On 20 Aug 2014, at 02:06, Joe Bauman via Utah-Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
How cool is this? http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/sea-plankton-discovered-outside-s...
One of the departing dolphins much have bumped into ISS on their way out. "So Long and Thanks For all the Fish" Grins, patrick p.s. If this makes no sense you are too young...
It makes perfect sense for those of us who know where our towels are. On Wednesday, August 20, 2014 2:16 AM, Wiggins Patrick <paw@getbeehive.net> wrote: On 20 Aug 2014, at 02:06, Joe Bauman via Utah-Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
How cool is this? http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/sea-plankton-discovered-outside-s...
One of the departing dolphins much have bumped into ISS on their way out. "So Long and Thanks For all the Fish" Grins, patrick p.s. If this makes no sense you are too young... _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".
Hmmmm. I wonder if we should be all amazed by this. Here are a few points to consider. 1. Low earth orbit is not all that far from the surface of the earth. Yes the ISS is in "outer space" but the distance is about as far as we casually drive in our cars on a daytrip. Going out to geosynchronous obit might be a different story. 2. Lots of updraft happens over the hurricanes of which we always have several churning at any one time. And they occur over the ocean where the plankton live. 3. Having worked in severely enforced clean environments where plague and other pathogens are routinely handled, I am amazed at how casually the aerospace workers are about contamination procedures. I see noses sticking out of masks, hair sticking out of bonnets, dangling ear jewelry, and people adjusting their glasses with their supposedly sterile gloved hands. So there is strong chance we brought it up there ourselves. 4.. Even if we found it their, There is no saying how long it's been "alive" in place. These may just be spores laying dormant until they drift back down into the ocean where they would wake up again. I don't see this a evidence that space is teeming with life and we can leave for alpha centaury and expect to find food along the way. DT
________________________________ From: Joe Bauman via Utah-Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2014 12:49 PM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Plankton
It makes perfect sense for those of us who know where our towels are.
On Wednesday, August 20, 2014 2:16 AM, Wiggins Patrick <paw@getbeehive.net> wrote:
On 20 Aug 2014, at 02:06, Joe Bauman via Utah-Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
How cool is this? http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/sea-plankton-discovered-outside-s...
One of the departing dolphins much have bumped into ISS on their way out.
"So Long and Thanks For all the Fish"
Grins,
patrick
p.s. If this makes no sense you are too young...
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On Wed, August 20, 2014 14:19, daniel turner via Utah-Astronomy wrote:
3. Having worked in severely enforced clean environments where plague and other pathogens are routinely handled, I am amazed at how casually the aerospace workers are about contamination procedures. I see noses sticking out of masks, hair sticking out of bonnets, dangling ear jewelry, and people adjusting their glasses with their supposedly sterile gloved hands. So there is strong chance we brought it up there ourselves.
In the original article those investigating this have indicated that contamination is a real possibility. They apparently are polishing/cleaning test surfaces so they can attempt to re-create the test. However, if the space around the ISS has been severely contaminated given the many spacewalks and launches we have performed, would cleaning some surfaces eliminate enough contamination to make a second test viable? It might be rather difficult to perform a contaminate-free test. If we have, through various means, scattered Earth's orbit with various organic particles then the real news here is we have found proof that humans are a rather messy species. ;-) ---- "In reply to a question on how the ISS surface is contaminated now, the space specialist said that the ISS surface was polluted very strongly due to operation of space engines and other factors. We are conducting special works to polish somehow and put illuminators in order. This is particularly needed during long space flights, Solovyev added." -- http://en.itar-tass.com/non-political/745635 -Ryan
The problem with assuming it's spacewalking-caused contamination can be summed up in two words: Why plankton? On Wednesday, August 20, 2014 4:51 PM, Ryan Simpkins <astro@ryansimpkins.com> wrote: On Wed, August 20, 2014 14:19, daniel turner via Utah-Astronomy wrote:
3. Having worked in severely enforced clean environments where plague and other pathogens are routinely handled, I am amazed at how casually the aerospace workers are about contamination procedures. I see noses sticking out of masks, hair sticking out of bonnets, dangling ear jewelry, and people adjusting their glasses with their supposedly sterile gloved hands. So there is strong chance we brought it up there ourselves.
