Short Takes – 7-3-24

Starliner struggles. TheSpaceReview.com article. Good discussion of the current state of the mission. Pull quote: “Stich noted that those ground tests will also enable detailed inspections of the thrusters to see what might be causing the issues, something not possible with thrusters in space on Starliner. Those thrusters are in the spacecraft’s service module, which is jettisoned and burns up in the atmosphere, so can’t be studied after the flight.”

Adoption of Department of Energy Categorical Exclusion Under the National Environmental Policy Act. Federal Register PHMSA notice. Summary: “The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is adopting a categorical exclusion (CE) established by the Department of Energy (DOE) that covers a category of actions that PHMSA proposes to take. This notice identifies the DOE CE and PHMSA's category of proposed actions for which it intends to use DOE's CE, describes the consultation between the agencies, and how PHMSA will apply and notify the public of its use.”

Computational modeling of heart failure in microgravity transitions. FrontiersIn.org journal article. Abstract: “The space tourism industry is growing due to advances in rocket technology. Privatised space travel exposes non-professional astronauts with health profiles comprising underlying conditions to microgravity. Prior research has typically focused on the effects of microgravity on human physiology in healthy astronauts, and little is known how the effects of microgravity may play out in the pathophysiology of underlying medical conditions, such as heart failure. This study used an established, controlled lumped mathematical model of the cardiopulmonary system to simulate the effects of entry into microgravity in the setting of heart failure with both, reduced and preserved ejection fraction. We find that exposure to microgravity eventuates an increased cardiac output, and in patients with heart failure there is an unwanted increase in left atrial pressure, indicating an elevated risk for development of pulmonary oedema. This model gives insight into the risks of space flight for people with heart failure, and the impact this may have on mission success in space tourism.”

Fourth human bird flu case tied to dairy cow outbreak reported. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “The Colorado man, as with the first two human patients, reported only pink eye symptoms, which the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) described as “mild.” In the third case, identified in Michigan in late May, the person experienced respiratory symptoms including cough without fever and eye discomfort with watery discharge.”