Houston, U.S.A. – NASA completed another successful test of the Orion crew vehicle’s parachutes high above the Arizona desert in preparation for the spacecraft’s orbital flight test in 2014. Orion will carry astronauts deeper into space than ever before, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and ensure a safe re-entry and landing.

A C-17 plane dropped a test version of Orion from an altitude of 25,000 feet above the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground in southwestern Arizona. This test was the second to use an Orion craft that mimics the full size and shape of the spacecraft.

Orion’s drogue chutes were deployed between 15,000 feet and 20,000 feet, followed by the pilot parachutes, which deployed the main landing parachutes. Orion descended about 25 feet per second, well below its maximum designed touchdown speed, when it landed on the desert floor.

“Across the country, NASA and industry are moving forward on the most advanced spacecraft ever designed, conducting drop and splashdown tests, preparing ground systems, designing software and computers and paving the way for the future of exploration,” said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters inWashington. “Today’s parachute test in Yuma is an important reminder of the progress being made on Orion and its ultimate mission — enabling NASA to meet the goal of sending humans to an asteroid and Mars.”

Orion parachutes have so-called reefing lines, which when cut by a pyrotechnic device, allow the parachute to open gradually, managing the initial amount of drag and force on the parachute. The main objective of the latest drop test was to determine how the entire system would respond if one of the reefing lines was cut prematurely, causing the three main parachutes to inflate too quickly.

Since 2007, the Orion program has conducted a vigorous parachute air and ground test program and provided the chutes for NASA’s successful pad abort test in 2010. All of the tests build an understanding of the chutes’ technical performance for eventual human-rated certification.

In 2014, an uncrewed Orion spacecraft will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Exploration Flight Test-1. The spacecraft will travel 3,600 miles above Earth’s surface. This is 15 times farther than the International Space Station’s orbit and farther than any spacecraft designed to carry humans has gone in more than 40 years. The main flight objective is to understand Orion’s heat shield performance at speeds generated during a return from deep space.

In 2017, Orion will be launched by NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), a heavy-lift rocket that will provide an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. Designed to be flexible for launching spacecraft for crew and cargo missions, SLS will enable new missions of exploration and expand human presence across the solar system.

Image Courtesy of  nasa hq photo

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Menlo Park, California, U.S.A. — The Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded SRI International a one-year grant to develop a novel therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune nervous system disease that affects about 400,000 people in the United States and more than two million people worldwide. There is currently no cure for this disorder, which can impair vision and movement.

The grant, funded through DoD’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, will support the development of an oral drug that targets miR-326, a molecule recently found to stimulate the production of immune system mediators known as T-helper 17 (Th17) cells. Patients with MS have high levels of miR-326, and Th17 is thought to play a critical role in causing MS and other autoimmune diseases.

The new therapy will inhibit miR-326 and block the production of Th17 cells. The novel, orally administered drug will be more convenient for patients than currently available treatments. MS treatments today often require frequent hospital visits for injections or intravenous infusions.

The new drug could also help patients who do not respond to existing medications, or who experience significant side effects as a result of taking them. ”New and more convenient and effective therapeutics for multiple sclerosis are greatly needed,” saidJennifer Lam, Ph.D., a research scientist in SRI’s Biosciences Division who is spearheading the project. “Our research is directed toward the development of a novel oral therapeutic as well as a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to MS.”

Innovations from SRI International have created new industries, billions of dollars of marketplace value, and lasting benefits to society—touching our lives every day.

The project described was supported by Award Numbers W81XWH-11-1-0736 from the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity. The content of the information does not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred

For more information about SRI International please visit www.sri.com

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Halifax, U.S.A. — Under a US Army contract valued at USD$4.2 million, MedMira will develop and commercialize this multiple rapid test which detects HIV, Hepatitis B and C simultaneously in 3 minutes from a single drop of blood.

MedMira Inc., a developer of rapid diagnostic technology and solutions, announced today that it has been awarded a U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) contract to develop and commercialize a rapid test capable of simultaneous detection of HIV and Hepatitis B and C.

The contract, awarded through a competitive bid process, involves a two-year base period and a 10-month option with a value of USD$4,266,144, if all options are exercised. MedMira presented its technology and multiple rapid tests, which met the U.S. Army’s advanced technology readiness level requirements. The Multiplo Rapid HBV/HIV/HCV Antibody Test resulting from this contract award will be deployed on the frontlines of military healthcare for use in emergency screening for transfusion transmitted diseases where no FDA approved donor screening tests are available. The military could also put the test to use during pre and post deployment screenings and civilian disaster relief efforts.

“We are thrilled to receive this new contract from USAMRAA for the development and commercialization of our Multiplo test. This contract award demonstrates the excellent fit between MedMira’s technology and products and military requirements. We have built a lasting relationship with the U.S. Army, delivering advanced diagnostic solutions that reduce the need for militaries to undertake ground-up development work,” said Hermes Chan, CEO, MedMira Inc. “MedMira’s technology and products are elegantly simple, portable, fast, and high quality. All of these attributes are mission critical in deploying diagnostic healthcare solutions on the frontlines of military healthcare.”

Chan continued, “Our team recently attended a conference focused on military pre-hospital trauma management where we heard first hand of the need for a multiple rapid HBV/HIV/HCV test from many of the leading experts, military personnel, and medical professionals in this field.”

Under contract number W81XWH-12-C-0151 the U.S. Army will fund all development costs and associated fees in obtaining a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) premarket approval (PMA) for this multiple rapid test. The scope of work under this contract will see MedMira advance and fully commercialize a multiple rapid test that will simultaneously detect three of the most serious infectious diseases, namely HIV-1/2, Hepatitis B, and C antibodies within three minutes using just a small drop of blood. Once approved, the product will be supplied by MedMira directly to the U.S. Army and to other customers throughout the world, both military and civilian, via the Company’s distribution network.

“A multiplexed test for transfusion transmitted diseases provides an enabling technology that will be used to mitigate risk in austere environments where emergency blood collections are necessary to save lives of severely wounded war fighters,” said Colonel Richard Gonzales, Product Manager, U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity.

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