High-Level Project Summary
We tried to explain various space travel stresses with simple animations on a scratch platform. The interactive game-like animations are easy to understand and learn from them. We tried to explain what solutions there are for these challenges according to the research conducted in space.
Link to Final Project
Link to Project "Demo"
Detailed Project Description
The idea behind our project is to build fun, simple. and interactive animations on space travel challenges. We chose scratch - a simple blocks-based programming language. We worked in 3 steps:
- Gathered all needed information in the google document.
- Made some research online and found a solution
- Using the resources gathered, we have explained the challenge and its solution in the scratch platform.
Each member has chosen a particular challenge and worked on it based on the 3 step process above.
This project is really helpful for kids at age 6-14. That's why we tried to make it as simple as possible. Also, the kids can learn the scratch language and add modifications to our project. Which in turn will develop their understanding of the space challenges even more.
SPECIAL FEATURES
DEINOCOCCUS RADIODURANS
The genome of Deinococcus radiodurans can survive extreme radiation because it prevents oxidative damage to its repair proteins via manganese ions. It is resistant to ionizing radiation because it has the capacity to repair the DNA damage introduced during dehydration.
It is known as an obligate aerobic chemoorganoheterotroph, meaning it uses oxygen to get its energy from compounds containing organic materials. And basically eats anything and everything it can!
Although the Radiodurans is gram positive, it has a particularly unique cell wall. The wall contains multiple layers and an outer membrane, normally only found in gram negative bacteria. It also lacks teichoic acid, which is characteristic of most gram positive bacteria. Even the peptidoglycan itself is unique. The peptidoglycan of most gram positive bacteria contains diaminopimelic acid in the muramic acid cross bridges, butradiodurans' contains ornithine instead. Some strains also possess the ability to produce a crystalline S layer outside of their cell wall.
It has been listed as the world's toughest known bacterium in The Guinness Book Of World Records.
TARDIGRADES
What makes tardigrades so indestructible?
Water bears have an unusual strategy for surviving harsh conditions: They enter an almost death-like state called cryptobiosis, expelling more than 95% of the water from their bodies, retracting their heads and legs and curling into a dehydrated tun.
Tardigrades have a well-developed head region and a short body composed of four fused segments, with each segment bearing a pair of short, stout, unjointed limbs generally terminated by several sharp claws.
But they lack frills like a heart, lungs or veins because their body cavity is what's called "open hemocoel," which means that gas and nutrition can move in, out and around efficiently without complex systems.
CHROOCOCCIDIOPSIS
Low Moisture
Are known to withstand the effects of desiccation (removal of moisture) and hence can dominate extreme environments. Experiments have found that they have a thick multi-layered envelope which is rich in polysaccharides.
When under rocks a small amount of moisture can reach them but the moisture is trapped for weeks compared to the top surface of a rock.
Radiation tolerance
According to one experiment several strains of Chroococcidiopsis were used and the results showed that they can tolerate doses as high as 15 kGy
Growth in minimal light
Can grow under small amounts of light as they are found under rocks and so not much light can reach them. Due to the rocks being translucent a small amount of light can reach, enough for photosynthesis to occur.
XANTHORIA ELEGANS
Resistance to low pressure vacuum
After being exposed to a pressure of 10^(-3) for 16 hours the organism was still able to survive.
UV radiation
One experiment exposed the organism to UV radiation for 2 hours, these wavelengths were >160 nm. The result was that germination was not affected at all and so are able to tolerate UV radiation of certain wavelengths.
Space Agency Data
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.02050/full
This article has inspired us while building our space biology hero. It gave an insight into how diverse and adaptable living organisms are.
Hackathon Journey
The idea that we can contribute to the knowledge of NASA was exciting to us. It's great to have such a hackathon that unites a huge number of space lover people around the world.
First of all, we learned a lot about each of our team members.
I want to thank my teammates Tayyib and Ahana for their great contribution to the project development.
References
We have used scratch programming language to animate our solutions.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8696290/
https://humanresearchroadmap.nasa.gov/Risks/risk.aspx?i=99
https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/living-in-space/sleeping-in-space.asp
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7861141/#:~:text=Muscle%20and%20bone%20loss%20with%20aging,or%20physical%20performance%20%5B11%5D.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/bone-density-astronauts/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11541051/
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/mathandscience/exploration/Prob_ARED_detail.html#:~:text=The%20Advanced%20Resistive%20Exercise%20Device,muscle%20strength%20while%20in%20space.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypergravity
https://wikidiff.com/hypergravity/microgravity
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.952723/full
https://eyewiki.aao.org/Spaceflight-Associated_Neuro-Ocular_Syndrome_(SANS)#Disease
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23369516/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6565689/
https://humanresearchroadmap.nasa.gov/Risks/risk.aspx?i=177
https://science.nasa.gov/biological-physical/programs/space-biology
https://www.cell.com/c/the-biology-of-spaceflight
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC92012/
https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2001/ast26jan_1/