Tough Linux Love | LINUX Unplugged 469

We take a look at Medical diagnostics on a disk, navigating fish, Pluto, Lunar X Prize, spacecraft updates and as always take a peek back into history to Apollo 11 and up in the sky this week.

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Show Notes

Upcoming spinning medical diagnostic tool

_{Credit: SandiaLabs Channel | Credit: Randy Wong (Sandia National Laboratories)}

The low down
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a lab-on-a-disk platform that they believe will be faster, less expensive and more versatile than similar medical diagnostic tools
The unit can determine a patient’s white blood cell count, analyze important protein markers, and process up to 64 assays from a single sample, all in a matter of minutes.
Significance
The device uses a spinning disk, much like a CD player, to manipulate a sample. The disks contain commercially available reagents and antibodies specific to each protein marker.
The disks cost pennies to manufacture and results can be delivered to the physician’s computer in 15 minutes.
Sample take only a pin-prick sample of blood
Researchers envisions an approach where the physician could choose a “cardiac disk,” “immune disk” and similar options.
Of Note
Researchers recently led a National Institutes of Health grant to adapt the lab-on-a-disk platform for toxin diagnostics
That device could be the most accurate method available to detect the botulinum toxin
Laboratory mice remain the only reliable way to test for botulism, mouse bioassay is primitive, but remains the gold standard due to its sensitivity
SpinDx botulinum assay vastly outperformed the mouse bioassay in head-to-head tests, and requires absolutely no animal testing.
Although botulism is quite rare, only about 145 cases are reported in the United States each year, the lethality of the toxin brings concerns
Multimedia
SpinDx technology uses a spinning disk, much like a CD player, to manipulate samples. Image
YouTube | SpinDX medical diagnostic tool
Social Media
Sandia National Labs @SandiaLabs
Further Reading / In the News
Faster, less expensive device gives lab test results in 15 minutes at point-of-care | Phys.org

— NEWS BYTE —

Fish and magnetic fields

The low down
Previous research has shown that many species of fish, as well as migratory birds, have the ability to detect differences in magnetic field
A Rainbow trout can swim straight back to its original hatching ground, following freshwater streams inland even after spending 3 years at sea and traveling up to 186 mi [300 km] away
They likely rely partially on their excellent eyesight and smell, they also seem to rely on Earth’s magnetic fields
Significance
Now for the first time scientists have isolated magnetic cells in the fish that respond to these magnetic fields
This study may even help researchers get to the root of magnetic sensing in a variety of creatures, including birds.
In addition the magnetism in each cell was tens to hundreds of times stronger than researchers had hypothesized
The fish may be able to detect small differences in magnetic field strength that can give them more detailed information about their precise latitude and longitude
Of Note
When analyzed between one and four cells rotated in turn with the rotating magnetic field
The team has now transferred the rotating cells to individual glass slides to study them further under the microscope.
Multimedia
Magnetite cells (white) found in the noses of rainbow trout, clustered near the cell’s membrane and not near the cell’s nucleus (blue). Image Credit: H. Cadiou
Further Reading / In the News
A Big Magnet in a Small Fish | ScienceMag.org

— TWO-BYTE NEWS —

Plutonian system grows

The low down
On July 11, almost almost exactly one year after Hubble spotted Pluto’s fourth moon, it discovered a fifth moon orbiting Pluto half as bright as the last moon discovered
Image sets were taken on 5 separate occasions in June and July
The Plutonian System
Pluto – 1433 mi [2,306 km] across : discovered in 1930 : orbiting 39 times farther than Earth
Charon – 648 mi [1,043 km] across : discovered in 1978
Nix – 20–70 mi [32–113 km] across : discovered in 2005
Hydra – 20–70 mi [32–113 km] across : discovered in 2005
P4 – 8–21 mi [13–34 km] across : discovered in 2011
P5 – 6–15 mi [10–24 km] across : discovered in 2012
Of Note
The New Horizons missions team is working closely with Hubble to try to find the safest route through the system
Multimedia
Image: Pluto’s fourth moon, temporarily dubbed P4 Credit: NASA/ESA/M.Showalter
Image : Newly discovered moon, designated P5, as photographed by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 on July 7. Credit: NASA/ESA/M. Showalter
Social Media
NewHorizons2015 @NewHorizons2015
Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) twitter anouncement ‏@AlanStern
Further Reading / In the News
Fifth Moon Found Around Pluto | UniverseToday
Pluto Has a Fifth Moon, Hubble Telescope Reveals | Space.com
Hubble Space Telescope detects fifth moon of Pluto (Update) | Phys.org

Lunar X Prize

The low down
The Google Lunar X Prize, is a $30 million international challenge to land a robot on the lunar surface, have it travel at least 1,650 feet (500 meters) and send data and images back to Earth.
First prize will receive the $20 million grand prize
An additional $10 million is set aside for second place and various special accomplishments, such as detecting water, bringing the prizes total purse to $30 million.
Significance
The engineering director for the Google Books project, Jimi Crawford, has now signed on with Moon Express
He will serve as chief technology officer and software architect for a company competing in the Google Lunar X Prize, private race to the moon.
Of Note
The competition will end whenever all prizes are claimed or the end of 2015, whichever comes first
Multimedia
How Moon Express envisions its lunar lander can be used on future missions. Image CREDIT: Moon Express
YouTube Moon 2.0: Join the Revolution – HD High Definition | GoogleLunarXPRIZE
YouTube Channel Google Lunar X PRIZE
Further Reading / In the News
Google Lunar X Prize
Ex-Google VIP Joins Private Moon Race Team | Space.com

