In more bad news for future voyagers to Mars, a team of scientists has found that the cosmic rays that astronauts will encounter on long space voyages can cause heavy damage to their GI tract. Using animal tissue, they found that the radiation produces both immediate and long term health problems.
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A big challenge humanity faces in venturing off Earth and into deep space is how to tackle the dangers of cosmic radiation. A team has now discovered a drug treatment that could not only prevent cognitive deficits caused by this radiation, but actually repair damage in the brain after exposure.
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It's a nightmare scenario. An unconscious astronaut on a spacewalk gone wrong floats off into deep space with no way to get back. To prevent this, engineering firm Draper has patented a "take me home" rescue system that allows a disabled astronaut to return to safety at the push of a button.
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Overpacking isn't exactly an option for trips into space, even for longer trips like an eventual manned mission to Mars. Now, researchers are recruiting microorganisms to solve the problem, by engineering them to make nutrients and 3D-printable plastics out of human waste.
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As far as many people are concerned, there are just two ways of exploring other planets – either robots do it while all the humans stay back on Earth, or astronauts go and do so in person. According to a trio of scientists, however, the best idea may lie somewhere between the two.
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ISS Commander Peggy Whitson has broken the record for cumulative time spent in space by a NASA astronaut. Whitson is currently serving her third stint aboard the ISS, and with 5 months of her mission remaining, is set to rack up over 650 days in space before touching back down on Earth.
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Building habitats, tools and parts out of local resources would be ideal for the first human colonists of Mars. So researchers from NASA and UCF are investigating how metals could be extracted from the Martian soil, refined, and used as “ink” to 3D print vital components.
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We can't think about going to Mars until we know how to contain human waste on deep space missions, a problem that has stumped many of the best minds. Can the winning entries from NASA's Space Poop Challenge take astronauts beyond the adult diaper?
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We know that human beings will be going to Mars eventually but where are we going to live once we get there? The latest design concept unveiled by NASA researchers uses ice to bring the igloo into the space age.
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Florida State University Professor Michael Delp has identified a link between deep space radiation exposure, and a high rate of mortality due to vascular deterioration in astronauts who flew beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO) during the Apollo program.
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