[SpaceProgram] Request: accountability frameworks for makerspace governance?

Fri May 27 04:26:34 CEST 2016

On Fri, May 27, 2016 at 7:43 AM, Sam Tobin <sam.tobin at nrsnz.com> wrote:

> Diminishing return guys/girls...
>
> I've worked on large ESA projects with massive overheads and scrutiny, and
> on tiny garage-based projects. Accountability, workplans etc are tools...
> and as always one needs the right tools for the task at hand.
>

I'm not sure where in any of these I implied that scrutiny is an end in
itself. I certainly don't view it that way.

>
> I've also worked for a philanthropist group, and (might be unique, but
> maybe not)...
>

Not unique, but .... the watchword these days in philianthropy these days
is "metrics". Which I'm sure everybody hates. Why? Too much money into too
little good done.

> they were mostly interested in outcomes, not details.
>

One person's mere detail is another's outcome.

Measuring what comes out is pretty meaningless if you don't also measure
what goes in. I once paid a guy $2000 to code up a module for a database
project for a small business client. I trusted the guy. I figured he knew
the technology better than I did. It turned out, the function he wrote for
me was already available in the database system we were using. I felt
stupid, it hurt, and it also hurt the client -- I was in no situation to
eat the waste, I just had to pass the cost on and hope nobody ever probed
into the system and made an issue of it.

Trust is great grease. You can move faster with it. But sometimes it puts
you on the skids toward corruption.

With SpaceGAMBIT, $20,000 went to a group that promised open source but
never checked in a single line of code. It seems that nobody was watching,
nobody was setting milestones, or noticing delays in reaching them. It
seemed that nobody cared. It was "free" money from taxpayers. DARPA was
used to a high failure rate, so who would care if it failed? Don't get in
the team's way with all this bureaucracy of accountability. No, think about
their creative needs. What if the reporting requirements made them all
depressed or something?

> Simply put, the approach was to trust the person/group, check outcomes,
> repeat with person/group at larger $ scale if good.
>

Check outcomes against ... what reasonable expectation, given the inputs?
Trust based on ... what, initially? You're telling me nobody was ever
looking at a schedule to make sure it wasn't egregiously padded? Nobody was
ever looking at procurement requests to see if the item was really needed?
You had no such process? And everything was peachy?

Excuse me, that's a little hard to believe. I've seen it work in startups
where we could all see each other across a big room, all knew each other
fairly well, very "flat" hierarchy, all invested in success of the product,
not in status or comfort or "what we can get away with." It was heavenly.
But it didn't last. Because the VC's idea of success is a company that
reaches altitude and stays there because it /does/ have all those annoying
controls.

And most startups fail. How many fail because the trade-off between
precision in self-monitoring versus creative productivity wasn't right for
the mission at hand? That's an intrinsically difficult thing to determine
after the fact. I know.

If you paw through the ruins of one startup I was involved in, you'd find
invoices for a $120/hour consultant who made us a version control system we
didn't like, an expense never openly questioned at the time. You'll also
find the details of initiative to control the supply cabinet more
carefully, since the same manager who signed off on the $120/hour
consultant also had a tendency to take mechanical pencils home and forget
to bring them back. He announced the new supply cabinet policy (with his
mea culpa about missing items, mind you). I pointed out that his innocent
waste wasn't even a drop in the bucket of the money-gasoline that fed our
burn rate. He got angry. He said, "It's the little things that kill you."
No, guy: it's the big things, going unmonitored. Like that invoice from the
consultant who simply added up all his hours for the past week, week after
week, with one line item: "version control system." I bought my options at
10 cents a share. I got cashed out years later -- at 10 cents a share.
Lesson learned: if you've got cannons rolling around on the deck, chain
them to something.

Measures of trust, estimates of difficulty, measures of plausibility in
estimates, measures of progress, measures of effectiveness of effort -- we
do this all the time, every day, mostly without numbers. The degree of
precision and formality changes depending on what we're doing and who we're
dealing with.

You all trusted each other? That's a wonderful thing. But when you're
asking for money, and nobody knows you yet, you're going to face distrust.
Try it sometime, if you've forgotten. Or, try this:

I want $2,000 so that I can put together a really good KickStarter
campaign. It's for one of my space projects. It'll be good. Trust me.
You'll love the results. And you say that's all you want to look at:
results. I'll send you my Paypal details. I promise you, they'll be the
only details you'll need to look at, until we're done. Do we have a deal?

