[ad_1]
Tomorrow (17 April), the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket will launch its Cygnus Spaceship to the space station, carrying supplies and a set of strange and innovative experiences that could support future missions in space.
Among them will be two tiny robots that will help astronauts perform maintenance on the space station; a study that will assess the health of astronauts' arteries using wearable technologies; and a test for a new method of removing carbon dioxide from the air on board the space station, according to a statement from NASA.
At 16:46 Cygnus NG-11 is to launch on an Antares rocket from Pad 0A to the Atlantic Mid-Atlantic Regional Space Port at The NASA flight facility on Wallops Island in Virginia. The cargo replenishment mission will send scientific experiments and supplies for the crew aboard the space station. This will be the 11th (and last) Cygnus mission under Northrop Grumman's CRS-1 Commercial Replenishment Services Contract with NASA – a new contract, CRS-2, should start in the fall. You can watch the launch online here on Space.com, courtesy of NASA.
Related: The private spaceship Antares Rocket & Cygnus explained (infographic)
Cygnus Spaceship recently added capacity load some experiments only 24 hours before launch. Previously, all the science and cargo experiments had to be loaded into the gear four days before launch, but this change will load the time sensitive experiences near the launch time.
One of the experiments, called Vascular aging, will explore evidence suggesting that some aspects of aging, linked to the system that circulates blood in the body, could be accelerated by: time spent in space. Aging arteries have been associated with cardiovascular health, insulin resistance and many others. As part of this experiment, members of the Space Station team will receive arterial ultrasounds, blood samples and oral glucose tolerance tests to assess their general health and their arteries. and will detect any insulin resistance. They will also use portable sensors to monitor changes in their fitness.
According to Richard Hughson, principal investigator of the study and researcher at Schlegel University-University of Waterloo in Canada, astronauts will carry the sensors for 72 hours aboard the space station. As the wearable device will record activity levels, it will help the team investigate the relationship between activity levels and insulin resistance, Hughson said at a press conference. a press conference on April 10th.
Hughson, discussing the importance of this study, said that "in the short term, this is probably not too important for astronauts". But, he said, "in the long run, it could be quite important". Astronauts spend relatively little time aboard the space station, but their health, including vascular aging and insulin resistance, which this study also examines, could become a bigger problem.
The Canadian Space Agency's bio-analyzer, which is about the size of a video game console, will test body fluids such as blood, saliva and urine.
(Image: © CSA)
Another experiment for the space station will use the bio-analyzer, an instrument of the Canadian Space Agency that detects and quantifies the number of blood cells and the concentration of dissolved molecules in liquids such as blood or urine. What is unique about this technology is that it can work with just a few drops of liquid. So, instead of freezing and storing large blood, saliva or urine samples, which occupy space, weight and energy – all the precious resources of the world. a space station – the data could be collected with a simple sting.
Cygnus also carries The Seeker Robotic DTO (seeker) Cubesat external inspection vehicle at the space station this week. The little robot, about the size of a loaf of bread, will use cold gas nitrogen thrusters to fly freely around the space station, either fully automated or remotely. In case of problems, the little robot can leave the space station, fly and check for any damage.
The researcher still has a long way to go before perfecting it, but this could one day be a major aid for astronauts in space, researchers said at a press conference. When astronauts, or their crews on Earth, realize something needs to be repaired outside the space station, they usually plan an outing in which the astronauts tackle the problem.
Outings in space take a lot of time, planning and coordination, and are inherently risky. If a small robot could first go out and take pictures of the problem with a 13 megapixel camera on board that the team on Earth could analyze, astronauts would save a lot of time and reduce risk. "Going outside just to do inspections takes a lot of time and is dangerous, especially when you do not want your astronauts to go into inspection," Brian Banker, deputy project manager, said in the news. seeker. conference.
The Seeker is designed "almost like a fire extinguisher," Banker said. When there is a problem, the astronauts deploy the craft, he imagines it, then he flew away and burns in Earth orbit.
The Astrobee robot in free flight.
(Image: © NASA)
Another little robot, Astrobee, will be heading to the space station this week. Like Seeker, Astrobee, successor of the successful SPHERES robot, will help with the maintenance of the space station. But, while Seeker will simply fly around the craft, take pictures of the problems and then ignite in Earth's atmosphere, Astrobee will be convenient inside the space station.
The small cube-shaped robot will fly freely around the station, helping astronauts perform maintenance tasks and "housework" and allow them to spend more time researching. The Astrobee robot is powered by fans and uses vision-based navigation.
In another survey, researchers hope to improve methods of removing carbon dioxide from the air aboard the space station. The thermal scrubber with amines The technology will test a method using heated and cooled amine beds – the amine is an organic compound derived from ammonia. The system is designed to remove carbon dioxide, reduce the loss of water vapor on board and recover the carbon dioxide used in electrolysis to create oxygen.
Carbon dioxide levels are about 10 times higher on the space station than on Earth, said at the press conference John Garr, Lifecycle Monitoring System Integrator for the exploration of the International Space Station.
"We have learned over time that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere could potentially affect the performance and quality of life of the crew," said Laura Shaw at the press conference. , responsible for the International Space Station program for Exploration Life Support Systems. Exposure to accumulation of carbon dioxide can cause fatigue, headaches, breathing problems, tired eyes and itchy skin. Over time, these symptoms could hinder astronauts aboard the space station. Future long-term missions to the moon or even Mars will require better life support systems, otherwise astronauts will be exposed to these symptoms, the researchers said.
You can watch the launch of the cargo Cygnus here Wednesday, April 17 from 16:15. EDT (2015 GMT). The takeoff will take place at 16:46. EDT (20:46 GMT).
Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on twitter @Spacedotcom and on, Facebook
[ad_2]
Source link