Aug 18 2010

From The Space Library

RELEASE: 10-210

NASA OPENS SPACE STATION FOR BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH FROM NIH GRANTS

WASHINGTON -- NASA is enabling biomedical research with National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants that take advantage of the unique microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station to explore fundamental questions about important health issues. The NIH Biomedical Research on the International Space Station (BioMed-ISS) awards are the next step in a new partnership to apply the national laboratory to research that complements NASA's own space studies. The NIH studies include research on how bones and the immune system weaken in space. "This marks the beginning of a new era in microgravity-based research with the International Space Station turning the corner from construction to use as a new national laboratory, said Mark Uhran, assistant associate administrator for space station, NASA Headquarters in Washington. In 2005 Congress recognized the immense promise the station holds for U.S.-led science and technology efforts. It opened the U.S. portion of the facility to federal agencies, university and private sector researchers by designating the station as a national laboratory. In addition to NIH, NASA has similar research agreements with the Departments of Defense, Agriculture and Energy and the National Science Foundation. Scientists will conduct their experiments under a two-stage mechanism. The first is a ground-based preparatory phase to allow investigators to meet select milestones and technical requirements. The second is an experimental phase on the space station that will include preparing the experiments for launch, working with astronauts to conduct them on orbit and performing subsequent data analyses on Earth. "BioMed-ISS offers a novel opportunity for gaining scientific insights that would not otherwise be possible through ground-based means, said Stephen I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D., director of the NIH's National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and NIH liaison to NASA. The beauty of this initiative is that it offers an unprecedented opportunity for benefitting human health on earth, while leveraging the American public's investment in the ISS. NIH is hosting three rounds of competition for the initiative. The first round of grants for the ground-based phase, totaling an estimated $1,323,000, has been awarded as follows: Paola Divieti, M.D., Ph.D., Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston: Weight-bearing activities contribute to the development and maintenance of bone mass, while weightlessness and immobility, as experienced by the astronauts and bedridden and immobilized patients, can result in bone loss and a weakened skeleton. Osteocytes, the most common type of bone cell, are believed to have gravity-sensing abilities. These cells play a key role in bone remodeling, a process that is vital to skeletal health. In studying osteocytes in a gravity-free environment, Divieti aims to uncover new therapeutic targets for osteoporosis and related bone diseases. Millie Hughes-Fulford, Ph.D., Northern California Institute for Research and Education, San Francisco: The immune system, which protects the body against foreign substances, is suppressed in space. A reduction in the immune response also occurs in the elderly, who, like the astronauts, are at increased risk for infection. As a former astronaut, Hughes-Fulford, a former payload specialist on the STS-40 Spacelab Life Sciences shuttle mission in 1991, aims to apply lessons learned from studies of immune cells in microgravity to a new model for investigating the loss of immune response in older women and men. Declan McCole, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego: The movement of toxins from intestines to other organs in the body is a major source of illness in the United States. A major factor in disease stems from the ability of toxins to compromise the natural barrier function of cells in the gastrointestinal tract. Using microgravity based three-dimensional cell culture models, McCole plans to generate insights regarding the barrier properties of the intestines, and explore how the absence of gravity affects a toxin's ability to diminish this barrier.

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RELEASE: 10-190

NASA ADMINISTRATOR CHARLES BOLDEN ISSUES STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF FORMER SENATOR TED STEVENS AND MONDAY'S PLANE CRASH IN ALASKA

WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden issued the following statement Tuesday about the plane crash in Alaska that killed former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and injured former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and his son, Kevin: "We at NASA are deeply saddened by today's news that former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and others were killed in a plane crash in Alaska that also injured former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and his son, Kevin. As a long-time supporter of NASA, Sen. Stevens made lasting contributions to our agency and our country. We at NASA mourn his loss and send our deepest condolences to his family, as well as the families and friends of all who perished in the accident. We also send our best wishes for a speedy recovery to Sean, Kevin, and other survivors of the crash. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families.

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MEDIA ADVISORY: M10-151

NASA ANNOUNCES STS-133 PRELAUNCH EVENTS AND COUNTDOWN DETAILS

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida has set the news conferences, events and operating hours for the news center for the final scheduled launch of space shuttle Discovery. The spacecraft's STS-133 mission to the International Space Station is set to lift off at 4:40 p.m. EDT on Monday, Nov. 1. A NASA blog will update the countdown beginning at 11:15 a.m. Nov. 1. Originating from Kennedy's Launch Control Center, the blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to launch. During the mission, visitors to NASA's shuttle website may read about the crew's progress and watch the mission's two spacewalks live. As Discovery's flight concludes, the NASA blog will detail the spacecraft's return to Earth. For NASA's launch blog and continuous mission updates, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle Detailed lists of countdown milestones, news briefing times and participants, and hours of operation for Kennedy's news center and media credentialing office are posted online. Journalists at the news center and its annex will be provided free wireless Internet access. Instructions for wireless access will be available at the news center. For the detailed lists of events, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/news The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated throughout the shuttle launch countdown, mission and landing. To follow, visit: http://www.twitter.com/nasa NASA astronaut and STS-133 Mission Specialist Nicole Stott will be tweeting about her pre-launch preparations and is expected to provide updates to her Twitter account during the shuttle mission. Stott can be followed at: http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Nicole NASA is offering the public two ways to play a small role in the last shuttle flights. Visitors to the Face in Space website can upload their portrait to fly with the astronauts aboard shuttle Discovery's STS-133 mission. Almost 150,000 photos already have been submitted. The deadline for your image to fly on Discovery is 6 p.m. Nov. 1. NASA will continue to accept images to fly on shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission, which currently is scheduled for February 2011. To submit your image, visit: https://faceinspace.nasa.gov NASA also is inviting the public to choose songs to wake up the astronauts during the upcoming shuttle missions. Visit the Wakeup Song Contest website to select songs from a list of the top 40 previous wakeup calls or to submit original tunes for consideration. More than 2.1 million votes have been cast for songs for STS-133. Voting will end when Discovery lifts off on Nov. 1. The deadline to submit original compositions for consideration as a wakeup song for STS-134 is Jan. 10. To submit a song or vote on a wakeup tune, visit: https://songcontest.nasa.gov For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

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