"Have we ever put people back on the moon since Apollo? I was just curious if there were plans to ever go back. Never hear anything about it."
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Question
What is the effect of microgravity on the coagulation system?
In microgravity, crystals grown in space without touching the walls of their containers are of markedly higher quality than Earth-grown crystals. This has been offered as an explanation for the changes seen in coagulating blood in microgravity. As an example, antithrombin crystals were used in experiments conducted by Dr. Daniel Carter of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL. The antithrombin protein, which controls blood coagulation in human plasma, is very difficult to grow in Earth- based laboratories because of the forces of gravity. However, its successful growth in space made it possible to further define antithrombin's molecular model and understand how it works in the human body, which has important implications for medicine.
See http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/newsroom/news/releases/1997/97-008.html for more information.
October 29, 2001
- How frequently are questions answered?
- I asked a question but there was no answer?
- Who is the Astrobiologist answering these questions?
- Will I get an email when my question is answered?
- What college courses should I take to become an astrobiologist?
- How can I get a job as an astrobiologist at NASA?
- Have aliens visited Earth? Are UFOs real?
- Is there a planet or brown dwarf called Nibiru or Eris that is approaching the Earth and threatening our planet with widespread destruction?
- Is it true that the Sun will be in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy in December 2012 and that this will cause a pole shift and massive destruction.
- Has NASA discovered life on other worlds?
- Astrobiology Career Path Suggestions