Read the First Issue of 44

Seems like the net is going crazy over Letter 44, a new comic book Sci-Fi series.  The number refers to a letter that an outgoing president writes to his replacement.   But the letter to 44 has some very disturbing information in it.  

I wont give away anything else, but if you are into comics and enjoy sf than this series is looking good.  So good in fact, the publishers are going to let you read the first issue for free. Click the url below and enjoy. 

http://io9.com/read-the-first-issue-of-letter-44-the-comic-everyones-1472795323

The Doctor's 50th, and a birthday Bill

DOCTOR WHO 50^TH

            Well, what can I say about this?

            Amazing would be a good place to start I guess. Admittedly seeing my own Doctor from the past may sort of bias me, but hey, this is Doctor Who. Let’s be honest here, I’m pre-biased already.  

            So in case anyone out here hasn’t seen this yet, and wants to, I will try not to throw any real spoilers out here.  That’s not going to be easy. And probably hopeless anyway now that I am guessing it is all over the net anyway. So I may as well give up the spoiler idea I guess. So, let’s make this simple.

            They all showed up to do battle. All 13 doctors at one time. Gallifrey has been saved, though lost in time and space apparently somewhere. Basically, the doctor started at number one, and started working on a way to save the planet. Yeah, there’s a lot of timey whimey stuff going on.

            But when three doctor’s make an entrance by blowing a Dalek away (through a picture by being in the past on gallifrey) and into our world with 3 sonic screwdrivers, and then walk in side by side, well, you just know things are not going to go well for someone.

            And for those that missed it, Hurt did become the Doctor again by the time it was all over.

            Even so, the best for me outside of the three entering together, and creating mass havoc, was the end. My Doctor. Tom Baker showed up as a curator, maybe. As usual, the Doctor answers a lot of questions, only to open a can of a hundred more.

            I can’t say I will like the new doctor yet, but when he came on after the general decided that it couldn’t get any worse than three of them. His next statement was “I didn’t know when I was well off. All 12 of them.”

Then he got an answer I am guessing almost killed him. “No sir, all 13.” And all you saw was the control panel, and his eyes, and he did not look happy at that time. So we’ll see. He definitely made an entrance though already, and a damn good one. Yeah, I’m watching it again as I write this. That makes 5 times now.

            The one thing My Doctor made clear at the end however was the painting. It had two titles; “No More,” and “Gallifrey Falls.” Both are wrong. The true title is “Gallifrey Falls No More.” And to hear Tom Baker say it, how he says it, just chills you. Gallifrey lives.

            Of course, now that we are off to hunt down the lost planet of the timelords, who knows what is coming next.

And for those that missed it, the painting of Gallifrey was on the day it burned, shortly before. And it is an oil painting in 3d, sort of. It’s Gallifreyan art. A slice of time used for a picture.  Absolutely amazing. What can I say, they had emotions running everywhere for all of us Whovians.

            Now then, where do the next regenerations come from.  A reward for saving Gallifrey? Does the system no longer work on regenerations since the Gallifreyan law is no longer in effect? Will the Minyans return and aid him? A thousand bloody questions, and no good answers. And this time, I think I will avoid theorizing, and just enjoy the bloody show. Yeah, that’ll happen won’t it. They have to do something. Who wants to live in a universe with no Doctor.

BIRTHDAY TIME

            We have a good one this week too. He was born on Nov. 27^th, 1955 in Washington D.C. Not a reason really fior me to say anything about this guy, except one thing, as you will all know who this is. Happy Birthday Bill Nye.

            And as I am beat, and have to get up way too early to cook, that’s it for now folks. Good to be back though. See you all soon. And please excuse the rambling nature of this as I am a little out of practice here as I haven't written a word since my last time here. Plus I'm just beat. I'll be back to normal next time folks. 

