Nasa reveals Mission to 'Touch the Sun' for Groundbreaking Parker Solar in 2018

Nasa reveals historic 2018 mission to 'touch the sun' in an attempt to predict devastating solar storms

Nasa is set to announce its ambitious plans to launch a probe mission directly into the atmosphere of the sun in a world first. Dubbed the Parker Solar Probe (PSP), the mission will launch a spacecraft from Earth in the summer of 2018. It will reach an orbit within four million miles (6.5 million km) of the sun and will measure activity at its outer surface, known as the 'corona'. The craft will collect vital information about the life of stars and their weather events, and will help scientists improve how we predict dangerous solar flares.

The spacecraft, dubbed the Parker Solar Probe,
will see a spacecraft launched from Earth in the summer of 2018,
to reach an orbit within four million miles (6.5 million km) of the sun's surface.
This will be seven times closer than any spacecraft that has ventured before it

Nasa announced its plans during a live stream event, which was held at the University of Chicago's William Eckhardt Research Centre Auditorium and broadcast on NasaTV. To start the event off, Professor Rocky Kolb, dean of the Division of the Physical Sciences at the University of Chicago, explained how the idea to study the sun up close was first explored at the University of Chicago in 1958. 'So many fundamental questions about solar wind remain unanswered,' he said. ‘We wanted to take the challenge of going to the worst thermal environment in the solar system - and surviving it,' added Dr Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of Nasa’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. 'We want to measure the environment there and find what the heating processes are that make the corona hot, and what processes accelerate the solar wind.'

Dr Zurbuchen then announced, live on air, that the probe - originally dubbed the Solar Probe Plus - was to be renamed the Parker Solar Probe after University of Chicago scientist Eugene Parker, who pioneered solar wind science. Dr Parker, who was also speaking at the event, responded: 'I am extremely honoured to be associated with this heroic space mission.' Dr Nicola Fox, mission project scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, then took to the stage.

She said that until now, Nasa didn't have the advanced materials needed to make such a close trip to the sun's corona. She added that the corona is actually hotter than the sun's centre, and that finding out why is a key part of the probe mission. 'I like to think of this as the coolest, hottest mission,' she said. Dr Fox said that Dr Parker's original 1958 paper on solar winds will travel on the probe along with pictures of him and a plate with a comment of his choice. She presented Dr Parker with a model of the new probe to thank him for his work.

This image shows the planned route and flybys of the PSP craft on its six-year mission

She explained that Parker Solar Probe will gradually 'surf' closer and closer to the sun, into its corona. The craft will to withstand higher temperatures than any probe that has come before it. 'We will finally touch the sun,' she said. Answering questions from the audience, Dr Fox described some of the state-of-the-art equipment that the Parker Solar Probe will carry. The craft's kit includes a white light imager called Whisper, which will take images of solar waves as the craft propels through them at high speeds. To measure the 'bulk plasma' of solar winds - which Dr Fox described as the 'break and butter' of the flares - a set of magnetic imaging equipment will also be stored on board. To conclude the conference, Dr Fox added: 'We've really come as far as we can with looking at things and it's time to pay it a visit.'

While minor details of the groundbreaking mission had surfaced earlier this year, the agency's press event will reveal a host of new information about the mission. The spacecraft will swoop within 4 million miles (6.5 million km) of the sun's surface next year - bringing it seven times closer to the sun's surface than any spacecraft before it. The craft will face extremes in heat and radiation and will reach speeds of up to 450,000 miles per hour (725,000 kph) at its closest flyby of the star. It is hoped that PSP can help scientists to better understand solar flares - brief eruptions of intense high-energy radiation from the sun's surface that can knock out communications on Earth.

Sources : Daily Mail

»»  Continue Reading...

Baby Born with 4 Legs has extra limbs removed in India

Indian Baby born with 4 LEGS has her extra limbs removed during a complex operation

The five-month-old, yet to be named, was born in January with her parasitic
twin brother fixed to her spine (pictured before surgery at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat)

A baby dubbed an 'alien' after she was born with four legs has had her extra pair removed during a complex operation.

The five-month-old, who is yet to be named, was born in January with her parasitic twin brother fixed to her spine. Local doctors were originally baffled as to why she had the extra limbs, and insisted that her mother, Surekha Muli, 22, was cursed. But after eventually getting a diagnosis, both she and her husband Pratap, 25, were forced to wait for months before she was allowed to have life-saving surgery. Surgeons finally performed the procedure last Wednesday, with the mother-of-four saying her family is now complete. Mrs Muli said: 'I felt so bad when people came to see my child, as if she was an alien.

'They would often pass comments and say I deserved it as I was cursed. I was helpless but I didn't lose hope.'  'I cannot even express my happiness in words and I cannot thank the doctors enough for their assistance and effort to save my child. 'I feel blessed to see my child normal now. Our family is now complete and life and can continue.' 

