Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States with strokes coming in at number four. Since these diseases most often strike in later years rarely do we think of children when we think of cardiovascular health problems. However, a recent study by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that adolescents are performing poorly when it comes to cardiovascular health.
Not surprising: diet and exercise are the key culprits when it comes to poor cardiovascular health with youth. For Partnering for Youth (PFY), the after school program in Queen Anne?s County and a Foundation for Community Partnerships Fund, these facts served as a teaching opportunity. Since the beginning of this year, PFY has been teaching the science behind cardiovascular health in the county?s middle schools through an interactive program called the Cardio-Fit Project. Funded by a $192,000 grant from the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation?s Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM program, the Cardio-Fit Project mixes instruction about fitness and heart health with physical exercise and training during after school program programming.
Now area families have the opportunity to learn about the Cardio-Fit Project at an upcoming interactive fitness expo on Saturday, December 1, at Kent Island High School, Stevensville, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The free event is open to the public. Featured activities include: ? Ticker Trot 5k Run/Walk and Fun Run ? Basketball and flag football competitions ? Exhibits featuring health, wellness, nutrition, athletic leagues, fitness equipment and products ? Health screenings ? Zumba, yoga and boot camp demonstrations
5k Run/Walk and Fun Run
Non-refundable pre-registration for the 5K Run/Walk is $15, which includes a race t-shirt. Race Day registration is $20. Register online at MarylandTeamSports.com by November 30th. The free Fun Run is open to children age 10 years and younger. For more information contact Rick Tyng at (410) 758-4177 or richard.tyng@qacps.org.
?We have more than 300 middle school students participating in the Cardio-Fit project, and we are seeing incredible results in both what the students are learning and how it is improving their cardiovascular health,? says Kim Umberger, Partnering for Youth Program Director. ?Taking this program to the greater community through the expo will allow us to make an even bigger difference to area families,? she adds.
Last spring four middle schools participated in the Cardio-Fit Project with a total project enrollment of 349 students, ages 11-14. Thirty activities were offered. In post session surveys, 93% of the participants reported ?improved knowledge of fitness & nutrition.? Baseline health assessments were collected from 311 participants and 284 performed the PACER test (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run) that measures aerobic capacity. To measure the project this fall, Cardio-Fit participants will perform the pre and post knowledge test and continue with health assessments and PACER testing.
?We are beginning to see the benefits that the Partnering for Youth Cardio-Fit Project can offer in decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease,? said James W. Blasetto, MD, MPH, Chairman of the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation. ?The youth of Queen Anne?s County are benefitting from an innovative program that aims to improve cardiovascular health.?
The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation?s Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM program was launched in 2010 through a charitable contribution of $25 million from AstraZeneca. The program awards grants of $150,000 and up to U.S.-based non-profit organizations that are doing innovative work in the field of cardiovascular health. The Partnering for Youth Cardio-Fit Project focuses on screening initiatives that identify patients with or at-risk of cardiovascular disease as well as innovative education programs aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease by inspiring youth, families and the community to develop healthy eating habits and physically active lifestyles.
In photo: Kim Umberger, Partnering for Youth Program Director, right, works out fitness expo details with Rick Tyng, Partnering for Youth Project Coordinator. The Cardio-Fit Expo will be held Saturday, December 1, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kent Island High School, 900 Love Point Road, Stevensville. Funded by AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation?s Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM program, the Expo is open to the public. All activities except the 5K Run/Walk are free. For more information contact Rick Tyng at (410) 758-4177 or richard.tyng@qacps.org.
The Aimless Saunter: Searching for Gratitude skip to main | skip to sidebar
Searching for Gratitude
?
If I have seemed to have been preoccupied with death and dying recently, I think it?s because death and dying have been preoccupied with me.?? I have a tendency to be a bit morose on the best of days, so cover me in a shroud of mourning and mortality and watch me devolve into what can best be described as ?the dark place.?? Since the first of August, my family has lost my sister, my mother, my uncle and just a week ago, my cousin.?? Meanwhile, my Dad has been dealing with ongoing health issues and now my brother is in the hospital for the week of Thanksgiving.??
?
