In Brief: "The Martian" excites space buffs

     Set 20 years in the future, the movie stars Matt Damon as an astronaut thought dead after a storm prompts his colleagues to abort their mission and head for Earth.
     Stranded on the red planet, Damon must signal Earth and figure out a way to survive.  Directed by Ridley Scott and based on a novel by Andy Weir, the movie zeroes in on a favorite water-cooler subject: travel to Mars.
     NASA is already making the most of it. The space agency has published a list of technology it is developing that is similar to what moviegoers will see in the film.
     For example, once astronauts arrive, they’ll need a place to unwind after those long days on a lifeless planet. NASA is already working on that.
     They’ll also need food. Astronauts at the International Space Station are growing plants in space (they recently dined on lettuce grown at the station).
     Future Mars travelers will have to recycle fluid – which is being done on the space station now.  And, of course, the astronauts will need a set of wheels. (See NASA’s list of Mars technologies in development here.) 
     The Martian  is scheduled to open Oct. 2. Along with Damon, the cast includes Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Kate Mara and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej3ioOneTy8

    TRAVEL TO MARS (in name only): We can't all go to Mars, but we can send our names there.
     NASA will allow enthusiasts to add their names to a silicon microchip headed for the red planet aboard a spacecraft that will launch next year. Submissions will be accepted until Sept. 8. To participate, see this website.

      CARGO SHIP LAUNCHES: The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched an unmanned cargo spacecraft destined for the space station Aug. 19 from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan.
     The spacecraft is carrying more than 9,500 pounds of research and supplies for the six-person station crew. The cargo ship also is delivering additional food supplies lost when a SpaceX resupply rocket exploded soon after launch earlier this summer.
     According to NASA, equipment headed for the station includes:

• Two multi-filtration beds that filter contaminants from the station’s water supply;
• A pump used for urine processing to support water recycling;
• A part for the station’s zero-gravity toilet;
• A respiratory support pack that can help an astronaut breathe if necessary.

      The cargo craft is set to arrive at the station on Aug. 24. 

     Related:

     NASA asks: What would you take to Mars?

     Supplies for space station go up in smoke

     Update: Cargo ship malfunctions

     In Brief: NASA to probe rocket explosion

 

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