astronauts

Artemis II is a million-dollar mission, but its astronauts have had to wear t-shirts as blinds

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Luckily, all the systems vital for the proper functioning of Orion they are going swimmingly on his trip to the Moon. However, he is having some more mundane unforeseen events, such as problems with outlook wave freezing of the urine reservoir. Added to all this is having to use t-shirts as blinds. And it was not an outburst from the astronauts, but rather direct instructions from Houston. Colder than at Pingu’s communion. The Orion capsule is not exactly the most air-conditioned place. It is very cold inside, so the Mission Control Team, from Earth, has been working to warm it up. Together with the crew, it was decided to move the ship so that it was as exposed to the Sun as possible. But there is a problem with that. The blinds that astronauts use to be able to sleep without the room becoming too bright absorb that heat and overheat. Possible damage to windows. If the blinds overheat, they could transmit that heat to the windows themselves, which would be at risk of damage. For this reason, the Control Team recommended to the crew on April 4 that they remove all the blinds. They explained to them that they understood that this would be very uncomfortable, since the interior of the capsule would be very illuminated. For this reason, they added a most strange recommendation: that they cover the windows with T-shirts. In the communication system recording, a crew member is heard complying with the order and indicating that they would follow the advice. But what advice. delicate windows. We might ask ourselves why it is necessary to protect the windows from the Sun if the ship is prepared to withstand the very high temperatures of re-entry into the atmosphere. It’s a good question, but the truth is that it is not the same type of heat. To begin with, reentry involves very great heat that spreads throughout the ship in a very short time. On the other hand, what comes from the windows is a much more focused and maintained heat. Orion’s heat shield protects it from the heat of reentry. Furthermore, the windows They have an outer layer of fused silica capable of withstanding 2,760ºC. But the inner layers are not as strong. Therefore, if they are exposed to solar radiation maintained and focused directly on them after being absorbed by the blinds, they may not withstand the heat. The future. Despite that small mishap, everything is going smoothly. In fact, Orion already has broken the record of going further than any other manned spacecraft and is close to beating another, reaching the highest speed at which any human being has traveled. If all goes well, this will happen next Friday, April 10, although in Spanish time it will already be the early morning of the 11th. In addition, they stand out for being the first lunar mission in which a woman, a black person and someone who is not American travel. It is not understood how in such an ambitious and expensive mission it has been necessary to use t-shirts as blinds, but at least it has been a failure that does not put the crew at risk. Images | NASA and Freepik In Xataka | For this alone, Artemis II has already been worth it: the impressive photos of the far side of the Moon

