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There are 1023
teams registered
The latest team
registered was
Apollo
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Here's some stuff to get you thinking. Some of it sounds a bit wild but a lot of it is possible now.
On 30 November www.edgeintospace.com hosted a webchat with NASA astronaut, Scott Kelly. Scott answered questions and talked about his experiences in space, as well as ideas for things that could be improved in space. Click here to read a transcript of this webchat.
Remember though, we want YOUR ideas, not something that's already been done or
planned by someone else.
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Many materials and innovations developed for space travel have
been taken up on earth. These include sunglasses, smoke
detectors, barcodes, the material used for dental braces,
medical imaging, firemen's suits, cordless appliances, the
aerodynamic bicycle wheel, ski boots, shock absorbing helmets,
joystick controls, heated thermal gloves...
http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/en/kids/spinoffs2.shtml
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Space Food Sticks, high-energy flavoured snacks designed for
astronauts, were designed so that they could slot into space
helmets for emergencies. They were launched to the US general
public in 1970 and proved a hit.
http://www.funkyfoodshop.com/spacefood/
Scientists are currently researching ways for astronauts to drink
carbonated drinks such as beer and soft drinks in space. At the
moment, the mixture tends to turn into a foamy mess, but
investigations are being carried out in America into how yeast
works without gravity. http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast21sep_1.htm?list6746
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For this to become routine we need a lot more power. Engineers
at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Centre in Alabama are working
on packaging high energy. What else does NASA have on
the drawing board? Transports might be driven by antimatter,
fusion, electrodynamics, tethers, chemicals, space sails or
energy beams. http://www.spacetoday.org/Rockets/FutureSpaceVehicles.html
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The European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany,
came up with plans for a spacesuit that will allow astronauts to
exercise and for a malaria information system to predict
epidemics. Other ideas were on salt intake as a countermeasure
to fluid loss in space and GAIA, an idea for global adaptive
indoor atmosphere. http://www.esa.int/esaCP
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Astronauts can suffer pretty nasty side effects - anxiety, loss of
motivation, sleeplessness, head congestion and leg shrinkage.
The Skylab crew found that exercise not only reduced the bad
effects of microgravity but made them feel better.
http://www.ibiblio.org/astrobiology/index.php?page=adapt03
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Scientists at the Johnson Space Centre are looking at new
sources of energy from solar-electric power satellites, deuterium
and helium 3 fusion or moon-based solar-panel arrays.
Solar-power satellites (SPSs) can be built entirely from lunar material,
do not need fusion and are not electric. In 1980, it was already
evident that SPSs could produce enormous amounts of energy
to fuel whole cities. http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/reason_03_000723.html
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Spacesuits with internal cooling allow astronauts to withstand
high temperatures during spacewalks. The cooling effect is
obtained by inserting 50 metres of plastic tubing, 2 mm wide.
The technology has been used to develop sports outfits and
outdoor garments used on earth. http://www.space-travel.com/news/materials-02z.html
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NASAs Stardust project sent up a solar-powered probe in 1999,
which will catch up with comet Wild 2 in early 2006. The space
probe will collect comet material and return to earth with the
sample in January. Comets carry water and organic material to
the planets, so studying them can provide insights for biologists,
chemists and other scientists.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/102933_planets06.shtml
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A tsunami warning system has recently been installed in the
Pacific Ocean, after the lack of early warning for the devastating
2004 tsunami. Sensors on the seabed and buoys on the ocean
surface can detect an earthquake and a resulting tsunami.
Transmitters on the buoys send signals to satellites, which alert
ground stations. http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/misr_tsunami/index.shtml#
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Space's gravity-free conditions allow more effective processes
than on earth for separating biological materials. NASA and
other companies have worked on continuous flow
electrophoresis experiments to produce erythropoietin, a
hormone important for stimulating human red blood cell
production. http://www.fda.gov/fdac/special/newdrug/spacemed.html
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Twelve women are staying in bed 24 hours a day for two months
in a French hospital as part of a European Space Agency
experiment into how space travel affects the female body. The
beds are tilted backwards six degrees so their heads are below
their legs. They are getting paid £10,300 each, but theyll suffer
some bad side-effects. http://www.esa.int/esaCP/Pr_43_2005_p_EN.html
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Crystals grown in space may be the next big step toward
improved semiconductor materials for use in communication
systems and computers. The semiconductor alloy crystals
special blends of germanium and silicon have highly desirable
thermoelectric and electro-optic properties but they are nearly
impossible to grow on earth because gravity makes the
germanium sink to the bottom of the mixture while in the
production process. http://www.news.uiuc.edu/scitips/00/06crystaltip.html
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Knowledge of conditions in space has helped American
scientists engineer heart tissue that can one day be used for
transplants and other vital operations. The Bioreactor was
developed by NASA to simulate the weightless environment of
space by putting cells in a growth medium that constantly rotates
and keeps the cells in endless free-fall. The cells can be fooled
into thinking they are in a body, and encouraged to grow in
predefined shapes. http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/msad05oct99_1.htm
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