<h2>Worst Job Ever</h2>
<p>Wiping down the inside of the International Space Station is an arduous task.</p>
<p>But luckily, thanks to a private company specializing in airplane sanitizing tech called GermFalcon, astronauts aboard the ISS might be able to skip that chore in the future: an autonomous, Roomba-style space cleaner called GermRover could one day blast the walls with powerful sterilizing UV rays to kill any harmful microbes.</p>
<p>&#8220;UV disinfection has been shown to decrease hospital infection rates, so we expect to replicate those results in space,&#8221; Elliot Kreitenberg, developer of the robot, <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2199921-zero-gravity-robot-cleaner-could-automatically-sterilise-the-iss/">told <em>New Scientist</em></a>.</p>
<h2>Filthy Space Station</h2>
<p>Futurism has previously reported on how conditions can get nasty on board the ISS.</p>
<p><a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/international-space-station-germs">Research published</a> earlier this month suggests that the ISS is teeming with bacterial and fungal colonies. Some of these bacteria were even found to be <a href="https://futurism.com/antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-international-space-station">antibiotic-resistant</a> as well, compounding the problem.</p>
<p>NASA is currently looking into trialing the GermRover. GermFalcon is working on a prototype it will reveal at the Aerospace Medicine Association conference in Las Vegas next month, according to the <em>New Scientist</em>.</p>
<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2199921-zero-gravity-robot-cleaner-could-automatically-sterilise-the-iss/">Zero-gravity robot cleaner could automatically sterilise the ISS</a> [<em>New Scientist</em>]<strong><br />
</strong></p>
<p><strong>More on germs on the ISS:</strong> <em><a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/international-space-station-germs">The International Space Station is Teeming With Germs</a></em></p>


"UV disinfection has been shown to decrease hospital infection rates, so we expect to replicate those results in space."

This space Roomba could clean the ISS while astronauts sleep

Space Roomba

GermFalcon, a company specializing in airplane sanitizing tech, developed a kind of space Roomba that can blast sterilising UV rays at the walls of the ISS.

This Space Roomba Could Clean the ISS While Astronauts Sleep

Blasting the walls with UV is bound to curb the spread of microbes.

<h2>Record Setter</h2>
<p>NASA astronaut Christina Koch joined the crew aboard the International Space Station in March, and on Wednesday, NASA announced plans to extend her space mission until February 2020.</p>
<p>Not only will the extension make Koch just the second astronaut to spend nearly a year in space <em>and</em> earn her the record for longest space stay by a woman — but the data from her trip could help humanity reach Mars.</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tBngQcySHdU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<h2>ISS Insights</h2>
<p>In total, Koch will spend 328 days in space. That&#8217;s just shy of <a href="https://futurism.com/nasa-genetic-changes-space-travel-temporary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scott Kelly&#8217;s</a> record 340-days-long space mission, which yielded incredibly <a href="https://futurism.com/nasa-twin-study-kelly-preliminary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">valuable data</a> regarding the impact of longterm spaceflight on the human body.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s important because we have a lot to learn about how <a href="https://futurism.com/cancer-risk-astronauts-long-missions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">longterm spaceflight</a> affects humans before we can send astronauts to Mars. Jennifer Fogarty, chief scientist of NASA&#8217;s Human Research Program, thinks Koch&#8217;s mission will help us get there.</p>
<p>&#8220;NASA is looking to build on what we have learned with additional astronauts in space for more than 250 days,&#8221; she said in a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-first-flight-record-setting-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news release</a>. &#8220;Christina’s extended mission will provide additional data for NASA’s Human Research Program and continue to support future missions to the Moon and Mars.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>READ MORE:</strong> <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-first-flight-record-setting-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NASA Announces First Flight, Record-Setting Mission</a> [NASA]</p>
<p><strong>More on Scott Kelly:</strong> <em><a href="https://futurism.com/nasa-genetic-changes-space-travel-temporary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NASA: Genetic Changes Caused by Space Travel Are Temporary</a></em></p>


Astronaut Christina Koch is about to make history.

NASA announces plan to keep astronaut in space for 328 days

Get Comfortable

By extending astronaut Christina Koch's space mission to 328 days, NASA hopes to glean new insights into the impact of longterm spaceflight on humans.

NASA Announces Plan to Keep Astronaut in Space for 328 Days

And the mission could help us finally send humans to Mars.