This is how well the Artemis astronauts eat on their trip to the Moon

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During a space mission, Everything that is loaded on the ship must be chosen very well.. The fuel depends a lot on its final weight, so it must be calculated carefully, taking into account every last drop of water. That also includes food. That’s why the crew of Artemis II carry with them a menu that was painstakingly designed weeks before launch. Now, just because precautions must be taken does not mean that astronauts do not eat well. It is important that they eat properly, with a balanced amount of nutrients and, of course, including foods that they like. In fact, to guarantee the latter, the crew itself actively intervenes in the design of the menu. Be careful with the crumbs. Food loaded aboard a spaceship must meet a series of requirements. To begin with, crumbs must be minimized, since they could float around the ship due to microgravity, potentially damaging electronic devices if they enter through its cracks. It is also important that the food is vacuum sealed and, if possible, dehydrated. Thus, food security is guaranteed during the days of the mission. In the case of Orión, it has a water dispenser, so that it can be transferred directly to the sachets in which the dehydrated foods are included just at the moment in which they are going to be consumed. Finally, it is important that they are nutritious foods, according to the requirements at each moment of the mission. Two key points. The water dispenser cannot be used during launch and landing. Therefore, meals eaten around these two key moments must be ready to eat, without the need for hydration. The all-round tortillas. Historically, astronauts have had the option of choosing at least one beloved food to take with them on their missions to space. Therefore, in 1985, Mexican astronaut Rodolfo Neri Vela He asked to bring wheat tortillas, like those used to make fajitas. Later, what began as the culinary whim of a single astronaut became one of the most in-demand foods on space missions, since it does not release crumbs, is very versatile and can be stored safely for many days. Tortillas need accompaniment. Precisely because of this custom of including tortillas on menus, over time accompaniments have been added to make their consumption more pleasant. In the case of Artemis II, for example, They carry five different types of hot sauce on board.and. Hot or cold food. Although all food on board can be eaten cold, astronauts have at their disposal a hand warmer, contained in a type of briefcase, in which they can heat the food if they wish. Again, this would not be possible during landing and launch. In that case you should eat as quickly as possible, without preparations. Each astronaut with their personal tastes. Astronauts help prepare the menu before the mission, trying different options and choosing the ones they like best. In fact, the dishes are distributed so that each person will have their own prepared in the ten days they remain on the ship. A single container contains two to three days of meals for each crew member. That includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Artemis II Menu. Some examples of foods on board Artemis II are vegetable quiche, broccoli gratin, nuts, beef brisket or macaroni and cheese, among others. As for drinks, in addition to the water that can be obtained from the dispenser, the astronauts have 43 cups of coffee, to be distributed among the entire crew, during the 10 days of the mission. You can also flavor chocolate, vanilla or strawberry drinks. Each astronaut is assigned two flavored drinks a day. It doesn’t taste the same. Without a doubt, the menu of the Artemis II astronauts seems most pleasant. Unfortunately, they will not taste it the same as they did during the tests on Earth, because It is proven that food in space tastes different. Still, I’m sure they enjoy it. As Christina Koch explained in a video for NASAeating those highly packaged foods, together with other people, in such a different place, is a kind of camping picnic with friends. In Xataka | NASA has been racking its brains for years to figure out what we will eat on the Moon. Answer: Madrid stew Image | NASA | freepik

Artemis II has a toilet that evacuates the astronauts’ urine into space. The problem is that it has frozen

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The Orion capsule toilet It is being one of the most commented topics of Artemis II. It is no wonder, since it greatly facilitates the life of the astronauts who are on their way to the Moon. However, if it continues to generate conversation after the launch, it is no longer because of the novelty, but rather because of the incidents it is causing. The last of them has been so important that it has even forced some special maneuvers to be carried out with Orion. Background. Until now, no spacecraft had anything resembling a bathroom for astronauts. Yes, there are options in long-stay facilities, such as the International Space Station. However, there was no way to evacuate during space travel. The astronauts of the Apollo missions, for example, had to use something similar to a condom for urine and a kind of diaper with a hole for toilet paper in case they wanted to do major water. Luckily, the Artemis II astronauts They have a more advanced system. There is no room for so much urine. The Orion toilet uses a type of hose attached to a funnel that, through suction, draws urine into a tank. Thus, the problems of microgravity are solved. On the other hand, this tank has direct contact with the exterior of the ship, in such a way that the urine, once it is full, is released directly into space. urine slushie. Since the journey of the Artemis II astronauts began There have been some problems with the capsule bathbut almost all of them have been solved. Unfortunately, there is another one that is being more difficult to solve. And the low temperatures outside are freezing the urine, so it cannot leave the tank. Maneuver changes. Faced with this problem, it was decided to maneuver the capsule in such a way that the tank and pipes were exposed to the Sun for as long as possible. Thus, the urine should thaw and be released without problems. It wasn’t enough. Unfortunately, although this measure seemed to be useful at first, sun exposure is not enough to have liquid urine at all times. It spends a lot of time frozen, so for now, astronauts are having to put their urine in bags and store them, exactly the same as with feces. With the latter it was already established that they would be stored and taken back to Earth, but with urine the simplest thing would have been to let it flow through space. But for now it’s not an option, so these bags will have to take up some extra space on the ship. Ultimately it is good news. According to statements by the deputy director of the Orion program for NASA, Debbie Korth, collected by Ars Technicathe performance of the capsule in general is being remarkably good. The good development of all the ship’s systems has pleasantly surprised the engineers. Therefore, the fact that the biggest headache for the ship’s crew is that their urine freezes is still good news. It would be much worse if some vital system failed. In that case, no one would notice the capsule bathroom. That everyone is paying attention to him is also a triumph. Image | NASA | freepik In Xataka | The Artemis II astronauts will carry out experiments in what will be their own study models