Regards,
Michael Turner
Executive Director
Project Persephone
K-1 bldg 3F
7-2-6 Nishishinjuku
Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 160-0023
Tel: +81 (3) 6890-1140
Fax: +81 (3) 6890-1158
Mobile: +81 (90) 5203-8682
turner at projectpersephone.org
http://www.projectpersephone.org/

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward
together in the same direction." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

>
>
>
> On 27 May 2016 at 05:08, Michael Turner <michael.eugene.turner at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I'm sure that's been your experience, Matt. Subjectively, it has also
>> been mine. I've chafed under accountability frameworks in almost every
>> organization I've ever been in. They've always felt like a "massive,
>> worthless drain."
>>
>> Here's the thing, though: the ones that didn't have them, fell apart.
>> Sometimes in very embarrassing ways. And one thing I've learned in trying
>> to work with nonprofits in some parts of the world is that if you ask for
>> accountability, and get only indignation in response, you're better off
>> turning away and not bothering with those people ever again. They are on
>> the take. I don't want to be like them. When potential donors say, "I need
>> to look at how you spend money," I want to be in a position throw all the
>> verification at them that they could possibly want, and more. They'll want
>> to know that the level of parasitism in my organization is acceptably low.
>> How can I blame them?
>>
>> Permit a biological metaphor: a fair amount of any creature's metabolism
>> goes into supporting its immune system. It's a lot. It's a massive,
>> worthless drain, actually. Until there's an infection, or a cluster of
>> mutant cells that might turn into a malignant tumor.
>>
>>
>> Regards,
>> Michael Turner
>> Executive Director
>> Project Persephone
>> K-1 bldg 3F
>> 7-2-6 Nishishinjuku
>> Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 160-0023
>> Tel: +81 (3) 6890-1140
>> Fax: +81 (3) 6890-1158
>> Mobile: +81 (90) 5203-8682
>> turner at projectpersephone.org
>> http://www.projectpersephone.org/
>>
>> "Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward
>> together in the same direction." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
>>
>> On Fri, May 27, 2016 at 1:26 AM, Silence Dogood <matt at nycresistor.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> In my experience, working for a space agency, people who are interested
>>> in "setting up a framework in which every iota of effort on funded
>>> projects can be tracked, and every penny of spending can be recorded."
>>>  are usually a massive worthless drain on the project and very interested
>>> in inserting themselves in places they have no earthly business being, just
>>> to justify their continued leeching upon the project.  And, more often then
>>> not, they cost more than they benefit anyone... not just in fiduciary cost,
>>> but in time, complexity, and general nuisance factor introduced into the
>>> day to day operational workflow of the group working on the project.
>>>
>>> -Matt
>>>
>>> On Thu, May 26, 2016 at 12:13 PM, Michael Turner <
>>> michael.eugene.turner at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Matt, in my experience of hackerspaces, there's lots of bitter argument
>>>> by people who aren't contributing much of anything, much of the time. I
>>>> tried. Eventually, I walked. I contributed time, money, equipment, project
>>>> ideas ... but ultimately, I walked. I felt pretty alienated by know-it-all
>>>> attitudes and a kind of knee-jerk anti-authoritarianism that prefers
>>>> unproductive chaos to reasonable order.
>>>>
>>>> So, again:
>>>>
>>>> I'm interested in setting up a framework in which every iota of effort
>>>> on funded projects can be tracked, and every penny of spending can be
>>>> recorded. I'm interested in this because I'll need donors at some point,
>>>> and donors typically require high transparency -- and results. I'd like to
>>>> hear from makerspace leaders who've been successful at setting up such
>>>> frameworks.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>> Michael Turner
>>>> Executive Director
>>>> Project Persephone
>>>> K-1 bldg 3F
>>>> 7-2-6 Nishishinjuku
>>>> Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 160-0023
>>>> Tel: +81 (3) 6890-1140
>>>> Fax: +81 (3) 6890-1158
>>>> Mobile: +81 (90) 5203-8682
>>>> turner at projectpersephone.org
>>>> http://www.projectpersephone.org/
>>>>
>>>> "Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward
>>>> together in the same direction." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, May 27, 2016 at 1:08 AM, Silence Dogood <matt at nycresistor.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> In open source, committers walk and everyone else talks... and is
>>>>> promptly ignored.  If you think something can be done better, do it
>>>>> better.  Leadership is an act of demonstrating a better path forward.
>>>>> Decrying folks is not productive.  We know success when we see it,
>>>>> everything else is just more of the same.
>>>>>
>>>>> So, stop bitching, and go make a difference.
>>>>>
>>>>> -Matt
>>>>>
>>>>> On Thu, May 26, 2016 at 12:03 PM, Michael Turner <
>>>>> michael.eugene.turner at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> "You have to admit, Michael, that nearly every email you've sent has
>>>>>> been a slash and burn."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'm destructive? What's more destructive: criticism of corruption, or
>>>>>> corruption?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>> Michael Turner
>>>>>> Executive Director
>>>>>> Project Persephone
>>>>>> K-1 bldg 3F
>>>>>> 7-2-6 Nishishinjuku
>>>>>> Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 160-0023
>>>>>> Tel: +81 (3) 6890-1140