<h2>ISS Success</h2>
<p>It wasn&#8217;t the spacewalk that was planned, but it was a success nonetheless.</p>
<p>On Friday, NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch left the relative safety of the International Space Station&#8217;s (ISS) interior to embark on a nearly seven-hour-long <a href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/03/29/nasa-astronauts-complete-215th-spacewalk-at-station/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spacewalk</a> that wrapped up at 2:27 p.m. EDT.</p>
<h2>Substitute Spacewalker</h2>
<p>Astronaut Anne McClain was originally supposed to join Koch on this ISS spacewalk, which would have made it the first to feature <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-worlds-first-all-female-spacewalk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only female astronauts</a>.</p>
<p>A last-minute <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-cancels-first-all-female-spacewalk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">equipment issue</a> led to Hague filling in for his colleague, but Koch&#8217;s participation in the walk is still worth celebrating — she&#8217;s now just the fourteenth woman to take part in a spacewalk.</p>
<h2>Battery Swap</h2>
<p>During the spacewalk — ISS&#8217;s 215th to date — the duo replaced the six nickel-hydrogen batteries that previously powered one pair of the ISS&#8217;s solar arrays with three more powerful lithium-ion batteries.</p>
<p>They also completed several other tasks designed to facilitate future upgrades, according to a <a href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/03/29/nasa-astronauts-complete-215th-spacewalk-at-station/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NASA news release</a>.</p>
<p><strong>READ MORE:</strong> <a href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/03/29/nasa-astronauts-complete-215th-spacewalk-at-station/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NASA Astronauts Complete 215th Spacewalk at Station</a> [NASA]</p>
<p><strong>More on spacewalks:</strong> <em><a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-cancels-first-all-female-spacewalk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NASA Cancels First All-Female Spacewalk</a></em></p>


Astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch got the job done.

NASA announces successful completion of ISS spacewalk

Go Team

On Friday, NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch completed a nearly seven-hour-long ISS spacewalk, the 215th in space station history.

NASA Announces Successful Completion of ISS Spacewalk

The nearly seven-hour-long spacewalk went off without a hitch.

<h2>533 Days of Space</h2>
<p>Outer space is a tough environment for living organisms: no atmosphere, no oxygen, no gravity, a ton of radiation, and extreme temperatures.</p>
<p>But the German Aerospace Center just made a <a href="https://www.dlr.de/dlr/presse/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10172/213_read-32959/year-all/#/gallery/33847">bombshell discovery</a>: as part of a project called the Biology and Mars Experiment, they found that samples of organisms including bacteria, algae, lichens and fungi survived on the exterior of the International Space Station for 533 days.</p>
<h2>Life on Mars</h2>
<p>The experiment was meant to investigate if it was possible for organisms to survive harsh conditions such as on the surface of Mars.</p>
<p>&#8220;Some of the organisms and biomolecules showed tremendous resistance to radiation in outer space and actually returned to Earth as &#8216;survivors&#8217; from space,&#8221; astrobiologist Jean-Pierre Paul de Vera said in a <a href="https://www.dlr.de/dlr/presse/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10172/213_read-32959/year-all/#/gallery/33847">statement</a>. &#8220;They have survived in space conditions and are also detectable with our instruments. Such single-celled organisms could be candidates for life forms that might be found on Mars.&#8221;</p>
<h2>Conclusion Jumper</h2>
<p>While it&#8217;s an exciting result, we shouldn&#8217;t jump to conclusions.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course, this does not mean that life actually exists on Mars,&#8221; de Vera continued. &#8220;But the search for life is more than ever the strongest driving force for the next generation of missions to Mars.&#8221;</p>
<h2>Panspermia Theory</h2>
<p>The results also could serve as support for the &#8220;panspermia theory,&#8221; which suggests that organisms existed on Mars billions of years ago and were ejected from its surface thanks to an asteroid impact and eventually brought to Earth, the statement argues.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not only a significant discovery for future missions to Mars, but it could even have an impact on how we study icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter — which could also possibly harbor life.</p>
<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong> <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/a-bunch-of-earth-organisms-were-stuck-outside-the-iss-and-survived">Strange Earth Organisms Have Somehow Survived Living Outside The ISS</a> [<em>Science Alert</em>]</p>
<p><strong>More on life on Mars:</strong> <em><a href="https://futurism.com/martian-lakes-alien-life">Mars Used To Be Dotted With Life-Friendly Lakes</a></em></p>


"They have survived in space conditions and are also detectable with our instruments."

Organisms survived on the outside of the space station

Life on Mars

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) found that some samples of different organisms survived on the exterior of the International Space Station for 533 days.

