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from the is-dark-matter-like-dark-energon dept.
The Conversation has a story about five key findings from 15 years of the International Space Station:
1. The fragility of the human body — there is considerable loss of strength and bone mass without intervention. Mitigating this is key to making it possible to have manned trips to mars.
2. Interplanetary contamination — spores of Bacillus subtilis were exposed to space upon the ISS (but shielded from solar UV radiation). "The space vacuum and temperature extremes alone were not enough to kill them off."
3. Growing crystals for medicine — "Crystals in a microgravity environment may be grown to much larger sizes than on Earth, enabling easier analysis of their micro-structure. Protein crystals grown on the ISS are being used in the development of new drugs for diseases such as muscular dystrophy and cancer."
4. Cosmic rays and dark matter — early results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) support the theory that a halo of dark matter surrounds the Milky Way.
5. Efficient combustion — flames burn more efficiently in space with much less soot produced. Understanding this may lead to more efficient combustion in vehicles.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday January 01 2016, @02:30AM
Well, I sat here trying to think of some reply to that. I had something going along the lines of patents, and decided to google gravity patents. Then I did anti-gravity. Geez, you ain't going to believe it, but the patent trolls are all over this.
https://www.google.com/?tbm=pts#safe=off&tbm=pts&q=anti-gravity [google.com]
Obviously, not one of those damned fools have built anything, or they'd have sold it for zillions by now. Put antigravity under you favorite easy chair or recliner, and travel anywhere. You don't need pavement, don't need tires every 18 months, just keep the batteries charged, and float where you want. All I see are patent trolls, staking a claim against anyone who does invent an anti-gravity unit.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday January 01 2016, @02:52AM
Wow.
And I meant this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotating_wheel_space_station [wikipedia.org]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday January 01 2016, @05:19AM
Obvious, but maybe not obvious how much more expensive that would be compared to the current shack.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday January 01 2016, @06:06AM
Filed under "eh, might as well"
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Dunbal on Friday January 01 2016, @03:50PM
If it's a difference between doing a mission and not doing it at all, the expense is not a factor. Rocket fuel to orbit is expensive too.