Ursa Bio (@UrsaBio) header
Ursa Bio (@UrsaBio) profile picture

bears, biotech, battlestar galactica

U.S.A., Earth
Joined November 2020
Photo by Ursa Bio (@UrsaBio)Photo by Ursa Bio (@UrsaBio)Photo by Ursa Bio (@UrsaBio)Photo by Ursa Bio (@UrsaBio)Photo by Ursa Bio (@UrsaBio)Photo by Ursa Bio (@UrsaBio)Photo by Ursa Bio (@UrsaBio)Photo by Ursa Bio (@UrsaBio)Photo by Ursa Bio (@UrsaBio)Photo by Ursa Bio (@UrsaBio)
When I see a picture like this, it is impossible not to feel energized about the future. I think it is so important for people to understand the profound implications of sending humans to another planet: - We will develop groundbreaking technologies in propulsion, habitability, power generation, in-situ resource utilization, and manufacturing—unlocking mission optionality from the Moon to Mars and beyond. - We will create systems, countermeasures, and pharmaceuticals to sustain human life in extreme conditions, addressing challenges like radiation and microgravity over extended durations. - These advancements will form the foundation for lower-cost, more frequent crewed and robotic missions across the solar system, creating a flywheel effect to accelerate world-changing discoveries. - The pioneering science, technology, and knowledge we gain will benefit life on Earth—economically, technologically, and socially—for all humankind. - This achievement will enable humanity to survive beyond Earth, serving as a hedge against catastrophic events that have shaped our planet’s past and will inevitably happen again. It is a critical step in overcoming the Great Filter. - While peaceful exploration and discovery remain the ultimate goals, space is also the strategic 'high ground'. It is America’s responsibility to lead—to ensure national security, maintain competitiveness and secure our place in this rapidly approaching & exciting future. Achieving such an outrageous endeavor--like landing American astronauts on another planet—will inspire generations of dreamers to build upon these accomplishments, set even bolder goals, and drive humankind’s greatest adventure forward 🇺🇸
2
629
On my first long-duration mission in 2002, resistance exercise options were limited; bone and muscle loss occurred faster than we wanted. By the time I returned for my nearly year-long stay in 2016–2017, we had the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device. It became my favorite piece of hardware on the Space Station. Two hours a day of combined resistance and aerobic work still doesn’t fully stop the changes, but it makes a meaningful difference in how strong and dense you stay; however, that loading alone isn’t enough for multi-year missions. On recent flights we’ve started looking at the cellular side—how stem cells and muscle repair mechanisms behave in microgravity. For future long-term missions, we’ll need smaller, more efficient hardware, better nutrition protocols, and targeted ways to protect the molecular machinery that keeps muscle and bone healthy.
7
16
1
129
2,844
Ursa Bio retweeted
Feet dangling over Earth at 28000 km/hr. Don’t look down! (Kidding - definitely look down, because Earth is stunningly beautiful).
51
337
24
2,494
46,692
Ursa Bio retweeted
Request granted. You Can See Everything coming soon to @Space_Station
14
75
47
1,916
70,313
Ursa Bio retweeted
Even the astronauts are gearing up to enjoy this for movie nights (plural because they’ll orbit twice over the duration of a screening)
Request granted. You Can See Everything coming soon to @Space_Station
1
7
562
Ursa Bio retweeted
26 years of continuous human presence in space. 🌍🚀 Since 2 November 2000, the @Space_Station has never been without a crew. And now, Sen's cameras are on board too, sharing live views of Earth from orbit. 26 years of humanity in space. Here's to the next chapter.
4
23
3
97
5,193
Ursa Bio retweeted
I fly a lot and have been tracking this stuff for the past few years using a Radiacode- a pocket-sized spectrometer. I expected much higher radiation rates on regular flights, but the data was actually fairly comforting. What you want is to minimise flying near the poles during space weather events- specifically solar radiation storms, when the Sun throws protons at Earth It is wild to me that people aren't that interested in space weather (or even know how much it affects things!). That airlines don't avoid certain paths during solar radiation storms (S3+) is a shame - exposing crew and passengers to much higher radiation I actively shift travel plans around space weather
One of the most underdiscussed recent cancer studies: Pilots and flight attendants die more from radiation-related cancers. Ground crews don't, and, the risk of other cancers isn't heightened.
26
40
4
555
59,306
Spent time with our astronaut candidates and Artemis III crew at @NASA HQ today. Different stages of training, but a shared determination to take on some of the most demanding endeavors of their lives. A lot will be asked of this group in the years ahead, and we’re looking forward to seeing what they accomplish!