New Star Koi-351 Has Something Strangely Familiar Orbiting it

European Astrophysicists have uncovered something unexpected orbiting newly discovered star KOI-351.   This star has 7 planets, which in and of itself in unusual, but even more unexpected was the arrangement of these planets. 

The arrangement of planets around KOI-351 is remarkably similar to our own system with the small rocky planets close in and the gas giants in the outer orbits.

Astrophysicist Juan Cabrera commenting on the importance of the discovery said that it is a big step in the search for a twin to the Solar System (and a step closer) in finding a second Earth. 

Of course the placement of the planets is not completely ideal.  All the planets orbits fit inside of Earth own orbit with the gas giants where Earth's orbit resides in the solar system. 

Check out the Daily Galaxy article here

E-cig Smokin Time Travelin Bounty Hunter?

Ron sent me  an article from the Onion and you know if the Onion reports it....well it must be true.....anyway, several witnesses in Atlanta spotted a man smoking a high-tech e-cigarette device must, in all likelihood, be some sort of futuristic bounty hunter.....speculation has it that he probably traveled back in time to track down a deadly fugitive hiding in the early 21st century or something.

 From the article:

• Reports further indicated that the person, who in all likelihood is a futuristic soldier of fortune with off-world military training, stared off into the distance, scanning the building across the street with what must be enhanced optical implants to locate an elusive outlaw’s bio-signature, then exhaled what appeared to be an odorless vapor.

Further reports have it 'that the man’s skeletal system was almost certainly reinforced by an indestructible alloy as yet unknown to today’s engineers.' 

And it goes on and on like that!!!  It is freekin highlarious!  Check it out HERE

12 Things you may not have known about Comet ISON

Xnewsman has sent in a great article that lists some fun facts that you may not have known about the Comet ISON, Like:

1)  This is the first trip to the inner solar system for ISON and its last.  Its orbit will swing it around the sun and back towards deep-space, with enough energy to exit the solar system all together.

2)  ISON's orbit inbound will take it a mere 700 thousand miles above the surface of the sun!

And other fun fact!  Take a trip over to Slate.com for the remainder of this article.   It really is a fun read. 

BMU #387 Dark Inspectre #22 - Jason Kahn

Episode 387 of Beam Me Up turned out better than I expected!  After an intro and short music interlude,  I do some interesting Star Trek trivia and some interesting trivia it was indeed.

Then something really exciting, I get back on track with a return to Jason Kahn and his Dark Inspectre series and inspector Jack Garrett.  This month episode 22.  I am so glad to get this series started again.

Before I play the last story of the afternoon, I spend some time at the blog with this week's news.

First I review the new Superman: Man of Steel.   I think I hit the nail on the head with this one.  But you judge.   A really unusual handling of the movie Bladerunner.   NASA really wants to get a system in place to transport astronauts to the ISS.  China's super computer is still the fastest computer out there again.

The final story this week is part one of Games by Kathyrn Maclean from Galaxy magazine.

Download or play from this url HERE

Review: Superman

Starring

Henry Cavill - as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman:

Amy Adams as Lois Lane

Michael Shannon  as  Dru-Zod / General Zod:

Diane Lane as Martha Kent:

Kevin Costner as  Jonathan Kent:

Laurence Fishburne as Perry White

Antje Traue as Faora-Uls

Ayelet Zurer as Lara Lor-Van

Christopher Meloni as Colonel Nathan Hardy

Russell Crowe - as Jor-El

rt 143 minutes

I had heard of the controversy surrounding this film, but honestly could not really see that as a real point.  Yes the film and the costume is dark, but considering the mood of the movie....it clearly is an argument made by people who didn't watch the complete film.  I NEVER bought into Matha Kent sewing cloth that was bullet and knife proof...think about it.  Also the change up in how he learns flight...now that makes much more sense!  The differences between the the old Krypton and the new is a bit unsettling but it makes so much more sense when you think about it. 