Organisms Survived on the Outside of the Space Station

Bacteria, algae and even moss survived in the vacuum of space.

<h2>Working Remote</h2>
<p>By 2020, a <a href="https://futurism.com/future-space-robots">fleet of robots</a> may work aboard the International Space Station, handling menial or dangerous tasks so human astronauts can focus on more complex or scientific projects — or even letting people back on Earth beam into robot bodies.</p>
<p>At least, that&#8217;s the <a href="http://gitai.tech/2019/03/25/gitai-developers-of-a-human-substitute-robot-for-space-stations-sign-joint-research-agreement-with-jaxa/">end goal of a new partnership</a> between the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and a space robot startup called GITAI.</p>
<p>&#8220;We want to solve the cost and safety problems of human travel by using robotics technology,&#8221; GITAI co-founder and CEO Sho Nakanose <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/space-robots/gitai-partners-with-jaxa-to-send-telepresence-robots-to-space">told <em>IEEE Spectrum</em></a>. &#8220;Further, the problem of human travel is the most urgent and deep-rooted in the space industry and so we are working on space telepresence robots because they can be made practical faster than autonomous robots.&#8221;</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7TtOKSWndqw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<h2>Helping Hand</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-QRsW1dNkc">Videos</a> published by GITAI show the vaguely-humanoid robots flipping switches, opening toolboxes, and performing other simple tasks in a lab meant to look like the ISS. In one, the robot <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TtOKSWndqw">needs a little help</a> from a human researcher, but given that the robots are meant to be remote controlled by Earthbound operators, we&#8217;ll allow it.</p>
<p>Any GITAI robots that get sent into orbit will stream 360-degree video back to Earth, and the company claims that it&#8217;s found a way to get high-quality video footage back and forth with just a 60-millisecond delay.</p>
<h2>Automation Strikes Again</h2>
<p>GITAI says that deploying robotic workers will cut JAXA&#8217;s costs to just one-tenth of what it costs to send humans to the ISS, even with humans controlling them from the ground. But those humans may eventually be out of work.</p>
<p>&#8220;However, when working on the surface of the moon, for example, the physical delay alone is at least 1.2 seconds, so it will be difficult to use telepresence robots, and we think there will be a need to conduct work using semiautonomous/semiremotely operated robots,&#8221; Nakanose told <em>IEEE Spectrum</em>. &#8220;We are conducting research led by a robot PhD who developed autonomous robots, so in our research and development work we are actively pursuing the development of autonomous robots.&#8221;</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T-QRsW1dNkc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><strong>READ MORE:</strong> <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/space-robots/gitai-partners-with-jaxa-to-send-telepresence-robots-to-space">GITAI Partners With JAXA to Send Telepresence Robots to Space</a> [<em>IEEE Spectrum</em>]</p>
<p><strong>More on space robots: </strong><em><a href="https://futurism.com/iss-robot-brat-cimon">Watch the ISS’s New AI Robot Companion Act Like Kind of a Brat</a></em></p>


Astronauts can watch the robot's video feed from the comfort and safety of Earth.

Japan wants to send telepresence robots to space

Remote Control

To save money on future missions, Japan's space agency is working to develop remote-controlled robots that can handle menial or dangerous tasks in space.

Japan Wants to Send Telepresence Robots to Space

Experimental robots could handle a human's workload on the ISS.

