How Long Does It Take to Rebuild Bone Lost During Space Flight?

Are bigger bones stronger bones? Not necessarily, according to a recent NASA study that seeks to ensure healthy bones in astronauts.
A four-year study of the long-term effects of microgravity on the bones of International Space Station crew members showed that the astronauts, on average, lost roughly 11 percent of their total hip bone mass over the course of their mission.

Rebuilding bone lost during Space Flight

scientists believe that astronauts on average lose about 11 % of their bone structure during their space flight. Luckily within a year of the space flight the bone structure has mostly been rebuilt although the strength and density of the bone had not returned to normal within one year. The researchers say that it could take much longer to strength the bones that were lost during the space mission. So drink your milk!

Stephen Hawking to Experience Weightlessness

On April 16th Professor Stephen Hawking is going to experience weightlessness for the first time on the Zero-G Experience. The flight was organized for a number of reasons including raising money for charity organizations as well as advertising the company itself and the space flights it offers. Hawking's flight is sponsored by Space Florida, a company that is in charge of promoting the commercialization of space in the state of Florida. Zero G Experience is the only company to offer this unique adventure to the public.

Comet-bound probe to pass by Mars

Comet-bound probe to pass by Mars

More pictures to come…
A European Space Agency probe will pass within 250 kilometers of Mars on it was to see a distance comet which it hopes to get there by 2014. This pass by will allow for instruments to be tested, photos to be taken which will increase our knowledge of the red planet and Europe will make some money on selling the photos to other space agencies.

Mars attacked by solar wind

Mars attacked by solar wind

The solar wind has a much bigger impact on Mars than previously thought according to the first results from the ASPERA-3 instrument on Mars Express. Rickard Lundin of the Swedish Institute of Space Physics and an international team of co-workers have found that the solar wind -- a supersonic plasma of charged particles that flows from the Sun -- can penetrate deep into the atmosphere of Mars. One consequence of this is that water and other volatile molecules could escape from the planet (R Lundin et al. 2004 Science 305 1933).

ESA Director Discusses Space Missions

European Space Agency Director Discusses Growing Expertise In Flying Interplanetary Spacecraft

Europeans have increased interest in space exploration and look to jump in with Americans and Russians as leaders in space exploration.

Sensor being developed to check for life on Mars

http://www.marstoday.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=22020

NASA scientists have been working on and excavating tool called the Urey that can not only check for the faintest traces of life on Mars but also determine whether or not these life forms were produced by anything alive. NASA selected Urey for an instrument development project worth over $750,000 and is planned to be put to use during the European ExoMars rover mission set to launch in 2013. Urey will be able to detect key molecules associated with life at a sensitivity roughly a million times greater than previous instrumentation.