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Astronauts Attach Mannequin to Outside of ISS
lhouk281 writes "According to Space.Com, astronauts have attached a mannequin to the outside of the International Space Station to study the effects of radiation on the human body. The mannequin contains actual bone surrounded by simulated organs and synthetic skin, with sensors studded throughout." There's another story that has detail on how the spacewalk went: a suit malfunction caused the spacewalk to end prematurely.
to they actually take a skeleton? or do they grind up a bunch of bones to make a kind of solid substance?
...what if air leaked out into space? That would suck!!
*ducks*
I could almost swear this was the subject of a Far Side cartoon..
That synthetic skin would have to be really strong for this thing not to blow up due to low pressure, wouldn't it?
it'll be interesting to see what space debris does.
Zany if you ask me, is there really much benefit to be had from viewing the extremely damaging effects of space on an un-protected body.
I thought the fact that space was incredibly dangerous to the human body was already quite well proven (look at the scenes in all the sci-fi movies whenever anyone gets ejected into space, it isnt a pretty picture!)
Post apocalyptic gaming goodness
Why do this research in space when you could do the same research on a certain CEO in Utah in a lab for much cheaper. Oh, wait... too late.
Karma: Positive. Mostly effected by cowbell.
One careful owner mannequin, now in space. Previously used only in car pool lanes around KSC.
Unless the real reason is to create space zombies for the purposes of space exploration. Think about it: no need to pack along food, no need to pack along oxygen...perfect for GW Bush's planned invasion of Mars.
While scientists have used Phantom-like dummies in the past aboard the space shuttle and inside the ISS, the radiation hazards of open space on sensitive body organs is still unclear.[emphasis added]
I'm just wondering how they would make claims from this - "See, the radiation at 2.5cm below the middle of the first left rib is X, therefore it will cause a mild nausea".
Sure, artificial organs would give a slightly better idea of the radiation penetration, but why would such knowledge be useful?
Ask me about repetitive DNA
Hey, I checked the real doll website and I couldn't find any Sally model. You must've been thinking of the Anna Mae model =)
Yeah right. I think it's more to "study the effect on a human body of being tied to the outside of the fucking spaceship".
Or, more specifically: "Put the fear of God into cosmonaut Josif by telling him if he forgets to put down the seat on the vacuum-toilet one more time, we're putting him out there next".
And next week, in the interest of furthering science and our understanding of the universe, the ISS will be installing a plank.
Now if the ISS was high enough to make this expierment useful, then it would be a great idea but the ISS is in a very low orbit well inside the protective magnetosphere of earth. While there isn't enough atmosphere to protect anyone from small particles, there is enough to slow its orbit down.
Once upon a time NASA decided to send three astronauts to space for two years.
One was American, One was Russian and the other was English.
NASA allowed each of them to take 200 pounds of baggage each.
The American decided to take along his wife, the Englishman decided to take along books to learn how to speak German, and the Russian decided to take along cigarettes.
Two years later, when the space shuttle landed, there was a big crowd waiting to welcome them home.
First came the American and his wife and each of them had a baby in their arms.
Next came the Englishman speaking fluent German. They both gave their speeches and got a rousing round of applause.
Suddenly, out came the Russian with a cigarette in his mouth. He walked up to the podium, snarled at the crowd, and asked "Has anyone got a match?"
Man, those big eyes on her just freak me out. I much prefer the Mai model.
Forget thrust, drag, lift and weight. Airplanes fly because of money.
When Apollo Mission Astronaut Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon, he not only gave his famous "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" statement but followed it by several remarks, usual com-traffic between him, the other astronauts and Mission Control. Just before he re-entered the lander, however, he made the enigmatic remark "Good luck Mr. Gorsky."
Many people at NASA thought it was a casual remark concerning some rival Soviet Cosmonaut. However, upon checking, there was no Gorsky in either the Russian or American space programs. Over the years many people questioned Armstrong as to what the "Good luck Mr. Gorsky" statement meant, but Armstrong always just smiled. Just last year, (on July 5, 1995 in Tampa Bay FL) while answering questions following a speech, a reporter brought up the 26 year old question to Armstrong. This time he finally responded. Mr. Gorsky had finally died and so Neil Armstrong felt he could answer the question.
When he was a kid, he was playing baseball with a friend in the backyard. His friend hit a fly ball which landed in the front of his neighbor's bedroom windows. His neighbors were Mr. & Mrs. Gorsky. As he leaned down to pick up the ball, young Armstrong heard Mrs. Gorsky shouting at Mr. Gorsky. "Oral sex! You want oral sex?! You'll get oral sex when the kid next door walks on the moon!"
I didn't know Janet Jackson was on the space station!
