According to the pictures sent back from a high-resolution camera, the 600 embryos, which were put under the camera, developed from the 2-cell stage, an early-on embryonic cleavage stage, to blastocyst, the stage where noticeable cell differentiation occurs, around 72 hours after SJ-10’s launch. The timing was largely in line with embryonic development on Earth, according to CAS.
But we still have no idea what happens in partial gravity. And they didn’t bring them to term.
Jon Goff has a blog post on a recent FISO telecon. One of the implications for all of these options, of course, is that SLS makes no sense.
I’ve had my differences with him over the years, but he has a piece in the WSJ with which I basically agree. I’d say the only thing he gets wrong was that it was Apollo itself that set us on the wrong path. The Shuttle was just a symptom of Apolloism.
[Behind the paywall, but do a Google search for “Mission to Nowhere” and it should come up]
Tory Bruno and Gwynne Shotwell have very different space-business philosophies. I think that Gwynne is right, but the good news is that for now, the two companies are more complementary than competitive. And the Air Force will want to continue to maintain two providers.
Alan Boyle interviewed him on stage on Tuesday afternoon. Here’s the transcript.
What he said may have been new concepts to many, but they’re all ideas that go back decades. The difference is that he’s funding them himself, and not waiting for the government to do it.
Bob Zimmerman has some thoughts.
A nice video of the history.
Is the ISS the last aluminum spacecraft?
Maybe for spacecraft launched from earth, but I think it partly depends on sources of materials. There’s a lot of aluminum on the moon, and not much carbon.
Bridenstine has introduced his bill. It has its own domain. Haven’t read yet, but will have thoughts when I have.
The NASA History Office has issued a new book, that is quite long, but has some interesting-looking essays in it.