Once more I am off on my travels and so here I am, currently in the USA for a couple of weeks. Sadly though only for a little pleasure and for a lot of work!

Next week I will be in the ‘Big Apple’ – more commonly known as New York for meetings at New York University (NYU) to give a couple of lectures, and to establish a research co-operation so they can use the 3D clinostat developed by the Microgravity Centre.

And what is a 3D clinostat you might be asking?

Well, very simply put it is a device for simulating microgravity on Earth for cells, very small animals and plants, through rotation. The rotations takes place simultaneously along two different axes and the combined rotations disorient so that whatever is being turned can no longer perceive the gravitational force of the Earth. 

Currently running on the Discovery channel at the moment is a new cosmology series called  'Into The Universe', with world famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking giving us the ultimate guide to the universe.

One suggestion that he makes (and one that I would also tend to agree with) is that in a universe with 100 billion galaxies, each containing many hundreds of millions of stars, it is highly unlikely that planet Earth is                                                                                                                    the only place where life has evolved.  

Not rocket science really - more a matter of common sense and logic!

According to Prof Hawking the only real challenge is in working out what the alien life forms might be like - from tiny microbes or little worms, through to something all together more advanced than mankind itself. And we should be warned he says as contact with alien life could spell disaster for the human race!

"If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the American Indians"

He could have a point but let's hope not!

Released by NASA this week were some of the first pictures to be taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).

This hefty satellite weighing in at 3 ton was launched in Florida 10 weeks ago as part of a 5 year plan to develop a better scientific understanding of the Sun and its influence on the Earth.

The magnificent images show never before seen detail of extreme close-ups of the surface and material flying out from sunspots, and has also made the first high resolution measurements of solar flares in a broad range of extreme ultraviolet wavelengths.

The imaging assembly contains four telescopes designed to be sensitive at different temperatures which will give scientists more information about how heat is transferred across the sun. Another piece of equipment, called the Helioseismic & Magnetic Imager will look into the interior of the sun to track solar storms from their beginning deep inside to the violent eruptions that take place on the surface.

If you want to see more images then take a look at the film clip below for some impressive shots.

A fresh faced new crew member is scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station (ISS) this September 2010, arriving on the shuttle Discovery STS-133 mission.

Robonaut 2 or simply, R2 to his friends will become a permanent resident on board the ISS under a joint cooperation agreement between NASA and General Motors, to develop a robotic assistant able to work alongside humans, lending a helping hand or two!

R2, consisting of a torso, head, two arms and hands, and weighing in at 300lbs (136Kg) will be monitored to see how it copes in a weightless setting, and subjected to the station's radiation and electromagnetic environments. Eventually it is hoped that robots like R2 will be able to do those tasks too difficult or dangerous for humans, and perhaps one day to stand in for astronauts during spacewalks.

The latest NASA shuttle mission STS-131 to the International Space Station (ISS) is coming to an end, with the Discovery shuttle undocking from the ISS on Saturday, and due to make a weather delayed landing back at the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida on Tuesday 20th April 2010.

One part of the mission this time was the delivery of a piece of exercise/research equipment - the Muscle Atrophy Research and Exercise System (MARES), a European Space Agency sponsored project. MARES is able to "assess the strength of isolated muscle groups around joints, or complete limbs by controlling and measuring the interrelationship between position/velocity and torque/force as a function of time" (ESA).

This piece of equipment, along with the treadmill, stationary bikes and a device to lift weights that are already on board the ISS are all vitally necessary for helping keep astronauts healthy in a gravity free environment, and also for continued research into the effect of prolonged periods of time in microg on human physiology. A manned space flight to Mars for example, would mean astronauts being effectively 'weightless' for a period of nearly 18 months for the round trip, something that potentially can cause many physiological as well as psychological issues.

One major cause of concern is the loss of bone density recorded in astronauts returning from a period of time in Space. In fact, this is also an Earth bound problem for anyone subject to spending a long period of time off their feet perhaps due to ill health, accident or disability.

Our bodies are constantly losing old bone material (resorption), whilst at the same time producing new bone mass (growth) in a balanced process. Many factors can affect this balance including diet, physical activity and gravity. When we sit or lie down, quite literally, we take the weight of our feet. Likewise, in the microgravity environment of Space the loading weight caused by Earth's gravity is removed and this causes a disruption in the process of bone maintenance.

Studies have shown that the load bearing bone structures, particularly spine, neck and pelvis are those most affected by this reduction in bone mineral density which, can decrease on average around 1-1.6% a month for the time an astronaut is in Space. Times this by the 18 month length of a Mars mission and the implications for health are clear.

Obviously, this topic is far more complex than this little scratch I have made on the surface . . . . . but suffice to say that when your doctor tells you next time to go for a walk every day, the advice is based on sound facts, years of research, and a knowledge that walking in Earth's 1g gravity applies load bearing to your bones and muscles, promoting bone growth and health.

Sometimes, Doctor really does know best!

Ever wondered when you were a kid why the green solution you used for blowing bubbles only ever made clear bubbles? Or why the  purple bubblebath liquid you put in your hot tub so you could relax in it and soak for a while, only ever left you surrounded by clear bubbles?