Yes, I?ve been in ?the dark place.???? It?s not very pretty here, and I?m not very fun to be around.??? I?ve been describing my thought process lately as ?Swiss cheese,? with big empty holes where logic or short term memory used to reside.??? My mind is muddy, and my self-pity has been keeping me from finding my way out.
?
I would be content enough to wallow in all this for a good long while, I think.??? It?s an excuse for lots of things.??? I can be anti-social, sullen, sarcastic, bitter?and it?s so easily explained by my loss rather than just being my ?go-to? place when I?m not happy with myself.??? Like the crutch of ?comfort food? (and I went there too?with gleeful and gluttonous abandon), playing the ?woe is me? card is the easy way to deal.
?
After the punch in the gut of a loved one?s death, sometimes you need another punch in the gut to wake up.?? On Monday afternoon, Shelby called to tell us that one of her fellow music majors had died Sunday night in a house fire.?? I had seen the news reports that day and seen the smoldering rubble on television.?? The report was that three had survived but one had not.?? Turns out that the woman had three children (ages 12, 8 and 5) which she got out of the house, but then she returned to save the family dog and never came back out.???? Horrible as this is, we learned that her husband had died in late August of heart disease.??
?
So now these kids have lost their father, their mother and all their earthly possessions in the course of 3 months.?? ?The immensity of this just breaks my heart.???I know how hard it has been for me to deal with death in the last few months, but at their age?to watch their mother go back inside that smoking home and not return?the fear and pain must be immeasurable.??
?
For the first time since Mom died I was sincerely overcome by incredible gratitude that I had been able to have her in my life for as long as I did.?? I was able to see past the loss of the moment and see how fortunate I was.?? She was there for me through so many important moments in my life.??? She was able to share her special kindness and love with my children, who are old enough to have those memories and carry her with them for the rest of their lives.???
?
Over the course of my life, I received so many smiles and so many hugs.??
?
I am grateful on this first Thanksgiving without her, that I have so many Thanksgiving memories of her.?? Mom was the warm heart of our family, and she gave a piece of herself to each of us.?? My self-pity would not honor her.???
?
Last weekend I was cleaning up messages on my phone and was grateful to find two with my mother?s sweet voice speaking to me.? ?One was wishing me a happy birthday last year and the other was from this summer when she was checking in to see if I was okay.??? She always worried over us.?? She worried about me travelling and flying so much.??? I?m grateful she doesn?t have to worry any more.
?
This has been the hardest year of my life.?? Sometimes it seemed like too much, but that?s only because when I look back, my burden had been pretty light for the most part and I hadn?t built up the strength to carry a heavy load.??? I should be grateful for that.?? I?ve had a great life.??? I?ve been blessed with loving parents and siblings, an incredible wife, wonderful children, and good friends.?? When I start to stoop from the load I?m carrying, they lift me up.?? The faith my parents instilled in me lifts me up as well.??? If I just let go, my burden will be light once again.
DUBLIN (AP) ? The Irish government removed three doctors Tuesday from its investigation into the death of an ailing woman who was denied an abortion in an Irish hospital, a case that has exposed Ireland to worldwide criticism.
Prime Minister Enda Kenny told lawmakers he hoped the move ? barely 24 hours after Ireland unveiled the seven-member panel ? would allow the woman's widower to support the probe into why Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old Indian dentist, died Oct. 28 while hospitalized in Galway.
Kenny's U-turn came hours after her husband, Praveen Halappanavar, said he would refuse to talk to the investigators and would not consent to their viewing his wife's medical records because three of the Galway hospital's senior doctors had been appointed as investigators.
Kenny said that the three doctors would be replaced by other officials "who have no connection at all with University Hospital Galway. In that sense the investigation will be completely and utterly independent."
" A man's wife has died. Nothing will bring her back," Kenny said. "But it is important for our country, for our people, for the family, for everybody concerned to ascertain the truth of what happened here. And this investigation can hopefully do that with the cooperation of Mr. Halappanavar."
Halappanavar did not immediately respond to the prime minister's reversal. He previously also faulted the Irish probe on several points, because it would not be a public inquiry involving witnesses testifying under oath.