<h2>Welcome Home</h2>
<p>Mission Demo-1 is officially complete.</p>
<p>After successfully undocking from the International Space Station in the early morning hours and burning through Earth&#8217;s atmosphere, SpaceX&#8217;s passenger spacecraft slowly descended back down to Earth, before safely splashing down into the Atlantic Ocean — and right on schedule at 8:45 am EST.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a>’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CrewDragon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CrewDragon</a> returned to Earth with a splash in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida’s eastern shore at 8:45am ET, completing an end-to-end flight test to the <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a> and back as part of our <a href="https://twitter.com/Commercial_Crew?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Commercial_Crew</a> Program. Learn more: <a href="https://t.co/MFB7dVb60c">https://t.co/MFB7dVb60c</a> <a href="https://t.co/8lFL6X3Tue">pic.twitter.com/8lFL6X3Tue</a></p>
<p>&mdash; NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1104016648959221760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h2>The Descent</h2>
<p>Crew Dragon&#8217;s descent was slowed thanks to four large parachutes it deployed once it re-entered Earth&#8217;s atmosphere.</p>
<p>Astronauts loaded roughly 300 pounds (136 kg) of cargo from the ISS into the spacecraft on Thursday to send back down to Earth.</p>
<p>SpaceX <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-dragon-launch-demo-1">successfully launched</a> the spacecraft on Saturday. It marks the first time a passenger spacecraft launched from American soil to the ISS — and returned safely back down to Earth — since the end of NASA&#8217;s Space Shuttle program in 2011.</p>
<h2>Mission Accomplished</h2>
<p>SpaceX&#8217;s Crew Dragon docked itself, with no robotic arm required, to an open port of the International Space Station early Sunday morning. It then spent five days docked to the station while astronauts checked out the inside of what could one day become their ride back home.</p>
<p>A lot could&#8217;ve gone wrong. The cargo Dragon variant featured a different parachute system and had a differently shaped hull.</p>
<p>&#8220;I see hypersonic re-entry as probably my greatest concern,&#8221; SpaceX CEO Elon Musk <a href="https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-earth-return-challenging.html">said</a> during a post-launch press event on Saturday.</p>
<p>In July, SpaceX is hoping to send the Crew Dragon capsule back into space — but this time <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-03/spacex-notches-next-step-in-race-with-boeing-to-crewed-flights">with NASA astronauts</a> Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on board.</p>
<p><strong>READ MORE:</strong></p>
<p><strong>More on Crew Dragon: </strong><a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-roscosmos-space-program-null-void"><em>Expert: SpaceX Just Made Russia’s Space Program “Null and Void”</em></a><strong><br />
</strong></p>


Previous cargo missions of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific — not the Atlantic.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft splashes down in the Atlantic

Crew Dragon Landing

After successfully undocking from the ISS, SpaceX's Crew Dragon splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean at 8:45 am EST.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Spacecraft Splashes Down in the Atlantic

Mission complete.

<h2>Autonomous Parking</h2>
<p>After <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-dragon-launch-demo-1">successfully launching</a> early on Saturday morning from NASA&#8217;s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, SpaceX&#8217;s next-generation passenger spacecraft Crew Dragon has docked itself to a free dock on the International Space Station at 5:51 am EST this morning.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The first <a href="https://twitter.com/Commercial_Crew?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Commercial_Crew</a> mission arrived at the space station today when the <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CrewDragon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CrewDragon</a> completed soft capture on the Harmony module at 5:51am ET. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LaunchAmerica?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LaunchAmerica</a> <a href="https://t.co/Bgcgac0O50">https://t.co/Bgcgac0O50</a> <a href="https://t.co/KfNFpHxpGx">pic.twitter.com/KfNFpHxpGx</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/1102162692033306624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The footage, courtesy of the official International Space Station Twitter account, shows Crew Dragon slowly lining up its port with the ISS and approaching slowly.</p>
<p>Crew Dragon docked after visiting a number of other locations outside of the space station, using its thrusters, earlier this morning to test its docking system.</p>
<p>The hatch opened at 8:10 am EST.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hatch is open! Crew Dragon will now spend 5 days at the <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@space_station</a> <a href="https://t.co/HA9iSWOBVE">pic.twitter.com/HA9iSWOBVE</a></p>
<p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1102194489500753921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Anne McClain and David Saint-Jacques, two astronauts currently on board the ISS, started preparing to open the hatch that leads to the Crew Dragon from inside the station when it docked. Once they got inside, they were greeted by <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-dummy-ripley-demo-1-crew-dragon">SpaceX&#8217;s dummy &#8220;Ripley.&#8221;</a></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Astronauts on the <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a> have opened the hatch on <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a>’s Crew Dragon spacecraft! The station crew can now go inside the first American spacecraft to autonomously dock to the orbiting laboratory.  🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/z2rP5MWCqu">pic.twitter.com/z2rP5MWCqu</a></p>
<p>&mdash; NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) <a href="https://twitter.com/Commercial_Crew/status/1102197822915526657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h2>Active Docking</h2>
<p>It&#8217;s yet another historic moment for the Crew Dragon mission as the docking procedure is quite different this time when compared to previous Dragon missions: “Dragon was basically hovering under the ISS,” said Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of mission assurance at SpaceX during a pre-launch briefing on Thursday. &#8220;You can see how it moves back and forth and then the [Canadarm] takes it to a berthing bay.&#8221;</p>
<p>In contrast, the Crew Dragon’s docking system is active, he said: &#8220;it will plant itself in front of the station and use a docking port on its own, no docking arm required.&#8221;</p>
<h2>A New Visitor</h2>
<p>Five days from now, Crew Dragon will undock and makes its long way back to Earth. This time around, it will splash down in the Atlantic Ocean — previous (cargo) Dragon missions have touched down in the Pacific.</p>
<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/3/18244501/spacex-crew-dragon-automatic-docking-international-space-station-nasa">SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule successfully docks to the ISS for the first time</a> [<em>The Verge</em>]<strong><br />
</strong></p>
<p><strong>More on Crew Dragon:</strong> <em><a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-dragon-launch-demo-1">SpaceX Launches First U.S. Private Passenger Spacecraft to ISS</a></em></p>


"It will plant itself in front of the station and use a docking port on its own, no docking arm required."

