SciByte

GLACIER, or General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator, is primarily used to preserve science samples that require temperatures between minus 301 and 39 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 160 and 4 degrees Celsius

The brand of ice cream flying in the Dragon's GLACIER is Blue Bell Creameries, a Texas dairy that has a strong fan base in Houston

Blue Bell ice cream has been flown to the space station before. The creamery's cups first launched to the orbiting laboratory in 2006 on board the space shuttle Atlanti

altitude of 53 miles (85 km), the thermosphere transitions into the mesosphere, an atmospheric layer known for its faint clouds, as well as electrical discharge events called red sprites and blue jets.

e stratosphere extends from an altitude of 6 miles (10 kilometers) up to about 30 miles (50 km) above the surface. The air pressure drops from 10 percent of its value at sea level to just 0.1 percent

, unlike in the layers above and below, absorption of ultraviolet sunlight by ozone causes the temperature to increase as you move up in altitude

coupling of temperature with altitude prevents convection from happening, and so the air in this layer is dynamically stable.

troposphere, which includes everything from an altitude of 6 miles down over most of Eart

re all weather happens, as well as longer-term processes such as the jet stream. In this layer, temperature and pressure both drop as you move up in altitude

atmosphere above 12 miles, or 63,000 feet (19,200 meters)

is so thin that, if not protected, human blood will literally boil

, Baumgartner's airtight suit and the capsule around him will be continuously pressurized to create a personal atmosphere that isolates him from the void surrounding him

The smallest crack in this protective layer would cause almost immediate death

It is assumed this is what occurred on previous attempts to break Kittinger's record. Russian Pyotr Dolgov (1962) and American Nick Piantanida (1966) both died, most likely due to depressurization at extreme altitude

Baumgartner's balloon will be stressed by the cold, constructed as it is from plastic film just 0.0008 inch (0.02 millimeter) thick, to optimize weight-to-lift ratio

his balloon and capsule will pass through an atmospheric layer called the tropopause

Wind Could Blow Baumgartner off Course

Baumgartner Could Spin Uncontrollably, Even Fatally

flat-spin risk can be mediated with a technology first developed for Kittinger: a stabilization parachute to prevent further increase in rotation, deployed on command, or automatically if -3.5 G's are achieved.

Baumgartner has his eyes on a new speed record

won't open automatically

he will assume a rigid aerodynamic body position for the entire free fall—head first, arms at sides—and hope for the best.

Sonic Boom Could Do Unknown Damage

If Baumgartner becomes the first human to achieve supersonic speed with just his body—and without breaking his body—he will break new scientific ground.

Almost camouflaged with the patch's green-colored North American continent is a four leaf clover. The symbol for luck, the clover has become a regular feature on SpaceX's insignias since the Hawthorne, Calif.-based company's first successful Falcon 1 launch in September 2008

Based on pre-launch photos, the CRS-1 emblem does not appear on the Falcon 9 rocket or the Dragon capsule

embroidered versions of the patch may fly to the space station and back as part of the mission's Official Flight Kit (OFK) of mementos to be presented to NASA and SpaceX team members for a job well done.

prominent

the military will probably get first dibs

projects is only possible from repurposing military nuclear testing equipment, essentially stuff America used to test nuclear weapons

, the sponsors of the fusion engine project have ties to military funding—the Aerophysics

still a few kinks to work out though

issue of harnessing fusion is prominent

also the question of turning the power generated by fusion into thrust for an engine

craft using the impulse drive would also need to be assembled in space

the technology has applications far beyond military or space exploration

will replace a 19-year-old navigation satellite in the global system that includes 31 operational satellites on-orbit which broadcast position

the third of 12 planned launches to provide improved GPS signals

featuring improved anti-jam technology, more precise atomic clocks, an upgraded civilian channel for commercial aviation and on-board processors that can be reprogrammed in flight

n named Jenya, after the 11-year-old Russian boy who found the animal's limbs sticking out of the frozen mud

2 meters (6 feet 6 inches) tall and weighed 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds).

what killed Jenya was

t a missing left tusk that made him unfit for fights with other mammoths or human hunters

proved that the massive humps on mammoths seen on Ice Age cave paintings

e were not extended bones but huge chunks of fat that helped them regulate their body temperatures and survive the long, cold winters

, its DNA has been damaged by low temperatures and is "hardly" suitable for possible cloning

an earlier mammoth discovery might be able to help recreate the Ice Age elephant.

in early September that an international team of researchers had discovered mammoth hair, soft tissues and bone marrow some 328 feet (100 meters) underground

Scientists already have deciphered much of the genetic code of the woolly mammoth from balls of mammoth hair found frozen in the Siberian permafros

The study

, found that the apples lowered

"bad" cholesterol. When LDL

, the cholesterol is more likely to promote inflammation and can cause tissue damage.

tremendous effect against LDL being oxidized with just one apple a day for four weeks

difference was similar to that found between people with normal coronary arteries versus those with coronary artery disease

the polyphenol extract did register a measurable effect, but not as strong as the straight apple

could either be because there are other things in the apple that could contribute to the effect, or, in some cases, these bioactive compounds seem to get absorbed better when they're consumed in foods

eating apples had some effects on antioxidants in saliva, which has implications for dental health

NASA announced

the international partners

one American astronaut and one Russian cosmonaut

are scheduled to begin their voyage in spring 2015

“If the mission proves to be effective, we will discuss sending year-long missions to ISS on a permanent basis