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Two completely new developments in diagnostics are proposed with Brain Drain (whose project manager is Angelo Taibi, of the Physics and Earth Science Department of University of Ferrara): the plethysmograph (plethysmographic collar), a totally non-invasive and non-operator-dependent device, and the development of a jugular path synchronized with the electrocardiogram, "to derive in a non-invasive way the jugular vein pulsation and to characterize the cardiac impact."

The things it carried: Rocket explosion destroys numerous science experiments

By David Shultz

29 October 2014

A suite of scientific experiments was lost yesterday evening when the Antares rocket headed to the International Space Station (ISS) exploded 6 seconds after liftoff. The NASA-commissioned rocket, built by Orbital Sciences Corp., exploded on the launch pad at Wallops Island, Virginia, incinerating the scientific experiments on board as well as 748 kg of supplies for the six astronauts stationed on the ISS.

Among the losses was an experiment designed by students at Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart in Houston, Texas, to determine the optimal lighting conditions for growing pea shoots in outer space. The plants’ rapid growth and high concentration of nutrients make them promising food sources for extended missions in space.

Another casualty was an experiment using a high-resolution camera to observe the chemical composition of meteors entering Earth’s atmosphere. Meteors are relatively rare and difficult to observe from the ground; one way to solve that problem is to hunt for them from the top down. The camera, developed by the Southwest Research Institute, would have peered out of a window on the ISS to record the light spectrum of the rocks as they streaked through Earth’s atmosphere.

Research into solar sails also experienced a setback due to the explosion. Solar sails are incredibly thin sheets of reflective materials that can harness pressure differences in space caused by the sun to propel a spacecraft without burning fuel. The experiment was intended to test different materials for their suitability as solar sails.

Another experiment dubbed Brain Drain would’ve fitted astronauts on the ISS with high-tech collars to monitor the blood flow in their necks. Astronauts often report headaches and other neurological disorders during their time in space, and scientists from the Italian Space Agency had hoped to learn how blood drains from the brain back toward the heart in the absence of gravity.

The explosion also destroyed 18 experiments by students from across the United States and Canada. The experiments ranged from an investigation of the effectiveness of composting in space to observing how mosquitoes develop in microgravity.

"We lost quite a bit of research hardware," said space station manager Mike Suffredini. He added that NASA would find another opportunity for the researchers and scientists to fly their experiments to the space station at a later date. "All these things can be replaced and will be over time."

At this time we are working feverishly with NASA to try to see if we can recover the experiment in a few weeks - said Professor Zamboni - The American space agency is married one hundred percent to the program, has been shown to believe in this very much. " The research team Unife, which includes physicists led by Mauro Gambaccini and cronobiologi coordinated by Roberto Manfredini, had responded to a public call for the Italian Space Agency (ASI) proposing precisely DrainBrain. The project was then selected for the Future space mission, after two years of rigorous selection and testing by several scientific committees in the US.

In the load were also the materials that would be used in some experiments the mission Futura Samantha Cristoforetti. According to the list of Cygnus cargo published on the website of NASA, the freighter was carrying also Brain Drain, an experiment at the University of Ferrara designed specifically for mission Futura.
The experiment was supposed to test the slowing of the venous return of blood from the brain to the heart due to the absence of gravity, a phenomenon that could be the cause of some neurological problems complained by astronauts after several months stay in Space.
The results would have important consequences on Earth: many neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis, are characterized by disorders of the cerebral veins.

"We are in constant contact with NASA - continues Zamboni - to assess whether and how to overcome various rocks, beginning with the creation of the prototype destroyed as validate it, how to transport it to the US and as a means to send him on the space station." The timing is impossible, at present, hazard a guess, but all is not lost in the disaster of the Antares rocket. "One of the experiments can still be performed aboard the orbiting station - ensures Zamboni - These are analyzed ultrasound cerebral vessels of the astronauts, who were instructed to autoeseguire on themselves a series of tests" guided "by me, As a principal investigator of the program. The objective is twofold: to study the physiology of the cerebral circulation in the absence of gravity and explain the symptoms that bring the astronauts back to Earth. " In other words, the studies of human physiology in orbit allow to "recreate" in a sort of "laboratory" conditions of venous insufficiency and observe the mechanisms. A faint, with the explosion of the freighter, was the necessary equipment to collect and process real-time information. For his part, the President of ASI Roberto Battiston assured that "the experiments will be replaced as soon as possible."

Two completely new developments in diagnostics are proposed with Brain Drain (whose project manager is Angelo Taibi, of the Physics and Earth Science Department of University of Ferrara): the plethysmograph (plethysmographic collar), a totally non-invasive and non-operator-dependent device, and the development of a jugular path synchronized with the electrocardiogram, "to derive in a non-invasive way the jugular vein pulsation and to characterize the cardiac impact."

A European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut of Italian nationality, Samantha Cristoforetti is currently training for the second long duration mission of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) on board the International Space Station. She will be a Flight Engineer for Expedition 42 and 43 between December 2014 and May 2015. Samantha is a Captain in the Italian Air Force.

Soyuz 41
Crew: Anton Shkaplerov, Terry Virts, Samantha Cristoforetti

Launch: Nov. 23, 2014, 3:59 p.m. EST

MrSuccess wrote:how disappointing to hear of both situations. Dr. Zamboni's space experiment - plethysmography neck collars - is delayed but hopefully included on the next NASA trip.

ISS Expedition Duration
September 2014 - September 2015

Expeditions Assigned
41/42,43/44

Rogan wrote:Never a need to start a new thread on ThisISMS.com forum 40

Pretty big news in WSJ. They sometimes miss it but today reported it.

The man who created 5 hour energy.
Manoj Bhargava, billionaire immigrant to Detroit, what a man.

He is now developing, among other things, "External Counter Pulsation Machine".

"Which he says improves circulation".

All credit due to Wall Street Journal.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-day-in-th ... 1446479908