>>>>>> Fax: +81 (3) 6890-1158
>>>>>> Mobile: +81 (90) 5203-8682
>>>>>> turner at projectpersephone.org
>>>>>> http://www.projectpersephone.org/
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking
>>>>>> outward together in the same direction." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Fri, May 27, 2016 at 12:57 AM, David <ainut at hiwaay.net> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> You have to admit, Michael, that nearly every email you've sent
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On 05/18/2016 11:02 AM, cole santos wrote:has been a slash and burn.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> David Merchant
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Lol you just don't get it troll
>>>>>>> On May 18, 2016 1:03 AM, "Michael Turner" <
>>>>>>> michael.eugene.turner at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> "Mike no one wanted to work with you because of emails like you
>>>>>>>> just sent."
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I thought there should be more openness and oversight, and so
>>>>>>>> nobody wanted to work with me? Interesting. I hadn't realized that openness
>>>>>>>> and oversight were such unpopular things when spending taxpayers money.
>>>>>>>> Unless, of course, you're a taxpayer. Are you?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> "Since I wrote the grant, and got the Corp formed, and followed
>>>>>>>> through until the project start, I think it's ok moraly."
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I always assumed an education in philosophy would acquaint a person
>>>>>>>> with the difference between morals and ethics. You learn something every
>>>>>>>> day, I guess.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>>> Michael Turner
>>>>>>>> Executive Director
>>>>>>>> Project Persephone
>>>>>>>> K-1 bldg 3F
>>>>>>>> 7-2-6 Nishishinjuku
>>>>>>>> Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 160-0023
>>>>>>>> Tel: +81 (3) 6890-1140
>>>>>>>> Fax: +81 (3) 6890-1158
>>>>>>>> Mobile: +81 (90) 5203-8682 <%2B81%20%2890%29%205203-8682>
>>>>>>>> turner at projectpersephone.org
>>>>>>>> http://www.projectpersephone.org/
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> "Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking
>>>>>>>> outward together in the same direction." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Wed, May 18, 2016 at 1:48 AM, cole santos <cksantos85 at gmail.com>
>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Mike no one wanted to work with you because of emails like you
>>>>>>>>> just sent. We are amateurs hacking it. Ps haesh was my project and it was
>>>>>>>>> somewhat a sweetheart deal. I had to choose between a project or a job.
>>>>>>>>> Since I wrote the grant, and got the Corp formed, and followed through
>>>>>>>>> until the project start, I think it's ok moraly. The other projects were
>>>>>>>>> all random submissions. The principal aka jerry got overwhelmed and didn't
>>>>>>>>> even really want the job. I kinda forced it on him as I had a full time
>>>>>>>>> job. Reality is not nearly as sensational as u wish.
>>>>>>>>> On May 16, 2016 9:07 PM, "Michael Turner" <
>>>>>>>>> michael.eugene.turner at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> First things first:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I'm interested in setting up a framework in which every iota of
>>>>>>>>>> effort on funded projects can be tracked, and every penny of spending can
>>>>>>>>>> be recorded. I'm interested in this because I'll need donors at some point,
>>>>>>>>>> and donors typically require high transparency -- and results. I'd like to
>>>>>>>>>> hear from makerspace leaders who've been successful at setting up such
>>>>>>>>>> frameworks.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Now, about the "drama":
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> On Tue, May 17, 2016 at 2:51 AM, gmc < <gmc at hackerspaces.org>
>>>>>>>>>> gmc at hackerspaces.org> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Yay, drama. It's what hackers are best at! Bye bye mailing list.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Clearly, some disillusionment and malaise has set in.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Hackerspaces.org? No blog update since just about two years ago.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Interesting critique there, though:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> https://flux.hackerspaces.org/2014/01/19/diversity-and-the-hacker-scene/
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Drama will never go away permanently. Sometimes the only way to
>>>>>>>>>> quell drama is with rules.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> If you're going to have rules, you can try counting on ideas like
>>>>>>>>>> legitimizing all decisions through the rule of relying on consensus (it
>>>>>>>>>> always breaks down). Or on rules set by some "benevolent oligarchy" (the
>>>>>>>>>> "oligarchs" often get tired of arbitration and moderation, and go missing.)
>>>>>>>>>> There are a variety of other dodges of the basic responsibility of
>>>>>>>>>> collective governance, which is tedious and stressful compared to making
>>>>>>>>>> things.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> In the case of SpaceGAMBIT, the dodge took the form of locating
>>>>>>>>>> all authority over spending that $500,000 in a tiny handful of people who
>>>>>>>>>> operated in a pretty opaque fashion. In at least one case, the opacity was
>>>>>>>>>> defended by a SpaceGAMBIT principal in terms of DARPA's tight regulations
>>>>>>>>>> about the release of information. When I asked for chapter and verse of
>>>>>>>>>> those regulations, there was no answer. Wait: you're saying you got money
