SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2015 HEALTH & SCIENCE April 12 - International Day of human space flight

MOSCOW: On April 12, 1961, the USSR opened the (also transliterated as Korolev) was the head of the Chief designer of the Soviet space program, who were present were formally inducted into the era of manned spaceflight, with the flight of the first principal design group; his official title was “chief Sergei Korolev, decided that the cosmonauts must cosmonaut group. By mid-June all twenty were per- cosmonaut (Russian name for space travelers), Yuri designer” (a standard title for similar positions in the be male, between 25 and 30 years old, no taller than manently stationed at the center. In March the cos- Gagarin. USSR). The USSR’s program was split among several 1.75 meters, and weigh no more than 72 kilograms. monauts were started on a daily fitness regime, and Gagarin’s flight, part of the Soviet Vostok space competing design groups led by Korolyov, Mikhail The final specifications for cosmonauts were were taught classes on topics such as rocket space exploration program, took 108 minutes and consist- Yangel, Valentin Glushko, and Vladimir Chelomei. approved in June 1959. By September interviews systems, navigation, geophysics, and astronomy. ed of a single orbit of the Earth. The first Soviet rocket with animals aboard with potential cosmonauts had begun. Although the Due to the initial facility’s space limitations, the The theory of space exploration had a solid basis launched in July 1951; the two dogs were recovered pilots were not told they might be flying into space, cosmonauts and staff were relocated to a new facili- in the Russian Empire before the First World War alive after reaching 101 km in altitude. This and sub- one of the physicians in charge of the selection ty in Star City (then known as Zelenyy), which has with the writings of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857- sequent flights gave the Soviets valuable experience process believed that some pilots had figured this been the home of Russia’s cosmonaut training pro- 1935), who published pioneering papers in the late with space medicine. out. Just over 200 candidates made it through the gram for over fifty years. The move officially took 19th and early 20th centuries and in 1929 intro- Because of its global range and large payload of place on June 29, 1960. duced the concept of the multistaged rocket. approximately five tons, the reliable R-7 was effective The first manned spaceflight, Vostok 1 in April Practical aspects built on early experiments carried as an excellent basis for a space vehicle. The Soviet 1961, was preceded by several preparatory flights. In out by members of the reactive propulsion study plan to launch a satellite was approved by Soviet the summer of 1960, the Soviets learned that the group, GIRD (founded in 1931) in the 1920s and leader Nikita Khrushchev in January 1956. Plans were Americans could launch a sub-orbital manned 1930s, where such pioneers as Sergey Korolyov-who approved for Earth-orbiting satellites (Sputnik) to gain spaceflight as early as January 1961. Korolev saw this dreamed of traveling to Mars - and the German- knowledge of space, and four unmanned satellites, as an important deadline, and was determined to Russian engineer Friedrich Zander worked. On Zenit. Further planned developments called for a launch a manned orbital mission before the August 18, 1933, GIRD launched the first Soviet liq- manned Earth orbit flight by 1964 and an unmanned Americans launched their manned suborbital mis- uid-fueled rocket Gird-09 and on November 25, lunar mission at an earlier date. sion. By April 1960, designers at Sergei Korolev’s 1933, the first hybrid-fueled rocket GIRD-X. After the first Sputnik was lifted off Korolyov was design bureau, then known as OKB-1, had complet- Over its sixty-year history, this primarily classified charged to accelerate the manned program, the ed a draft plan for the first Vostok spacecraft, called military program was responsible for a number of design of which was combined with the Zenit pro- Vostok 1K. This design would be used for testing pioneering accomplishments in space flight, includ- gram to produce the Vostok spacecraft. Still influ- purposes; also in their plan was Vostok 2K and ing the first intercontinental ballistic missile (1957), enced by Tsiolkovsky -who had chosen Mars as the Vostok 3K, which would be used for all six manned first satellite (Sputnik-1), first animal in space (the most important goal for space travel - in the early Vostok missions. dog Laika on Sputnik 2), first human in space and 1960s the Russian program under Korolyov created interview process, and by October a series of Earth orbit (cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on Vostok 1), substantial plans for manned trips to Mars as early as demanding physical tests were conducted on those First woman in space first woman in space and Earth orbit (cosmonaut 1968 to 1970. With closed-loop life support systems remaining, such as exposure to low pressures, and a The first woman in space was former civilian para- Valentina Tereshkova on Vostok 6), first spacewalk and electrical rocket engines, and launched from centrifuge test. By the end of 1959, 20 men had chutist Valentina Tereshkova, who entered orbit on (cosmonaut Alexey Leonov on Voskhod 2), first large orbiting space stations. been selected. Of these 20, five were outside the June 16, 1963, aboard the Soviet mission Vostok 6. Moon impact (Luna 2), first image of the far side of desired age range; so the age requirement was The chief Soviet spacecraft designer, Sergey the moon (Luna 3) and unmanned lunar soft landing Cosmonaut selection and training relaxed. Korolyov, conceived of the idea to recruit a female (Luna 9), first space rover, first space station, and first By January 1959, the Soviets had begun prepara- On January 11, 1960, Soviet Chief Marshal of cosmonaut corps and launch two women concur- interplanetary probe. tions for human spaceflight. Physicians from the Aviation Konstantin Vershinin approved plans to rently on Vostok 5/6. However, his plan was changed The rocket and space program of the USSR was Soviet Air Force insisted that the potential cosmo- establish the Cosmonaut Training Center, whose to launch a male first in Vostok 5, followed shortly performed by Soviet engineers and scientists after naut candidates be qualified Air Force pilots, arguing exclusive purpose would be to prepare the cosmo- afterward by Tereshkova. 1955, and was based on some unique Soviet and that they would have relevant skills such as exposure nauts for their upcoming flights; initially the facility On November 3, 1963, Tereshkova married fellow Russian theoretical developments, many derived by to higher g-forces, as well as ejection seat experience. would have about 250 staff. By March, most of the cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev, who had previously Konstantin Tsiolkovskii, sometimes known as the The candidates had to be intelligent, comfortable in cosmonauts had arrived at the training facility; on flown on Vostok 3. On June 8, 1964, she gave birth to father of theoretical astronautics. Sergey Korolyov high-stress situations, and physically fit. March 7 Vershinin gave a welcome speech, and those the first child conceived by two space travelers. Mexico closes 10 cosmetic surgery clinics in border city