This version follows the Superman creation myth pretty close.  Baby in rocket, planet go boom, Jonathan and Martha, then mix in Smallville (the tv show) short of the stuff that is just plain ridiculous. 

Then mix in a couple of the first Superman movies, not going to say which or what, cause it gives away some of the film, but again it works in a strange kind of way   But the net effect is that Kryptonians,  Superman and pretty much all concerned are more believable if maybe the situation may not. 

The movie gets an 8.5 in my book.  seamless CGI work and enough back history to fascinate fans and casual viewer alike.  

The 2 disk dvd and the extras on the blu-ray are a special behind the scenes fan's dream, as for extras worth of a 9.  17.5 overall  . which gives the movie 8.75....well worth a watch and addition to you collection!

Trathh & Other Stories Available

 

Hey, Dave Scholes just wrote me a note that his book is available for free for a limited time.

Here is what he sent me, and if you have been enjoying Trathh stories like I have this is a golden opportunity. 

• The e-book version of my new book “TRATHH and other science fiction stories” will be free on Amazon for 5 days from 12.01am 22 November (US Pacific Time):   
• 
  
  http://www.amazon.com/TRATHH-other-science-fiction-stories-ebook/dp/B00GQY7QOW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1384832974&sr=1-1&keywords=TRATHH+and+other+science+fiction+stories
  
  
  
  

Blade Runner Depicted in Over 12500 Paintings

So many memorable moments in the movie Blade Runner.  Some might say that many of the cast's finest performances came from this science fiction classic.  One of the most memorable moments came near the end of the original cut movie as Deckard and Roy have a moment.  The speech that Roy makes has always stuck with me:

•  "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate....."All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain..."

Powerful words and even more powerful images.....  Yes, even with the controversy, Blade Runner was and will remain a piece of science fiction history.  So you can imagine how stunning it is to see the work of Swedish artist Anders Ramsell  who animated the movie with thousands of paintings!



How Stuff Works

NASA Wants to Return to Flying Astronauts to the ISS by 2017

NASA wants to restore American capability to launch astronauts from U.S. soil to the International Space Station and do so by the end of 2017. The agency's Commercial Crew Program  requested proposals from U.S. companies to complete development of crew transportation systems and begin conducting crewed flights to the space station.

The system envisioned would be for a commercially operated transport to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station, a taxi if you would.   NASA has been without crew transport since 2011 when the shuttle fleet was retired due to the high cost of operating them and serious safety concerns. 

 NASA feels that it would be much more economical if the agency was  able to purchase rides on a commercial basis and to fly four crewmembers to and from the station about every six months.

Check out the Business Insider article HERE

China's Super Computer Retains Title of Fastest

 

China's Tianhe 2  which can operate at 33.863 trillion operations a second again retains it's title as world's fastest computer, a benchmark it set in June of 2013.  The benchmark is called the Linpack and it compiles it's list twice yearly.  

From the BBC News online article:

• It  (the linpack benchmark) measures how fast the computers can solve a special type of linear equation to determine their speed, but does not take account of other factors - such as how fast data can be transferred from one part of the system to another - which can also influence real-world performance.

IBM has five out of the top ten fastest computers believes that the test should be changed to reflect the way computers are used today.  For example the Linpack does not measure how fast data travels inside the computer.  This is very important on the usefulness of the system.  However officials from Linpack hint that the test changes would not take place. 

 Worlds top 10 fastest computers

1. Tianhe-2 (China) 33.86 petaflop/sec
2. Titan (US) 17.59 petaflop/sec
3. Sequoia (US) 17.17 petaflop/sec
4. K computer (Japan) 10.51 petaflop/sec
5. Mira (US) 8.59 petaflop/sec
6. Piz Daint (Swiss) 6.27 petaflop/sec
7. Stampede (US) 5.17 petaflop/sec
8. Juqueen (Germany) 5.09 petaflop/sec
9. Vulcan (US) 4.29 petaflop/sec
10. SuperMuc (Germany) 2.90 petaflop/sec
(Source: Top500 List based on Rmax Linpack benchmark)

How to Pay For the Immense Cost of Intersteller Travel

Travel to even the closest star with a planet that could possibly support life becomes immensely expensive the minute you involve human passengers. Even without humans, a fully automated spacecraft capable of reaching nearby stars and doing useful science is an expense well past the cost of most government institutions and more expensive than many smaller countries could cover even if the desire were present. 