>>>>>>>>>> from a government agency that doesn't tell taxpayers the basis on which it
>>>>>>>>>> allows awarded organizations to release information about how taxpayer
>>>>>>>>>> money is being spent? Interesting.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Given the nature of the political differences over taking money
>>>>>>>>>> from DARPA, I can see a reason for not identifying winning teams when the
>>>>>>>>>> awards went out. It might have been defensible as a way to protect the
>>>>>>>>>> awarded teams from harassment by those who were most loudly opposed to that
>>>>>>>>>> money, and to what any hackerspace group taking that money symbolized to
>>>>>>>>>> them.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> The problem was: opacity could enable sweetheart deals. Waste.
>>>>>>>>>> Lax controls.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> And what do we have at the end?
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Examples:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> $20,000 for an open source satellite mission design project that
>>>>>>>>>> apparently never checked anything into a repo.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> The HAESH project, which, by some odd coincidence, was based in
>>>>>>>>>> Hawaii. (And apparently on Maui.)That was statistically unlikely,
>>>>>>>>>> especially when you consider that the main SpaceGAMBIT executive exulted at
>>>>>>>>>> one point about how great it was to work internationally, not just in
>>>>>>>>>> America, and not just in his tiny home region of -- you guessed it --
>>>>>>>>>> Hawaii. Maui, in fact.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> How about the thousands of dollars for the open source
>>>>>>>>>> Make-a-Space Kit? It had a laudable goal.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> "The goal of this project is to complete the content--finalize
>>>>>>>>>> the entire kit-- and then create a turn-key online template which a new or
>>>>>>>>>> existing space can use to instantiate the online project management, assign
>>>>>>>>>> specific tasks to board members, track accountability, and effectively
>>>>>>>>>> communicate about the status of the activities as the space is launched and
>>>>>>>>>> formed."
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Where is it? Dead links on the SpaceGAMBIT site. Try to get
>>>>>>>>>> something back from the Wayback Machine? Unsuccessful.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> How about that Asteroid Badge?
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>   https://github.com/CuriosityHacked/Learning/wiki/SpaceAsteroids
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> There's something in there that looks like a rough draft of
>>>>>>>>>> Make-a-Space Kit, but certainly nothing that looks "finalized."
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Thousands of dollars spent on those two projects. And this is all
>>>>>>>>>> there is to show for it?
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> It's what happens when there's no openness or accountability, and
>>>>>>>>>> when money can be spent without significant oversight by a small group of
>>>>>>>>>> people.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> So, to repeat my request:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I'm interested in setting up a framework in which every iota of
>>>>>>>>>> effort on funded projects can be tracked, and every penny of spending can
>>>>>>>>>> be recorded. I'm interested in this because I'll need donors at some point,
>>>>>>>>>> and donors typically require high transparency -- and results. I'd like to
>>>>>>>>>> hear from makerspace leaders who've been successful at setting up such
>>>>>>>>>> frameworks.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>>>>> Michael Turner
>>>>>>>>>> Executive Director
>>>>>>>>>> Project Persephone
>>>>>>>>>> K-1 bldg 3F
>>>>>>>>>> 7-2-6 Nishishinjuku
>>>>>>>>>> Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 160-0023
>>>>>>>>>> Tel: +81 (3) 6890-1140 <%2B81%20%283%29%206890-1140>
>>>>>>>>>> Fax: +81 (3) 6890-1158 <%2B81%20%283%29%206890-1158>
>>>>>>>>>> Mobile: +81 (90) 5203-8682 <%2B81%20%2890%29%205203-8682>
>>>>>>>>>> turner at projectpersephone.org
>>>>>>>>>> http://www.projectpersephone.org/
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> "Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking
>>>>>>>>>> outward together in the same direction." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> On 16 May 2016 18:26:04 CEST, Michael Turner <
>>>>>>>>>>> <michael.eugene.turner at gmail.com>michael.eugene.turner at gmail.com>
>>>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> On Tue, May 17, 2016 at 12:55 AM, cole santos <
>>>>>>>>>>>> <cksantos85 at gmail.com>cksantos85 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Actually we took the DarPA money and the project was a great
>>>>>>>>>>>>> success. <http://Www.spacegambit.Com>Www.spacegambit.Com
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> A great success for some people, I suppose.  In a certain sense.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> I pick a project at random.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> <http://www.spacegambit.org/satstatsim/>
>>>>>>>>>>>> http://www.spacegambit.org/satstatsim/
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Funding: $20,000
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> SpaceGAMBIT claim: only open source projects will be funded.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Reality: well, ta! ke a look.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>    <http://satstatsim.blogspot.jp/>
>>>>>>>>>>>> http://satstatsim.blogspot.jp/
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Excuse: "schedules slip". OK, but you can't check in any code,