from virtual astronauts to saliva on pieces of paper

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Conducting experiments in space is complicated. There are not many resources, much less study subjects. Therefore, sometimes these must be the experimenters themselves. This is precisely what the crew of Artemis II will have to do in the next 10 days. if everything goes well. One of its missions will be to carry out experiments on how the conditions of outer space affect human health. And they will prove it on themselves. Background. It is well known that stays in space, no matter how short, can affect human health. Just look at the recent example of the astronaut who lost his speech on the International Space Station (ISS). for reasons still unknown. For this reason, a good part of the experiments carried out in these facilities are aimed at exactly that: analyzing how issues such as microgravity, isolation or cosmic radiation affect human health. Interesting discoveries have been made, but the reality is that carrying out experiments in low Earth orbit, where the ISS is located, is not the same as on the Moon. A mission to protect them all. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen They will have several missions in their 10 days of travel. To begin with, they will have to test the proper functioning of the ship and its viability for the lunar landing that will take place on Artemis III. They will also take photographs of the far side of the Moon and other measurements of scientific interest. And, finally, they will serve as study subjects in a series of experiments on the effects of space on human health. This time yes: further from low Earth orbit. space dream. The first study that they will carry out in this sense will be ARCHeRa set of experiments aimed at analyzing how space affects factors such as sleep, stress, cognition and teamwork. To monitor it, they will wear activity bracelets, whose measurements will be added to those taken on Earth both before and after the mission. The combination of all this information will be very useful to understand how the isolation and stress of a mission like this affect the astronauts’ minds. Immune health. On the International Space Station it has been proven that some viruses, such as varicella zoster, are more likely to come out of latency. These are viruses that the immune system is not able to completely eliminate, but rather remain latent in the body. In the case of varicella zoster, for example, they stay on their nervesimmersed in a kind of lethargy from which they may never emerge. If they do, it is usually due to a lowering of their defenses. Therefore, it is believed that space could affect the immune system. To check this, Artemis II crew members will take samples of wet saliva and blood before and after their trip. They will also take dried saliva samples during the duration of the mission.. Astronaut depositing dry saliva sample Dry saliva is obtained by depositing the sample on sheets of paper specifically for this purpose. Not just any role is worth it. It is the best way to store saliva samples in space, where they cannot be refrigerated normally. Once all samples are analyzed, the goal will be to study immune biomarker levels for possible declines caused by space. Virtual astronauts to examine radiation. It is also important to check how radiation affects the health of astronauts. On trips like this, they will not leave the ship, which has adequate shields so that the radiation does not cause them damage. However, in future moon landings, especially if lunar bases are established, that feared exposure to radiation could occur. To study what the effects would be and design effective protection systems, AVATAR has been launchedan experiment that consists of manufacturing a virtual astronaut for each of the crew members. Artificial bone marrow All of them have provided samples of cells from their bone marrow that have been grown on a chip the size of a USB memory stick. Thus, a small artificial bone marrow has been obtained with the characteristics of each of them. These will be exposed to radiation while the astronauts remain safe. Because it is a part of the body with many dividing cells, it is especially susceptible to radiation. Therefore, you can see much better what the effects would be. In addition, they can be compared with cell samples taken from the astronauts themselves once they return from the mission. Measures for the future. All these experiments will serve to better protect astronauts who travel to the Moon in the future. For example, measures could be sought to address sleep problems or suits that better protect against radiation. In addition, thanks to the AVATAR system, the chips could be sent before the astronauts go to space. Thus, the specific effects on their health would be checked and appropriate first aid kits would be designed for each of them. All this will be possible thanks to the fact that Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen will simultaneously act as scientists and study models. Images | NASA | Emulate | freepik In Xataka | Artemis II will take NASA to the Moon half a century later. He will do it with the help of the University of Seville

Three findings about astronauts’ blood have set off all the alarms. Going to Mars will be more dangerous than expected

