Mars Gravity Biosatellite

With George Bush's drive to attain new space goals, several new problems have come to light. One of these comes from prolonged exposure to 1/3 Earth's gravity that astronauts on Mars will feel. The weightlessness that is experienced in space causes several health problems. Besides minor inconveniences such as bloated facial features, nasal congestion, excess flatulence, and SAS or Space Adaptation Syndrome which passes within a few days, long term weightlessness can also cause more serious problems such as long term difficulty in sleeping, fluid redistribution, slowing of the cardiovascular system, decreased numbers of red blood cells, muscle atrophy, and deterioration of the skeleton. These last two are often termed as Spaceflight Osteopenia and are usually minimized by a regimen of exercise. The question is whether Mars gravity will be sufficient to negate these effects. To investigate this matter, MIT and the University of Washington along with several other parties are cooperating to put a biosatellite into space. Onboard this craft will be 15 mice. The main point of the satellite is to simulate Mars gravity by use of one meter diameter rotating cylinder. Close to 500 students have worked on the systems for the satellite which from takeoff to landing will cost close to 20 million. In order to be successful, the students must design their satellite so that it can take off, maintain orbit for five weeks, and land while maintaining life support for the 15 mice and recording data on everything from mice heart rates to urine content.