– SPACECRAFT UPDATE –

Expedition 32

_{Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov | YouTube channel : NASATelevision}

The low down
On July 14, three veteran space travelers from three different countries went to the International Space Station as part of the space station’s Expedition 32
Significance
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency spaceflyer Akihiko Hoshide are due to stay for about four months.
They will be joining space station: commander Gennady Padalka of Russia, his cosmonaut colleague Sergei Revin, and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, who have all been in space since May.
Of Note
Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, is a colonel in the Russian Air Force and will command the Soyuz spacecraft for Russia’s Federal Space Agency. He is making his third trip, his first long-duration spaceflight was aboard Russia’s Mir space station.
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, is a U.S. Navy captain making her second long-duration spaceflight. She also currently holds the world record for most spacewalks by a woman (four) and the most time in space by a female astronaut (195 days)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide is making his second spaceflight. His first mission involved the delivery of Japan’s huge Kibo laboratory module to the International Space Station.
Multimedia
YouTube Warm Greetings for New ISS Residents | NASAtelevision
Photos: Space Station’s Expedition 32 Mission | Space.com
Further Reading / In the News
Veteran Space Station Crew to Launch Into Orbit Tonight | Space.com

The next chapter in the Dragon spacecraft

Last time on SciByte
Extreme Exoplanets & Language | SciByte 52 – New SpaceX Competition [June 26, 2012]
Dinosaurs & Neutrinos | SciByte 50 : Dragon back on the ground (June 13, 2012)
Venus Transit & Dragon Spacecraft | SciByte 48 (May 29, 2012)
SpaceX & Easter Island | SciByte 47 – VenSpaceX – Dragon shipment to ISS [May 22, 2012]
The low down
On July 12 NASA officials announced that the crewed version of SpaceX’s Dragon space capsule has passed a key design review, moving one step closer to carrying seven astronauts into orbit
Significance
SpaceX gave NASA details about every phase of a potential crewed Dragon mission to the International Space Station
They discussed the Dragon capsule’s docking capabilities, living arrangements, weight and power requirements and potential ground landing sites
They also presented studies that showed how its launch abort system, which is known as SuperDraco, would perform if an emergency occurred shortly after liftoff, if something unexpected occurred on the way to orbit, or in space or during the trip home
The company is now ready to move on to the next phase and on target to fly people into space aboard Dragon by the middle of the decade
Of Note
SpaceX is one of four companies [Blue Origin, Boeing and Sierra Nevada Corp] to receive funding over the last two years from NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. CCP
NASA hopes at least two of these firms can have vehicles up and running by 2017
Multimedia
Dragon, SpaceX’s Private Spacecraft | Space.com Image Galery
Social Media
SpaceX @SpaceX
Elon Musk @elonmusk
Further Reading / In the News
Private Manned Space Capsule Passes Major Review | Space.com

SCIENCE CALENDAR

Looking back

July 21, 1969 | 43 years ago | That’s one small step … | In 1969, Apollo XI astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin blasted off from the moon after 21 1/2 hours on the surface and returned to the command module piloted by Michael Collins. The Lunar module was comprised of two stages. The descent stage had the landing gear, and was used as a launch pad for the ascent stage. The ascent stage was mainly the cabin, and had a fixed thrust engine (15,500-Newton-thrust) to propel it to 2000 m/s in Lunar orbit for docking. The lunar module’s lower section, left behind, has a plaque mounted upon it, reading, “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon, July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.”
YouTube “One small step for man, …”
TimeLine
Launched from Earth | July 16, 1969 [9:32am EST / 13:32:00 UTC]
Landing on the Moon | July 20, 1969 [ 4:17pm EST/ 20:17:40 UTC]
First Step on the Moon | July 20, 1969 [ 10:56pm EST / 02:56 UTC]
EVA Time | 2 h 36 m 40 s
Total time on Surface | 21 h 36 m 21 s
Launched from Moon | July 21 [ 13:54 pm EST / 17:54 UTC]
Landing on Earth | July 24, 1969, [ 12:50 pm EST / 16:50:35 UTC]
Left on the Moon
Patch from Apollo 1 [Virgil “Gus” Ivan Grissom, Edward Higgins White, Roger Bruce Chaffee]
Medals commemorating pioneering Soviet cosmonauts Vladimir Komarov and Yuri Gagarin, who had died in flight
Goodwill messages from 73 world leaders
A small gold pin shaped like an olive branch, a symbol of peace.
Further Reading and Resources
Nixon Greets Astronauts in Quarantine
Interactive of Dec 1969 Vinyl supplement of National Geographic magazine
Apollo 11 Image Gallery | history.nasa.gov
Apollo 11 | nasa.gov
The Moon Is Toxic | UniverseToday.com

Looking up this week

Keep an eye out for …
July 21 | 1 hour before sunrise | Jupiter and Venus are now higher in the Eastern sky, Venus the brighter and Jupiter the higher
July 21 | 1 hour before sunrise | very low on the horizon in the East the red object is actually the Red Giant star Betelgeuse
Further Reading and Resources
More on whats in the sky this week
Sky&Telescope
SpaceWeather.com
StarDate.org
For the Southern hemisphere: SpaceInfo.com.au
Constellations of the Southern Hemisphere : astronomyonline.org
Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand : rasnz.org.nz
AstronomyNow
HeavensAbove

The post Apollo 11 & Spinning Diagnostics | SciByte 54 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

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Apollo 11 & Spinning Diagnostics | SciByte 54

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