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Second NASA Astronaut to Spend Nearly a Year in Space — For Science
space.com ^ | Meghan Bartels

Posted on 04/18/2019 12:56:03 PM PDT by BenLurkin

Astronaut Christina Koch will spend nearly a year aboard the International Space Station, NASA announced on Wednesday, with her return trip delayed to February 2020. During her 11 months in space, she will monitor how her body responds to the mission, producing much-needed data about how well human bodies can withstand the dangers and hardships of long-term spaceflight.

So far, that data has been difficult to come by. Standard space station missions last about six and a half months, and only a handful of NASA astronauts have stayed in orbit longer than 200 days in a single spaceflight. That's problematic for an agency that has its sights set on human journeys to Mars — a six- to eight-month flight in each direction — within a decade or two. Koch's long mission in Earth orbit could offer peace of mind about what the impacts of such a journey might be; it could also shed light on how men and women respond differently to spaceflight, NASA officials said.

Although the extended mission came about to accommodate the week-long visit of an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates, NASA was eager to jump on the opportunity of having a crewmember on board the station for an extended stay.

To date, just three NASA astronauts have remained on board the space station for more than 200 days straight. Scott Kelly holds the NASA record after a 340-day visit, Peggy Whitson completed a 289-day spaceflight and Michael Lopez-Alegria flew 215 days straight.

And while long-term spaceflight data is rare enough, doctors said Koch's mission extension could offer something even rarer: a better understanding of how sex-based differences affect a body's response to spaceflight. About 12% of spacefarers to date have been women. But men's and women's bodies are built differently and have different chemical balances.

(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...


TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS: christinakoch; elonmusk; falcon9; falconheavy; michaellopezalegria; nasa; peggywhitson; scottkelly; spacex; uae; unitedarabemirates
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To: Calvin Locke

That really puts things in perspective.

21 posted on 04/18/2019 2:18:36 PM PDT by Songcraft
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To: Calvin Locke

22 posted on 04/18/2019 2:31:57 PM PDT by Sontagged ("The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." -Psalm 19:1)
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To: Sontagged
What is that?
23 posted on 04/18/2019 3:20:39 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: BenLurkin

Google/DuckDuckGo remain your friend


24 posted on 04/18/2019 4:20:04 PM PDT by Sontagged ("The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." -Psalm 19:1)
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To: Sontagged

Please forgive me but I dont understand what you are on about


25 posted on 04/18/2019 4:24:27 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: BenLurkin
Ben, really now. You're an old time NASAite... you surely have heard of these things about the Shuttle that have been circulating on the internet for years and years and years and years now...?

But don't try to argue the Hegelian merits of it with me, I'm just pointing out that there are other points of view that may or not be my own.

May the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob bless and keep you, and keep us all on FR this Holy Week...


26 posted on 04/18/2019 4:45:01 PM PDT by Sontagged ("The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." -Psalm 19:1)
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To: Sontagged
you surely have heard of these things about the Shuttle that have been circulating on the internet for years and years and years and years now...?

Uh, no.

27 posted on 04/18/2019 4:54:46 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: BenLurkin

Here’s an absolutely retarded site that says that all the crew are still alive. Didn’t realize folks thought that.

https://aplanetruth.info/theyre-alive-challenger-crew-found-alive-and-well-30-years-since-the-disaster/


28 posted on 04/18/2019 5:02:30 PM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: BenLurkin

Second NASA Astronaut to Spend Nearly a Year in Space without any gravity - For Science.

NASA is trying to prove that gravity is unnecessary for humans or else prove that humans do not thrive in space without gravity - did these people actually get science and engineering degrees? How much did they have to pay for them in the mail order catalogue?


29 posted on 04/18/2019 5:10:06 PM PDT by PIF (They camTo think the choice came down to Gorka/Bannon oe for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: BenLurkin

Google/DuckDuckGo remain your friend.


30 posted on 04/18/2019 5:12:46 PM PDT by Sontagged ("The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." -Psalm 19:1)
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To: Sontagged

It boggles the mind that anyone would entertain the premise for even the briefest of moments. Not enough to be merely gullible, they’d have to be bat-shit crazy.


31 posted on 04/18/2019 5:16:11 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: SunkenCiv

*ping*


32 posted on 04/18/2019 5:24:12 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (BUTTGIGGITY ! It's an anal thing. You wouldn't understand.)
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To: BenLurkin

It’s the last name match and idea that it was someone’s “twin brother” that lends it credibility.


33 posted on 04/18/2019 5:27:23 PM PDT by Sontagged ("The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." -Psalm 19:1)
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To: BenLurkin

She’ll need a boyfriend and a gallon of Scotch if she’s gonna make it.


34 posted on 04/18/2019 6:37:40 PM PDT by Jack Hammer
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To: fieldmarshaldj
Thanks fieldmarshaldj. Hey, I'd do it, but I'm so out of shape [how out of shape are you?] that if I died they could donate my body to science fiction.

35 posted on 04/18/2019 11:50:38 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Meds I’m on made me add 1/3rd to my weight. :-( So, yeah, out of shape something fierce.


36 posted on 04/19/2019 12:41:37 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (BUTTGIGGITY ! It's an anal thing. You wouldn't understand.)
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To: fieldmarshaldj
Like Marley's ghost, my weight gain has been more of gravy than of grave.

37 posted on 04/19/2019 12:44:04 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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