Breakthroughs
Likened to Tricorder
Step by step it seems the
Tricorder,
both the general field model and the
medical
version, is becoming reality. A couple of recent scientific and medical
breakthroughs have been likened to Star Trek's tricorder concept.
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a handheld sensing
system that can be used in the field for chemical analysis, with such
applications as testing food for contaminants or detecting explosives
residue on luggage. The instrument is a miniature mass spectrometer
combined with a technique called "desorption electrospray ionization."
Unlike the conventional mass spectrometer — a cumbersome laboratory
instrument that analyzes specially prepared samples in a vacuum chamber
— the lightweight device can perform the ionization step in the air or
directly on surfaces, explains project leader R. Graham Cooks. "We like
to compare it to the tricorder because it is truly a handheld instrument
that yields information about the precise chemical composition of
samples in a matter of minutes without harming the samples," he said.
Read more in
this Purdue press
release.
In
another recent science story, medical researchers are one step closer to
analyzing disease without the need for invasive biopsies. Scientists in
California have discovered that X-ray images — like the CT scans a
cancer patient routinely gets — contain patterns that can help doctors
identify the unique genetic characteristics of a tumor, and thus lead to
a personalized treatment without having to remove body tissue. "In
almost every episode of Star Trek, there is a device called a
tricorder, which they used noninvasively to scan living or nonliving
matter to determine its molecular makeup,” said Dr. Howard Chang of the
Stanford University School of Medicine. "Something like that would be
very, very useful." For more, see
this Stanford press
release.
Sound
off on
Starfleet Forum!
STARFLEET (www.sfi.org),
the oldest U.S.-based Star Trek™ and science fiction fan
organization with thousands of members worldwide, announced
today a partnership with Space Services Inc. (www.spaceservicesinc.com),
an aerospace company based in Houston, Texas. A leader in
public participation spaceflight, Space Services is a
company whose heritage encompasses nearly 30 years of
leadership in private sector space missions and
applications.
North
Hampton, NH (PRWEB)
March 5, 2009 -- STARFLEET (www.sfi.org),
the oldest U.S.-based Star Trek™ and science fiction fan
organization with thousands of members worldwide, announced
today a partnership with Space Services Inc. (www.spaceservicesinc.com),
an aerospace company based in Houston, Texas. A leader in
public participation spaceflight, Space Services is a
company whose heritage encompasses nearly 30 years of
leadership in private sector space missions and
applications. Space Services' affiliate company, Celestis,
Inc. (www.celestis.com),
opened the space frontier to post cremation memorials in
1997 with the Founders Flight, sending 24 flight capsules
into Earth orbit aboard a Pegasus rocket.
Celestis
has conducted seven memorial spaceflights serving people
from 14 nations, including Star Trek™ creator Gene
Roddenberry, Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper, beloved Star
Trek™ actor James Doohan ("Scotty"), and men and women from
all walks of life. In an upcoming deep space mission - one
of Celestis' Voyager Service missions - two inspirational
members of the Star Trek™ community - Majel Roddenberry and
her husband Gene - will travel together into the final
frontier.
"We
are pleased to announce this partnership with STARFLEET and
to offer these compelling and unique opportunities to Star
Trek™ fans worldwide, which enable fans not only to offer a
very loving tribute to a loved one but also to be a part of
enabling further space exploration for generations to come."
Digitized
tributes to Majel and Gene Roddenberry from Star Trek™ fans,
submitted at
http://www.nameastarlive.com/roddenberry_message.asp,
will be flown with them into space on a Voyager Flight. Name
a Star Live is a public participation real space mission
which encourages and sparks the natural interest in all of
us to learn about our universe.
The partnership makes STARFLEET an authorized distributor
for Space Services Inc., and will provide its members with
special opportunities to participate in space missions that
reflect the spirit of adventure and the quest to explore
always present in Star Trek™, and to bringing science
fiction to science reality.
"We are pleased to announce this partnership with STARFLEET
and to offer these compelling and unique opportunities to
Star Trek™ fans worldwide, which enable fans not only to
offer a very loving tribute to a loved one but also to be a
part of enabling further space exploration for generations
to come," noted Celestis Founder and President Charles M.
Chafer.
"This is an exciting time to be a Star Trek™ fan and a
STARFLEET member," said STARFLEET Chief of Communications
Jonathan Lane. "With the release of the new Star Trek™
blockbuster movie this summer, we expect a large number of
new fans to join our club. This partnership, along with
others, provides us with the opportunity to offer our
members one of the best Star Trek™ fan experiences on this
planet or any other."
ABOUT
STARFLEET:
STARFLEET, The International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc.
is an organization of nearly 4,000 Star Trek™ and science
fiction enthusiasts that have united the world of fandom in
their appreciation of Star Trek™, the greatest human
adventure. Founded in 1974, STARFLEET has operated
continuously for 35 years, making it the oldest Star Trek™
fan association of its size in the world. This unique
organization has over 220 chapters globally, linking members
from one corner of the Earth to the other both in person and
through the Internet. STARFLEET is made up of people of all
ages and from all walks of life who have come together to
make new friends, share an interest in Star Trek™, science
fiction and space, and to serve their local communities.
For more information on STARFLEET, please visit
www.sfi.org
or call
1-888-SFI-TREK.
Sound off on
Starfleet Forum!
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