His wife was 17 weeks pregnant with what would have been their first child when she was admitted to Galway's hospital Oct. 21 suffering from severe pain. Doctors quickly established she was miscarrying, with her cervix already dilated and amniotic fluid leaking.
But for three days, the husband said, doctors refused their requests for a termination because the 17-week-old fetus still had a heartbeat.
Praveen Halappanavar said one of the doctors insisted they couldn't remove a living fetus because Ireland "is a Catholic country." He said five hospital officials and a family friend witnessed this Oct. 24 comment at his wife's bedside.
After the fetus died Oct. 25, its remains were surgically removed, but Savita Halappanavar's health rapidly faded as internal infections spread and her internal organs gradually failed. A coroner determined she died from blood poisoning and e.coli bacteria potentially contracted at the hospital.
The chairman of the probe, Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, said he hoped to have a face-to-face meeting with Halappanavar to persuade him to change his mind about talking to investigators because his testimony on his wife's care would be central to identifying problems.
Arulkumaran, a native Sri Lankan who practices and teaches at St. George's Hospital in London, is one of the world's leading authorities on fetal monitoring and maternal health.
The case has highlighted Ireland's failure to legislate in line with a two-decade-old Supreme Court judgment that women should receive abortions in cases where the pregnancy places their lives at risk. The court found this should be the only exception to Ireland's constitutional ban on abortion.
In an interview with The Irish Times, Halappanavar said he doubted Ireland would have done anything public had he not spoken out.
He noted that he received zero communication from the hospital and Health Services Executive during the two weeks following his wife's death, when he returned her body to India for a Hindu funeral and cremation.
"It is a pity because I thought Ireland would care more for someone so young who died. That let me down. ... Maybe Savita was born to change the laws here," he told The Irish Times.
The European Court of Human Rights two years ago ruled that Ireland was placing pregnant women in jeopardy by not providing a clear law defining when life-saving abortions can be performed. Ireland has yet to reply substantively to that judgment.
The government insists it should not present any abortion legislation until after the Halappanavar investigation is completed in February. It vowed to block an opposition bill unveiled Tuesday seeking the parliament's immediate approval of the 1992 Supreme Court judgment.
Sound bullets in water Public release date: 19-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Charles E. Blue dfdmedia@aps.org 301-209-3091 American Institute of Physics
Sound waves are commonly used in applications ranging from ultrasound imaging to hyperthermia therapy, in which high temperatures are induced, for example, in tumors to destroy them. In 2010, researchers at Caltech led by Chiara Daraio, a professor of aeronautics and applied physics, developed a nonlinear acoustic lens that can focus high-amplitude pressure pulses into compact "sound bullets." In that initial work, the scientists demonstrated how sound bullets form in solids. Now, they have done themselves one better, creating a device that can form and control those bullets in water.
The nonlinear acoustic lens is constructed from chains strung with stainless-steel spheres that are oriented parallel to one another -- and squeezed together -- to form an array. The gadget was inspired by Newton's cradle, a popular toy that consists of a line of identical balls suspended by wires from a frame. When an end ball is pulled back and released, it slams into the next ball, causing the last ball in the line to fly outward. Similarly, in the acoustic lens, striking one end of the array generates compact nonlinear pulses of sound -- solitary waves that propagate through the lens and can be tightly focused on a target area; when they coalesce at this focal point, they produce a significantly amplified version: the sound bullet. These intense pressure waves may be used to obliterate tumors or kidney stones -- leaving surrounding tissues unharmed -- or probe objects like ship hulls or bridges for unseen defects.
In the new work, the lens has been made more accurate, and a waterproof interface, which efficiently transmitted the pulses, was inserted between the chains and water. "We use water as a target medium with the idea that the acoustic lens could be used for underwater imaging and/or biomedical applications," says postdoc Carly Donahue, who helped refine the device.
"Currently, our work is fundamental in nature. We are focused on demonstrating proof of principle and establishing the technical strengths and weaknesses, which will inform the future design of engineering devices for specific applications," she adds. "For example, using these systems in biomedical applications requires reducing their dimensions and learning about the related scaling effects. Creating commercially viable devices will require the involvement of industrial partners."
