Space Station Sunday: Here There'll Be Dragons

Happy Sunday, space fans!  It was another successful week for spacefaring, let's see what was up!

Anticipating the arrival of another SpaceX resupply vehicle, the crew worked various tasks to assure the visiting cargo craft would be received safely.  After the fiery explosion of a Virgin Galactic space plane in October, as well as that of a Cygnus resupply vehicle, care was taken to make sure nothing would go wrong on the ISS's end with the SpaceX craft.  The next Dragon launch, aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is slated for December 19th.

Dragonfire in the sky:  another SpaceX resupply capsule is bound for the ISS.
(Image courtesy NASA.gov.)

While the Dragon launch was originally intended for this Tuesday, it was put on delay without explanation from NASA.  According to wtsp.com,  NASA simply said the delay was "to ensure they do everything possible on the ground to prepare for a successful launch." In their statement, they also readily enthused that, "Both the Falcon 9 rocket and its Dragon spacecraft are in good health."

This launch will be the fifth of the twelve from SpaceX, who are under contract for $12.6 billion to complete missions for NASA to the ISS.

What scientific discoveries await?  Stay tuned!
(Image courtesy NASA.gov.)

As for other day-to-day (orbit-to-orbit?) tasks, Commander Butch Wilmore conducted spacesuit maintenance to make sure the specialized suits were ready for any prospective EVAs (extravehicular activity.)  He was assisted by astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.  Astronaut Cristoforetti, one of the station's newest arrivals, is adjusting well to space life, despite her sense of wonder getting taken for a ride this week when a "UFO" (apparently just the station changing color in the sunlight) caught her attention for an exciting moment.

"Nope, not this time either, it's just the magnetosphere again, Sam.  Sorry."
(Image courtesy Butch Wilmore/NASA.gov, depicting the aurora over the mountains of Montana.)

Astronaut Terry Virts replaced fuel equipment in the Combustion Integrated Rack, so that the astronauts could continue to study the glory of science by setting stuff on fire in microgravity.  He also did maintenance on the electronics that will enable commands to be sent to the upcoming SpaceX Dragon.

Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Alexander Samokutyaev were hard at work in their nation's Zarya module, adding and disinfecting overlay sheets to the area. Russia's first female cosmonaut, Yelena Serova, is still not answering questions about her hair and makeup, preferring instead to work on experiments examining the effects of space radiation on the station. Serova also studied how the sun affects the Earth's atmosphere.

A plethora of medical experiments were also underway, with Cristoforetti wearing an armband to monitor body core temperature over a 24 hour cycle, and several astronauts participating in Ultrasound eye scans to determine how microgravity affects ocular issues.  Cristoforetti also collected saliva and urine samples to stow in the station's freezer for further experimental analysis.

She also pumped some space iron.  Yes, this is what lifting weights in microgravity looks like.
(Image courtesy NASA.gov.)

That's all for this week, space fans!  Check us out next Sunday for news on the latest Dragon delivery, and more from microgravity!  Watch this space!

And don't think the ISS crew is neglecting the seasonal spirit just because they're in space.  It wouldn't feel like space Christmas without a cool little upside-down tree, and stockings hung by the bulkhead with care.
(Image courtesy NASA.gov.)

Shoot For The Moon Or Pollute The Moon? New Company Leaves Your Stuff On The Lunar Landscape With "MoonMail"

Thanks to a proposed Mars mission as well as various private ventures, human spaceflight seems poised to have another renaissance again over the coming decades.  Yet one of the great goals of our space endeavors always looms up there, staring at us with its giant moony face.  That's right, the moon itself is still a space goal for some, and now, you can't quite go there...but your stuff can.

According to perfscience.com, the Astrobotic company is developing a "MoonMail" service whereby you can send a capsule full of Earth crap up to what Buzz Aldrin called the "magnificent desolation" of the moon.  The company, which is chasing the $30 million Lunar X Prize from Google, plans to launch in the next two years and are currently seeking Earthling donations for small "capsules."

"This is pretty cool, but I feel like I should have brought my lucky Darth Vader figurine to leave as tribute."
(Image courtesy images.nationalgeographic.com.)

