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“tardigrades”
Hibernate for a Trip to Mars, the Bear Way
ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli inside his sleeping bag in the Italian-built Node 2 module. (Credit: ESA)

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Hibernate_for_a_trip_to_Mars_the_bear_way

PARIS (ESA PR) — Hibernating astronauts could be the best way to save mission costs, reduce the size of spacecraft by a third and keep crew healthy on their way to Mars. An ESA-led investigation suggests that human hibernation goes beyond the realm of science-fiction and may become a game-changing technique for space travel.

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  • Parabolic Arc
  • February 9, 2022
Microscopic Superheroes to Help Protect Astronaut Health in Space
Credits: NASA/Ames Research Center

by Abby Tabor
NASA’s Ames Research Center

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. — It’s a classic superhero tale: Inconspicuous, underestimated, our hero is revealed to have powers beyond imagination! The hottest and coldest environments on Earth, decades without water, the powerful radiation of space – none of it is any match for…the tardigrade!

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  • Parabolic Arc
  • June 5, 2021
SpaceX’s 22nd Commercial Resupply Mission to Space Station Launches Water Bears, Squids, Solar Panels
These immature bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) are part of UMAMI, an investigation that examines whether space alters the symbiotic relationship between the squid and the bacterium Vibrio fischeri. (Credits: Jamie S. Foster, University of Florida)

HOUSTON (NASA PR) — The 22nd SpaceX cargo resupply mission carrying scientific research and technology demonstrations launches to the International Space Station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than June 3. Experiments aboard include studying how water bears tolerate space, whether microgravity affects symbiotic relationships, analyzing the formation of kidney stones, and more.

Highlights of the payloads on this resupply mission include:

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  • Parabolic Arc
  • May 24, 2021