” by putting amber tape over their flashlights, dispersing them throughout the station so that it almost seemed to glow with candlelight.

“It was the one day that felt like an escape just from everything, not even just from the space station, but just from any kind of semblance of what represented a normal reality,” Koch said.

The rigors of exploration

The unprecedented missions completed by Koch and Kelly are just the beginning. Extended missions are helping NASA plan to return humans to the moon and send them on pioneering missions to Mars.

Deep-space missions will add extremes that astronauts have never faced before, including a decreasing dependence on communications with those on Earth and how to cope with the social isolation of living in an alien environment.
There are three testbeds to prepare for this new frontier of exploration: simulated missions on Earth, extended stays on the space station, and ultimately the first Artemis missions that will land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon.

During the early Artemis missions, astronauts will keep journals to chronicle their well-being and wear devices to track their sleep and circadian rhythms, according to NASA.

Maintaining a healthy sleep cycle, communicating well with the rest of the crew, and alleviating boredom and stagnation could help space travelers on long missions to Mars and prevent them from developing psychiatric disorders or experience cognitive or behavioral issues.

Once they reach Mars, astronauts will also have tough, physically demanding tasks and experience days that are 37 minutes longer than those on Earth.

Self-care lessons from space

Something that is already helping support the mental well-being of astronauts on the space station is space gardening. Crew members have reported that they enjoy tending to plant experiments during their downtime, seeing greenery, and even getting to sample the fresh taste of their efforts. It also provides a tangible connection to their home planet.

Tom Williams, lead scientist for the human factors and behavioral performance element of NASA’s Human Research Program, says that his acronym “CONNECT” can help astronauts combat social isolation.

The letters stand for community, openness, networking, needs, expeditionary mindset, countermeasures and training. Together, these efforts can help future space explorers build self-care into their busy schedules, look out for one another and even recognize the impact of their efforts.

“The Moon landing helped people around the world feel more united because they felt the sense of belonging, of oneness, with shared hopes and dreams fulfilled,” Williams said in a statement.

For anyone on Earth who feels like they are experiencing a time warp as the pandemic continues, the same lessons apply.

“Help others and provide yourself for others to help,” Koch said. “Learn to be comfortable sitting with your own contentment. The other side of that is to create milestones for yourself. I think that when we look back, we find that we’ve done more than we realized.”

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Science

NASA Offers $1 Million for Innovative Systems to Feed Tomorrow’s Astronauts

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Join the Deep Space Food Challenge to help bring innovative food production technologies to space and here on Earth.

As
NASA and the Canadian Space Agency have coordinated to open Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge, targeted at developing novel food production system technologies for long-duration deep space missions. Credit: NASA

“Feeding astronauts over long periods within the constraints of space travel will require innovative solutions,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “Pushing the boundaries of food technology will keep future explorers healthy and could even help feed people here at home.”

In October 2021, Phase 1 of the challenge culminated as NASA awarded 18 teams a total of $450,000 for their concepts for innovative food production technology that produces safe, acceptable, palatable, nutritious food products that are stable and high quality, while minimizing necessary resource inputs. NASA and the Canadian Space Agency jointly recognized 10 international teams for their winning submissions. NASA’s supporting partner of the challenge, the Methuselah Foundation, sponsored two $25,000 awards to international teams for their outstanding innovation. The Canadian Space Agency awarded 10 teams $30,000 CAD each to their winning teams.

NASA now invites both new and existing teams to enter Phase 2, which will require teams to build and demonstrate prototypes of their designs and produce food for judging. Interested participants from the United States can compete in Phase 2 for part of a prize purse up to $1 million.

“We are excited to continue collaborating with the Canadian Space Agency to conduct the next phase of this challenge and identify solutions from across the globe,” said Reuter.

The Competition

The Deep Space Food Challenge asks competitors to create a food production technology, system, or approach that could potentially be integrated into a complete food system to sustain a crew of four on a three-year deep space mission. Everything needed to store, prepare and deliver food to the crew, including production, processing, transport, consumption, and disposal of waste should be considered. Proposed technologies such as plant growth systems, manufactured food products, and ready-to-eat solutions combined could provide the future crews with a variety of options that would provide the needed daily nutrition.

In Phase 1, NASA’s judges grouped U.S. submissions based on the food they envisioned producing. Among the designs were a variety of systems that ranged from complex to very simple. Teams proposed technologies to produce ready-to-eat foods such as bread, as well as dehydrated powders that could be processed into food products. Other technologies involved cultivated plants and fungi or engineered food such as cultured meat cells, all of which could be grown or produced by the crew on deep space missions. Details about the winning submissions and teams can be found on the challenge website.

All teams involved in Phase 1 of the challenge met the registration requirements to enter Phase 2. New teams are welcomed and highly encouraged to participate after providing the required registration information, due by February 28. Interested participants from the United States can compete for part of a prize purse of up to $1 million from NASA. The Canadian Space Agency is hosting a parallel competition with a separate application and judging process, as well as its own prize purse, for participating Canadian teams. Qualifying teams from other countries may compete but will not be eligible for monetary prizes.