Donahue discusses the technology and its potential applications in a talk at the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting, which will take place November 18-20, 2012 at the San Diego Convention Center, located near the historic Gaslamp District on the waterfront, in San Diego, California. The talk, "An Experimental Study of a Nonlinear Acoustic Lens Interfaced with Water," is at 4:45 pm on Sunday, November 18, 2012, in Room 30E.
###
MORE MEETING INFORMATION
The 65th Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics will take place from November 18-20, 2012, in San Diego, Calif. It will bring together researchers from across the globe to address some of the most important questions in modern astronomy, engineering, alternative energy, biology, and medicine. All meeting information, including directions to the Convention Center, is at: http://apsdfd2012.ucsd.edu/
USEFUL LINKS
Main Meeting Web Site: http://apsdfd2012.ucsd.edu/
Directions and Maps: http://apsdfd2012.ucsd.edu/?page=Venue_and_Maps
PRESS REGISTRATION
Credentialed full-time journalists and professional freelance journalists working on assignment for major publications or media outlets are invited to attend the conference free of charge. If you are a reporter and would like to attend, please contact Charles Blue (cblue@aip.org, 301-209-3091).
SUPPORT DESK FOR REPORTERS
A media-support desk will be available. Press announcements and other news will be available in the Virtual Press Room (see below).
VIRTUAL PRESS ROOM
The APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Virtual Press Room will be launched in mid-November and will feature news releases, graphics, videos, and other information to aid in covering the meeting on site and remotely. See: http://www.aps.org/units/dfd/pressroom/index.cfm
GALLERY OF FLUID MOTION
Every year, the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics hosts posters and videos that show evocative images and graphics from either computational or experimental studies of flow phenomena. The outstanding entries are selected for their artistic content, originality, and ability to convey information. They will be honored during the meeting, placed on display at the 2013 APS March Meeting, and appear in the annual Gallery of Fluid Motion article in the American Institute of Physics' journal, Physics of Fluids.
Selected entries from the Gallery of Fluid Motion will be hosted as part of the Fluid Dynamics Virtual Press Room. In mid-November, when the Virtual Press Room is launched, another announcement will be sent out.
This release was prepared by the American Institute of Physics (AIP) on behalf of the American Physical Society's (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD).
ABOUT THE APS DIVISION OF FLUID DYNAMICS
The Division of Fluid Dynamics of the American Physical Society (APS) exists for the advancement and diffusion of knowledge of the physics of fluids with special emphasis on the dynamical theories of the liquid, plastic and gaseous states of matter under all conditions of temperature and pressure. See: http://www.aps.org/units/dfd/
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Sound bullets in water Public release date: 19-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Charles E. Blue dfdmedia@aps.org 301-209-3091 American Institute of Physics
Sound waves are commonly used in applications ranging from ultrasound imaging to hyperthermia therapy, in which high temperatures are induced, for example, in tumors to destroy them. In 2010, researchers at Caltech led by Chiara Daraio, a professor of aeronautics and applied physics, developed a nonlinear acoustic lens that can focus high-amplitude pressure pulses into compact "sound bullets." In that initial work, the scientists demonstrated how sound bullets form in solids. Now, they have done themselves one better, creating a device that can form and control those bullets in water.
The nonlinear acoustic lens is constructed from chains strung with stainless-steel spheres that are oriented parallel to one another -- and squeezed together -- to form an array. The gadget was inspired by Newton's cradle, a popular toy that consists of a line of identical balls suspended by wires from a frame. When an end ball is pulled back and released, it slams into the next ball, causing the last ball in the line to fly outward. Similarly, in the acoustic lens, striking one end of the array generates compact nonlinear pulses of sound -- solitary waves that propagate through the lens and can be tightly focused on a target area; when they coalesce at this focal point, they produce a significantly amplified version: the sound bullet. These intense pressure waves may be used to obliterate tumors or kidney stones -- leaving surrounding tissues unharmed -- or probe objects like ship hulls or bridges for unseen defects.