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We do not want to recognize it, we are not willing to accept it, we refuse to see it; but no, we are not made for space. And our persistence, in the context of large, long-duration manned missions, can cost us dearly. The last reminder has been the blood. The blood? Indeed. Three recent findings (accelerated destruction of red blood cells, platelet dysfunction in microgravity and somatic mutations of hematopoietic stem cells) make it clear that we still have a long way to go before we can enter the depths of outer space without putting our lives at risk. A giant elephant shaped like hematological syndrome. Because this is important, it is not a small health problem. None of that: we are talking about a whole hematological syndrome that affects us on numerous physiological fronts. And it makes sense: the blood leaves a lot to be desired. Is too prone to clots and too slow to clot when it is needed. Plus, he’s not very good at putting up with things either. in space more red blood cells are destroyed than are produced and that generates persistent anemia that can take up to a year to recover. This year it took place the first medical evacuation from the ISS and everything suggests that it will not be the last. A very real problem. That’s what the evacuation of Colonel Mike Finckethat space medicine is not a theoretical question. Even more so, taking into account that every time there will be more people up thereorbital health has become a key issue. What’s new? There is no big news, really: what is new is that an overall vision is now beginning to emerge. And that is giving us a clear idea of ​​the problems we face. For example, space increases the risk of thrombosis and bleeding simultaneously: they are two completely opposite things that have no clear pharmacological approach. And then? Simply be cautious. The new era of space exploration is going to expose us to the evils of space like never before. If we are not prepared, the ‘Gelsinger effect‘ may end up setting everything back a couple of decades. Image | Bradley Dunn In Xataka | NASA astronaut remains hospitalized after returning from space on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft

your astronauts just harvested them

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Imagine for a moment a tomato plant growing hundreds of kilometers above Earth, inside an orbiting space station. The scene might seem like something out of science fiction, but it is already part of the scientific activity at the Chinese Tiangong space station. According to China Central Television (CCTV)the Shenzhou-21 mission crew has harvested cherry tomatoes grown in orbit, photographing the ripe fruits before removing and storing them as part of the experiment. Behind this striking image there is a very specific objective: to check whether humans will be able to produce food in space during long missions, something that space agencies consider important for future expeditions beyond Earth’s orbit. The system. The tomatoes were grown in an aeroponic growing system designed to operate in microgravity, a technology that sprays water and nutrients in the form of a mist to directly feed the plants’ roots. Sina explains that The team was sent to Tiangong in July 2025 aboard the Tianzhou-9 cargo ship and is part of a series of experiments aimed at verifying key cultivation technologies in orbit and expanding the range of species that could be grown in space. After more than three months of growth, the plants managed to complete their cycle and produce ripe fruits that the crew photographed and removed following the scientific protocol of the experiment. The technology behind the “orbital garden”. Cultivation in space requires very different solutions than terrestrial agriculture. Instead of soil, the system used at Tiangong keeps the plants’ roots suspended and feeds them with a mist of water and nutrients, a technique known as aeroponic growing. As explained by astronaut Zhang Hongzhangthis method allows increasing water use efficiency, something especially important in the closed environment of a space station. The device is complemented by an LED lighting system designed to provide the light spectrum necessary for plant development and improve the energy efficiency of the system. Experiments that have been underway for decades. Growing plants in space is not a new idea. NASA reminds that Space agencies have been conducting experiments with plants in orbit for decades, although for a long time samples were grown only for scientific purposes and sent back to Earth for analysis. In 2015, for example, astronauts on the International Space Station became the first to eat a food grown in space, red romaine lettuce produced in the station’s vegetable laboratory. Since then, different studies have been carried out with microgravity cultures, including studies with tomatoes like VEG-05, made at the Veggie facility, or XROOTS. A key element to live longer in space. If humans want to spend months or even years away from Earth, depending exclusively on shipments sent from our planet is impractical. For this reason, for decades different space agencies have been investigating how to integrate plants into life support systems capable of regenerating part of the resources necessary for the crew. According to the scientific literature cited in Frontiers in Plant Sciencecrops can provide fresh food, produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide within closed environments such as space stations or future bases on the Moon or Mars. In addition, the researchers point out another less visible but important benefit: cultivation activities have been shown to have positive effects on the psychological state of astronauts during prolonged missions. The importance of these experiments goes beyond the curiosity aroused by images of plants growing in orbit. Each crop grown on space stations allows data to be collected on how plants react to microgravity, knowledge that is essential to design more complete life support systems. Current research seeks to understand whether these crops can be integrated into bioregenerative life support systems capable of producing part of the resources necessary for a crew. If that objective is confirmed, technologies such as those being tested today in Tiangong could become an important tool to sustain prolonged human missions in space. Images | CCTV In Xataka | China has the Moon between its eyebrows: it has now created the first chemical map of the hidden face

