Community editor Sydney Mook reports that the spacesuits of the future are being designed at UND’s Human Spaceflight Laboratory. Pablo de León, professor and chair of UND’s space studies department, recently won a NASA grant for $750,000 to develop a 3D-printed spacesuit prototype for Mars and beyond, UND announced in a press release.
“We’re trying to build a prototype spacesuit that could eventually be manufactured on Mars or any other destination, thus cutting the dependence we have on today’s spacesuits,” de León said.
Herald reporters also are launching their election efforts this weekend to keep voters informed on the people and issues that will be on the North Dakota and Minnesota ballots.
For starters, journalist Sam Easter reports on November’s state Senate race, in which one set of candidates stands out: In District 18, GOP incumbent Scott Meyer, a surprise winner in red-wave 2016, will defend his seat against Democratic-NPL challenger Kyle Thorson.
Then business reporter Adam Kurtz visited with Ray Lee, who has opened a new auto repair shop in Grand Forks.
Lee, a long-time parts and service manager for dealerships around town, opened his business, Thunder Ray’s Auto Repair, on Sept. 1, at 2315 N. Washington St. The repair shop focuses on general auto repair, but technicians also work on classic and muscle cars. Getting the repair shop off the ground took nearly eight months of business counseling, but Lee’s lifelong love of cars began long before that.
Look for these stories and more in print and online on Saturday and Sunday.