Surgeons finally performed the procedure to remove her extra appendages
 (pictured: scan of the girl taken before the operation)

Mrs Muli, from a small village in Gujarat, western India, was too poor to have an ultrasound during her pregnancy.  As a result, she was left completely unaware of her child's condition until they were delivered at a local hospital. Seeing the extra limbs on the girl devastated both Mrs Muli and her husband, Pratap, 25, a farmer who earns only Rs 100 (£1) a day. Doctors were unsure if the baby would even survive, forcing the family to seek medical help from various sources.

As weeks passed and the community became aware about the baby, Mrs Muli was called 'cursed' by cruel strangers. The couple eventually visited the government-run Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, in February. 

Sources: Daily Mail

»»  Continue Reading...

Mom Gives Birth Naturally to 13-lb (5.8 Kg) Baby Boy: 'I thought they were joking'

A Mississippi mom was shocked when she gave birth naturally to a 13-pound (5.8 Kg) baby boy.

Lauren Flaugher said she knew her son would be a bit large based on a scan carried out at 20 weeks but she never would have guessed just how big.

Baby boy weight 13 lbs or 5.8 kg

“The day before we had him, I had an appointment with the midwife and she guessed he would be 9-and-a-half, 10 pounds," Flaugher told InsideEdition.com. "We had no idea he would be 13 pounds."

After the mom gave birth without the use of drugs on May 3, the nurse tried to weigh baby Finnis on the spring scale usually used for newborns. But he was too heavy for it.

“She turned to me and said, ‘this isn’t going to work.’ At first I thought maybe they were trying to joke with me,” Flaugher said. "I thought, ‘oh my gosh, he must be enormous.’”

Flaugher's midwives pulled out the digital scale and the big bundle of joy weighed in at 13 pounds and .5 ounces.

“I kept saying, 'this can’t be right. This isn’t real life.' It was pretty incredible,” Flaugher said.

Flaugher said she had no complications and had a normal pregnancy. Finnis' 3-year-old sister, Aurea, was also a big baby, born at 9 pounds and 5 ounces.

“He decided he had to outdo his big sister,” she said.

Souces: MSN

»»  Continue Reading...

The Best Diet for Losing Fat and Building Muscle for Women

Losing Fat and Building Muscle has been a go-to for athletes for years.

If the latest avocado craze has taught us anything, it’s that people are finally accepting that fat is not the enemy. Researchers have known the benefits of fat consumption for years: Eat the good kind, and your body can shed extra pudge since it won’t need to hold onto it for basic bodily functions.

But there’s a diet that takes this concept a step further, revolving around high fat, moderate protein, and minimal carb intake. It’s called ketogenic, or “keto” for short—and though it’s been around for years, the diet has recently spiked in popularity, particularly among women looking to get lean. (Rumor has it Megan Fox and Adriana Lima are fans.)

Here’s how it works: By eating a very high amount of fat—as much as 75 percent of your daily calories—and next to no carbs (under 20 grams per day…that’s less than an apple’s worth), your body enters a phase called ketosis, where it produces little bodies called ketones. Instead of relying on glucose from carbs for energy and brain activity, your body uses the ketones, in turn burning fat.

While you wouldn’t want to go so low-carb if you’re trying to set a personal record for an endurance event, like a half-marathon (you need carbs to sustain energy for longer cardio sessions), recent research shows the keto diet is clutch for those looking to maximize their time in the weight room.

One recent study published in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine found that after eight weeks of resistance training, low-carb dieters saw equal strength gains to those who took in higher amounts of Cs. That’s because the lack of carbs had no detrimental effects on performance during the workouts—pretty awesome stuff. And several studies have shown that combining resistance training with a ketogenic diet can help dieters keep lean body mass fat while losing fat. Lean body mass is everything except body fat—it’s the kind of fat you want to keep when dropping pounds.

Sound like the perfect diet? Two words of caution: First, it can take two to four weeks of eating this way for your body to adjust and enter ketosis, so patience is key, says certified strength and conditioning specialist Carwyn Sharp, Ph.D., chief science officer for the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Second, it’s incredibly important that you actually go to the low-carb extreme. Any carbs should really be coming from your veggies. "You need to be practically empty on carbs for your body to enter ketosis," says certified strength and conditioning specialist Carwyn Sharp, Ph.D., the chief science officer for the National Strength and Conditioning Association. "If you don't enter ketosis and you don't have enough carbs to fuel activity and brain function [that's somewhere around 100 grams per day], you get the worst of both worlds." You won’t lose fat and you’ll be hangry and moody.

So ditch the calorie counting (which can be a bit frightening when your diet consists healthy fats like meats, avocados, olive oil, eggs, cheese, and nuts)—but carb counting is a must.

Sources: MSN

»»  Continue Reading...