Yeah, the Anna Mae model is butt ugly, still though, the original reference to the Sally model was because of the large bust... and I think Anna Mae has the body model with the biggest such.
Yeh, that's a good point. They should have used a cow instead.
Encapsulating the Phantom torso is a protective canister of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic.
So, they're making a mini spaceship and putting a dummy inside it. I guess the carbon fiber and plastic won't take away much of the radiation, but it still seems a bit weird. Why not just dress them up in a real space suit (or, given the form of the dummy, a cut-down version)?
Ask me about repetitive DNA
Bombarded by radiation, the manniquin of bone and synthetic flesh became imbued with a kind of life...and a malevolent intelligence.
I hope this doesn't mean that they'll make another sequel to those manequin movies where the mall manequin comes to life. Only this time in space. I've had enough bad 80's background music and forced jokes about window displays. Saving the ISS from the mars mallrats is a half-plot I can't bear.
"Let him go, Ralph. He knows what he's doing." --Otto Mann (simpsons)
Such a shame...testing on a mannequin just isn't the same, but I guess you just make do with what you have.
Use 'slashdot stuff' in the subject line in any email you send me if you want to get past the spam filter.
Read the truth here.
The simple truth is that interstellar distances will not fit into the human imagination
- Douglas Adams
a suit malfunction caused the spacewalk to end prematurely
On the bright side it did not cause the spacewalker to end prematurely.
-
- - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
Well, here's something that might be slightly related.
Ask me about repetitive DNA
...wake up in the morning and there's a body hanging outside your window. "There's something on the wing!"
Anyone else think one of the astronauts ordered a real doll and when the other astronauts caught him with it they put it outside? Then when NASA asked about the body outside the space station they just answered "Uhh well we're ummmmm testing the affects of radiation on the human body, yeah that's it."
Why not use an organ donor? Or one of those people who want to have their ashes put into space? I'd do it, if I were dead, that is... better than being wormfood.
:)
Is that why air is such a precious commodity in space? They need it to blow up their girlfriends? Must get mighty lonely up there
I ran a benchmark on my quantum computer, now I can't find it anywhere!
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I nominate "Ned Kelly".
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
Space people are made of mannequins.
Ask me about repetitive DNA
Mayhaps in a similiar vein,
We could attach the "SCO Legal Team" to the bottom of a space shuttle, and find out what the radiation effects of reentry are on a pack of gravy sucking pigs...
Genda
I'm all for scientific experiments in space but why did this dummy get the face of Darl McBride? Did he upset someone?
Omnis amans amens
If you missed the 60s because you weren't born, here's a good link : http://www.apolloarchive.com/
Now that high definiton microcams exist, I wish the astronauts would broadcast a little more...
I could almost swear this was the subject of a Far Side cartoon..
I could almost swear they are trying to reenact a couple of Kraftwerk albums.
Showroom dummies, outside the Spacelab, to study Radio-Activity?
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Later today, mission control was shocked as astronauts relayed a new message. What they had once mistaken for a mannequin was actually former vice president Al Gore. Barely affected by the radiation, Mr. Gore said he felt "quite stimulated" from the venture, and that he would like to plan a return flight in the future. At this time there is no comment from NASA administration on Mr. Gore's proposal.
Yeah, I've always thought this too. And it's mostly right -- you certainly will never see that cringe-worthy bad-sci-fi staple of liquids "freezing and boiling at the same time."
But interestingly, I discovered just last week if you take a spaceship out of direct sunshine, it starts to lose heat pretty substantially. One of the first space stations (I forget which) had its heatshield buggered up by over-early deployment and it started to overheat dramatically. An astronaut pushed an umbrella arrangement out an airlock to provide cover from the sun, and the temperature "immediately began to drop" (ok, a little obvious) and was within the expected range within a day. I saw this on "The Planets" TV show which was excellently researched, so I'd assume this was pretty valid.
In summary, radiation of heat seems to still provide a pretty good cooling mechanism in space, despite being much slower than conduction.
So while you'll be relieved to know you'll asphyxiate in comfort and warmth, you'll eventually become a corpsicle if you stay out of the sun(light).
cheers, Sal
--
Sal
Writings: saltation.blogspot.com
Wravings: go-blog-go.blogspot.com
A spaceship has a much larger surface area than a human, so it would take longer for a human to freeze.
I don't understand. Surely they could have found a real person on the internet who had a fetish about being strapped to the outside of a rocket and shot into space? Their results would be guaranteed to be realistic that way: actual bone surrounded by actual organs and actual skin.
Legally, as long as they didn't eat him they should be all right.
cheers, Sal
--
Sal
Writings: saltation.blogspot.com
Wravings: go-blog-go.blogspot.com
There's another story that has detail on how the spacewalk went: a suit malfunction caused the spacewalk to end prematurely.
