tagged w/ Endeavour
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Before Inspector Morse, there was the rookie Constable Morse, fed up with police work and ready to nip his career in the bud by handing in his resignation. That is, until a murder turned up that only he could solve. Shaun Evans (The Take, The Virgin Queen) stars as the young Endeavour Morse, before his signature red Jaguar but with his deductive powers already running in high gear, on Endeavour, airing on MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! during the summer of 2012 on PBS.
http://www.publicmedianewswire.com/endeavor/Before Inspector Morse, there was the rookie Constable Morse, fed up with police work... more
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Los Angeles Times...
The space shuttle's Southland legacy
The space shuttle program helped carry Southern California's aerospace industry for four decades, bequeathing new aeronautical technology — and jobs — to the local economy.
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PART ONE...
By W.J. Hennigan, Los Angeles Times
July 5, 2011
Bob Kahl slips in through a side door of the vast, abandoned hangar and looks at what's left of the assembly plant where he worked for nearly 40 years.
He remembers the hum of power tools, the biting aroma of cutting oil, swarms of workers plugging away on a labyrinth of yellow scaffolding. All that's left is a few piles of broken concrete and a sea of colorless dust that coats a Palmdale factory floor the size of two football fields.
"Welcome to the birthplace of America's space shuttle fleet," said Kahl, 60, smiling. "I never really thought it could come to this."
Photos: The shuttle's legacy in Southern California
Amid the odes to a shuttle program that ends with the last mission of the last shuttle, Atlantis, scheduled for liftoff Friday, is an awareness that the space plane helped carry Southern California's aerospace industry for four decades. It staved off decline after the end of the moon landings, bequeathing new generations of aeronautical technology — and jobs — to the regional economy.
"Building the space shuttle fleet enabled a historic chapter in NASA's space program," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a former shuttle commander. "Southern California has a strong place in shuttle history as a key site where the spacecraft were built and often landed."
Constructing the shuttle fleet was testament to how advanced Southern California's aerospace engineering and labor workforce had become by the 1970s — and assured that the vast assemblage of brainpower and engineering know-how would not be lost in the Southland.
The history of the shuttle program may be linked forever to the flights of Challenger and Columbia, its two deadly tragedies. But the shuttle era will also be remembered for advancing technology, including reusable rocket engines and computerized guidance systems, that changed manned flight.
The shuttle is considered the world's most advanced flying machine because it blasted into space like a rocket, behaved in orbit like a floating laboratory, buzzed to and from the International Space Station with astronauts and supplies, and landed back on a runway like an airplane.
Before the shuttle, astronauts reached space by squeezing into a small capsule launched atop a massive rocket. By the time the shuttle was in design, the space program was looking for ways to keep as many as seven astronauts in orbit for weeks at a time in relative comfort.
To do this, scientists and engineers had to rethink nearly every aspect of the endeavor, notably flight controls, rocket engines and protection from searing heat generated by reentry.
"The shuttle was unlike anything that preceded it, so there were always new questions to answer," said Dwight Woolhouse, a shuttle engineer from the beginning of the program to this day.
The shuttle — large and aerodynamically unstable — needed sophisticated computer controls to guide the flight. The system, known as "fly by wire," is common on today's aircraft, but it was a rarity in flying machines in the 1970s. Engineers in Downey developed the computer-aided autopilot flight controls similar to today's systems that allow mammoth Boeing 747 jumbo jets to almost fly themselves.
CONTINUED...
.Los Angeles Times...
The space shuttle's Southland legacy
The space... more
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A song by local band Calexico was used to wake up the crew of the space shuttle Endeavour. The song, "Slowness," is about two people reaching across a distance, and references places in the Tucson area including Gates Pass and Signal Hill. The band is a favorite of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords', whose husband, Mark Kelly, is commanding Endeavour's final flight. The song's theme is especially meaningful as Giffords remains hospitalized in Houston, recovering from a gunshot to the head. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/album-rewievs/42970-calexico-music-wakes-up-shuttle-crewA song by local band Calexico was used to wake up the crew of the space shuttle... more
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12 months ago
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Tardigrades are microscopic animals commonly known as water bears
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/12855775
In 2007, a little known creature called a tardigrade became the first animal to survive exposure to space.
