Crew-6 : Houston,We Have a Podcast

Crew-6: Hear from the Crew-6 cadre ahead of their launch to the International Space Station. HWHAP Episode 277.

FDA Grants Moderna/Merck Therapy Breakthrough Status

On 22 February 2023,Moderna and its partner Merck announced that Moderna's MRNA cancer vaccine MRNA-4517/V940 and Merck's Keytruda(R) cancer therapy have been granted breakthrough therapy status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.That means the FDA will fast-track its review of the new combination therapy.The Moderna cancer vaccine,when administered with Merck's Keytruda(R) cancer therapy following complete surgical resection,prevented recurrence of advanced melanoma skin cancer (stage III/IV) in 44% of patients in a Phase 2b clinical trial.Preliminary breakthrough designations are given when evidence indicates that the product may demonstrate substantial improvement over available therapies on at least one clinically significant endpoint. The new therapy is given for the adjuvant (prevention of cancer returning) treatment of patients with high-risk melanoma following complete surgical resection (removal).The two companies are to begin a Phase 3 clinical trial of the novel therapy.Moderna and Merck want to investigate the new therapy as an adjuvant treatment for other forms of cancer,including non-small cell lung cancer.* Earlier,the FDA granted breakthrough status to Moderna's MRNA vaccine against respiratory syncitial virus (RSV) which proved highly effective (more than 80%) at preventing RSV in a clinical trial.RSV is a serious threat primarily to children younger than five and older adults.RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization of babies.In the US,it kills an estimated 100-500 children a year and about 14,000 adults a year,but the estimate is suspected to be lowball.* Merck & Co Inc (MRK),Moderna Inc (MRNA)

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 Mission to the Space Station (Official Trailer) - the first Arab astronaut on a long duration spaceflight - launch window opens 27 February 2023 at 1:45 am EST

Breakthrough Starshot: A voyage to the stars within our lifetimes - Astronomy magazine

Breakthrough Starshot: A voyage to the stars within our lifetimes: Using laser-propelled lightsails, tiny spacecraft could venture to the Sun’s nearest neighbor in just a few decades.

Space Station – Off The Earth, For The Earth - Roscosmos Reviews Soyuz,Progress Vehicle

Space Station – Off The Earth, For The Earth

The Himalayan Peaks - NASA - For the best view,click on the photo.

The Himalayan Peaks: The Himalayan peaks are pictured in this oblique photograph from the International Space Station.

NASA Selects Blue Origin to Launch Mars’ Magnetosphere Study Mission

NASA Selects Blue Origin to Launch Mars’ Magnetosphere Study Mission: NASA has awarded Blue Origin, LLC of Kent, Washington, a task order to provide launch service for the agency’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission as part of the agency's Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract.

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Meets Mars! Green Comet 2023 Live Stream of rare conjunction - It's a rare sight of a comet at its closest to another planet.

About Palomar Observatory, a world class research center

Palomar Observatory is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and administered by the Caltech Optical Observatories.It is located atop Palomar Mountain in north San Diego County,California.Local businesses and communities are known to install shielded lighting to preserve the Observatory's viewshed.The Observatory was founded by George Ellery Hale (1868-1938),who was basically an early heliophysicist and discovered the Sun's magnetic fields.Hale oversaw the design,funding and construction of the 200 inch Hale Telescope for the rest of his life.Completed and named in his honor posthumously,it was the world's largest telescope for 45 years.He also played a leading role in the establishment of the Yerkes and Mount Wilson Observatories. Today,there are three active research telescopes at Palomar:the 200 in/5.1 m Hale Telescope;the 48 inch/1.21 m Samuel Oschin Telescope;and the 60 inch/1.5 m telescope.The latter two,plus a robotic camera,constitute the Zwicky Transient Facility,which is dedicated to the search for and sourcing of astronomical optical transients.It is a wide-scale sky optical survey.* Palomar is a world class center of astronomy and astrophysics research with astronomers and astrophysicists from Caltech and other domestic and international partners.It operates every clear night and is considered an iconic facility for scientific advancement;instrument development;and student training,the Observatory said.* Besides the three research telescopes,there are three instrumentation projects ongoing:Gattini IR,a near infrared transient survey project;PARVI,a star radial velocity measurement project;and the Next Generation Palomar Spectrograph (NGPS).Besides Caltech,Observatory associates include Yale University;NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory-Caltech;and the National Optical Observatories of China (NAOC).

Green Comet 2023 Live Stream - C/2022 E3 ZTF Telescope View - Palomar Observatory,San Diego County,California

About the Green Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

The Green Comet is green because its head contains diatomic carbon.This is a form of carbon molecule with two atoms of carbon each.When the comet draws near the Sun,the diatomic carbon gives off a green glow because of a chemical reaction with the solar wind.* The Green Comet is believed to have originated in the Oort Cloud.The Oort Cloud is a theoretical construct referring to the most distant area of the solar system.It is thought to contain icy celestial bodies such as comets.The Oort Cloud is far beyond Pluto.It is so far away,it is believed to be one quarter to one half the distance to the nearest star,Proxima Centauri.No spacecraft has ever visited the Oort Cloud.Indeed,Voyager I will need another 300 years to reach it.* The Green Comet will not return for 50,000 years.When it was last visible from Earth,Neanderthals co-existed with Cro-Magnon,or modern humans.

Green Comet 2023 Live Stream - C/2022 E3 ZTF Telescope View - Zwicky Transient Facility Telescope, Palomar Observatory,California

AI is helping us search for intelligent extraterrestrial life - Astronomy magazine - radio astronomy

AI is helping us search for intelligent extraterrestrial life: AI’s ability to identify ‘technosignatures’ missed by classical algorithms is an exciting step forward for radio astronomers.

Bear market's final leg looms as weak earnings season, says Morgan Stanley's Mike Wilson