Watch SpaceX's Crew Dragon dock autonomously with the ISS

Crew Dragon Dock

SpaceX's next-generation passenger spacecraft Crew Dragon has docked itself to a free dock on the International Space Station at 5:51 am EST this morning.

Watch SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Dock Autonomously With the ISS

It's the first time an American spacecraft has docked autonomously to the station.

<h2>Space Tank</h2>
<p>It looks like a techie muscle-tee built for the gym.</p>
<p>But this tank top can do a lot more than simply catch sweat — it also unobtrusively tracks astronauts&#8217; vital signs.</p>
<p>The Astroskin Bio-Monitor System jersey was developed by Quebec&#8217;s Carré Technologies, also known as Hexoskin. The company signed a multi-million dollar contract with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to develop the jersey back in 2016, <a href="https://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/canadian-astronaut-will-test-new-bio-monitor-shirt-space-180961270/">according to <em>Air &amp; Space Magazine</em></a> — and the shirt made it to space in December 2018, where Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques tried it out on board the International Space Station (ISS).</p>
<h2>Smart Shirt</h2>
<p>Sensors woven into the smart shirt&#8217;s fabric and an accompanying headband measure <a href="http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/sciences/bio-monitor.asp">everything from</a> skin temperature and blood pressure to breathing rate and blood oxygen levels.</p>
<p>It comes with a smartphone and web app for data-syncing — and information tracked by the shirt is beamed back down to an Earth-bound control room for data analysis, too.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-150435" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2019/02/92e75d06-578a-49ee-b70d-5bc7fc8ca141.jpg" alt="" width="850" height="637" /></p>
<h2>Bio-Monitoring</h2>
<p>The idea is to make it easy and efficient to track astronauts&#8217; vital signs on the ISS. Medical devices like electrocardiographs, blood pressure cuffs, and activity sensors are &#8220;disruptive and time-consuming&#8221; according to an <a href="http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/sciences/bio-monitor.asp">official CSA statement</a>. Hexoskin is hoping to make the smart shirt available to all astronauts stationed on board the ISS eventually.</p>
<p>And it&#8217;s not only for use in space. The shirt could also prove helpful to people who can&#8217;t get out of bed or have limited access to health care back on the ground.</p>
<p>One downside: two AA batteries will have to be replaced every 48 hours.</p>
<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://www.space.com/43228-astroskin-smart-space-jersey-for-astronauts.html">Astronaut Suits Up in &#8216;Smart&#8217; Astroskin Jersey on Space Station</a> [<em>Space.com</em>]</p>
<p><em><strong>More on the ISS: </strong><a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/iss-toilet-russia-american">Russia Says the American Toilet on the Space Station Blew Up</a></em></p>


Hexoskin is hoping to make the smart shirt available to all astronauts stationed on board the ISS.

This smart "Astroskin" shirt tracks astronauts' vital signs

Space Muscle Tank

Hexoskin's aesthetic new smart shirt can track astronauts' vital signs, including blood oxygen, heart rate, and skin temperature.

This Smart “Astroskin” Shirt Tracks Astronauts’ Vital Signs

Stylish and functional.

