November 2015

Financials:

October 1 beginning balance 1369.67

3 renewals 60.00

Ending balance Oct 31 1429.67

Attendance today: 28 people

2016 space calendars were handed out by Karen Cruce, and paid for by the people who had ordered them.

Upcoming events:

OK Mozart star party—Steve has been talking to Pam Edge with the Girl Scouts about having this at Camp Wah-Shah-She. We are hoping that OKM will cover the insurance for the event next June.

Recent event—total lunar eclipse Sept. 27: John Grismore showed an awesome movie he made of the event, start to finish!

Daryl Doughty picture presentation—

“Dance of the Planets” (Venus/Mars/Jupiter)—images taken Oct 20, 21, 25, 26 and 29, Nov 1 and Nov 2 (in fog).

“Orion and Dogs” Nov. 1.

Orion and Taurus and two star clusters Nov. 1.

These images were all taken with about a 5 second exposure, ISO 1600. No noticeable star trailing in the images.

The Sun has been rather quiet lately in terms of sunspot activity.

Two special presentations:

Mike Woods, M.D. Overview of the Challenges of Medicine in Space

Here are highlights of his fabulous presentation:

Astronauts on the Space Station can grow up to 3 per cent taller over a 6 month period. Their height returns to normal after a few months.

There are fluid shifts too—fluids gravitate to the upper body; astronauts may have “puffy heads” and other upper body swelling They may have problems with fluid shifts when they return to Earth.

Muscles start to atrophy and bone density is lost; to help counter this, astronauts undergo a rigorous exercise program aboard the ISS. Astronauts may lose up to 1 pct of their bone density a month if they don’t get enough exercise.

There can also be problems with kidney stones.

Astronauts have also experienced “flashes of light” from cosmic rays passing through their eyes.

Other effects of very high altitude work, even on Earth (11,500-18050 ft):

High altitude pulmonary edema and cerebral edema

Ataxic gait

Ventilation rates

Altered consciousness

Wobbly gait

Headache

At 4950-8200 feet:

Decreased exercise performance

Increased ventilation at rest

Headache

Nausea

Vomiting

Dizziness

If you have these problems, you must go downhill!

At 18000 ft plus, you really can’t acclimatize.

At 63000+ ft body/blood tissues boil.

Other possible effects of long-term space flight:

Vertigo

Space anemia

Delayed wound healing

Loss of immunity

Sleep disorders

Muscle fibers switch from slow-twitch to fast-twitch

Radiation: Trip to Moon is 25 REM; trip to Mars = 50+ REM. Solar flares deliver anywhere from minimal radiation up 1000+ REM.

An astronaut at first exposure has a limit of 150 REM. An astronaut at age 55 at first exposure has a limit of 400 REM. A typical chest Xray has 0.039 REM. A REM is 100erg/gram or 0.01Sv. 1 Sievert = 1joule/kilogram.

Sue Woods, PHD, on Astrobiology:

Here are highlights:

She teaches microbiology at Northeastern State University

Requirements for life:

Water

A carbon source

An energy source

Microorganisms that survive (and have adapted) for extreme conditions are called extremophiles.

Examples of extremophiles are organic molecules in a comet.

Some extremophiles are resistant to radiation and cold temperatures.

Endoliths are nanobes that grow very slowly in rocks, including on Mars. 10 to minus 9 m in diameter. (They need to be at least 0.2 um in size to have ribosomes in their DNA. Some can survive in temperatures higher than 100 degrees Celcius or as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius. These are found in hot springs and Antarctica. In Martian meteorites such as ALH84001 also? When they divide, they do so by means of binary fusion.

Halophiles need salt concentrations of 10-25%. Examples of these can be found in the Great Salt Plains of Oklahoma.

Methanogens make methane and are anaerobic. They grow in high temperatures in areas like hot springs and hydrothermal vents. They are also in human GI microbiota. There is methane on Mars.

Thermophiles live in areas where the temperature is 41 degrees Celcius to 122 degrees Celcius. Examples of habitats are deep thermal vents in Yellowstone.

Blue-green algae in Yellowstone would be considered as extremophiles.

Hyperthermophiles need temperatures of greater than 85 degrees Celcius for survival. Example of habitats for these are volcanic springs.

Megaviruses are also extremophiles. P. Salinus (one example) is the largest viral genome. One virus was found in permafrost in Siberia that is 30,000 years old.

NASA conducts decontamination studies to try to capture rare bacteria that survive decontamination. 350 strains of bacteria survive decontamination.

Bacteria that live in your belly button may some time be used to “mark” you instead of finger printing!

80 million bacteria are exchanged with a “good healthy kiss”!

Each of us has a microbiotic “aura”.

Contamination on the ISS: These have been found--staphylococcus, micrococcus, streptococcus bacillus. HEPA air filters are used for air purification and microorganisms are used for solid waste remediation.

People who have hot tubs must treat them!

Intelligent life out there ?????