In the original article those investigating this have indicated that contamination is a real possibility. They apparently are polishing/cleaning test surfaces so they can attempt to re-create the test. However, if the space around the ISS has been severely contaminated given the many spacewalks and launches we have performed, would cleaning some surfaces eliminate enough contamination to make a second test viable? It might be rather difficult to perform a contaminate-free test. If we have, through various means, scattered Earth's orbit with various organic particles then the real news here is we have found proof that humans are a rather messy species. ;-) ---- "In reply to a question on how the ISS surface is contaminated now, the space specialist said that the ISS surface was polluted very strongly due to operation of space engines and other factors. “We are conducting special works to polish somehow and put illuminators in order. This is particularly needed during long space flights,” Solovyev added." -- http://en.itar-tass.com/non-political/745635 -Ryan _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".
On Wed, August 20, 2014 17:05, Joe Bauman via Utah-Astronomy wrote:
The problem with assuming it's spacewalking-caused contamination can be summed up in two words: Why plankton?
Several launch sites are near the ocean, I believe. Manufacturing sites may be near the ocean as well. How much plankton is in the air near launch and manufacturing sites? Don't vehicles often sit on a launch pad some time before being launched? How well protected are these sites from particulates in the air? Can plankton be found on launch surfaces? I rather like the idea of plankton hitching a ride to space on a rocket. Like little tiny micro-astronauts. Of course no one can yet eliminate the possibility that plankton some how found a way to space through some natural process. If we found a great deal of plankton in space, more than could possibly arrive via space vehicle contamination, then a natural process would seem likely. First, these folks will have to identify sources of potential contamination and control them in an experiment. What isn't clear in the article is how many other microorganisms besides plankton were identified. Is it only plankton? That'd be a real head-scratcher. -Ryan
On Wed, August 20, 2014 17:24, Ryan Simpkins wrote:
On Wed, August 20, 2014 17:05, Joe Bauman via Utah-Astronomy wrote:
The problem with assuming it's spacewalking-caused contamination can be summed up in two words: Why plankton?
I failed to include these links in my last e-mail. Sorry for the double-post: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroplankton http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerobiology -Ryan
Here's an experiment: rendezvous with a satellite launched from some inland site and check it for plankton. Of course, since we no longer have a space vehicle that can do such work, we may have to wait quite a while. On Wednesday, August 20, 2014 5:29 PM, Ryan Simpkins <astro@ryansimpkins.com> wrote: On Wed, August 20, 2014 17:24, Ryan Simpkins wrote:
On Wed, August 20, 2014 17:05, Joe Bauman via Utah-Astronomy wrote:
The problem with assuming it's spacewalking-caused contamination can be summed up in two words: Why plankton?
I failed to include these links in my last e-mail. Sorry for the double-post: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroplankton http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerobiology -Ryan _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".
On 20 Aug 2014, at 19:51, Joe Bauman via Utah-Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
Of course, since we no longer have a space vehicle that can do such work, we may have to wait quite a while.
Maybe if you want to wait for a NASA vehicle. But what about SpaceX's Dragon V2? Looks like the wait will not be quite as long for that. patrick
That would be great. On Thursday, August 21, 2014 1:22 AM, Wiggins Patrick <paw@getbeehive.net> wrote: On 20 Aug 2014, at 19:51, Joe Bauman via Utah-Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
Of course, since we no longer have a space vehicle that can do such work, we may have to wait quite a while.
Maybe if you want to wait for a NASA vehicle. But what about SpaceX's Dragon V2? Looks like the wait will not be quite as long for that. patrick _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".
participants (4)
-
daniel turner -
Joe Bauman -
Ryan Simpkins -
Wiggins Patrick