The Emirati astronaut at the International Station publishes a funny video of the "shoe-tying" adventure

In a post on Twitter, Al Neyadi, the first Emirati astronaut, wrote that simple things on Earth are an adventure in space, like tying sneakers!

And the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center announced that the Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi is preparing for a historic mission to walk in space outside the International Space Station on April 28, to be the first Arab astronaut to walk in space, as part of the missions of “Mission 69” on board the station, in A new achievement that will make the UAE tenth in the world in spacewalk missions outside the International Space Station.

The center stated that the astronauts who are chosen to carry out the spacewalk mission are subject to a rigorous selection process based on their skills, experience, and ability to adapt to the difficult space environment, as well as the need to demonstrate exceptional competence in various fields, such as engineering, robotics, and life support systems, in addition to physical fitness, and mental flexibility.

Al-Neyadi, 41, is the first Arab to spend 6 months in space after his launch on February 26 to the International Space Station via the “Falcon 9” rocket manufactured by the “SpaceX” company, and the second Emirati to participate in a trip to space, after Hazza Al-Mansouri, who spent 8 Days on the International Station in September 2019. Source: RT

NASA Supports Long-Term Deep Space Missions With "Astro-Pharmacy To Make Medicines On Demand"

Illness is an integral part of life, so preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases is crucial, and the same goes for astronauts.

The stability conditions of the drug vary depending on the drug substance and the pharmaceutical form of the drug (tablets, solution, etc.) or according to the manufacturing method. Given that medicines face instability here on Earth, this may also apply to the space environment.

During long periods of time in Earth orbit or deep space, astronauts will not have easy access to medicines. Therefore, NASA is now planning to enable its astronauts to make their own medicines in space, when needed. Space agency researchers say this step is crucial to the success of future long-duration manned missions.

Scientists want to enable astronauts to create their own medicines using bacteria in small laboratories on spacecraft during missions.

NASA chiefs are investing about $780,000 in research into astronomical pharmacies.

Their drugs could help counter three major risks of space travel: radiation sickness, bone damage and kidney stones.

According to NASA , any astronaut traveling outside of low Earth orbit is at great risk of being exposed to high levels of radiation that comes from the sun and stars.

As a result, NASA says, astronauts face an increased lifetime risk of developing cancer, affecting the central nervous system, and degenerative diseases.

And the US space agency adds: “Research studies of exposure to different doses and strengths of radiation provide strong evidence that cancer and degenerative diseases are expected from exposure to galactic cosmic rays or solar particle events.”

In addition, the low-gravity environment of space causes astronauts to lose up to 2% of their bone mineral density each month, 10 times the rate of people with osteoporosis.

Astronauts in orbit are required to train 15 hours a week in an effort to minimize damage. But bone-strengthening drugs can reduce the effect.

And tablets that reduce the amount of calcium that is released into the urine can fight kidney stones.

"Disease is an inherent part of life, so preventing, diagnosing and treating disease is critical to human space missions," said astrobiologist Lynn Rothschild, of NASA's Ames Research Center in California.

She added: “Pharmaceuticals are used to diagnose, treat or prevent disease, but they face instability on Earth and even more so in the space environment. As NASA embarks on a new era of space exploration beyond low-Earth orbit, the need to provide medicines must be addressed.” "If successful, our astropharmacology will be a critical advance that will support medical operations on long-duration deep space missions, as well as incidental applications on Earth."

Rothschild noted that the scientists plan to focus on making small protein drugs that have a shorter shelf life and require on-demand production for long-duration missions that could last for years.

These would include filgrastim, which can restore bone marrow after radiation damage, and teriparatide, which prevents bone weakening.

Scientists plan to test the astropharmacology in simulations of the Asclepios III lunar mission in the summer of 2023. Source: Daily Star

Russia is in the process of developing a system to combat asteroids and comets

The Russian system to protect the Earth from asteroids and comets may be formed after 10 years.

Its technology base has been created. This was announced Monday, April 10, by Natan Aismont, senior researcher at the Institute for Space Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

He said in a press conference held in Moscow on the occasion of the International Space Day: "It seems to me that the next ten years will witness the completion of the project to protect our planet from dangerous asteroids and comets, on the basis of the technologies currently in force."

He explained that Russian scientists are proposing to use other controlled asteroids to protect against dangerous asteroids. This is considered feasible at the present time from a technological point of view.

It is noteworthy that in 2021, NASA launched its first spacecraft within the framework of the “planetary defense” project, and the vehicle was sent to deflect an asteroid 6.8 million miles from Earth.

The Double Asteroid Reorientation Test (DART) was launched in November 2021, before a nearly year-long trip when the American spacecraft collided with the small asteroid Dimorphos, which orbits a larger space object called Didymos, and succeeded in changing its trajectory and slowing down its movement slightly. Source: TASS