The Deep Space Food Challenge is a NASA Centennial Challenge. Centennial Challenges are part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate at the agency’s Headquarters in Washington and are managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Subject matter experts at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida support the competition. NASA, in partnership with the Methuselah Foundation, manages the U.S. and international Deep Space Food Challenge competition.



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We Finally Know The True Extent of Space Destroying Astronauts’ Red Blood Cells

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The human body did not evolve to handle life in space, and it shows in our very blood.

Since our species first started to spend extended periods of time beyond our planet, researchers have noticed a curious and consistent loss of red blood cells among astronauts.

 

The phenomenon is called ‘space anemia’, and until recently, its cause was a mystery. Some experts have argued space anemia is only a short-term phenomenon – a brief compensation for the fluid changes in our bodies under microgravity.

A new study, however, points towards a more destructive and lasting mechanism.

During a six-month space mission flight, researchers found the human body destroys about 54 percent more red blood cells than it normally would.

The readings are far higher than expected, and they come directly from the breath and blood of 14 astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS).

“This is the best description we have of red blood cell control in space and after return to Earth,” says epidemiologist Guy Trudel from the University of Ottawa, Canada.

“These findings are spectacular, considering these measurements had never been made before and we had no idea if we were going to find anything. We were surprised and rewarded for our curiosity.”

The measurements were made via blood tests of iron and breath tests based on carbon monoxide. For every one molecule of carbon monoxide exhaled, a molecule of the pigment found in red blood cells is also destroyed, which makes it a useful approximation of red blood cell loss.

 

While still firmly grounded on Earth, astronauts in the study were creating and destroying about 2 million red blood cells a second. During their time in orbit, however, their bodies were destroying roughly 3 million blood cells a second.

In microgravity, the human body loses about 10 percent of the liquid flowing through our blood vessels, as blood accumulates in our head and chest. That’s why astronauts sometimes look swollen in their videos from the ISS.

For years, this was the explanation for space anemia. Perhaps the loss of red blood cells was our body’s way of compensating for a loss in blood volume.

But that’s not what the current study found. Instead of equalizing the makeup of our blood, the loss of red blood cells appears to continue unabated throughout space flight.

Even after 120 days, when all the red blood cells in an astronaut’s body had been created in space, the loss of red blood cells continued at a similar pace.

“Our study shows that upon arriving in space, more red blood cells are destroyed, and this continues for the entire duration of the astronaut’s mission,” says Trudel.

 

When the astronauts were in space, the loss of red blood cells appears to have led to a higher-than-normal circulation of iron serum in their blood. Without as many red blood cells to transport iron around the body, the astronauts gradually approached anemia, which can be classified into mild, moderate, and severe.

When they returned to Earth, five out of 13 astronauts (one didn’t get blood drawn on landing) had reached clinically diagnosable levels of anemia, defined as the condition where the body doesn’t have enough red blood cells for its physiological needs.

About three or four months after landing, their red blood cell levels returned to normal. But even a year after their space flight was done, the astronauts’ bodies were still destroying 30 percent more red blood cells than before their trip to space.

The study didn’t measure red blood cell production, but given that no astronaut suffered severe anemia, despite the significant losses of red blood cells, their bodies may also have been producing more red blood cells than normal while in space.

If that turns out to be true, astronaut diets will need to be adjusted accordingly. An increase in red blood cell production can put added pressure on bone marrow function, and this necessarily requires higher energy consumption.

 

If astronauts are not properly protected, they could risk damage to their heart, lungs, bones, brain and muscle systems when they return to Earth.

“Thankfully, having fewer red blood cells in space isn’t a problem when your body is weightless,” explains Trudel.

“But when landing on Earth and potentially on other planets or moons, anemia affecting your energy, endurance, and strength can threaten mission objectives. The effects of anemia are only felt once you land, and must deal with gravity again.”

The study was published in Nature Medicine.

 

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Why do astronauts get “space anemia”? This study has an answer.

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A new analysis has found that space travel can lower red blood cell counts, leading to a condition known as “space anemia.” A collaboration between The University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital examined the red blood cell counts of 14 astronauts who had been to space, and found that their bodies destroyed 54% more red blood cells in space than they did on Earth — providing an answer to long-held questions about the condition.

“Space anemia has consistently been reported when astronauts returned to Earth since the first space missions, but we didn’t know why,” said lead author Dr. Guy Trudel, a researcher at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa, in a press release. 

Prior to this study, space anemia was believed to be caused by a sudden shift of fluids into an astronaut’s upper body when they first entered space, causing the loss of 10% of the liquid in their blood vessels. It was also believed that their bodies would quickly destroy 10% of their red blood cells to balance this shift, and red blood cell count would return to normal after 10 days in space, the release said. 

But the research team discovered that being in space was actually the cause of the red blood cell destruction by measuring the red blood cell counts of the 14 astronauts over six months in space. The researchers didn’t measure red blood cell counts directly, but they used a measurement of carbon monoxide — which is released when a part of a red blood cell is destroyed — as a proxy. 