The conundrum is that scientists like Steven Hawkings have said that to survive, humanity must expand to the stars.  However without funding well into the fantastic....it just is not likely to occur. 

Over at IO9 however, Elise Ackerman has created a short list of possible ideas to raise the capital needed.  

Her top three ideas:

• 1) Nationstates pool their resources 
• 2) Religious groups launch missionary projects
• 3) the super-rich, in the future, may well be able to  afford to fund interstellar colonization on their own. 

Mz. Ackerman has a more in depth plan that is being published at Amazon.

IO9 article HERE

 

BMU #386 Lee Lander’s story Indigo Puree

This week on BMU episode 386:

After a quick intro, I play Diver by Nico Touches the Wall after which I find some really good ST-tos online trivia.  I thought I had a pretty good handle on Star Trek trivia, but these were really cool facts.

Then it is over to the Beam Me Up blog.  Could 3d printing save over 100 million lab animals lives?  Also 3d printing could also mean many possibilities in ready made electronics, clothing the sky is the limit…check out the blog address.

The Russian space program is planning a trip to Mars’ moon Phobos and hopefully much more?

You have got to see the most amazing picture of Saturn taken by Cassini.

I bet you dont know who built the Apollo 11 moon eva suits.  It floored me!

What did the Milky Way look like in it’s infancy?  Astronomers use some pretty inventive methods to extrapolate the galaxies look billions of years ago.

After another musical interlude I read Lee Lander’s story Indigo Puree

That is about all for this weekend, I hope you enjoy this week’s program.

Paul

The Milky Way - Then and Now

Astronomers using  NASA's Hubble Space Telescope's deep-sky surveys,  have revealed  visual evidence of how our home galaxy, the Milky Way, evolved into  the magnificent spiral galaxy  we see today.

Studying  the evolution of 400 galaxies similar to the Milky Way, astronomers concluded that the Milky Way most likely began as faint, blue, low-mass object,  probably was a flat disk with a bulge in the middle,  containing lots of gas.

Even at this early stage the young galaxy's center was  home to a super-massive black hole that probably grew along with the galaxy.

From the NASA article:

• "Of course, we can't see the Milky Way itself in the past."  said study co-leader Pieter G. van Dokkum of Yale University in New Haven, Conn.  "We selected galaxies billions of light-years away that will evolve into galaxies like the Milky Way. By tracing the Milky Way's siblings, we find that our galaxy built up 90 percent of its stars between 11 billion and 7 billion years ago, which is something that has not been measured directly before."

Read the complete article HERE

Apollo 11 Astronauts Wore Bras?!

Well not exactly bras but according to THIS Boing Boing article, the Moon surface going suits of Apollo 11 were engineered by International Latex Corporation in Dover, Delaware.  The specs for the suits were a bit daunting.  They had to maintain an oxygen  pressure of about 3.75 pounds per square inch, and still have enough flexibility to move and carry out the work that they needed to do while on the moon's surface.

ILC it seems was no stranger to rubber garments.  They designed and manufactured Playtex bras and girdles.  Even the joints needed at the shoulders, elbows, knees, hips and ankles were designed with bellows type design that allowed the astronauts to move with relatively little effort.

Also from the article:

•  Steel aircraft cables were used throughout the suit to absorb tension forces and help maintain its shape under pressure.  

All in all, a truly advanced design even by today's standards. Check out the pic of Neil Armstrong's suit.

