Astrobiology

Astrobiology PDF Author: Gerda Horneck
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 364259381X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 415

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Book Description
This book bridges a gap in the literature by bringing together leading specialists from different backgrounds. It addresses the specific need for a readable book on this very interdisciplinary and new topic at research level.

Beyond the International Space Station: The Future of Human Spaceflight

Beyond the International Space Station: The Future of Human Spaceflight PDF Author: Michael J Rycroft
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401598800
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description
Y. Fujimori, Symposium Programme Committee Chair, and Faculty Member, International Space University e-mail: fujimori@isu. isunet. edu M. Rycroft, Faculty Member, International Space University e-mail: rycroft@isu. isunet. edu Building on the foundations provided by the International Space Station, now partially constructed and already in use in low Earth orbit, what will be the future directions of human spaceflight? This was the key question discussed from many viewpoints - technical, entrepreneurial, governmental, legal - at the seventh Annual Symposium held in Strasbourg, France, early in June 2002. Many ideas on the "whys" and the "hows" of our future exploration of the final frontier were put forward in a stimulating environment. The unique perspective of the International Space University (ISU) - namely an interdisciplinary, international and intercultural perspective - enhanced both the presentations and the discussions. More than 150 people attended the Symposium, including the current members of the Master of Space Studies class who are attending an 11 month course at ISU. They are young professionals and postgraduate students who develop in-depth some part of the broad Symposium theme in their parallel Team Projects. Their final reports will be completed at the end of July 2002, and will be published independently. 1 Beyond the ISS: The Future of Human Spaceflight Keynote Address: A Summary The Need for a New Vision E. Vallerani, Advanced Logistic Technology Engineering Center, The Italian Gateway to the ISS, Corso Marche 79, Torino 10146, Italy e-mail: vallerani. ernesto@spacegate-altec.

Advances in Space Biology and Medicine

Advances in Space Biology and Medicine PDF Author: S.L. Bonting
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080877311
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 263

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Book Description
During the past several years there has been a shortage of flight opportunities for biological and medical projects. And those that were available usually had severe restrictions on instrumentation, number of subjects, duration, time allotted for performing the experiments, a possibility for repetition of experiments. It is our hope and expectation that this will change once the international Space Station is in full operation. The advantages of a permanent space station, already demonstrated by the Russian Mir station, are continuous availability of expert crew and a wide range of equipment, possibility of long-term experiments where this is waranted, increased numbers of subjects through larger laboratory space, proper controls in the large 1-G centrifuge, easier repeatability of experiments when needed. The limited number of flight opportunities during recent years probably explains why it has taken so long to acquire a sufficient number of high quality contributions for this seventh volume of Advances in Space Biology and Medicine. While initially the series wassailed at annually appearing volumes, we are now down to a biannual appearance. Hopefully, it will be possible to return to annual volumes in the future when results from space station experimentation at beginning to pour in. The first three chapters of this volume deal with muscle. Fejtek and Wassersug provide a survey of all studies on muscle of rodents flown in space, and include an interesting demography of this aspect of space research. Riley reviews our current knowledge of the effects of long-term spaceflight and re-entry on skeletal muscle, and considers the questions still to be answered before we can be satisfied that long-term space missions, such as on the space station, can be safely undertaken. Stein reviews our understanding of the nutritional and hormonal aspects of muscle loss in spaceflight, and concludes that the protein loss in space could be deleterious to health during flight and after return. Strollo summarizes our understanding of the major endocrine systems on the ground, then considers what we know about their functioning in space, concluding that there is much to be learned about the changes taking place during spaceflight. The many problems of providing life support (oxygen regeneration and food supply) during extended stay on the Moon, on Mars, or in space by means of plant cultivation are discussed by Salisbury. The challenges of utilizing electrophoresis in microgravity for the separation of cells and proteins are illustrated and explained by Bauer and colleagues. Finally, the chapter on teaching of space life sciences by Schmitt shows that this field of science has come of age, but also that its multidisciplinary character poses interesting challenges to teaching it.

Astrobiology

Astrobiology PDF Author: Akihiko Yamagishi
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9811336393
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 454

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Book Description
This book provides concise and cutting-edge reviews in astrobiology, a young and still emerging multidisciplinary field of science that addresses the fundamental questions of how life originated and diversified on Earth, whether life exists beyond Earth, and what is the future for life on Earth. Readers will find coverage of the latest understanding of a wide range of fascinating topics, including, for example, solar system formation, the origins of life, the history of Earth as revealed by geology, the evolution of intelligence on Earth, the implications of genome data, insights from extremophile research, and the possible existence of life on other planets within and beyond the solar system. Each chapter contains a brief summary of the current status of the topic under discussion, sufficient references to enable more detailed study, and descriptions of recent findings and forthcoming missions or anticipated research. Written by leading experts in astronomy, planetary science, geoscience, chemistry, biology, and physics, this insightful and thought-provoking book will appeal to all students and scientists who are interested in life and space.