MEXICO CITY: Mexican authorities have ordered the show they were legally in business. closure of 10 cosmetic surgery clinics and offices in the Inspectors also found they were using expired and northwest border city of Tijuana for failing to comply unregistered products. Two other clinics were fined but with health regulations. not closed. In the case of the Australian woman, 28- The action, announced on Wednesday, follows the year-old Eva Nicole Sarmonikas, investigators also death last month of a young Australian woman after found expired medicines and other products in the clin- undergoing a liposuction procedure in Mexicali, anoth- ic where she underwent liposuction. er city on the US border. Three operating rooms and an The doctor who operated on her is under investiga- intensive care center in Mexicali were closed March 30 tion for suspected medical negligence by the Baja after her death. The cheaper and sometimes unregis- California state prosecutor’s office. tered medical practices along the border are often A crackdown under President Enrique Pena Nieto has geared to visiting Americans and other foreigners. led to the closing of 90 clinics and offices that specialize Tijuana lies just south of San Diego, California. in cosmetic medicine since he took office in 2012. The Federal Commission for the Protection Against Eight cosmetic medicine practices were closed in Health Risks, known as Cofepris by its Spanish acronym, mid-March in the Caribbean beach resorts of Cancun said the latest clinics ordered to close were unable to and Playa del Carmen in eastern Mexico. —AFP

ALLAHABAD: A medic administers a Japanese Encephalitis vaccine to an infant as part of Mission Niger isolates bird flu farm Indradhanush immunization drive at a government hospital in Allahabad, India, yesterday. Mission Indradhanush is a nationwide campaign that aims to immunize all children against seven vaccine preventa- NIAMEY: Niger has identified a sus- outbreak of H5N1 avian flu. A now there was no risk of human ble diseases namely diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis. —AP pected outbreak of avian flu on a number of nations in the region, infection in Ivory Coast, said Dr. chicken farm in the southern town where borders are highly porous Daouda Coulibaly, head of epidem- of Maradi, near the border with and millions rely on poultry farm- ic surveillance at the ministry of WHO warns of Caesarean ‘epidemic’ Nigeria which has confirmed cases ing as an income earner, last faced health, who worked to contain the of H5N1 bird flu in several northern a major outbreak of bird flu in 2006 outbreak. “Currently we’re in GENEVA: The UN’s World Health Organization on Friday tion according to WHO figures, “there is a culture of ‘let’s go states. Authorities in Niger said late 2006. Bangana Ibrahim, Niger’s the phase of monitoring animal warned that too many women in developing and wealthy for Caesarean’,” Temmerman added. on Wednesday they had isolated livestock minister, said authorities health,” he told Reuters. “If at some countries alike are resorting unnecessarily to Caesarean Since the mid-1980s, doctors have said the ideal rate of the farm and banned the transport suspected bird flu on the Maradi point it’s confirmed there are cases sections to give birth. Other pregnant women with a real C-sections should range between 10 and 15 percent, of all poultry out of the town, the farm after more than half of the among our poultry, we’ll roll out medical need for a C-section simply do not have access to though the health community is working on establishing a third largest in the country, as they 2,440 chickens on it died. Ibrahim phase two, which is to protect the the operation, the WHO added. new recommendation. waited for samples to be tested in said that all poultry imports from population because, in being “In a lot of developing and developed countries, there is “If a country... has a rate that is below 10 percent, you Italy. any nation that had confirmed bird exposed to that poultry, they too really an epidemic of Caesarean sections, even when there can see that there are more mothers and babies dying The suspected cases in Niger flu had been banned as of April 7. could be infected.” At least five is no medical need,” said Marleen Temmerman, director of because (there is) no access,” Temmerman said. come a week after neighbouring Ivory Coast and Mali have imposed people have died from bird flu in the WHO’s reproductive health department. In countries “We see women dying” in some countries because they Burkina Faso also confirmed an similar preventative measures. For Egypt this year. —Reuters like Brazil, where some 53 percent of births are by C-sec- cannot be operated on in time, she added. —AFP