In Saturn's Shadow

Check out this stunning photo of Saturn taken by the Cassini spacecraft as it loitered in Saturn's shadow.   This photo is truly unique because not only does it show Saturn in a stunning back lit but also it's inner rings, seven of it's moons and home planet Earth as well as Mars and Venus!  The extreme wide angle shot is a mosaic of 323 shots covering a distance of  almost 405,000 miles!

To read the complete article and view the hi rez picture, click this LINK

Russians Plan Mission to Phobos

No question about it, the Russians are fascinated with Mars' moon Phobos and it would seem not without good reason.

The Russian space program has plans to visit the diminutive satellite some time around 2020 to hopefully solve some very nagging questions about the moon's makeup. 

One of the most nagging questions concerning Phobos is it's extremely low density.  Scientists have speculated that the low density is due to ice in its interior or possibly  is it due to Phobos being completely fragmented. A huge pile of rubble with voids throughout the moon.  

A recent study showed that the surface of Phobos contains tons of dust, soil, and rock blown off the Martian surface by large projectile impacts. Phobos, it would appear, has been  gathering Martian debris for millions of years.

The Phobos mission also has a goal of returning Mars surface material to Earth, but this is not the first time the Russian space program has attempted to do so.   The Russian mission will be the space agency's second attempt to return a sample from Phobos.  The first try was launched in 2011, but an engine failure stranded the spacecraft in Earth orbit.

Read the complete The Daily Galaxy article HERE

3d Printing Could End Animal Testing

One of the less pleasant facets of modern medicine is that it depends in part on animal testing.  In a year apx. 100 million animals are used in labs and classrooms across the U.S.

As harsh as that idea is, the good news is that animal testing's days may be numbered due to Bio-ink and 3D printing of human tissue. 

The plus side is that printed human tissue returns more accurate test results and eliminate  possible harmful side effects that new drugs risk during human testing phases.   Another big plus is that specific samples can be printed of a patient to test their sensitivity to a particular range of  drugs, again lowering reactions from the patient.   This sounds like far future capabilities, but analysts predict that such testing could be available in as little as five years!

The complete Dvice article can be had HERE

Update,  medical 3D will be huge, but  every day printing will mean custom screens as well as curved monitors, custom lit clothing.....the sky is the limit.  Check out the Science Daily article on printing HERE

BMU #385 Now Online

After my opening comments at the start of Beam Me Up 385 I play Listen by Meakitty which if don't miss my guess is a riff on Zelda

Next I take a moment for some Star Trek TOS and talk about the episode "The Alternative Factor" and some of the hijinks that went on to ruin what could have been a very good show.

From the BMU Blog first off, the most recent meteorite strike in Russia and how this may reflect negatively on frequency of impacts..like maybe instead of every other century, every decade or so.

What would the North American coastline look like if all the polar ice melted at once.  The Russians had to move a Soyuz capsule to make room for a new complement that another Soyuz is bringing up to fill out the crew complement to 9.

It also may be possible that the Milkyway and Andromeda may have already collided 10 billion years ago and as such may fundamentally change our understanding of gravity. 

You will not believe the age of the person who has discovered a supernova that no one has ever seen before!

And finally David Scholes The Battle at Times End which is a fine story.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.







That's it!  Hope you enjoy the program
Paul

Do We Have to Worry About Chelyabinsk Class Impacts?

 

Check the photo.  It is a photo of a hole punched through the ice of Lake Chebarkul, southwest of Chelyabinsk.  This impact, according to the New York Times,  shattering windows for miles and injuring well over 1,000 people.   

Now experts classified this as a rare event — happening maybe once every 100 to 200 years, on average.  But now  scientists suggest that the Earth could be hit with Chelyabinsk-size  rocks than was previously thought, possibly  occurring  as often as every decade or two. 