Astrobotic's CEO John Thornton proclaimed, "Today marks the beginning of a new kind of participant on the moon: the individual. MoonMail is a new offering allowing anyone in the world to purchase space on our lander and immortalize their important keepsake on the moon forever."

Just don't plan on sending up a ton of stuff...space space comes at a premium.  With a small (.5 inch) capsule space starting at $460, a .75 inch space at $820, and an inch clocking in at $1,660 (plus added fees for height), you're not going to be able to send grandma's whole urn or too many photos of your ex, so pick something really special.

No, you can't buy a capsule large enough to send yourself, sorry.  We all want to go moon cruising, just wait a while longer.
(Image courtesy hometowndumpsterrental.com.)

A free capsule is being offered as a prize to anyone who can come up with the best idea of something to send via MoonMail.  The deadline for these epic ideas is December 23rd.

The Google Lunar X Prize that Astrobotic seeks is part of a campaign to consider the moon as the "eighth continent" and to explore it accordingly.  The $30 million winner will have to get a robot safely to the moon, move around for 500 meters in any direction, and broadcast back their results.  This is all intended to continue the mission set forth by Americans with the Apollo missions, visiting our galactic neighbor in peace for all mankind.

Well, now, with pieces from all mankind.

There's already a few bits of real estate claimed by the family photos of Apollo 16 astronaut Charles Duke, but your cheesy selfies could be next!
(Image courtesy hyperallergic.com.)

Your Smartphone Can Act As Your E-ID In Iowa Starting Next Year

Ever been caught without your driver's license and wished you could have some other critical bit of your physical property to cover for you?  Maybe something that you'd be carrying around every day?  Something like, say, your cellphone?

Seems legit.
(Image courtesy gizmodo.com.)

Now, thanks to new legislation in Iowa, drivers will be able to use their smartphones as credible license identification, starting in 2015.  According to theverge.com, the official license app will make your e-ID acceptable for police stops, airport trips, and other instances of age verification.

While it's not known what would happen if one were to lose the battery power to their "ID", or if other states would accept this app as valid, the idea is one that (if successful) could prove to be the forefront of change for many other states.  It's quick, it's easy, and it's usually right there in your pocket or hand anyway.  The only problem is dealing with who might set up fake license sites for the underage...

"It's okay officer, I'm not drunk, really...I puke all the time."
(Image courtesy party411.com.)

The Truth Is Out There, Maybe Inside The New "Unbiased" App

Do you want answers, but can't trust your family/friends/fellow barflies to be objective?  Don't want to get trolled too much by asking on a major website?  No worries, now there's an app that serves the purpose of telling you (different versions of) the cold, hard truth.

The new "Unbiased" app, currently in beta testing, is simple and possibly very effective (depending on what kind of answers you are looking for.)  Simply type in a question and within 24 hours, a real person will respond with an unbiased answer regarding your predicament.  Bad at making choices?  Let an unbiased stranger handle it for you!

The answers might be blowing in the wind...but they're also somewhere in cyberspace.
(Image courtesy seocopywriting.com.)

Questions can concern any type of issue, and are submitted anonymously.  One can choose from pre-set categories (Sex, Parenting, Family, Health & Fitness, Romance, or Career/Education) or simply designate the topic as "Other."  Then, straight to your inbox, a solution!

Look for Unbiased to arrive soon at the App Store and Google Play, and ponder a problem no more!

But can you handle the truth?
(Image courtesy youtube.com.)

If You Only Have Something Nice To Say, Say It On The Outpour App

Privacy on the internet is an important and valuable commodity, even for those who claim they have "nothing to hide."  Though arguments on privacy frequently focus on the idea of not having to worry if you're not doing anything wrong, what if you're interested in remaining private because you're doing something wildly (and possibly uncharacteristically) nice for someone?

It's not always as hard as you think it might be.  Even if it is, your discovery and notation of it increases its value.
(Image courtesy twitter.com.)

Enter a new app, Outpour.  As reported by wired.com, Outpour abets those who would like to deluge someone in positive comments but can't quite say them to their face or their facebook.  When freedom of expression just needs a new method of expression, Outpour steps in so you can brighten someone's day with a nice note, sans your name.  The idea is to spur people to say something sweet that they might otherwise have left bottled up, like so much maple syrup that could never saturate your mental pancakes.

