Private space industry's big leap with Polaris Dawn

+ Americans love nature but don't feel empowered to protect it US Edition - Today's top story: Polaris Dawn mission to Earth's orbit will test SpaceX's capabilities for a commercial space program [View in browser]( US Edition | 28 August 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( This week could mark a milestone for privately funded spaceflight, in a mission that will test capabilities needed for commercial travel to the Moon or Mars. Billionaire tech executive Jared Isaacman will head the Polaris Dawn mission, which was initially set for Tuesday morning but delayed and then postponed again today. It will be operated by commercial space pioneer SpaceX. Polaris Dawn – the first of three planned Polaris missions – intends to orbit over 850 miles away from the Earth, the farthest a crewed mission has traveled from Earth in over 50 years. It will also include the first ever private spacewalk, where the civilian crew members will test out newly designed SpaceX extravehicular activity, or EVA, suits. During the mission, two of the crew will take the new SpaceX suits outside their capsule and see how they fare in space. Designing spacesuits is very tricky, which is something NASA learned long ago, [space security expert Wendy Whitman Cobb explains](. Testing new suits comes with risk, and this mission will mark the first spacewalk using privately designed suits. Also in this week’s science news: - [AI enables man with ALS to speak via brain-computer interface]( - [Avian flu confirmed in cow herds in 13 states]( - [Los Angeles pledges to make 2028 Olympics ‘car-free’]( If there’s a subject you’d like our team of science editors to investigate, please reply to this email. Mary Magnuson Associate Science Editor SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission aims to test newly designed spacesuits. SpaceX [Polaris Dawn mission to Earth’s orbit will test SpaceX’s capabilities for a commercial space program]( Wendy Whitman Cobb, Air University The Polaris Dawn mission will test communications, perform research and conduct a spacewalk with SpaceX extravehicular spacesuits. People enjoy spending time in nature but don’t always feel they have the ability to protect it. John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Image [Americans love nature but don’t feel empowered to protect it, new research shows]( Jessica Eise, Indiana University New research shows that Americans have positive feelings toward nature but also detects strong undertones of longing, guilt and worry. Aging is inevitable, but there are some ways to slow down decline. Dimitri Otis/Stone via Getty Images [What links aging and disease? A growing body of research says it’s a faulty metabolism]( Melanie R. McReynolds, Penn State Targeting the key players that help your body regulate metabolism could reverse disease progression, including cognitive decline related to Alzheimer’s disease. [What is mental imagery? Brain researchers explain the pictures in your mind and why they’re useful]( Lynne Gauthier, UMass Lowell; Jiabin Shen, UMass Lowell Here’s how your brain visualizes scenarios that you’re not actually looking at with your eyes. [Drinking alcohol before conceiving a child could accelerate their aging – new research in mice]( Michael Golding, Texas A&M University Researchers are uncovering the ways by which dad, mom or both parents drinking can result in fetal alcohol syndrome and other lifelong effects on children. [4 ways Wissahickon Valley Park makes Philly more resilient against climate change]( Hilton Oyamaguchi, Chestnut Hill College ; David Contosta, Chestnut Hill College The lush urban forest in northwest Philadelphia helps cool the city and provides other environmental protections. [A third of the world’s population lacks internet connectivity − airborne communications stations could change that]( Mohamed-Slim Alouini, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology; Mariette DiChristina, Boston University Network equipment riding on balloons, airships, gliders and planes could boost internet access, including in disaster zones, and improve scientific monitoring. [Urban wildfires disrupt streams and their tiny inhabitants − losing these insects is a warning of bigger water problems]( Lauren Magliozzi, University of Colorado Boulder After wildfires in California and Colorado cities, levels of harmful metals in the water jumped. Nature sent up a red flag. [Ancient viral genomes preserved in glaciers reveal the history of Earth’s climate – and how viruses adapt to climate change]( Zhi-Ping Zhong, The Ohio State University; Ellen Mosley-Thompson, The Ohio State University; Lonnie Thompson, The Ohio State University; Matthew Sullivan, The Ohio State University; Virginia Rich, The Ohio State University From ice cores extracted from the Tibetan Plateau, scientists recovered the equivalent of 1,705 virus species. Reading their genomes tells the story of 41,000 years of climate change. - [What is an Atlantic Niña? How La Niña’s smaller cousin could affect hurricane season]( Annalisa Bracco, Georgia Institute of Technology; Zachary Handlos, Georgia Institute of Technology It’s rare to see both Nina’s at the same time, but both appeared to be developing in August 2024. That could help soften hurricane season, but don’t bet on it. - [As human population grows, people and wildlife will share more living spaces around the world]( Neil Carter, University of Michigan; Deqiang Ma, University of Michigan As the world’s population grows, contact between humans and wildlife will increase in more than half of Earth’s land areas. A new study shows where the largest changes will occur. - [Squid have tiny teeth in their suckers − scientists could use their unique properties to make self-healing materials]( Abdon Pena-Francesch, University of Michigan Researchers can use powerful microscopes to capture the tiny teeth in squid suckers. - [Creative arts therapy programs can help health care workers dance, write and draw their way through burnout and on-the-job stress]( Marc Moss, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Rafaela Mantelli, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Long before the pandemic, health care workers were experiencing high levels of stress, burnout and compassion fatigue, all of which contribute to reduced quality of care for patients. - [From thoughts to words: How AI deciphers neural signals to help a man with ALS speak]( - [Avian flu has infected dairy cows in more than a dozen states – a microbiologist explains how the virus is spreading]( - [Los Angeles is in a 4-year sprint to deliver a car-free 2028 Olympics]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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