Check out the complete New York Times article HERE

One in five sunlike stars harbors an Earth-size world that orbits in a "habitable zone"

Yep, that is not a typo.  The National Geographic blog writes:

• astronomers estimate that 22 percent of sunlike stars may be orbited by small, rocky planets that reside within so-called habitable zones, where they receive Earth-like levels of sunlight.

The Kepler satellite was tasked with finding  "exoplanets," using the "transits," method of the parent star to detect the planets.

At the end of it's working life, Kepler, had stared at 150,000 stars  in the direction of the constellations Cygnus and Lyra.  Out of that group of possible candidates the astronomers studied 42,000 stars that are like our sun or slightly cooler and smaller.   The results suggest that there might well be a habitable planet within 12 light years and this planet is orbiting a sun that we could see with the naked eye!

Another thing to consider is that if we look at just the Milky Way and use the same 22% of sunlike stars containing Earth like planets, then you come up with an astronomical amount of planets and stars that resemble the Earth Sol - solar system. 

Check out the complete National Geographic article HERE

Rock Climbing Robot!

Check out this video of JPL's robot that is capable of rock climbing...hell I would say mountain climbing if they develop an autonomous version!

This tech comes from earlier versions that were developed for satellites giving them the ability to reach out and grab onto asteroids or other space debris.   The newer version has been integrated into a robot that can not only grab but climb.

The robot has four articulate arms. Each is arm has a gripper at the end that has 750 tiny claws that can easily engage a rock's surface and then release, allowing the robot to climb.

As the video also shows, the "limbs" can also be used by astronauts for a variety of functions in varied environments.  

Full article HERE on Gizmodo



 

Jar Jar Binks Bites It Big Time

Ok, now for all you Binks bashers, here is something to warm the cockles as they say.  

Youtuber   withmorten2 has doctored a deleted scene from The Phantom Menace to give Star Wars fans an early holiday gift — a gift that will keep on giving every time we watch it.

 

Hoff Does Fresh Prince?

Ok, there isn't any reason on Earth for this to be here other than the fact that it is so DAMN funny!

As the Entertainment blog puts it: David Hasselhoff singing the Fresh Prince theme song” is a phrase Hump Day dreams were made of.

Vimeo user Matthijs_Vlot has created a video that has the former Baywatch star talking his way through every word of Will Smith’s opening fresh prince rap. Yes it is every bit as funny as you would expect it to be.  

 

Earth Visible Supernova Possible in Next 50 Years?

According to THIS "The Daily Galaxy"  - 

• Astronomers  calculate: the odds that, sometime during the next 50 years, a supernova in the Milky Way galaxy will be visible from Earth.  the odds are much better at nearly 100 percent that such a supernova would be visible to telescopes in the form of infrared radiation.

 The Daily Galaxy reports:

• A new study suggests that they have a solid chance of  detecting a supernova fast enough to witness what happens at the very beginning of a star going supernova. 
• Professor of astronomy at Ohio State,  Christopher Kochanek said, “We see all these stars go supernova in other galaxies, and we don’t fully understand how it happens. We think we know, we say we know, but that’s not actually 100 percent true...."

This Daily Galaxy article is really very good.   Check it out HERE

10 Year Old Discovers Supernova

Ten-year-old Nathan Gray just discovered a supernova, unseating his own sister as the world's youngest to do so.  What makes this discovery so unusual is that he unseats his own sister for just such a discovery!

Nathan using images from the Abbey Ridge Observatory in Nova Scotia  spotted supernova, PGC 61330. The 600-million-year-old dying star wasn't visible in images of the constellation, meaning Nathan is likely the first human to set eyes on it.

Nathan's older sister Kathryn Aurora Gray, held the previous record when she discovered Supernova 2010lt in January of 2011 when she was herself only 10 years and 33 days old.

Complete Gizmodo article

Short Film: Telescope

Have you seen examples of the statement "Sometimes less is more"? Well with two onscreen actors and one voice, this film is about as minimalistic as it comes. But even though the cast is small the message is great. Here is what the copy describes the movie as, and let me tell you, it down plays the impact. Telescope is a great short film.  

