Just what are these mysterious “unique interactions”? If they only happen in space, how do we ever get infections on earth? Doesn’t this look a little like smoke and mirrors? You might wish to read the earth-based literature on salmonella. The virulence transition can be triggered by anything that stresses the bacteria; a simple reduction in oxygen level, increase in osmotic pressure, or decrease in pH, any of which can be easily applied on earth. Few bacteria have any direct interaction with gravity, they are too small for internal gravitational convection. However the culture vessel is large enough for gravitational convection, and probably provides a different environment in space due to differences in flow. My guess is that we are using spaceflight as a very expensive way to reduce oxygen level, which can be done more precisely with a standard lab incubator.

What’s more, the vaccine isn’t needed for humans, but for poultry, and salmonella vaccines for hens already exist that are almost 100% effective and are already required in Britain, and have essentially wiped out human salmonella infections there. The only reason vaccines, and even adequate sanitation, haven’t been required in the US is that the poultry industry has successfully lobbied against it due to its political influence. Doesn’t anyone at NASA even read the newspapers?

The salmonella project is, unfortunately, a classic case of space enthusiasts wanting commercial science in space to be successful and not asking enough questions. CFES (coninuous flow electrophoresis) was the same kind of deal back in the early Shuttle program. It was supposed to purify a precious drug (and mysterious) in space. Actually the job could be done perfectly well on earth with column chromatography, as I pointed out to one of the leads at JSC at the time. After a presentation I asked the lead CFES engineer how well the device worked on earth. I was astonished to learn that the flight system actually provided higher purity on earth than in space; this was never announced and no one ever said publicly that the CFES was just wishful thinking from the start. A lot of money was spent and then everyone forgot about it. Did I mention perfect semiconductors?

That’s why I am still curious as to the real source of the funding for this project. We can do useful things in space. But as somebody who struggles to get just a few research dollars that might really save lives here on earth, it bothers me to see politics and PR drive funding just because decision makers don’t take the time to actually educate themselves on the science. As to Astrotech, I wish them luck. But the pharmaceutical industry is pretty hard-nosed and unless they can do a lot better than this real private dollars won’t appear.

“Like I said before, we’re all already in space, passengers on spaceship Earth.”

“No matter the merit, without Congress providing the funding, nothing will be done.” Now that Griffin is gone, and the ATK’s power limited, perhaps
the instructions of the Congress will be carried out.

“So stop reliving the mistakes of the past, and work on getting the plans of the future funded.”

What the hell do you think I’ve been doing?

This is pretty much the standard tactic of the regulars here- if someone has a valid point and it disagrees with the infomercial everyone else seems to so enjoy endlessly yapping about, then they should “put up or shut up” or stop doing whatever they are doing. That is not how a forum works.

CR, you can stop telling other people what to do.

I stand corrected. I think it is so essential it overshadows everything else to the point of being exclusively valid- but of course there are other opinions.

“you are looking at things with a closed mind or perhaps a hidden agenda.”

That would be you again. The only thing you see is little rockets and refueling depots, which exposes your agenda completely. You have a tiny view of how space travel should be pursued- so narrow it could not even be called tunnel vision. So narrow that anyone not subscribing to your version of reality is “close minded” and has a “hidden agenda.”

“Like I said before, we’re all already in space, passengers on spaceship Earth.”

No matter the merit, without Congress providing the funding, nothing will be done. So stop reliving the mistakes of the past, and work on getting the plans of the future funded.

Oh, by the way, CAPS is not the only valid goal for HSF, but from what I know of the impact hazard and ways for dealing with it,it is an essential one.

Like I said before, we’re all already in space, passengers on spaceship Earth.

I also see that Mr. byeman has refused to comment on how many times Thiokol’s solid motors led to the loss of defense missions.

For the human species, the extinction level impact rate appears to be about once per million years; in other words, we very nearly went the way of the dinosaur several times.

Most recently, important work is being done here:
http://johnhawks.net/taxonomy/term/412
http://www.researchsea.com/html/article.php/aid/5896/cid/5

As far as Mr. byeman’s stupidity, you can give up on trying to educate him, as Mr. byeman apparently insists that we be as stupid today as we were in the 1950’s.

As far as my activities go, I was in the process of writing a series of books on impact and promoting them when my stroke hit.

As far as NASA and the Congress goes, in my view firing Ed Weiler for his role in Griffin’s contempt of Congress, and bringing in say Don Yeomans, should be enough to correct the situation.

In any case, any funding issues you have with CAPS need to be taken up Congress, and important though it may or may not be, if Congress doesn’t put money in for it, it won’t get worked on.”

Hi CR –

What CAPS gives is another 6 months to deal with a Long Period Comet, and it is the only fail-safe way of locating in a timely manner Tunguska class dead comet fragments headed our way.

The Congress asked NASA to report, JPL only asked for a Venus orbit telescope, hoping that they could get it; instead Griffin treated Congress with contempt, setting on their report. Griffin tried to limit NASA’s responsibilities to “exploration” (for which read manned Mars flight), as byeman does here now. There was no way Griffin would allow NASA Langley to contribute to that study.

Outside of the community of manned Mars flight enthusiasts, such a view makes little sense – hence VS’s reply to byeman here, and byeman’s persistent avoidance of the facts.

Now can single launcher or automatically docked payload instruments handle the problem? I don’t think they are the most cost effective and best solution, but NASA Langley engineers would be better suited to answer this question. I’ve had a stoke, and it takes me quite a while to compose and type these little notes.

“I think we’ve exhausted this thread for now.”

You need to understand that for “exploration” enthusiasts manned Mars flight has taken on the role of a religion for them. For some of them, if you even propose an architecture different from Bob Zubrin’s then you are viewed as a heretic and burned at the stake.

Regardless of byeman’s continued willful ignorance and mistatements of fact, the problem of impact will be with us always, as we’re all of us already in space, passengers on spaceship Earth.

Gary Church must be looking in a mirror again.

CAPS does not equate to BEO-HSF. Only zealots think that.

Again, this is not for debate.

Impact is not nor should be NASA’s priority. If the US gov’t wants to make it a priority, some other agency will be responsible for it.

Since it is a lottery ticket, what the USA did for CAPS 50 years ago is still good enough for today.

That’s rarely the case. It seems more likely that you’ve lost perspective and that you are looking at things with a closed mind or perhaps a hidden agenda.