NASA had been refusing to allow its astronauts to carry iPhones for decades. For Artemis II you have made a historic decision

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Jared Isaacman, NASA administrator, has announced an important change for astronauts: the crew will be allowed to carry their personal smartphones. The objective is simple, to allow both photographs and videos recorded during space missions to be shared. what has happened. The publication has been informal and outside the official NASA press page. Via X, Isaacman has revealed that the crew of Crew-12 and Artemis II you will be able to fly with “modern smartphones”. “NASA astronauts will soon fly with the latest smartphones, starting with Crew-12 and Artemis II. We are giving our crews the tools to capture special moments for their families and share inspiring images and videos with the world. Equally important, we are challenging legacy processes and enabling modern hardware for spaceflight on an accelerated timeline. This operational urgency will serve NASA well as we strive to achieve the highest value science and research in orbit and on the lunar surface. This is a small step in the right direction.” Without detailing models or limitations, it makes it quite clear that soon we will see more than one iPhone flying over a ship far from our planet. What was happening until now. Historically, NASA has only allowed Nikon cameras (a Japanese company with which it has had an agreement for more than a decade) to be brought on board. Initially with some of their DSLRs, and recently with the Nikon Z9, the latest generation mirrorless authorized for Artemis. Because. For decades, NASA has operated under an extremely strict security framework for any object boarding a manned spacecraft. The devices must not interfere with critical systems, their batteries have to meet very specific requirements to minimize the risk of fire, they cannot contain materials that can fragment in microgravity and they must pass certification processes associated with an exact hardware model. For the first time, the agency will allow the use of mobile phones on a manned mission certified by its own procedures, marking a significant shift in how NASA evaluates and accepts commercial technology on board. When. The departure of Artemis II, after some delayis scheduled for the month of March. After several dress rehearsals, NASA is not prepared to return to the Moon, because of old ghosts like the complexity of liquid hydrogen. It will not be the first time that a modern mobile phone travels to space, but it will be the first time that its use is authorized within a manned mission managed directly by NASA. Until now, mobile phones and tablets had flown on SpaceX missions under more flexible operating frameworks, serving as a background to evaluate their behavior during the mission. In Xataka | When the United States decided to go to the Moon, it did so no matter what the cost. And that included 60% of all its chips

Four astronauts are going to undertake an unprecedented journey to the Moon. They have no intention of stepping on it