New Frontiers in Astrobiology

New Frontiers in Astrobiology PDF Author: Rebecca Thombre
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0323859275
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description
New Frontiers in Astrobiology presents a simple and concise overview of the emerging field of astrobiology. Astrobiology studies the evolution, origin, and future of life on Earth and beyond. This book provides a brief overview of the current research and future status of this fascinating field. The book covers a wide range of topics from the history of astrobiology, the big bang, prebiotic chemistry, theories of the origin of life, extreme environments on Earth, and the quest for intelligent life in space. Currently, there is a critical gap in knowledge related to the future scope of astrobiology and its applications in science and society. The hallmark of the book is that it takes critical perspectives to analyze the new frontiers in astrobiology post Mars 2020/ExoMars missions that encompass the latestdevelopments in the detection of biosignatures and habitability beyond our Solar System (exomoons, exoplanets). The book will be a valuable resource for students, researchers, and scientists who seek greater insights into understanding the current status and future of astrobiology. - Explores the background and historical developments in astrobiology - Provides concise cutting-edge reviews on fundamental questions on origin and distribution of life on Earth, habitability beyond Earth, and future of life on Earth - Integrates contemporary and critical views in new frontiers in astrobiology

Laboratory Astrophysics

Laboratory Astrophysics PDF Author: Guillermo M. Muñoz Caro
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 331990020X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 237

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Book Description
This book focuses on the most recent, relevant, comprehensive and significant aspects in the well-established multidisciplinary field Laboratory Astrophysics. It focuses on astrophysical environments, which include asteroids, comets, the interstellar medium, and circumstellar and circumplanetary regions. Its scope lies between physics and chemistry, since it explores physical properties of the gas, ice, and dust present in those systems, as well as chemical reactions occurring in the gas phase, the bare dust surface, or in the ice bulk and its surface. Each chapter provides the necessary mathematical background to understand the subject, followed by a case study of the corresponding system. The book provides adequate material to help interpret the observations, or the computer models of astrophysical environments. It introduces and describes the use of spectroscopic tools for laboratory astrophysics. This book is mainly addressed to PhD graduates working in this field or observers and modelers searching for information on ice and dust processes.

Biosignatures for Astrobiology

Biosignatures for Astrobiology PDF Author: Barbara Cavalazzi
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319961756
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
This book aims at providing a brief but broad overview of biosignatures. The topics addressed range from prebiotic signatures in extraterrestrial materials to the signatures characterising extant life as well as fossilised life, biosignatures related to space, and space flight instrumentation to detect biosignatures either in situ or from orbit. The book ends with philosophical reflections on the implications of life elsewhere. In the 15 chapters written by an interdisciplinary team of experts, it provides both detailed explanations on the nature of biosignatures as well as useful case studies showing how they are used and identified in ancient rocks, for example. One case study addresses the controversial finding of traces of fossil life in a meteorite from Mars. The book will be of interest not only to astrobiologists but also to terrestrial paleontologists as well as any reader interested in the prospects of finding a second example of life on another planet.

Breakthroughs in Space Life Science Research

Breakthroughs in Space Life Science Research PDF Author: Günter Ruyters
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030740226
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 171

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Book Description
This last volume of the SpringerBriefs in Space Life Sciences series is setup in 5 main parts. The 1st part shortly summarizes the history of life science research in space from the late 40s until today with focus on Europe and Germany, followed by a part on describing flight opportunities including the Space Shuttle/Spacelab system and the International Space Station ISS; in the 3rd part it focuses on extraordinary success stories of this constantly challenging research program and highlights some important key findings in space life science research. The book introduces in the 4th part innovative developments in non-invasive biomedical diagnostics and training methods for astronauts that emerge from this program and are of benefit for people on Earth especially in the aging society. Last but not least in its 5th part it closes with an outlook on the future of space life sciences in the upcoming era of space exploration. The book is intended for students and research scientists in the life sciences and biomedicine as well as for interested lay persons, who wish to get an overview of space life science research: its ́ early days, current status and future directions.

Extremophiles as Astrobiological Models

Extremophiles as Astrobiological Models PDF Author: Joseph Seckbach
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119591686
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
The data in this book are new or updated, and will serve also as Origin of Life and evolutionary studies. Endospores of bacteria have a long history of use as model organisms in astrobiology, including survival in extreme environments and interplanetary transfer of life. Numerous other bacteria as well as archaea, lichens, fungi, algae and tiny animals (tardigrades, or water bears) are now being investigated for their tolerance to extreme conditions in simulated or real space environments. Experimental results from exposure studies on the International Space Station and space probes for up to 1.5 years are presented and discussed. Suggestions for extaterrestrial energy sources are also indicated. Audience Researchers and graduate students in microbiology, biochemistry, molecular biology and astrobiology, as well as anyone interested in the search for extraterrestrial life and its technical preparations.

Radiation and the International Space Station

Radiation and the International Space Station PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309068851
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 96

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Book Description
A major objective of the International Space Station is learning how to cope with the inherent risks of human spaceflightâ€"how to live and work in space for extended periods. The construction of the station itself provides the first opportunity for doing so. Prominent among the challenges associated with ISS construction is the large amount of time that astronauts will be spending doing extravehicular activity (EVA), or "space walks." EVAs from the space shuttle have been extraordinarily successful, most notably the on-orbit repair of the Hubble Space Telescope. But the number of hours of EVA for ISS construction exceeds that of the Hubble repair mission by orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the ISS orbit has nearly twice the inclination to Earth's equator as Hubble's orbit, so it spends part of every 90-minute circumnavigation at high latitudes, where Earth's magnetic field is less effective at shielding impinging radiation. This means that astronauts sweeping through these regions will be considerably more vulnerable to dangerous doses of energetic particles from a sudden solar eruption. Radiation and the International Space Station estimates that the likelihood of having a potentially dangerous solar event during an EVA is indeed very high. This report recommends steps that can be taken immediately, and over the next several years, to provide adequate warning so that the astronauts can be directed to take protective cover inside the ISS or shuttle. The near-term actions include programmatic and operational ways to take advantage of the multiagency assets that currently monitor and forecast space weather, and ways to improve the in situ measurements and the predictive power of current models.