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Skylon

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There's a lot of stuff in the link, here's a couple of the experiments: 

- TRISH – Expand Intra-Cranial Pressure: Spaceflight Associated Neuroocular Syndrome (SANS) is a set of symptoms affecting the vision of astronauts. Currently, it is believed that SANS symptoms are caused by increased pressure in the brain during spaceflight. One way to directly measure pressure in the brain is by performing a lumbar puncture. This procedure will be performed as close to landing as possible to determine if the crewmembers’ brain pressures increased during spaceflight.

- LLAMAS: Literally Looking at More Astronauts in Space (LLAMAS) is a student-led project from the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Space Technologies Lab. The team seeks to design and build a camera to capture immersive views of the Polaris Dawn EVA

- Otolith & Posture: Motion sickness is commonly experienced in spaceflight, both upon entering space and after returning to Earth. However, there is a lot of individual variability both to the degree of motion sickness and how long it lasts. One theory to explain these differences lies in the tiny crystals that reside in the inner ear and sense gravity. The theory is that some people have more or larger stones in one ear than the other – or are more sensitive to their motion on one side than the other – and that the brain has learned to compensate for this difference (asymmetry). However, in space, this learned compensation is not appropriate (since it was learned in 1 g on Earth), and this causes space motion sickness. This study will test these differences between the two ears using a tablet computer. If motion sickness is caused by this asymmetry, this could give astronauts insight to motion sickness susceptibility and help them prepare accordingly

- Radiation Measurements: Astronauts have reported seeing flashes of light when their eyes are closed. This is caused by radiation exposure in space, but many questions still exist as to exactly how and why this effect happens. The Polaris Dawn mission’s unique, high-altitude orbit will expose the crew to more radiation than a trip to the International Space Station. This provides a unique opportunity to study the light flash phenomenon in more depth, as we expect more light flashes to occur in higher radiation environments

- Airway Assessment: Astronauts in microgravity experience a shift of fluids toward the head that may cause swelling of the airways. Airway swelling is well-known to make certain life-saving interventions more difficult to perform successfully. In this study, we will use a fiberoptic camera and ultrasound device to take images and measurements of the vocal cords, larynx, and soft tissue of the upper airway. This information will be critical to informing future planning for spaceflight medical emergencies such as choking, allergic reactions, or need for intubation, and delivery of general anesthesia to facilitate surgery in space

Edited by Beccab
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Another cool experiment:
"University of Colorado Boulder:

- Cross-Coupled Illusion: Weightlessness causes bone density loss, muscle loss, brain changes, and affects every system in the human body. Artificial gravity would prevent these changes and make long-duration spaceflight much more tolerable for the human body. One of the easiest ways to provide artificial gravity is with a short-radius centrifuge. However, the short-radius centrifuge can be quite disorienting due to a sensation called the cross-coupled illusion, which makes people feel as if they’re tumbling if they move their head slightly while being spun in the centrifuge. It is possible that this sensation may not happen once the body has adapted to microgravity. This would make the short-radius centrifuge an appealing option for providing artificial gravity on future exploration missions."

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46 minutes ago, tater said:

Soon?

I mean yeah, but currently to make it for the 31st launch date they'd need to make a record turnaround with a static fire, return to the hangar to get the payload and return to launch site. Not sure if they can make it, especially for a DoD satellite

Also:

(note: the two cams aren't synchonized)

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3 hours ago, StrandedonEarth said:

I swear, they like to time launches for sunset if possible, just to wow the earthbound schmucks

If my assumption is correct, they are launching at sunrise or sunset to enter an orbit with more time in the sun so they can run the ion engines for a larger chunk of the orbit.

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6 hours ago, Ultimate Steve said:

If my assumption is correct, they are launching at sunrise or sunset to enter an orbit with more time in the sun so they can run the ion engines for a larger chunk of the orbit.

At orbital speeds... Isn't the craft in 'daylight' for only about 45 minutes (give/take) each orbit? 

 

(and then gets another go @   45 minutes later? 

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56 minutes ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

At orbital speeds... Isn't the craft in 'daylight' for only about 45 minutes (give/take) each orbit? 

 

(and then gets another go @   45 minutes later? 

depends from the inclination and altitude, there's polar orbits that put the satellite right above the terminator to make it stay always in sunlight iirc. But generally, yeah

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