Study screening

I have applied to be a test subject at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Galveston, TX. It is a 80+ day bed rest. Here is more info from their web site:

Bed Rest Study

In order to study a person as if they were in space without gravity, NASA scientists use head down tilt bed rest. The 87 day study will follow the Bed Rest Project standard model and be conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Participants will live in a special research unit for the entire study and be fed a carefully controlled diet.

During the first 11-15 days of the study participants will be free to move around inside the bed rest facility and do normal things. They will also take part in a number of tests to find out the normal state of their bone, muscle, heart and circulatory system, brain and nervous system, and vestibular (inner ear balance) system as well as their nutritional condition and their ability to fight off infections.

After the first 11-15-day period, participants will spend 60 days lying in bed, (except for limited times for specific tests) with their body slightly tilted downward (head down, feet up). Every day, they will be awake for 16 hours and lights out (asleep) for 8 hours. During the bed rest time they will also take part in a number of tests to find out changes in the state of their bone, muscle, heart and circulatory system, and nervous system, as well as their nutritional condition and their ability to fight off infections.

During the final 14 days of the study (called the recovery period), participants will again be free to move about within the facility. Because of deconditioning that takes place during bed rest, they will slowly begin normal everyday activity. During the recovery period, they will again take part in tests of their bone, muscle, heart and circulatory systems, and nervous systems, as well as their nutritional condition and their ability to fight off infections.

Participants must be nonsmokers who are in good health with no history of cardiovascular, neurological, gastrointestinal, or musculoskeletal problems.

Individuals selected for screening will receive a physical examination at no cost. Once medically qualified, subjects will be compensated for their time spent for the required psychological assessment and any additional screening.

Maps in the mail

Over the last couple days, I received tourist maps in the mail from GVB (Guam) and MVA (Saipan, Tinian, and Rota). Some interesting and helpful info was included, so I think I will be able to make more headway on the Google Mapmaker project.

History of Americans captured in North Korea

2009 - Journalists Laura Ling & Euna Lee are arrested on the Chinese border by North Korean security forces and sentenced to 12 years in a hard labor camp.

1997 - A US helicopter is shot down over North Korean airspace, killing one pilot but leaving the other unharmed. Richardson is able to persuade North Korean authorities to release the pilot, US Army warrant officer Bobby Hall.

1996 - Tacoma, WA resident Evan Hunziker swims across the Yalu River on a dare and is imprisoned by North Korea. He is released when New Mexico governor Bill Richardson travels to North Korea on his behalf. Hunziker commits suicide less than a month after returning to the US.

1968 - The US radar vessel USS Pueblo is seized in international waters. All 82 crew were held captive by the North Koreans for 11 months, when they were allowed to cross the DMZ into South Korea.

1965 - US soldier Charles Jenkins defects to North Korea while on a patrol along the DMZ. Jenkins married Japanese citizen Hitomi Soga while there, and they had two daughters - the family finally managed to leave for Japan in 2004, after Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi personally asked Kim Jong-Il to release them.

1962 - US soldier James Dresnok defects to North Korea. As of 2009, he still lives there.

1962 - US soldier Joseph White defects to North Korea. His current whereabouts are unknown.

Road trip to Indiana

(K)
Originally uploaded by saipanrick

I took the postal exam yesterday, it was held in Evansville, IN... 1 & 1/2 hours' drive away. To kill some boredom, I stopped for pictures on the way home...

My Google Mapmaker stats for the last 4 days:

added to Mapmaker's Saipan section -

Road length (km) 20.0
Points of interest 1
Business listings 148
Regions (sq kms) 8.8
Feature edits 57

(Google) mapping Beach Road pathway

just a preview....

Google Street View?

I guess Google Mapmaker has been out since 2008... I only discovered it yesterday. Some folks in India and the Philippines have been adding streets and landmarks to the Saipan map, and since yesterday I have been updating street names using Maui Business Pages' 2000 Saipan directory as a general guide.

Below are some pictures of my progress using a residential area in Koblerville:

(before)

(after)

I have also corrected some roads and added other information. It takes a little while for the info to go live on Google Maps, but once that happens all 2 of my blog readers will be the first to know.