It prevailed over sub-zero temperatures, unrelenting solar winds and an oxygen-deprived space vacuum.
On Monday, this microscopic cosmonaut has once again hitched a ride into space on the Nasa shuttle Endeavour.
Its mission: to help scientists understand more about how this so-called "hardiest animal on Earth" can survive for short periods off it.
Tardigrades join other microscopic organisms selected to be part of a project into extreme survival.
Project Biokis is sponsored by the Italian Space Agency and will investigate the impact of short-duration spaceflight on a number of microscopic organisms.
The project will use seven experiments to investigate how spaceflight affects organisms on a molecular level.
The team will be using molecular biology to evaluate any changes in the organisms' genetic information, as well as investigating how cells physically adapt to cope with extreme dehydration, caused by the space vacuum, and damage caused by cosmic radiation.
One of these experiments, the Tardkiss experiment, will expose colonies of tardigrade to different levels of ionising radiation, determined using an instrument called a dosimeter, at different points during the spaceflight mission.
The results from Tardkiss will enable researchers to determine how radiation dosage effects the way cells work.
Tardigrades are of particular interest following the 2007 European Space Agency (Esa) Foton-M3 mission, during which their ability to survive space conditions was discovered.
Stocky bodies
Tardigrades are microscopic animals more commonly known by their non-scientific name, the water bear.
Their stocky bodies and gait have all the hallmarks of a bear. But this isn't a typical bear encounter.
These bears are less than 1mm long and are found in the sea, in fresh water and on land.
Genetic studies have shown that they originally lived in freshwater environments before adapting to colonise the land, seeking out moist habitats such as soil, mosses, leaf litter and lichen.
Tardigrades earned the "hardiest animal on earth" tag having evolved elaborate dormancy strategies that allow them to shut down all but the essential biological processes when conditions are not conducive to supporting life.
Professor Roberto Guidetti from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia believes their ability to suspend life and withstand freezing and desiccation may explain why they can survive in space.
"Tardigrades can be found all over the world from the Arctic to the Antarctic, from high mountains to deserts, in urban areas and backyard gardens," he explained.
"In terrestrial environments, they always require at least a film of water surrounding their bodies to perform activities necessary for life."
But if these conditions change, tardigrades are capable of entering an extreme form of resting called cryptobiosis.
In this state, they are capable of withstanding freezing, a process called cryobiosis, and desiccation, a process called anhydrobiosis.
Arid state
"This capability [to withstand desiccation] involves a complex array of factors working at molecular, physiological and structural levels," Professor Guidetti told BBC News.
"The physiology and biochemistry of anhydrobiosis is bound to a complex system that involves many different molecular components working together as bioprotectants."
Sugars and heat stress proteins, which are expressed when cells become stressed, act as "molecular chaperones" protecting important molecules within the cell.
The disaccharide sugar called trehalose plays a role in the protection of cells and biomolecules from dehydration by replacing water that is normally bonded to hydrogen.
During dehydration, loss of water increases the ionic concentration leading to the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which damage important biomolecules including DNA.
To counter this attack, organisms produce antioxidants that can mop up ROS minimising cell damage.
The regulation of antioxidant metabolism represents a crucial strategy to avoid damage during dehydration.
"Tardigrades can persist for months, or even for years, in the anhydrobiotic state. When in the desiccated state, tardigrades show a high resistance to physical and chemical extremes," explains Professor Guidetti.
"For example, very low and high temperatures, exposure to high pressure or vacuum, as well as contact with organic solvents and ionising radiation."
Exposure to the conditions found in space induces rapid changes in living systems.