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After years of delays and rumors, NASA confirmed it finally: Artemis 2 will take off towards the moon imminently: it will be on February 6 when the team of astronauts formed by Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen returns to lunar orbit after almost 60 years. More specifically, it was in ’72 with Apollo 17. There is nothing left in the countdown for a 10-day mission full of doubts and some controversy. The previous steps. On January 17, NASA began the deployment of the enormous SLS rocket (Space Launch System) and the Orion capsule from the vehicle assembly building to launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in a 6.4 kilometer journey carried out on a gigantic Crawler-Transporter 2 tractor in enormous logistics. Now that you are on the platform, the next step is the “Wet Dress Rehearsal” (something like the general rehearsal) where the cryogenic propellants are loaded to check that there are no leaks and a complete countdown is executed that stops just before ignition to validate the flight software and the synchronization of the ground systems. If all goes well, the launch window opens on the aforementioned February 6. The crew. POT The mission. Artemis II will not land on the Moon, but will instead perform a lunar flyby with the aim of testing the life support systems and manual maneuvering capabilities of the Orion capsule in the deep space radiation environment. In addition, the spacecraft will use lunar gravity to “propel” its return to Earth without major engine ignitions. The parallels with Apollo 8. Analogies with the veteran ’68 mission are inevitable since Artemis II will not land on the moon, but will instead perform a lunar flyby. On that mission, the astronauts were able to see and photograph the far side of the moon and now, the team will travel beyond its far side. Apollo 8 was launched at a time when the program’s lunar module was not yet ready for manned flight and with Artemis II more of the same. Thus, the first planned lunar flight of Artemis is called Starship HLS (Human Landing System), it is being developed by Space However, given the doubts regarding its development schedule, NASA has a plan B: hire another company. Why don’t you go to step on the moon?. In short, because it is not a lunar module and therefore, because it is not prepared for such a purpose. NASA Deputy Director of Mission Analysis and Evaluations Patty Casas Horn deepen: “Throughout NASA’s history, everything we do carries some risk, so we want to make sure that risk is sensible and only accept as much risk as is necessary, within reason. So we develop a capability, then we test it, then we develop a capability, then we test it. And we’ll land on the Moon, but Artemis II is really focused on the crew.” The program’s debut was Artemis I, which on a 25-day uncrewed mission orbited the moon in 2022. Now we are in the next phase: the first time there will be people aboard the Artemis spacecraft. The crew will transfer to the Orion capsule to move around the moon just before the SLS rocket launches Orion into Earth orbit. Horn explains that in this mission “we will test many new capabilities that we did not have available in Artemis I”, for example the comfort of people or collateral effects such as the humidity they add to the air, their needs for food, bathrooms or water. Wet Dress Rehearsal. POT What makes it unique. The crew intends to travel beyond the far side of the Moon, which could open the doors to a new record for the distance that humanity has traveled from Earth, a title that to this day boasts Apollo 13 with 401,000 kilometers. On the other hand, the SLS is the most powerful rocket in operational configuration, surpassing the mythical rocket in thrust. Saturn V of the 60s. Logically, it will also do so with cutting-edge technology, such as autonomous optical navigation systems or the Orion heat shield, redesigned after data from Artemis I, to protect the crew during re-entry at 40,000 km/h. Furthermore, in this mission NASA has remembered diversity to mark a milestone in the form of a trip beyond low Earth orbit for a woman, a Canadian and an African American because yes, there is life beyond the white American male cishetero In Xataka | It is now possible to book a hotel stay on the Moon for $250,000. Building it is still the complicated part In Xataka | We have been deceived by the distances of the Solar System: the closest neighbor to Neptune is Mercury Cover | POT

How China has managed to rescue its astronauts in record time when it took the US months

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Last year, Boeing starred in a space drama that kept the world in suspense: the Starliner crisis. After discovering leaks and failures in its propellers, NASA took months between deliberations, tests and safety meetings to finally decide that the astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams They would not return in their ship, but would wait for SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission to return. Now, China has faced a similar scenario that it has resolved in a few days. The haste has its explanation. A cracked window. The news broke on November 5. The Shenzhou-20 mission, crewed by Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, was preparing to return to Earth after six months at the Chinese Tiangong space station. However, during inspections prior to undocking, the astronauts detected an anomaly that so it was not made publicbut that we now know: “small cracks” in the external glass of one of the capsule windows. After analyzing photographs and running simulations in wind tunnels, CMSA (China Manned Space Agency) engineers determined that the damage had possibly been caused by the impact of micrometeoroids or small fragments of space junkcompromising the structural integrity of the ship. The conclusion put Chinese astronauts in a bind: the capsule “did not meet the conditions for a safe manned return.” The game of chairs in orbit. Unlike the International Space Station, the Tiangong space station cannot accommodate six astronauts for a long time, so the Shenzhou-20 crew had to be brought in as soon as possible. China always maintains a Shenzhou ship and a CZ-2F rocket ready to take off in case of emergency. However, on this occasion, the CMSA ruled out launching the new Shenzhou-22 spacecraft to bring back the three stranded astronauts because it “included instrument upgrades for which the outgoing crew had not been trained.” The solution chosen to bring the crew back was, therefore, to do so aboard the Shenzhou-21 ship that had arrived with three other astronauts two weeks earlier. A literal change of chairs (they had to move the adapted seats from one ship to another) and with a single sacrifice: leaving the three crew members of the Shenzhou-21 at the mercy of a compromised ship (the Shenzhou-20) in the event of an emergency. In summary. The three outgoing astronauts They landed safely on November 14 aboard the ship of his three incoming companions. The reason why this exchange of ships was faster than in the case of the Starliner or, a year earlier, the Russian Soyuz MS-22, was, on the one hand, that the Tiangong station is not yet large enough for six people to live in, and on the other, that the replacement ship was already there. What cost NASA months of risk analysis and public relations management with Boeing, China solved in a matter of days thanks to the availability of spacecraft. The logistical sacrifice is that the crew of the Shenzhou-21 (which will stay in space for six months) has had to give up their “lifeboat” until the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft is launched without a crew as a new return vehicle. The Shenzhou-20 will return empty to analyze its damage on the ground, if it ultimately survives re-entry. Image | CGTN In Xataka | The only photo you need to understand the scale of what Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ company, has just done