"GODDAMNIT I LOVE YOU SO MUCH."
(Image courtesy redtri.com.)

Yes, it could be used for evil, but the design is based against that.  One would have to specifically seek out their victim's profile and consciously ignore all other nice messages before violating the "social norm" of the site with their message.  For those who would buck that norm, their rantings can be deleted by the user, and the vitriol-spewer's account may be blocked.  Numerous blockings could result in a site-wide ban.  A unique phone number is required for sign-up, to prevent multiple accounts.

Outpour is available for iOS, with web and Android versions arriving next year.  So if you're not near enough to someone to send a drink down the bar, or if you're not close enough to know where to send them a card, Outpour could help bring some small, secret joy with just a few keystrokes.  How sweet.

Anonymous love is still love.
(Image courtesy shinyshiny.tv.)

Commercial Drone Use Takes Off As FAA Allows Four Companies Aerial Access

This Christmas season, Santa and his sleigh team are going to find some more traffic in the skies.  Today, the FAA granted approval for four commercial companies to fly drones for the purposes of conducting aerial surveys as well as observing oil stacks and construction sites.

According to USA Today, the selected companies - Trimble Navigation Limited (TRMB), VDOS Global, Clayco Inc. and Woolpert Inc.- will be among the first to utilize drones for commercial purposes.  The FAA has still got a ways to go concerning the exact rules of operation and regulations for flying drones in commercial airspace, but hopefully this development will shed more light on what will work best for future drone aviation.

This has to be handled well, to avoid aerial traffic jams.
(Image courtesy online-shipping-blog.endicia.com.)

The first commercial drone license was granted this June for a drone to keep watch over BP's Alaskan oil pipeline.  The FAA has received 167 requests for commercial drone flight clearance, including one from Amazon, who seek to use drones for delivery purposes.

Jeff Lovin, senior vice president of Woolpert, Inc., was enthusiastic about his company's new acquirement of air access, which will allow their 5-foot, 15 pound drone to examine parts of rural Ohio and Mississippi from the air. He explained that drones "will change the way we conduct some of our existing business in the not-too-distant future, but more importantly, will create completely new and world-changing applications we haven't even thought of yet."

Soon.
(Image courtesy boingboing.net.)

Pimp My Corporeal Ride: Smart Skin!

As discussed last week in our electronic tongue article, the human senses are being well replicated in the technological world.  But one particular sense - touch - has been implemented more on the giving than receiving end, up until now.

High five!
(Image courtesy technologyreview.com.)

While many forms of technology respond to a tap or swipe on a screen, the sense of touch has not been reflected electronically for the user like an electronic eye or hearing aid might.  However, now a company has invented prosthetic "smart skin" that can "feel" what it touches, making false limbs seem functionally real again.

As reported by cnet.com, researchers at Seoul National University, South Korea have developed the smart skin by using layers of sensors enabled by ultrathin, single crystalline silicone nanoribbon.  Where formerly only pressure was detected (to allow the user to tell if they were applying too much force with their awesome robot hands), now the sensors can indicate if the "skin" is being stretched too far or is in a humid environment.  The stretchable sensors, which are layered for durability, are connected to a multi-electrode array that targets the body's nerves via platinum nanowires and ceria nanoparticle electrodes.  Combined, this accurately simulates the sense of touch, even down to onboard "heaters" to make the smart skin seem warm.

Just don't try to tattoo anything on it.
(Image courtesy closethegap.humana.com.)

Used all together, the effect is realistic. According to the study's abstract, "This collection of stretchable sensors and actuators facilitate highly localised mechanical and thermal skin-like perception in response to external stimuli, thus providing unique opportunities for emerging classes of prostheses and peripheral nervous system interface technologies."

The fresh flesh allowed for prosthetic hands to discern the sense of touch while performing many routine tasks, such as grasping things, shaking hands, typing, touching wet or dry objects, and other unspecified "human-to-human contact."

Hot.
(Image courtesy wehuntedthemammmoth.com.)

So if you're in need of a physiological overhaul, or if you're just busy already designing your future brain-download's robot body, now "smart skin" is in.

Even the least intelligent sensors of the smart skin know how to sense a high-five.
(Image courtesy blog.cbtnuggets.com.)