<h2>Space Toilet</h2>
<p>Russian media is <a href="https://sputniknews.com/science/201902041072108506-water-leakage-iss/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reporting that</a> the American toilet on the International Space Station (ISS) burst late last week, spilling gallons of fluid that astronauts had to catch with towels.</p>
<p>Sure, it sounds like a story about an exceptionally bad roommate — but it might also be the latest escalation in the deterioration of relations between Russia and the U.S. in space, lending grim gravitas to the plumbing snafu.</p>
<h2>Pee Tape</h2>
<p>A source <a href="https://sputniknews.com/science/201902041072108506-water-leakage-iss/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told <em>Sputnik News</em></a>, which is closely affiliated with the Russian government, that the toilet in the U.S. section of the ISS malfunctioned on Friday, spilling water into the microgravity environment. Water is a precious resource on the ISS, where filtration systems recycle <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/67854/how-do-astronauts-get-drinking-water-iss" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shower water, sweat, and urine</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our colleagues at the [Tranquility module of the ISS] had an incident on Friday,&#8221; the source said. &#8220;Astronauts separated the water supply line and the liquid leaked. Over 10 liters of water leaked before the problem was fixed. The crew had to collect the water using towels.&#8221;</p>
<h2>Hole Story</h2>
<p>Though it sounds silly, the leak underscores a worrying decline in relations between Russia and the U.S. — not just down here on Earth, but <a href="https://futurism.com/russia-america-space-partnership-end" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in space as well</a>. This past summer, when a small hole was discovered in the ISS, <a href="https://futurism.com/sabotage-mistake-someone-drilled-hole-iss" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russian authorities suggested</a> that it could have been sabotage.</p>
<p>And that means that any new international friction in space, even when it&#8217;s seemingly gross and minor, is cause for concern.</p>
<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://sputniknews.com/science/201902041072108506-water-leakage-iss/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Over 10 Liters of Water Leaked From Space Toilet at US Segment at ISS &#8211; Source</a> [<i>Sputnik News</i>]<strong><br />
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<p><em><strong>More on the ISS: <a href="https://futurism.com/russia-america-space-partnership-end" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russia and America’s Long Space Partnership Could Soon Fall Apart</a></strong></em></p>


"The crew had to collect the water using towels."

Russia says the American toilet on the space station blew up

Icky Explosion

Russian media is reporting that the American toilet on the International Space Station (ISS) burst late last week, spilling gallons of fluid.

Russia Says the American Toilet on the Space Station Blew Up

Is the U.S. a bad roommate in orbit?

<h2>Space Danger</h2>
<p>Plenty of studies have examined health risks associated with space travel: <a href="https://futurism.com/cancer-risk-astronauts-long-missions">elevated risks of cancer</a>, <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/radiation-exposure-mars">nasty radiation</a>, and <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/bone-density-vibrating-astronauts-legs">loss of bone density</a>.</p>
<p>To make things worse, travelling through space at zero gravity for prolonged periods might damage astronauts&#8217; brains: <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2722895">a new study</a> in the journal <em>JAMA Neurology</em>  found that spaceflight was associated with changes in white matter — nerve fiber tissues of the brain responsible for learning and other important functions.</p>
<h2>White Matter Changes</h2>
<p>The researchers examined MRI scans of 15 astronauts who had spent up to 200 days at the International Space Station, before and after the missions.</p>
<p>We <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/a28900/mris-brains-space/">already knew</a> that in zero gravity, the water surrounding the brain redistributes, causing the brain to shift upwards within the skull. But as the new research found, this phenomenon seems to cause white matter to age faster.</p>
<p>&#8220;White matter changes were of a greater magnitude than those typically seen during the same period with healthy aging,&#8221; reads the paper.</p>
<p>Even more worrisome: the effect becomes more pronounced the longer you spend in space.</p>
<p>&#8220;[The changes] were greater with longer spaceflight mission durations, and larger brain changes were correlated with greater balance declines,&#8221; co-author and professor of applied physiology and kinesiology at the University of Florida Rachel Seidler <a href="https://www.popsci.com/space-travel-brain-health#page-2">told <em>Popular Science</em></a>.</p>
<h2>Early Conclusions</h2>
<p>But it&#8217;s not all bad. The effect was significantly reduced in astronauts who had been in space before, suggesting the body can adapt to microgravity.</p>
<p>Still, it&#8217;s a serious enough issue that it warrants further research. After all, the longest consecutive spaceflight was a mere 342 days — just under a year. That means Seidler and her team still have the bulk of the work ahead of them.</p>
<p>&#8220;The consequences of these brain changes are unknown at this point,&#8221; said Seidler.</p>
<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://www.popsci.com/space-travel-brain-health">Space changes your brain in bigger ways than we thought</a> [<em>Popular Science</em>]<strong><br />
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<p><em><strong>More on astronaut health: <a href="https://futurism.com/cancer-risk-astronauts-long-missions">New Research: Space Travel Hurts Cells That Fight Cancer</a></strong></em></p>


The brain shifts upwards inside the skull in microgravity.

Alarming research: zero gravity makes astronauts' brains age faster

Space Danger

A new study found that spaceflight was associated with changes in the brain's white matter, causing it to age faster. But consequences are still unknown.

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