Now THAT'S a wardrobe malfunction!
[Think Jackson and Superbowl.]
3cx.org - A truly bad website.
There is already plenty of literature on the effects of cosmic radiation on the human body:
The Fantastic Four by Marvel Comics.
I wonder which powers the Super Dummy will manifest next week.
"Oh look, it's the Invisible Thing!"
So... you mean it's a Real Doll (NSFW)? Why would you waste one of those up in space when it could be put to good use down on earth...
Did you wonder if there is any credit given to whoever bones are/were out there?
I wonder if there's another inflatable dummy that the guys use inside...?
...a scarecrow for the field of space-corn
Who to put on the outside of ISS? Cowboyneal!
Hehehe.. I guess the real doll started to smell :)
:)
;) Only problem I see with it.. is the ethernet cable that comes out of her head, back to your computer, that holds 1000's of .wav files..
/
At least in space, she wouldn't be so heavy
Scary that the new models have the moaning option.. with sensors in all the appropriate nasty places
Actually.. while on the subject of Real Dolls.. heheh.. you've got to read this article.. it's HILARIOUS.. the dude from Nerve.Com decided to experience one.
Here's the link.
www.nerve.com/regulars/ididitforscience/sexdoll
-=-Ze End-=-
That synthetic skin would have to be really strong for this thing not to blow up due to low pressure, wouldn't it?
Actually the phantom is made up of several slices, about 30, stacked on top of each other on a central rod. (Think of the old baby toy.) The main material of the phantom is called RANDO(R). It's embedded with bits of bone and polyurethane to simulate organs. I believe the "natural bone" is ground up and reshaped into bone like structures.
To answer your question, there's really nothing to "blow up" during depressurisation. All of the phantom slices are solid with lots of cut-outs for radiation detectors.
- charboy
Aliens are gonna steal the human bones and start cloning on their own planet to make some slaves!!
Aliens are coming
other way round, actually.
the human's proportion of surface area to volume is much much higher than a space ship. as you make objects larger, the surface area tends to increase in square proportion, the volume in cubic proportion. so the ratio of surface-area to volume decreases as things get bigger. cats freeze quicker than humans, humans freeze quicker than elephants (not least 'cos they're buggers to get into the fridge).
i could be a smartarse at this point, and point out that the spaceship, being comprised primarily of metal in its solid state, is in fact already frozen. but i won't.
--
Sal
Writings: saltation.blogspot.com
Wravings: go-blog-go.blogspot.com
Good point, a small object would reach a certain temperature faster, but that's because it has less energy to start with. It still losses energy slower.
it sounds like the dummy is not wearing a spcaesuit and you wouldnt purposefully be in space without a space suit would you? so the test doesnt sound all that great to me cause you would think that a spacesuit would block some of the radiation wouldnt you?
There's another story that has detail on how the spacewalk went: a suit malfunction caused the spacewalk to end prematurely.
Will these wardrobe malfunctions never cease!?!?
"I'm sorry, Dave. I can't let you in, Dave."
They locked their keys inside...
Tcl my Pico! There are 10 kinds of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.
.... Major Tom?
Use your head, can't you, use your head,
You're on earth, there's no cure for that - S. Beckett
I read they were strapping a dummy to the outside of the space station. I thought they were getting back at old G.W. Bush for cutting the hubble funding. Wrong dummy, I guess.
There's nothing special about radiation in space. It can and has been reproduced here and there had been extensive research done on it. This looks to me like another science fair type experiment on the ISS. It's like when I didn't water a plant in 4th grade, recorded that it died and called it a project.
Blaze a trail to the New World
The outer container of the Matroshka experiment is made by DTM, formerly known as Ferrari S.p.A Space Division. The DTM logo is visible on the outside of the composite container. This composite, Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastics, is similar to those used for the better-known Ferrari Formula 1 cars (although a special mould was made to get the shape of the Matroshka container since not too many cars have that shape). The container is leak tight to maintain an atmosphere inside until it's brought back inside ISS (scheduled in ~1 year).
Sounds like the start of a good horror movie -- Radiation mutates doll with human tissue into a monster with its own evil will. How do the astronauts sleep at night with the shadowy profile of a simulated human stuck to the outside of the SS.
....that the main difficulty in doing a manned mission to Mars was the radiation. He said on TV that there was not sufficient technology to prevent Astronauts getting fried. So can someone tell me how they landed on the moon without getting frazzled? This is a genuine question.
I wonder if there are any openings at NASA for a "Radiation testing dummy. An exciting opportunity in space research available on the space station. The perks include travel in space, room (well, it really depends on what you call "outside") and board on delicious standard space rations. The ideal candidate would have some spacefaring experience, but training can be provided. Must not be overweight or overheight; must be a team player and have good communication skills. Send a resume and three character references to jobs@nasa.gov"
Thats the same reason that cats can fall from higher elevations than humans without getting hurt and you can drop an insect from anywhere and it will not die when it hits ground. An elephant can die from a 1 meter fall.
