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SCIENCEMonday 29 February 2016
NASA’s Kelly sees mission as ‘steppingstone’ to Mars Obama launches
‘take your child
MARCIA DUNN day,” Kelly said Thursday in answers. There will also be shared. to the lab’ week
AP Aerospace Writer his final news conference blood draws, heart moni- As of Thursday — Day 335
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida from orbit. “So I’d like to toring and other medical — Kelly professed to feeling D. SUPERVILLE
(AP) — As soon as he re- think that this is another of exams. The testing will pretty good. Indeed, flight Associated Press
turns from the International many steppingstones to us continue for weeks if not surgeon Gilmore doesn’t WASHINGTON (AP) —
Space Station, NASA’s first landing on Mars sometime months once they’re back expect any alarming results President Barack Obama
and only yearlong space- in our future.” home in Houston and at at touchdown. is launching a version of
man, Scott Kelly, will try to Kelly’s 340-day mission — cosmonaut headquarters Kelly’s vision has degrad- “take your child to work
ed a bit as it did during his day” that’s focused on
Astronauts Terry Virts, bottom, and Scott Kelly perform eye exams in the Destiny Laboratory of the last mission, a normal out- America’s science labo-
International Space Station as part of ongoing studies on vision health in microgravity. Kelly sees come for some astronauts ratories instead of its cor-
his nearly completed one-year mission as a ‘steppingstone’ to Mars. because of increased porate workspaces.
pressure inside the skull in It’s part of Obama’s effort
(NASA via AP) weightlessness. He antici- to encourage young peo-
pates his bones and mus- ple, especially girls and mi-
pop up from a lying posi- the longest by 125 days at Star City, Russia. cles have weakened as norities, to pursue careers
for NASA — comes to a Checkups will also continue well, despite daily exercise in the fields of science,
tion and stand still for three dramatic end Wednesday for Kelly’s identical twin, re- in orbit. technology, engineering
on the remote steppes of tired astronaut Mark Kelly. The real question mark — and math.
minutes. Kazakhstan. (It will be Tues- The 52-year-old brothers and Kelly’s biggest concern More than 50 national
day night in the U.S.) The joined forces to provide — is the possible lingering labs in 20 states are open-
He’ll take a crack at a astronaut will ride a Soyuz NASA with a potential gold effects of space radiation. ing their doors this coming
spacecraft back with two mine of scientific data: one “Hopefully, I’ll never find week to approximately
mini-obstacle course and Russians, including Mikhail twin studied for a year in or- out what the true effects 5,000 elementary, middle
Kornienko, his roommate bit — twice the usual space are of that,” Kelly said in and high school students
attempt to walk a straight for the past year. station stay — while his ge- a TV interview last week. to help spark interest by
Once out of the capsule, netic double underwent NASA will need to tackle exposing them to the sci-
line, heel to toe — all so re- the two will submit to a mul- similar tests on the ground. the problem for Mars trips entists, engineers and lab
titude of field tests. While a handful of Rus- because of the increased employees who carry out
searchers can see whether What could new arrivals sians have spent longer in level of exposure. important work and re-
do on Mars, asks Dr. Ste- space, the record being a Johnson Space Center search at facilities in their
he’d hit the ground running van Gilmore, the lead flight 438-day flight, those expe- physiologist John Charles communities.
surgeon who will be at the ditions date back to the puts the psychological side The students, including
if this were Mars instead of landing site to receive Kel- 1980s and 1990s aboard of long-duration space- from communities aligned
ly. Could they jump up and the Mir space station, rus- flight right up there with ra- with Obama’s “My Broth-
Earth. down? Could they open a tic if not rickety compared diation, as well as in-flight er’s Keeper” initiative, will
hatch? Could they do an with the current space sta- medical care and even participate in mentoring
NASA considers it crucial immediate spacewalk? tion. Medical testing was food preservation and sessions, hands-on experi-
The tests on Kelly and Korn- spotty back then, and the packaging for the long ments and other activi-
prep work for future Mars ienko should provide some data weren’t always widely haul. ties. My Brother’s Keeper
“Just about everything is is a public-private initia-
explorers who will have a big problem for Mars,” tive started by Obama to
Charles said in a phone in- help boys and young men
to spend much longer in terview. of color stay on the right
Mars expeditions planned path. The White House
space and won’t have for the 2030s will last 2½ Council on Women and
years; the anticipated crew Girls is also involved.
the help of a welcoming size will be four to six. The “It’s an exciting time to
astronauts will almost cer- think about how we’re
committee. In fact, this mis- tainly have to grow some pulling all the children of
of their own food; that’s the our country into technol-
sion — which began with a reason for an experimental ogy and STEM and the
greenhouse aboard the jobs of the future,” Megan
launch last March — is all space station. Smith, chief technology
Kelly and his crewmates officer in the Office of Sci-
about Mars. grew red romaine lettuce in ence and Technology
the mini-hothouse last sum- Policy at the White House,
“I think we’ll learn a lot mer and sampled some of told The Associated Press
the crop.q in a telephone interview.q
about longer-duration
spaceflight and how that
will take us to Mars some-
