The Mars Gravity Biosatellite project is a joint venture of MIT and the Georgia Institute of Technology to develop a free-flying spacecraft for un-crewed research flights. The spacecraft is also home to the YourNameIntoSpace initiative, designed to give individuals and corporations the opportunity to fly images of choice into orbit. Image File history File links A mouse-astronaut candidate poses atop a model solar panel. ... Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT, MapúaTech or simply Mapúa) is a private, non-sectarian, Filipino tertiary institute located in Intramuros, Manila. ... The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a public, coeducational university located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and part of the University System of Georgia. ...

Program History and Overview

The Mars Gravity Biosatellite program began in 2001 as a Mars Society initiative called Translife, designed to study the effects of Mars-level gravity on mammals. Since then, the program has grown tremendously in both scope and vision. Students at MIT and the Georgia Institute of Technology are designing a small research satellite that will carry 15 mice in low Earth orbit for five weeks. As it orbits, the satellite will spin to generate artificial gravity of the same strength as the gravity that astronauts will experience on the surface of Mars. Launch date is still tentative, pending additional program funding, but development continues year-round at the two universities. 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Mars Society logo. ... Gravity is a force of attraction that acts between bodies that have mass. ... Orders Subclass Monotremata Monotremata Subclass Marsupialia Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Subclass Placentalia Xenarthra Dermoptera Desmostylia Scandentia Primates Rodentia Lagomorpha Insectivora Chiroptera Pholidota Carnivora Perissodactyla Artiodactyla Cetacea Afrosoricida Macroscelidea Tubulidentata Hyracoidea Proboscidea Sirenia The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals primarily characterized by the presence of mammary... Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT, MapúaTech or simply Mapúa) is a private, non-sectarian, Filipino tertiary institute located in Intramuros, Manila. ... The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a public, coeducational university located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and part of the University System of Georgia. ... MILSTAR:A communication satellite A satellite is any object that orbits another object (which is known as its primary). ... Artificial gravity is a simulation of gravity in outer space or free-fall. ... U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit. ... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ...

Science

Gravity on Mars is only about 38% as strong as it is on Earth, and the long-term effects of such reduced gravity are unknown. Astronauts who are weightless for long periods of time lose significant amounts of bone and muscle mass. No one knows if the gravity on Mars is strong enough to avoid or minimize these health problems. This flight will provide the first data on how mammalian health is affected by long-term exposure to lower levels of gravity. The research will focus on bone loss, changes in bone structure, muscle atrophy, and changes in the inner ear. // Clinical settings of atrophy There are many diseases and conditions which cause a decrease in muscle mass, known as atrophy. ... The inner ear comprises both: the organ of hearing (the cochlea) and the labyrinth or vestibular apparatus, the organ of balance located in the inner ear that consists of three semicircular canals and the vestibule. ...

Participants

To date, the program has engaged over 450 undergraduate, graduate, and high school students in spacecraft design, life support system development, systems engineering, and program management. Participants are welcomed from around the globe as visiting collaborators, remote contributors, donors, and advisors.

Financing

In 2006, the students of Mars Gravity developed a novel microfinancing platform, called YourNameIntoSpace to help finance the development of their spacecraft. The website http://YourNameIntoSpace.org invites companies and individuals from around the world to turn the spacecraft into a high tech canvas, decorating the satellite and team website with logos, photos, names, and messages. For a tax-deductible donation of as little as $35, anyone can send their message into orbit. For a larger donation, space in the reentry vehicle can be reserved and actual flight hardware returned with the image of choice.

Continuing the team's commitment to education, YourNameIntoSpace.org also enables kids of all ages to add their names for free to a DVD that will fly onboard the spacecraft. To put your name into space in this cosmic guestbook, visit http://YourNameIntoSpace.org and click on "Y*N*I*S 4 Free".

References

• Mars Gravity Program Homepage, http://www.marsgravity.org
• Your Name Into Space Homepage, http://YourNameIntoSpace.org

External links

• MIT News Release, http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/spacename.html