For 15 years, humans have been living continuously aboard the ISS to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that also will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A truly global endeavor, more than 200 people from 15 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 1,700 research investigations from researchers in more than 83 countries. On station has given us the chance to see ourselves, seven billion souls with individual dreams, limitless possibilities to do great things. The photo above representing Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti comment of "Seven Billion Dreams One Planet" is a clear indication of 'We're in this together', mission WITT. Samantha Cristoforetti is an Italian European Space Agency astronaut, Italian Air Force pilot and engineer. She holds the records for longest single space flight by a woman and for the longest uninterrupted spaceflight of a European astronaut. Music Credit: Original score written and performed by Yanni and provided as a gift for the ISS 15th Anniversary of human presence. Limitless Possibilities
If you're a fan of the replicator which already is 3 D Printing and wants to step into the Star Trek Hala Deck it won't be long. Around the world designers are working on smart materials such as alloys that can change shape on demand, plastics that heal themselves when ruptured, and fluids that obey magnetic commands to flow or stiffen under computer control. "One of the great challenges in creating a smart material is arranging the molecules," says Eric Furst of the University of Delaware. "They're so small!" In the micro-gravity of Earth orbit, vials of fluid mixed with very small 'colloidal' particles (about a millionth of a meter in diameter) are exposed to magnetic fields. Magnetism is switched on and off again very rapidly. This jostles the particles, causing them to bump together and self-assemble into microscopic structures that currently no supercomputer can predict.
"Astronauts enjoy watching this process in action through microscopes because the samples are back-lit by a green lamp, they sometimes call it the 'green blob experiment', says Furst." Understanding all Matter will be the Holy Grail for humanity. Full Story at NASA Science
Science will forever push us forward for a better tomorrow and for many of us on this Thanksgiving day NASA has helped and brings us closer together. As the ISS orbits Earth the advancements in our everyday life have been many in supporting humanity through the coalition of several countries working together in experiments and engineering alone that has created the ISS. Our lives and health are already changing and it's only going to get better from the results these teams strive for. Soon will come a time where manufacturing is obsolete with the aid in 3D printing and once a man understands all matter I've said this before, will be the Holy Grail for humanity. In the meantime what has come from experiments and upgrades to the ISS we are utilizing back here on the good Earth. From ReelNASA: For generations, we have dreamed about a place to live and work in space...a space station. And right now, 260 miles above us, moving 5 miles a second...that dream is a reality. We dreamed that life up there would benefit life down here. That dream has come true. Can the research on board the space station lead to cleaner drinking water on Earth? Can it help farmers produce better crops? Can it inspire a generation of students? Can it even save a life? It already has. As the work aboard the International Space Station begins to reach its potential, the benefits to humanity are becoming evident. These are just a few of the stories from people who have benefited....told in their own words. ReelNASA
Shaping Humanity
What did earlier humans really look like? What was life like for them, millions of years ago? Award-winning paleo-artist John Gurche is artist-in-residence, Museum of the Earth, Paleontological Research Institute, Ithaca, NY. His works have appeared frequently in National Geographic and similar publications and in major natural history museums including the Smithsonian, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Field Museum. He enriches our awareness of the various paths of human evolution and humanity’s stunning uniqueness in the history of life on Earth. Shaping Humanity- the Book Yale Press
Many of the astronauts aboard the ISS and one in particular, Coronal Chris Hadfield mentions "while orbiting the earth ever 92 min. one sees no borders" and being isolated from society while in space he felt closer to all of us. He mentioned, "this is not just about me, we're all in this together". Watching many of the flyovers put together by NASA and the crews aboard the ISS, how on earth does one person think that they're so special? Be it money and or power just isolates that individual from the nature of things. Hadfield mention some will never get it! But for the ones who do get it, we're here to serve not man but humanity as a whole and to be great stewards of the planet. The Native Americans knew of this and explained it quite simply, care for the air you breathe and water you drink. Tend to the land, you do not own it. Wow, I think that's where we miss the boat. Ownership of our possessions builds borders and creates the me, me, me world, seeking reward for everything you do, meaning if there is no payment what's the gain? Like Hadfield said, some will never get it!
This is a great planet and others like it (Goldilocks Zone) are too far away at this time to explore, the monetary system of today's world is not structured to support all life and with that, there is no luggage rack atop a Hurst.