On Earth, human bodies create and kill 2 million red blood cells every second — but in space, they destroy 3 million every second, the researchers said. 

“Our study shows that upon arriving in space, more red blood cells are destroyed, and this continues for the entire duration of the astronaut’s mission,” Trudel continued. 

Both male and female astronauts experienced the same red blood cell destruction, and five of 13 astronauts were clinically anemic upon landing, the researchers said in the release. One astronaut did not have blood drawn upon landing.

Astronaut Tim Peake’s first blood draw completed in space. The sample was taken as part of the MARROW experiment.

NASA


“Thankfully, having fewer red blood cells in space isn’t a problem when your body is weightless,” Trudel said. “But when landing on Earth and potentially on other planets or moons, anemia affecting your energy, endurance, and strength can threaten mission objectives. The effects of anemia are only felt once you land, and must deal with gravity again.”

After the astronauts returned to Earth, it took three to four months for red blood cell counts to return to normal — but the scientists found that a year after landing, red blood cell death was still 30% higher than it was before the space mission.

“This is the best description we have of red blood cell control in space and after return to Earth,” said Trudel. “These findings are spectacular, considering these measurements had never been made before and we had no idea if we were going to find anything. We were surprised and rewarded for our curiosity.”

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Astronauts experience ‘space anemia’ when they leave Earth

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When we’re on Earth, our bodies create and destroy 2 million of these cells per second. In space, astronauts experienced 3 million red blood cells destroyed per second, resulting in a loss of 54% more cells than people on Earth experience, according to a new study.

Lower red blood cell counts in astronauts is known as space anemia.

“Space anemia has consistently been reported when astronauts returned to Earth since the first space missions, but we didn’t know why,” said study author Dr. Guy Trudel, a rehabilitation physician and researcher at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa, in a statement.

Researchers took breath and blood samples from 14 astronauts before their six-month stays on the International Space Station. The astronauts also took samples four times during their flights. The researchers also collected blood from the astronauts up to a year after their spaceflight.

The flights of the 11 men and three women occurred between 2015 and 2020. The findings were published Friday in the journal Nature Medicine.

A surprising find

When astronauts are in space, they experience a shift of bodily fluids toward the upper body due to the lack of gravity. This results in increased pressure on the brain and eyes, causing cardiovascular issues and a loss of 10% of the liquid in their blood vessels.

Researchers believed that space anemia was the body’s way of adapting to the fluid shift, resulting in the destruction of red blood cells to restore the balance. They also thought that the red blood cell loss was only temporary, restoring itself after the astronauts adjusted after spending 10 days in the space environment.

Trudel and his team discovered a surprising result — the space environment is the actual culprit.

“Our study shows that upon arriving in space, more red blood cells are destroyed, and this continues for the entire duration of the astronaut’s mission,” he said.

The research team developed ways to measure red blood cell destruction, including measuring the amounts of carbon monoxide detected in breath samples from the astronauts. Each time one molecule of heme, or the signature red pigment in red blood cells, is destroyed, it creates a molecule of carbon monoxide.

The team was unable to directly measure the production of red blood cells in the astronauts, but they expect that the astronauts experienced the generation of extra red blood cells in response to increased destruction. If this had not occurred, all of the astronauts would have suffered the effects and health issues associated with severe anemia while in space.

“Thankfully, having fewer red blood cells in space isn’t a problem when your body is weightless,” Trudel said. “But when landing on Earth and potentially on other planets or moons, anemia affecting your energy, endurance and strength can threaten mission objectives. The effects of anemia are only felt once you land, and must deal with gravity again.”

Long-term effects

After returning to Earth, five of 13 astronauts were diagnosed as clinically anemic. One of the astronauts did not have a blood draw after landing.

Follow-up samples taken from the astronauts showed that space anemia is reversible because their red blood cell counts progressively returned to normal between three to four months after their return.

However, samples collected a year after the astronauts landed on Earth showed that the rate of red blood cell destruction was still increased, about 30% above what they experienced before their spaceflight.

The researchers believe this suggests that long-duration space missions could result in structural changes that impact red blood cells.

The findings are the first results published from MARROW, an experiment that examines bone marrow health and blood production when astronauts are in space.
The results highlight the importance of screening both astronauts and space tourists for health conditions that could be impacted by anemia and monitoring for any issues during missions. A previous study by Trudel and his team also revealed that longer space missions worsen anemia.

For now, it’s uncertain how long the human body can support an increased rate of both destruction and production of red blood cells.

In order to combat this risk, the researchers suggest that astronaut diets be changed to support better blood health.

The lessons learned from this research could also be applied to anemia patients on Earth, especially those who experience it after illness and prolonged bed rest. While the direct cause of this kind of anemia is unknown, it may be similar to what happens in space.

“If we can find out exactly what’s causing this anemia, then there is a potential to treat it or prevent it, both for astronauts and for patients here on Earth,” Trudel said. “This is the best description we have of red blood cell control in space and after return to Earth. We were surprised and rewarded for our curiosity.”

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