Well Japanese astronaut and mother, Naoko Yamazaki, currently floating approximately 350km above us on the International Space Station (ISS) decided to keep a promise that she made to her 7 year old daughter, and demonstrated how to make a coloured bubble!

Mixing some red tropical fruit juice with liquid soap, she produced shiny red bubbles in Space, much to the delight of her daughter and husband who were watching back home via a video phone.

Adding a coloured dye to bubble mixtures on Earth does not produce coloured bubbles as the dye attaches to the water molecules and not to the surfactant (surface active agent - the soapy bit!). This means that when a bubble is blown, the dye falls to a point at the base leaving a clear bubble. The experiment worked in Space because the zero-gravity environment on the ISS allowed the colour pigment to spread around the bubble rather than fall to the bottom.

The rainbow colours that can sometimes be seen in a bubble are actually created by interfering light waves caused by the reflection of light from the inner and from the outer surfaces of the bubble.  

49 years ago today, 12th April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human in outer Space and the first person to orbit the Earth.

Since that time, all Russian cosmonauts have lived and trained at Star City, just outside Moscow, in a facility kept highly secret during Soviet times. In fact, it is only in very recent years that Star City and the Yuri Gagain  Cosmonaut Training Centre have opened up the doors to public scrutiny.

The buildings may look a little dated, but the facilities there such as the human centrifuge where cosmonauts experience up to 8g, the giant underwater tank used to simulate Space walks and the mock-up of the MIR Space station must be well worth a visit. And indeed, excursions can be made their through tour operators, given enough notice and paying a premium price of around £120 per person for a couple of hours.

But for anyone who remembers the Space Race, and grew up with the likes of Gagarin, Alexey Leonov (first person to do a space walk 1965) and Valentina Tereshkova (first woman in Space 1963), it is a small price to pay to witness at first hand where an important part of history was born.  

Rather surprisingly for me, Russia is still a place that I have not yet visited, however, I have always wanted and intended to. Star City is definitely on my list of dream destinations and I hope I can tick it off soon.

Forty years ago yesterday, on 11th April 1970, the launch took place from Kennedy Space Centre, Florida of the Apollo 13 mission headed for the Moon, with a crew of 3 onboard led by commander James A Lovell Jr.

Disaster struck just 2 days into the flight when an electrical fault caused a rupture, loss of power and failure of the oxygen tanks, leading to the now infamous line of ‘Houston we have a problem’ being transmitted by command module pilot John L Swigert.

In fact, it was a misquote because his actual words were ‘Houston, we’ve had a problem’ but this inaccuracy stuck fast, and continued to be misquoted in such movies as the 1995 version of Apollo 13, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks.

Luckily for the crew on board and for the US Space program, this disaster turned into a successful failure after much quick thinking and a clever plan to shut the 3 crew in one unit of the craft (Lunar module), powering everything down to the minimum needed to survive the four days till re-entry, before swapping back to the main command capsule Odyssey, and jettisoning the service and lunar modules prior to splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

Just to throw in a thought for those of you out there with superstitious minds . . . . . .  it was the 13th Apollo mission, launched at 13.13 hours (Central Time Zone) and befell an accident on the 13th of the month - coincidence or tempting fate?!

What do you think?

8th April 2010 saw the successful launch in Kazakhstan of the European Space Agency (ESA) sponsored CryoSat-2 satellite.

The original launch of the first version of the £100 million satellite ended in disaster, back in 2005 when the Russian launch rocket carrying it failed, and plunged into the Arctic Ocean.

CryoSat-2 will now sit in its polar orbit and send back data about how the ice caps are reacting to global change. The melting ice of the polar regions is considered a matter of great environmental concern, with future implications for ocean currents, sea levels, and the entire global climate.

This satellite is part of ESA's 'Living Planet Programme' which focuses attention not outwards to Space itself, but, instead seeks to look inwards to see what impact and effects human activity is having on natural planet Earth processes. 

Having a few spare minutes today (a rare occurrence!), I thought I would search the internet to see what news I could find, when I came across this picture which brought back so many happy childhood memories,  and that was a prime influence on fuelling my desire to explore the universe.

At age 5, I discovered 'Lost in Space' or as it was known in Brazil 'Perdidos no Espaço' on the TV and my relationship with Will Robinson and Dr Zachary Smith was launched! I soon became a huge fan, so much so that it literary changed my life.

School for me was in the afternoon (1 till 5pm), an impossibility I decided in my young mind as it clashed with watching my programme! Coming home from my classes one day and discovering from my Mother that once again I had missed the show, I refused to go anymore - simple!

Exasperated, but knowing how strong willed I was, my Mother arranged for me to swap my school hours to the morning - meaning new teachers and new friends - but a small price to pay to be able to journey  on board  the Jupiter 2  spaceship with the Robinson family to see new planets, and to battle with strange silver coloured aliens!

And how delighted was I some 20 years later, whilst in the USA doing my MSc in Aerospace Medicine  in Dayton, Ohio, to turn on the TV and hear  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 'Never fear, Smith is here!'

It's a good job that video cassette recorders had been invented by then, so I could record the rerun of the series  and watch them in the evenings, or the course of my life could have been changed once more as I missed lectures to voyage into the cosmos, Lost in Space once more!