36
103
3
859
30,779
At long last, SpaceX teases Starship HLS hardware. The company is working on Starship “Cabin 1,” a flight cabin including ECLSS systems for astronaut lunar landing testing operations. That Starship crew quarters tease is what a 21st century spaceship should look like.
6
11
234
4,850
Ursa Bio retweeted
LIVE: @NASAAdmin and agency leaders are sharing the latest updates on next year's Artemis III mission and our plans to return astronauts to the surface of the Moon by 2028. teapawt.net/i/broadcasts/1RJZzBdZY…
300
793
134
3,745
2,322,755
Last week @Soph_astro, @astro_hathaway and I took turns imaging each other’s internal organs for the @CNES EchoFinder-2 experiment.  This experiment aims to use augmented reality and artificial intelligence to allow astronauts without medical or ultrasound expertise to perform scans without any support from Earth.  This type of technology could prove invaluable for remote medical monitoring scenarios both on Earth and for @NASAArtemis missions to the Moon and Mars.
64
157
21
1,874
69,588
So much captured in this photograph. Joy & pain, family & flight, human & hardware. Love this! Go Crew-13!
Leaving Earth is hard. Leaving your family behind us harder. Before driving to the launch pad to fly to the @Space_Station; @csa_asc Astronaut, @Astro_Kutryk reached through the window for a final touch and goodbye to his pregnant wife. Behind every grand leap into the cosmos, is an extraordinary sacrifice made right here at home. #SpaceX #NASA #Crew13 #CSA #JoshuaKutryk 📷 Credit: Trevor Hicks for @TheLaunchPadX
10
92
5
1,918
49,974
He got it from his mama. Bear 89, aka Backpack, is the 2026 Fat Bear Week champ. Turns out hefty runs in the family. His mom, Holly the Duchess of Density, won in 2019. She carried him on her back as a cub and helped him survive a serious leg injury. Now her little Backpack has a crown of his own. 👑
567
11,935
1,556
139,781
12,550,407
Replying to @ID_AA_Carmack
I can assure you we have already been working on revisions to the planetary protection policies to bring them back in line with the common-sense principles originally established by COSPAR in the early days of planetary exploration and later reflected in Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty. We are needlessly adding extreme cost and time to robotic missions to Mars when the overarching goal is to send astronauts there as quickly and safely as possible.
33
69
18
972
39,437
.@NASA's @SpaceX Crew-13 members departed @NASAJohnson Space Center and arrived at @NASAKennedy Space Center on Saturday. The quartet is counting down to a launch aboard Dragon to the International Space Station on Thursday, Oct. 1.
This morning, the next crew destined for the International @Space_Station departed Houston -- until next year. Members of NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 -- NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov -- boarded NASA's T-38 aircraft for their flights to @NASAKennedy Space Center, where they're set to launch on October 1. Learn more about Crew-13: nasa.gov/mission/nasas-space…
29
81
10
678
143,717
Ursa Bio retweeted
“I would not be surprised if we start seeing the first human missions to Mars in the 2030s.” Pioneer Labs CEO @erika_alden_d, whose team is engineering five organisms designed to help create livable areas on Mars, lays out her timeline for the Red Planet: "There’s a launch window in 2028… It would be really awesome to also have a search for life and a test that we can grow a first Earth organism.” “There’s another launch window early 2031, and that’s the one where maybe we could actually go there and demonstrate something.” "I’d be shocked if SpaceX doesn’t try to get to Mars in 2028, but I think they might succeed in 2031.”
11
8
6
135
35,132
In Houston at the Off World conference today, NASA’s Jared Isaacman said there would be an “Artemis acceleration” event to discuss plans to bring forward the Artemis IV lunar landing in “early October.”
61
91
32
1,395
106,858
Four crew members from three space agencies will launch to the International Space Station no earlier than spring 2027 for a long-duration science expedition as part of @NASA’s @SpaceX Crew-14 mission. More... go.nasa.gov/4hcZ1um
26
111
9
790
108,089
Meet the first of five organisms in our plan to make Mars a friendly place for life. 🚀🌼
Replying to @erika_alden_d
The first microbe for Mars is a safe, useful first step toward terraforming. Read the announcement from @Pioneer__Labs, including links to three new papers: blog.pioneer-labs.org/p/anno…
17
17
1
101
17,121
All-In Summit: NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman A New Era for NASA and American Space Exploration (0:00) NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman lays out the state and future of NASA (17:59) Moon base, creating new space industries, NASA's next chapter (23:29) How to make Mars realistic (25:30) Recruiting, moonshots, the "Nuclear NASA," new vehicles and the importance of humans in space (32:43) Allocating capital toward scientific discovery and deep space research (35:46) Space Race 2.0: China and Russia @rookisaacman @NASAAdmin
38
145
40
801
1,024,387