The TARDKISS study may help researchers such as Professor Guidetti develop techniques to protect other organisms, including humans, from the extreme stresses found under space conditions.
It may also help with the future long-term goal of extending the exploration of the Solar System.Tardigrades are microscopic animals commonly known as water bears... more
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1 year ago
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The space shuttle Endeavour's extinguished main engines glow as the NASA craft glides toward a landing in Florida on Kennedy Space Center's Runway 15 on January 20, 1996.
Endeavour launched into its 25th and final voyage Monday—also the anniversary of the space shuttle's first landing on May 16, 1992. The shuttle flight will be the second-to-last flight for the U.S. space agency's 30-year space shuttle program. Atlantis is set to make the final space shuttle flight in June.
Link : http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/05/pictures/110516-nasa-space-shuttle-launch-endeavour-final-science-mark-kelly/The space shuttle Endeavour's extinguished main engines glow as the NASA craft... more
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The US space shuttle Endeavour has launched on its final mission.
Its thunderous rise into a bright morning sky over the Kennedy Space Center in Florida was watched by hundreds of thousands of spectators.
Among them was Endeavour commander Mark Kelly's wife, Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona politician shot in the head by a gunman in January.
Doctors were satisfied enough with her progress to allow her to travel to Kennedy to see her husband's departure.
"This mission represents the power of teamwork, commitment and exploration," the commander said in a radio call to launch controllers moments before lift-off. "It is in the DNA of our great country to reach for the stars and explore. We must not stop."
Endeavour cleared the pad just after 0856 local time (1256 GMT; 1356 BST).
The shuttle is now on a path to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday.
It will deliver a $2bn particle physics experiment, known as the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), and a tray of critical spare parts to the orbiting platform.
On Endeavour's return, the only active ship left in the US space agency's (Nasa) shuttle fleet will be Atlantis.
It should undertake its final mission sometime in in July.The US space shuttle Endeavour has launched on its final mission.
Its thunderous... more
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Due to hose issues with the Tranquility module, it is possible that STS-130 will be delayed from its February 7th launch date.Due to hose issues with the Tranquility module, it is possible that STS-130 will be... more
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Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts returned to Earth on Friday, completing a long but successful construction job that boosted the size and power of the international space station.Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts returned to Earth on Friday,... more
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Despite the first 2 delays of the Space Shuttle Endeavour in June from potentially hazardous hydrogen leaks, weather has remained a constant issue, that has scrubbed the launch of the shuttle 3 straight days.Despite the first 2 delays of the Space Shuttle Endeavour in June from potentially... more
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The launch of the space shuttle Endeavour has been scrubbed for the 4th time after thunderstorms developed late this afternoon to the west of the Cape Canaveral area.The launch of the space shuttle Endeavour has been scrubbed for the 4th time after... more
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Space Shuttle Endeavour will attempt to launch today at 7:13 pm EDT. (4th attempt)
Space shuttle Endeavour's external fuel tank is being filled with more than 500,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The three-hour operation began at 9:48 a.m. EDT. The tank will be completely filled, by 1248 pmSpace Shuttle Endeavour will attempt to launch today at 7:13 pm EDT. (4th attempt)... more
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A gaseous hydrogen leak on the space shuttle Endeavour forced NASA to cancel Saturday’s planned launch, NASA said.A gaseous hydrogen leak on the space shuttle Endeavour forced NASA to cancel... more
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Discovery-News.com: Kasey-Dee Gardner sits down with one of Virgin Galactic's maiden space travelers and finds out his three biggest fears about this sub-orbital spaceflight.
For more space news stories, check out http://dsc.discovery.com/spaceDiscovery-News.com: Kasey-Dee Gardner sits down with one of Virgin Galactic's... more
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Discovery-News.com: New toilets, beds and a fridge are being installed in the ISS. Dave Mosher and James Williams hammer out the details.Discovery-News.com: New toilets, beds and a fridge are being installed in the ISS.... more
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