Insects have been traveling to space for decades. Now the ESA is studying putting them on the astronauts’ plates

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For years, many of us have thought of insects as something foreign to our table, but they have been part of space history for much longer than we imagine. Even before the first astronauts reached orbit, these small species they had already shown that could withstand the conditions of flight. Today, with long-duration missions on the horizon, the conversation has changed. Europe wonders if these animals, so nutritious and easy to maintain, could become a real option to feed those who live far from Earth. Why insects. Although they are still a culinary rarity in Spain, insects are part of the regular diet of billions of people. The FAO estimates more than 2,000 species consumed on different continents, valued for their contribution of protein, iron, zinc and beneficial fats. Their ability to develop with few resources and transform waste into useful biomass makes them an attractive candidate for controlled food systems. That is why several European teams are analyzing its nutritional potential and its viability in environments where every gram counts. What we know about microgravity. Research with insects in space has accumulated decades of datafrom early suborbital flights to tests at orbital stations. During this journey, different species have been tested, with very different results: some managed to complete essential phases of the life cycle in microgravity and others showed sensitivity to factors such as movement or radiation. This contrast has been useful to understand what biological mechanisms remain stable outside of Earth and what processes are altered even in very resistant organisms. What the ESA is looking for. The European team work with a specific idea: to know in detail how these organisms behave in key phases of their development when they spend prolonged time in orbit. The agency has brought together diverse profiles to study their ability to recycle nutrients and produce protein under controlled conditions, a line that already has candidate species such as the common cricket and the mealworm. This research aims to clarify what biological requirements should be met before considering its production in long-duration missions. Fruit fly habitat used for scientific research in space Although there is an extensive history of testing with insects, much of the results are scattered and come from short missions. The majority of experiments did not reach times that allow the complete life cycle of a species to be followed, an essential requirement to evaluate its use in long missions. Furthermore, many of these investigations are old and used different methodologies, making it difficult to compare them. That is why ESA is preparing new studies specifically aimed at measuring changes in reproduction, development and behavior in orbit. Drosophila model. NASA’s experience with Drosophila melanogaster has demonstrated its usefulness as a model organism to understand physiological changes in space. The agency highlights that it shares a good part of the genes related to human diseases and that its accelerated reproduction facilitates the analysis of several generations. He Fruit Fly Lab, installed on the International Space Station, it allows us to follow their behavior and freeze samples for study on the ground. It also incorporates a centrifuge that helps distinguish which effects depend on gravity and which are linked to space radiation. Astronaut James D. “Ox” Van Hoften examines a bee experiment From the laboratory to the menu. For now, the food use of insects in space missions continues to be a line of study and not an immediate application. Researchers need to check how they behave in prolonged phases and what it would mean to stably grow them in inhabited modules. Added to this is the challenge of transforming this biomass into safe, manageable and acceptable products from a nutritional and sensory point of view. Everything is moving in the direction of exploring options, not automatically incorporating them into the astronauts’ menu. Images | ESA | POT In Xataka | Astronauts’ food is not appetizing at first, especially in China

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