In the new work, the lens has been made more accurate, and a waterproof interface, which efficiently transmitted the pulses, was inserted between the chains and water. "We use water as a target medium with the idea that the acoustic lens could be used for underwater imaging and/or biomedical applications," says postdoc Carly Donahue, who helped refine the device.
"Currently, our work is fundamental in nature. We are focused on demonstrating proof of principle and establishing the technical strengths and weaknesses, which will inform the future design of engineering devices for specific applications," she adds. "For example, using these systems in biomedical applications requires reducing their dimensions and learning about the related scaling effects. Creating commercially viable devices will require the involvement of industrial partners."
Donahue discusses the technology and its potential applications in a talk at the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting, which will take place November 18-20, 2012 at the San Diego Convention Center, located near the historic Gaslamp District on the waterfront, in San Diego, California. The talk, "An Experimental Study of a Nonlinear Acoustic Lens Interfaced with Water," is at 4:45 pm on Sunday, November 18, 2012, in Room 30E.
###
MORE MEETING INFORMATION
The 65th Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics will take place from November 18-20, 2012, in San Diego, Calif. It will bring together researchers from across the globe to address some of the most important questions in modern astronomy, engineering, alternative energy, biology, and medicine. All meeting information, including directions to the Convention Center, is at: http://apsdfd2012.ucsd.edu/
USEFUL LINKS
Main Meeting Web Site: http://apsdfd2012.ucsd.edu/
Directions and Maps: http://apsdfd2012.ucsd.edu/?page=Venue_and_Maps
PRESS REGISTRATION
Credentialed full-time journalists and professional freelance journalists working on assignment for major publications or media outlets are invited to attend the conference free of charge. If you are a reporter and would like to attend, please contact Charles Blue (cblue@aip.org, 301-209-3091).
SUPPORT DESK FOR REPORTERS
A media-support desk will be available. Press announcements and other news will be available in the Virtual Press Room (see below).
VIRTUAL PRESS ROOM
The APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Virtual Press Room will be launched in mid-November and will feature news releases, graphics, videos, and other information to aid in covering the meeting on site and remotely. See: http://www.aps.org/units/dfd/pressroom/index.cfm
GALLERY OF FLUID MOTION
Every year, the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics hosts posters and videos that show evocative images and graphics from either computational or experimental studies of flow phenomena. The outstanding entries are selected for their artistic content, originality, and ability to convey information. They will be honored during the meeting, placed on display at the 2013 APS March Meeting, and appear in the annual Gallery of Fluid Motion article in the American Institute of Physics' journal, Physics of Fluids.
Selected entries from the Gallery of Fluid Motion will be hosted as part of the Fluid Dynamics Virtual Press Room. In mid-November, when the Virtual Press Room is launched, another announcement will be sent out.
This release was prepared by the American Institute of Physics (AIP) on behalf of the American Physical Society's (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD).
ABOUT THE APS DIVISION OF FLUID DYNAMICS
The Division of Fluid Dynamics of the American Physical Society (APS) exists for the advancement and diffusion of knowledge of the physics of fluids with special emphasis on the dynamical theories of the liquid, plastic and gaseous states of matter under all conditions of temperature and pressure. See: http://www.aps.org/units/dfd/
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Unemployment hurts more than your wallet ? it may damage your heart. That's according to a study linking joblessness with heart attacks in older workers.
The increased odds weren't huge, although multiple job losses posed as big a threat as smoking, high blood pressure and other conditions that are bad for the heart.
The researchers analyzed data on more than 13,000 men and women aged 51 to 75 taking part in an ongoing health and retirement survey partly sponsored by the National Institute on Aging. Since 1992, participants have been interviewed every two years about their employment and health.
The new analysis has several limitations. The data show periods of unemployment but don't indicate whether people were fired, laid off, out of work while switching jobs, or had voluntarily left a job. The researchers considered all of these situations "job losses," but it's likely the greatest risks for heart attacks were from being fired or laid off, said researcher Matthew Dupre, an assistant professor at Duke University and the lead author. Retirement was not considered unemployment
Sarah Burgard, a University of Michigan researcher who has studied the relationship between job loss and health, called the research solid but said it would be important to know the reason for the unemployment.
