In the photo I’m holding the latest gadget developed by our military. The device works in two modes. One allows eavesdropping on our colleagues in the American segment. You can … record all their conversations. Also, the device can be used for martial arts training – to be prepared for an alien attack on the Russian segment of the ISS. Guys, it’s just a joke, I hope you realize! It’s not some weapon or a spy gadget. Just an old pump that Roma and I replaced!

Surayev is the current flight engineer at the ISS, and the first Russian cosmonaut with a blog from space. It seems a lot more fun than the dry American’s. [Roscosmos—In Russian via Russia Today via Wired]

In May 2008, CNN Money estimated that due to inflation, that $US6 million surgery would cost slightly over $US26 million. But obviously the surgery in the original TV show wasn’t quite medically accurate, and creating those bionic parts from scratch would actually cost somewhere between $US50 million and $US100 million today — although after one successful prototype is completed, it could cost far less.

However, CNN Money posted this article before the world economy exploded. My learned estimate for how much the Six Million Dollar Man’s surgery would cost today? Twelve bucks and a beer. [CNN]

It is not surprising, but it is dispiriting, to realise how little the general public knows (or cares?) about space exploration. We seem to take for granted, that America is the leader in human spaceflight. Will it always be so?

Remember high school history? Remember Portugal? They dominated the seas way back when, and thus, dominated the known world. Then what happened? Did they get lazy? Rest on their laurels? Sure, they still are the only ones who make port wine (at least any that’s worth anything), but WTF, over? How about Rome? OK, maybe they just got too decadent. I never did see the X-rated movie Caligula, but it probably wasn’t too far off the mark. They got too full of themselves, and that was that.

So, what’s it going to take to get America enthralled again about space exploration? This was one of the questions we considered, on the Review of US Human Spaceflight Plans Committee, also known as the Augustine Committee, after our chairman, respected aerospace veteran, Norm Augustine. What do we have to do? Do we have to go chase imaginary aliens to get your attention?

The media generally missed the mark on understanding our report. How is this possible? Maybe I’m too close to it. I suppose I shouldn’t over-think this. I should give ‘em what they want. Alright then, here are the report highlights, from my perspective:

• The space program needs more money. NASA has been trying to do too much with too little for too long. Let’s either spend more money, or scale back our expectations.

• The Space Shuttle has been a magnificent, beautiful flying machine, but it is more fragile than we thought, and it is too expensive to operate. There is a case to be made to keep flying the Shuttle for a few more years, but only if we are going to base the next heavy launch vehicle on its technology.

• The International Space Station has been a great success, in that an international framework for cooperation has evolved. This is the future, not only in space exploration. In addition, there have been relevant, significant scientific results from research conducted onboard. The US should use this framework, to move exploration forward beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

• The Constellation Program was a reasonable path, five years ago, when the Vision for Space Exploration was first formulated. Since then, budget shortfalls have caused significant delays. Moreover, the goals evolved into a focus on getting astronauts back to the Moon, to the development of the Ares family of rockets and the Orion spacecraft. The public generally is bored with going back to the Moon, since we already did this forty years ago.

• Commercial crew access to LEO should be considered. Traditional aerospace companies can do this, and who knows? Maybe the startups can too, more efficiently. At any rate, the technology has existed for almost fifty years, it’s time to give it a try.

• Heavy Lift Vehicle: Let’s choose one, then, do it. Be it Ares-V, Ares-V Lite, Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle, or Shuttle Derived. Pick one.

Clear as mud? For a more detailed (yet, still very high-level) explanation, check out my blog.

Leroy Chiao, Ph.D. served as a NASA astronaut from 1990-2005. During his 15-year career, he flew four missions into space, three times on Space Shuttles and once as the co-pilot of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station. On that flight, he served as the commander of Expedition 10, a six-and-a-half month mission. Dr. Chiao has performed six spacewalks, in both US and Russian spacesuits, and has logged nearly 230 days in space.

Dr. Chiao is Gizmodo’s official astronaut (and “astroblogger”). On occasion, he still ponders strategies to hunt for imaginary aliens.

The dude’s nearly 80 years old by the way. He’s dual-wielding mobile phones, flyin’, rappin‘ and punching out lunatics. I want to be like him when I grow up. [Up Ship Thanks Jonathan!]

Apparently the stench can be a real morale buster when you’re quarantined by the vacuum of space.

The criteria were reportedly leaked by a representative from No 454 Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army, one of five hospitals putting 100 potential Chinese astronauts through 100 grueling mental and physical tests that, if passed, qualify them as “super-human beings” (as one hospital rep puts it). Of course, these gods among men might just floss twice a day and hit the elliptical on the weekends. And eat lots of parsley. That’s a good trick, we hear. [Sina English via Pop Sci]

When he returns to earth, astronaut Koichi Wakata is handing his underwear (boxers or briefs, I wonder) over to scientists to study how well everything held up after being worn for a month straight.

The supposed reason behind this test is to make astronauts’ lives easier since there isn’t a way to wash clothing in space, but I have the distinct feeling that the technology will be abused in horrible, horrible ways.

Photo by Space

[Yahoo]

Remember those “pillownauts”? Just like them, folks at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston are spending weeks at a time in bed, except they’re also spending an hour each day being spun around in a centrifuge designed by NASA. The idea is that creating an effect that feels like standing against “a force two and half times that of gravity” will assist in restoring muscle synthesis (and thereby possibly preventing muscle loss).

While the study takes detailed measurements of protein synthesis and muscle breakdown, UTMB associate professor Douglas Paddon-Jones warns that it’s not without flaws:

“[T]he rate of muscle protein synthesis alone does not necessarily predict changes in muscle function. But, he pointed out, it was still a strong indicator that a relatively brief intervention could have a positive effect in preventing zero-gravity muscle loss – one that might also be applied on Earth.

Paddon-Jones continues on to explain that joy rides in centrifuges aren’t the end-all solution to the muscle loss issues in space, but at least the study also has potential for clinical applications for the immobile and elderly suffering down here. [Journal of Applied Physiology via Science Daily]

Photo by LanceCheungImages

The suits shown here are part of a collection of Apollo-era artifacts on display right now at the National Air and Space Museum.

The exhibit is part of a 40th anniversary celebration for the event that attention-seeking idiots say never happened so that they can get a few extra clicks and adSense dollars on their crock conspiracy theory web site. Tons more pics over at io9. Can we go back now, please? [io9]

What’s cooler, walking on the moon or recording an album with Snoop Dogg and Talib Kweli? I’d say it’s a toss-up. [Funny or Die]