NASA has placed an order for space suits to be worn by astronauts on the new Orion capsule when it launches in 2015. Oceaneering International will design and manufacture the new suits, which will be better suited to astronauts' needs in space. The suits will allow astronauts to be real-life Transformers by swapping the rigid, protective panels of the suits (used during launch, landing, and trips to the International Space Station) for more flexible components to allow for natural movements when they're walking on the moon. Cool!
Check it out at http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14135-nasas-new-spacesuits-are-made-for-walking.html?feedId=online-news_rss20
Friday, June 13, 2008
Beauty and the Beak
Birds of Prey Northwest Ranch, Idaho
A bald eagle by the name of Beauty has received a prosthetic beak which may be the first of its kind. Years ago, Beauty lost the upper half of her beak when she was hit by a stray bullet in her home in Alaska. Rescued and taken in by Jane Fink Cantwell, Beauty was hand-fed for several years while she lived at the Birds of Prey Northwest Ranch.
A prosthetic beak was designed to help Beauty regain the ability to feed herself. While it may seem like a lot of work to save one bird, Cantwell points out that Beauty may still raise her own chicks or foster others. Though the bald eagle is no longer endangered, it seemed a waste to let an otherwise healthy adult starve for lack of a beak.
The new beak was applied to Beauty's face while she was fully conscious and gently restrained. It is technically a trial run, to be used to determine the perfect dimensions for a permanent prosthesis which will be made of tougher material. Although Beauty's caretakers do not plan on releasing her back into the wild, she will be able to live a relatively normal life on the ranch with the new beak.
To read more, and to see before and after photos, visit http://birdsofpreynorthwest.org/
A bald eagle by the name of Beauty has received a prosthetic beak which may be the first of its kind. Years ago, Beauty lost the upper half of her beak when she was hit by a stray bullet in her home in Alaska. Rescued and taken in by Jane Fink Cantwell, Beauty was hand-fed for several years while she lived at the Birds of Prey Northwest Ranch.
A prosthetic beak was designed to help Beauty regain the ability to feed herself. While it may seem like a lot of work to save one bird, Cantwell points out that Beauty may still raise her own chicks or foster others. Though the bald eagle is no longer endangered, it seemed a waste to let an otherwise healthy adult starve for lack of a beak.
The new beak was applied to Beauty's face while she was fully conscious and gently restrained. It is technically a trial run, to be used to determine the perfect dimensions for a permanent prosthesis which will be made of tougher material. Although Beauty's caretakers do not plan on releasing her back into the wild, she will be able to live a relatively normal life on the ranch with the new beak.
To read more, and to see before and after photos, visit http://birdsofpreynorthwest.org/
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