 

Is Our Understanding of Gravity Fundamentally Wrong?

At a recent RAS National Astronomy Meeting, a team of astronomers headed by Hongsheng Zhao presented a radical paper on our understanding of gravity. First their theory suggests that the Milky Way and Andromeda collided 10 billion years ago and this would mean that our understanding of gravity is fundamentally wrong. However it would go a long way towards explaining the observed structure of the two galaxies.

In 2009, Zhao led An international team of astronomers that found a strange link between 'dark matter' and galaxies that suggests unknown force is acting on dark matter.

Zhao's research suggests that the interactions between dark and ordinary matter could be more important and more complex than previously thought, and even speculate that dark matter might not exist and that the anomalous motions of stars in galaxies are due to a modification of gravity on extragalactic scales.

 

The rest of the Daily Galaxy Article is Great, check it out HERE

Great Short of Russian ISS Personnel Moving A Soyuz Spacecraft to a New Parking Spot

Recently astronauts on the International Space Station spent 20 minutes moving a Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft around to a new parking spot to make room for a Soyuz TMA-11M, scheduled to show up at a later date.

When the Soyuz TMA-11m arrives, it will bring the compliment to nine which is remarkable due to the fact that the Shuttle is no longer flying.

Also an Olympic torch will arrive with the additional crew (not lit, no fires aboard the ISS) and it will also make a trip outside on a spacewalk.

What Would The US' Coastline Look Like If All The Polar Ice Melted

How would the coastline of the USA look like if all the planet's ice melted. Well, the bad news: New York, San Francisco, New Orleans and other cool cities would be completely gone, including  the entire state of Florida would disappear.

This According to the National Geographic's precise maps

Check out the complete article over at Gizmodo HERE  for some of the other coastlines around the world and how they would be affected by the melt.

BMU # 384 is now online

episode 384 of Beam Me Up is a very relaxed program this week.

After a short intro I play the theme music to the animated Iron Man.  From there I do a bit of Star Trek Trivia.  More general info instead of a specific program.  All in all though it was an
informative section.

From there it is over to the Beam Me Up Blog for some of this weeks news.  Like comets visible  early in the morning, plus info on many of the excellent short films that is out this week alone!

Next, the MAVEN Mars Atmosphere exploration space craft is still go for launch this month.

ABC has ordered 9 new episodes of Agents of Shield!

Scientific data that indicates that extended spaceflight can be hazardous to many bodily functions!

Finally the conclusion to Van Hall's What Makes a Thursty God on Fallons World?

Hope you enjoy this weeks program

Paul

Beam Me Up podcast download

Spacefarers Get Older Faster

How many science fiction stories, or for that matter how often have we seen in the movies that if you were rich and old you could go into space and live longer.  It was supposed to be easier on the cardie-vascular system, but that does not seem to pay out in real life.

In this IO9 article  going into space actually accelerates the aging process!  Here is what it says in black and white:

•  a new study shows that microgravity environments speed up biological aging and the onset of cardiovascular disease by affecting blood vessel cells.

We have known for some time that a micro-gravity environment promotes, muscle atrophy, bone density loss, immune response impairments - and now it would seem cardiovascular problems.    It has been known for some time that micro-gravity can damage  eyes and brain and can even cause something very much like idiopathic intracranial hypertension or brain swelling!

But aging?  Really?  Yep, according to a recent study by the Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology - micro-gravity can cause the accelerated aging of endothelial cells which line the inner surfaces of blood vessels.

 A research team from the Institute of Molecular Science and Technologies in Milan determined 

• analyzing experiments conducted on the International Space Station. They compared space-flown endothelial cells to cells cultured under normal gravity. They looked for differences in gene expression and in the profile of secreted proteins. The researchers discovered that the space-flown cells differentially expressed more than 1,000 genes 

Check out the complete article here