"There probably are differences in consequences of job loss when it's voluntary or more or less expected" and when it comes as a sudden shock, said Burgard, who was not involved in the study.
The analysis appears in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine. An editorial in the journal says the study adds to decades of research linking job loss with health effects and that research should now turn to examining how and why that happens.
Theories include that the stress of losing a job may trigger a heart attack in people with clogged arteries or heart disease; and that the unemployed lose health insurance and access to medical care that can help keep them healthy, Burgard said.
The analysis covers 1992-2010. Participants were mostly in their 50s at the study's beginning and were asked about their job history, and about employment status and recent heart attacks at subsequent interviews. People who'd had heart attacks before the study began were excluded.
Nearly 70 percent had at least one job loss, or period of unemployment after working at a job, and at least 10 percent had four or more before and/or during the study period.
There were 1,061 heart attacks during the study. Those with at least one job loss were 22 percent more likely to have a heart attack than those who never lost a job. Those with at least four job losses had a 60 percent higher risk than those with none. Men and women faced equal risks.
Even though the odds linked with job loss weren't huge, many participants already faced increased other risks for a heart attack because of obesity, high blood pressure or lack of exercise.
"Any significant additional risk is important," Dupre said.
???
AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner
ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) ? Three astronauts touched down in the dark, chilly expanses of central Kazakhstan onboard a Soyuz capsule Monday after a 125-day stay at the International Space Station.
NASA's Sunita Williams, Russian astronaut Yury Malenchenko and Aki Hoshide of Japan's JAXA space agency landed at 07:56 a.m. local time (0156 GMT) northeast of the town of Arkalyk.
Eight helicopters rushed search-and-recovery crew to assist the crew, whose capsule did not parachute onto the exact planned touchdown site due to a minimal delay in procedures.
With the departure of the outgoing crew, NASA astronaut Kevin Ford has taken command of the space station, where he remains with Russian colleagues Oleg Novitsky and Yevgeny Tarelkin. They will be joined next month by NASA's Tom Marshburn, Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, and Russia's Roman Romanenko.
The Soyuz is the only means for international astronauts to reach the orbiting laboratory since the decommissioning of the U.S. shuttle fleet in 2011.
Williams, Malenchenko and Hoshide undocked from the space station Sunday at 1023 GMT to begin their return to earth.
Around 28 minutes before touchdown, the three modules of the Soyuz craft separated, leaving the 2.1-meter tall capsule to begin its entry into orbit.
A series of parachutes deployed to bring the capsule to gentle floating speed.
Winds pulled the descent module on its side in the snowy terrain, which is a common occurrence, but the crew was nonetheless swiftly hoisted out by the recovery crew and lifted onto reclining chairs and swaddled in blankets to shield them from the 12 Fahrenheit degree (-11 Celsius degree) temperature.
The chairs are designed to afford the astronauts comfortable acclimatization after months of living in gravity-free conditions.
"For me, everything was very good," a smiling Williams told recovery staff, speaking in Russian.
Malenchenko has now spent 642 days in space, making him the sixth most experienced space traveler in history.
Williams has a spent a total of 322 days in space over two missions. She and Hoshide conducted a crucial spacewalk earlier this month to work on a leaky radiator system outside the space station.
That took Williams' total cumulative spacewalk time to 50 hours and 40 minutes ? a record for a female astronaut.
NASA says the returning expedition conducted a range of scientific experiments while at the space station, included testing radiation levels on the orbiting outpost, assessing the effects of microgravity on the spinal cord, and investigating melting glaciers, seasonal changes and human impacts on the ecosystem.
The crew was to be taken to the town of Kostanai, from where Williams and Hoshide would board a Gulfstream jet for a trip to Houston, Texas, while Malenchenko was to return to a Russian space facility outside Moscow.
NASA footage showed celebrating recovery workers at the landing site erecting a sign marking the successful touchdown.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vZPZfO5TzrqlWkKAeAFkKjoLIp_GymmhJFeAeVnScTc8HGsxCfH6SzNp3ZzASAQJ_gY_JMXCQBXW3OV9_PKCi_2Gf6h7E1rK5ToqH0_Eo=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 19-Nov-2012
Share ]