" MIT Mars Gravity Project (Mice in Space) " (see below)
May 15 RSVP: ... 617-253-5340, pwyoung@...

"Race for First Flight / Langley vs. Wright Brothers"
June 12 John Anderson

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" MIT Mars Gravity Project (Mice in Space) "
NEW ENGLAND SECTION
Meeting
Wednesday, May 15, 2002



Last fall, the Mars Society announced a challenge to design. build,
and fly a private biosatellite mission to help understand the medical
effects of living in reduced gravity. Students at MIT, the University
of Washington, and the University of Queensland are now developing
the "Translife Biosatellite" program. This groundbreaking mission
will fly a "crew" of six to nine female mice and their young to study
the effects of Mars level gravity on mammalian physiology and development:
the first opportunity to study mammals living for a prolonged period in
partial-g and the first mammalian births on orbit. The team currently
plans to launch the seven-week mission in 2004 or 2005 and recover it
safely in the Australian desert. The talk will cover the challenges
and opportunities of the mission to date and future plans for turning
this dream into a reality.

Paul Wooster is a senior in the MIT Department of Aeronautics and
Astronautics and is currently serving as the Project Manager for the
Translife mission, coordinating work across the three universities
and heading up fundraising and publicity efforts. As a Royal Canadian
Air Cadet throughout High School, he developed a love for gliding,
flying, and aerospace. Paul has been a leading player in a number
of design programs, including the FIRST Robotics Team at Etobicoke
Collegiate Institute and his own computer programming and Internet
development company. More recently, he has taken on the challenge
of space, heading up a proposal team for a Low-Cost Mars Sample Return
mission, running a feasibility study for a private Mars Airplane, and
working on the design and testing of a new kerosene/liquid oxygen rocket.

Erika Brown is a graduate student sharing dual appointments in the MIT
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Harvard/MIT Health
Sciences and Technology program. She has a bachelor's degree in
Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and is a graduate
of the International Space University's Summer Session Program in
Bremen, Germany. As the Translife Science Team Lead, Erika works
with the space medicine community to maximize the science value of
the biosatellite and to recruit established researchers to serve as
Principal Investigators for the mission. A life-long space enthusiast,
she spends much of her free time doing educational outreach, including
coordinating local efforts for the Mars Society and developing high
school curriculum on space physiology.

PLACE:
MIT, Aero & Astro Building, Room 33-116, Mass. Ave., Cambridge, MA
TIME:
6:00 PM Pizza Dinner and Social hour
7:00 PM Program
COST:
$5.00 Members/$7.00 Non-members/Free Students.
FREE if not an AIAA member and you sign up for membership this evening.

RSVP: Please reserve by Monday, May 13, 2002 by contacting
Col. Peter Young (617-253-5340, pwyoung@...).
If leaving a message, please include a contact phone number or e-mail address.

Directions: MIT's Aero & Astro Building is on the southeast corner of
Mass Ave and Vassar St, across Mass Ave from the Student Center and
Athletic facilities. The building is marked "Guggenheim Aeronautical
Laboratories" and is set back from the street. Room 33-116 is on the
first floor adjacent to the Aero-Astro Library. Parking on Vassar Street
should be available. There is also a garage on Vassar Street. If you
need directions to MIT, please ask when you make your reservation.


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