Living in Space, Space Systems

Mars voyage radiation level found in range expected – Improved shielding can deal with it

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On Thursday NASA released the results of a study of radiation dosages measured on the Curiosity rover during its flight from earth to Mars.  Radiation Measured by NASA’s Curiosity on Voyage to Mars has Implications for Future Human Missions – NASA

This led to some articles with headlines like this one: NASA: Mars Travelers Would Get Fried By Radiation – Popular Science.

However, such headlines are sensationalistic over-reaction. As indicated in a report in Nature (link via Bob Zimmerman), the radiation level is about what was expected and it appears the dosage can be reduced to acceptable levels for human spaceflight to Mars by using shielding that is attainable : Spacecraft data nails down radiation risk for humans going to Mars: Improved shielding technology could keep exposure within acceptable levels – Nature

[Physicist Sheila Thibeault of NASA’s Langley Research Center] says that she is heartened by the new study because she had feared that the radiation dose might be considerably higher. The results suggest “that this is a problem we can solve”, she adds.

As indicated in the Nature article, hydrogenated shielding is ideal. Besides the new materials discussed, the habitat for a Mars crew can be designed in a manner that surrounds the living areas with the water, food, waste,and fuel that they will be carrying anyway. This will add up to significant amount of hydrogenated shielding.

I’ll also note that the worst case dosage, “0.66 sieverts of radiation during the voyage to and from the planet”, would increase the crew’s chance of cancer by 3 to 4 per cent. This is consistent with what the Inspiration Mars project has said that they were expecting to deal with. It appears now that they can improve on this since they are planning to use the above shielding techniques with water, food, etc.

In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Science and Technology

FISO: METERON and its related robotics Technologies at ESA Telerobotics & Haptics Lab

The latest presentation to the Future In-Space Operations (FISO) study group is now posted in the FISO Working Group Presentations Archive. The  slides and videos (zip) and audio (mp3) are available for the talk, METERON and its Related Robotics Technologies at ESA Telerobotics & Haptics Lab – Part 2,  André Schiele , Delft Univ of Technology & ESA/ESTEC – May 29, 2013.

A zip file is used this time since the

presentation by André Schiele includes a pdf, and a set of 8 short mp4 videos. When you open the pdf, you will be pointed to these videos (by number, as in “Video1 – EXARM / PA10 Telerobotics Workcell”) which you can open by clicking on the mp4 file by that name, OR by calling them up by clicking on the YouTube link on the page, if you happen to be internet-connected. These videos will NOT automatically launch in the pdf document.

Here are a couple of the videos from the TeleroboticsLab YouTube channel:

Living in Space, Space Arts, Space participation

Kickstarter to launch the comic book “FloatBall” about a space sport

Former NFL Pro Bowl linebacker Ken Harvey and aerospace engineer Allen Herbert have sought ways to excite young people’s interest in technology and spaceflight and one of the concepts they have developed is a team sport that would be played in microgravity. Called FloatBall, it combines elements of football, basketball and freefall. It was described in this 2008 NY Times article: Marketing Sports as the Next Phase of Space Tourism – NYTimes.com.

Obviously such a game requires sizable facilities in space and low cost transport to support the building and populating of such facilities. Such transport isn’t available yet and may not be for awhile. So they are pursuing a way to keep the idea alive by bringing it first to a comic book world. They have recruited a team of artists and seek to raise $30k on Kickstarter by June 21st to launch the FloatBall comic book series:

Harvey says:

Combining our talents, we came up with a game that would be fun, ferocious and factual. Since society has not yet achieved the level of space proficiency needed to play our new game, we decided that next best step would be to create a comic book about the sport. Not just any comic, but one that is cool and fun like Marvel or DC Comics, and also factually based on scientific possibilities.

FloatBall, like the original Star Trek, will help ignite the reality of today while fueling the imagination of tomorrow. This is where we need your help. We’d like to ask your assistance with funding this project.

Here is a video about the Kickstarter project:

Harvey also says:

If you are a fan of comics, space, sports, or science, then this is the comic for you. We need to raise enough money to produce and distribute the first issue. You can be in on the beginning of something great. Years into the future, your name will be associated with the beginning of a new age of sports in space.

Our goal is to create the first of a series of illustrated comic books delving into the world of FloatBall, the sport of the future. Who knows, with any luck the story will become a movie!

 Preproduction sketches of FloatBall players by the FutureDude team.“Preproduction sketches of FloatBall players by the FutureDude team.”

Living in Space, Space Settlement

No babies in Mars colony till proven safe

Rand Simberg discusses the potential health hazards involved in a human pregnancy and birth in an environment at a fraction of earth’s gravity such as the 0.38g on Mars : The Bioethics of Mars One – PJ Media.

Before permanent settlements are the Moon and Mars are viable, he points to the need for a G-Lab orbital facility, which would use spin gravity to study the effects of fractional gravity on lab animals.

Astronomy, Science and Technology, SpaceCasts

Astronomy Cast – A look at space stations past and future

The Astronomy Cast  is a weekly audio webcast program that covers a wide range of space related topics. They now have over 300 half hour programs in their archive. Recently, for example, they had a four part series on the history and future of space stations:

Everyone can participate in space