Day: March 13, 2024

NASA is searching for the next four-person crew to participate in a one-year program at Johnson Space Center in Houston, simulating life and conditions on the planet Mars.

The mission will be the second of three year-long Mars surface simulations called Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, or CHAPEA, and is expected to kick off in the Spring of 2025.

The first four-person crew was locked into the habitat, called the Mars Dune Alpha, in June 2023, and is more than half way through their mission.

The inaugural crew consists of Commander Kelly Haston, a research scientist with experience in stem cell-based projects; flight engineer Ross Brockwell, a structural engineer and public works administrator; medical officer Nathan Jones; and science officer Anca Selariu.

ROBOT CHEMIST COULD CREATE OXYGEN NEEDED FOR COLONIZING MARS: STUDY

The data acquired through the simulations is intended to help NASA prepare for human exploration of Mars.

NASA said in a press release that the Mars Dune Alpha habitat simulates challenges of a mission to Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failures, communication delays and other environmental stressors.

Some of the tasks crew members may participate in are robotic operations, spacewalks, habitat maintenance, exercise and crop growth.

ELON MUSK WAS WARNED THAT AI COULD DESTROY HUMAN COLONY ON MARS: REPORT

NASA is looking for U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are healthy, non-smokers, between 30-55 years old and proficient in English.

The selection follows the standards NASA uses when considering astronaut candidates.

Specifically, a master’s degree in a STEM field like engineering, mathematics, or biological, physical or computer science from an accredited institution, plus two years of professional experience is required. Alternatively, anyone with over 1,000 hours piloting a plane will be considered.

NASA SEALS 4-PERSON CREW IN MARS SIMULATOR FOR NEXT 378 DAYS

NASA said it may consider candidates with two years of work completed toward a doctoral program in STEM, a medical degree, four years of professional experience, military officer training or a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM field.

The deadline to apply is April 2.

With backgrounds in science and engineering, the crew members will be part of a simulated mission to Mars, where the crew will eat, drink and exercise while in simulation.

The 1,700-square-foot, 3D printed facility is about the size of a three-to-four-bedroom house and will be used for NASA’s longest analog mission to date: 378 days.

The habitat will be a place where the crew will practice personal hygiene and healthcare, like drawing blood, while also allowing them to exercise, grow food and collect geological samples.

The habitat will be packed with all the supplies that will go to Mars. What the habitat will not be able to simulate, though, is the red planet’s gravity.

But that is where virtual reality comes into play. While in the habitat, virtual reality will allow crew members to simulate space walks or Mars walks, as well as other tasks the crew may encounter on Mars, including removing dust from the space suit or solar panels or repairing the habitat.

As crew members live within the confines of the simulator, scientists will be measuring their performance, cognition and health over the year to understand what the crew will go through.

The data collected will then be handed to the vehicle planners.

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Few figures shine as brightly as Galileo Galilei, an Italian philosopher whose contributions to astronomy revolutionized the understanding of the stars. 

“Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) has always played a key role in any history of science, as well as many histories of philosophy. He is a – if not the – central figure of the Scientific Revolution of the seventeenth century,” reads the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Born in Pisa, Italy on Feb. 15, 1564, Galileo’s insatiable curiosity and relentless pursuit of knowledge propelled him to the forefront of scientific inquiry during the Renaissance era.

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, JANUARY 7, 1610, GALILEO DISCOVERS THE MOONS OF JUPITER

Galileo’s journey began in Renaissance Italy at the University of Pisa, where he initially studied medicine but soon found his true calling in mathematics and natural philosophy. 

His need for learning led him to explore diverse fields, including physics, engineering and astronomy. However, due to financial constraints, he left the University of Pisa without completing his degree, says History.com. 

Galileo continued his self-directed studies and expanded his knowledge in various fields.

Despite facing financial challenges, Galileo’s pursuit of knowledge and passion for science set the stage for his later achievements. 

In 1609, Galileo constructed his first telescope, where he made a series of astonishing discoveries that forever altered our perception of the universe.

On Jan. 7, 1610, Galileo discovered the moons of Jupiter — making it the first observation of this planet.

He utilized his telescope to identify four of Jupiter’s orbiting moons, examine Saturn, observe the varying phases of Venus, and scrutinize sunspots on the surface of the sun. The four moons, and Jupiter’s largest satellites, are lo, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

“In observing the sun, Galileo saw a series of ‘imperfections.’ He had discovered sunspots. Monitoring these spots on the sun demonstrated that the sun in fact rotated. Furthermore, later observations by Francesco Sizzi in 1612 suggested that the spots on the sun actually changed over time,” says The Library of Congress.

ITALY MUSEUM TO DISPLAY FINGERS, TOOTH BELIEVED TO BE GALILEO’S 

Galileo was ordered to appear before the Holy Office to face charges related to his advocating for the Copernican theory and his belief in the Earth’s movement around the sun, a stance the Catholic Church deemed heretical.

This marked Galileo’s second confrontation for rejecting the Church’s doctrine that positioned the Earth as the unmovable center of the universe.

“In 1616, Galileo had been forbidden from holding or defending his beliefs. In the 1633 interrogation, he denied that he ‘held’ belief in the Copernican view but continued to write about the issue and evidence as a means of ‘discussion’ rather than belief,” according to History.com. 

Undeterred by persecution, Galileo continued his astronomical inquiries, publishing “Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems” in 1632. The book presented a vigorous defense of heliocentrism and provoked the anger of Church authorities. 

In 1633, Galileo faced the Inquisition and was found guilty of heresy and sentenced to house arrest by Pope Urban VIII for the remainder of his life, says History.com.

ITALY MUSEUM TO DISPLAY FINGERS, TOOTH BELIEVED TO BE GALILEO’S

Galileo’s contributions to physics, mathematics and astronomy echo across the ages, earning him a rightful place among history’s greatest minds. Nearly 70 at the time of his trial, Galileo lived his last nine years under comfortable house arrest, while writing a summary of his early experiments.

In 2018, U.K. researchers said they found a long-lost letter written by Galileo that shows he engaged in a little deception to fend off the Inquisition.

Galileo wrote to a friend in 1613 saying he believed the Earth revolved around the sun, and not vice versa. He got sneaky and asked his friend for the original back, so he could soften it after a friar forwarded it to the Inquisition.

“He died in Arcetri near Florence, Italy on Jan. 8, 1642, at the age of 77 after suffering from heart palpitations and a fever,” says History.com

As we gaze upon the stars, let us remember the man whose dedication to truth reshaped the course of scientific questions for centuries to come. 

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