The dangers of excessive individualism are nothing compared to the oppressiveness of excessive collectivism
nuff said...
nb: the same applies to humans under 1meter tall
--
Sal
Writings: saltation.blogspot.com
Wravings: go-blog-go.blogspot.com
On Soviet Russian space station, the vacuum and radiation study YOU!
And it's mostly right -- you certainly will never see that cringe-worthy bad-sci-fi staple of liquids "freezing and boiling at the same time."
-----
Ahem. Someone needs to learn about something called the triple point. At that temperature & pressure, the substance will exist in all three phases and be able to shift between them.
From the wiki link above:
"For example, the triple point temperature of water is exactly 273.16 kelvin (about 0.01 C) and the triple point pressure is 611.73 pascal (ca. 0.006 bar)."
This is high school physics, not sci-fi, man...
...then they could have the first solar powered barbeque in space...and could analyze the results within a few orbits.
I would think that, with charges pending, Michael Jackson wouldn't be allowed to leave California, let alone Earth.
Someday a real rain is gonna come...
So after the mannequin animates and turns into a space zombie, he'll be the closest guy to the station when the astronauts leave the station alone and do an EVA leaving it unoccupied (see article). Why is it that nobody at NASA has ever seen a space zombie movie? We know what is going to happen!
That sorta reminds me of truck drivers attaching stuffed animals to front of their rigs...
To test the effects of radiation on humans sounds like testing the effects of flies on Tickle Me Elmo...
--<Mike>--
Actually, it sounds to me more like a high-budget episode of MythBusters (http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/myt hbusters.html).
Since when did Jamie and Adam become astronauts?
...but we know it's really a scarecrow to keep away those pesky space aliens!
5 out of 4 people have trouble with fractions.
Eh... Two of the guys just wade around space in nothing but their airforce fighter suites. Heh!!
On a serious note, wouldn't the vac cause the eyes to explode?
It's really a scarecrow to keep the UFO's away
It was no dummy actually - it was Ralph Nader in another vain attempt to stroke his ego now that the re-election bid has failed to generate enough energy.
Forget the Russian and his smokes, the real point is the weight of American women. It's funny cause it's true.
Why don't these guys use a remote-controlled jet-propelled camera on a tether to inspect the outside of the station? Given the tech already in place, it should be almost trivial to build (heck I bet the guys up there could put one together in their spare time with parts available). I bet the space shuttle could use one too...
Sounds like they've turned the space station into a frat house. Maybe it's their way of saying, "Houston, send some women and alcohol up here, now!"
Nah, you're thinking of Trans-Europe Express!
study the effects of radiation on the human body
... etc etc.
..
Don't they *know* by now?
Chernobyl, God knows how many submarine accidents.
Atmospheric testing of nukes
Seems like we're funding a bunch of really *slow* scientists.
So for their benefit i'll type this s l o w l y
You take on a bunch of rads. You're fucked. Sheesh!
siggy played guitar
I belive you're referring to the Skylab space station with the thing about the umbrella. It was launched unmanned and was supposed to deploy automatically, but there was a problem due excessive vibration in the Saturn V rocket during launch. Because of this, a meteoroid shield ripped off alongside half of the solar panels, and the internal temperature reached around 50C.
The posterior manned mission Skylab 2 corrected the problem with a parasol that lowered the temperature to twentysomething degrees quite fast.
Or Justin Timberlake?
Tm
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If you ever get stranded outside of the ISS, just go real limp, because maybe you'll look like a dummy, and people will try to recover you because, hey, free dummy.
Those who sacrifice security to condemn liberty deserve to repeat history or something. - Benjamin Santayana
Ok. Let me get this straight...
2 Guys alone on a space station for a 6 month mission with a mannequin.
Nasa says, "Ok guys, bring the RealDoll Mk2 (Now with Skeleton and *MORE* organs!) outside and stick her to the hull so we can see what radiation does to her."
Astronauts, "Uhm, Mission control? We appear to have a problem, my uhm spacesuit water tube thingie? It's bent and stuff, and we have to go back inside. And we're like really busy an stuff for the next few months, so I don't think we'll be able to attempt this one again".
I expect a couple of lonely ISS residents requested a RealDoll for "research purposes", and this is what NASA sent them...
The good news is, we've discovered where Darl disappeared to...
What? Who the hell authorized putting the swallow tube in the same path as the breath tube?
This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
They'd better keep a close eye on it at all times, or else it will be bad news for Kim Cattrall.
Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?