>>>>>>>>>>>> anywhere?
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>   <https://code.google.com/archive/p/satstatsim/source>
>>>>>>>>>>>> https://code.google.com/archive/p/satstatsim/source
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> At least, that's the only repo I could find.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> There's nothing in it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> It was largely because of my concerns about openness, clear
>>>>>>>>>>>> communication, democratic process, and leadership accountability that I
>>>>>>>>>>>> decided to have nothing further to do with SpaceGAMBIT. This was after
>>>>>>>>>>>> feeling enthusiastic about it and even defending it against what I thought
>>>>>>>>>>>> was unfair criticism.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Really, I'd prefer to have been wrong in my suspicions.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>>>>>>> Michael Turner
>>>>>>>>>>>> Executive Director
>>>>>>>>>>>> Project Persephone
>>>>>>>>>>>> K-1 bldg 3F
>>>>>>>>>>>> 7-2-6 Nishishinjuku
>>>>>>>>>>>> Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 160-0023
>>>>>>>>>>>> Tel: +81 (3) 6890-1140 <%2B81%20%283%29%206890-1140>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Fax: +81 (3) 6890-1158 <%2B81%20%283%29%206890-1158>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Mobile: +81 (90) 5203-8682 <%2B81%20%2890%29%205203-8682>
>>>>>>>>>>>> <turner at projectpersephone.org>turner at projectpersephone.org
>>>>>>>>>>>> <http://www.projectpersephone.org/>
>>>>>>>>>>>> http://www.projectpersephone.org/
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> "Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking
>>>>>>>>>>>> outward together in the same direction." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Monday, May 16, 2016, Michael P Weber II <
>>>>>>>>>>>>> <michaelweberii at gmail.com>michaelweberii at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Mon, May 16, 2016 at 3:05 AM, Michael Turner
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <michael.eugene.turner at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Whether intentional or not, the choice of watercress could
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> be very
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > space-relevant.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > (1) Biosphere II saw the direct participation of the late
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Roy Walford, MD, a
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > pioneer self-experimenter in CRON (calorie restriction with
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> optimal
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > nutrition) as a strategy for life extension. This research
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> interested the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Biosphere II organizers because, in feeding long-duration
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> space mission
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > participants, fewer calories eaten means, to a good first
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> approximation,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > less mass for the ecological life support system, leading
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> to lower mission
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > cost, etc.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > (2) Research into how CRON appears to increase lifespans
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> (in part by
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > reducing cancer risk -- a big issue in space travel because
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> of space
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > radiation) reveals that it's more about protein restriction
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> than about
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > calorie restriction per se.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > (3) Further research has suggested that it's specifically
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> reduction of
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > methionine intake that is the main driver of life extension
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> in CRON (hence,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > presumably, lower cancer risk);
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > (4) High-glycine diets sop up excess methionine. (To be
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> sure: methionine is
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > an essential amino acid; glycine is not. But it seems that
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> with methionine,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > you can get too much of a good thing.)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > (5) Watercress is very high in glycine, quite low in
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> methionine. Watercress
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > might be ideal for offsetting the cancer risks from space
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> radiation in
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > long-duration space missions.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > I think a good next step in such work would be to try to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> optimize watercress
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > production in an aeroponic rather than a hydroponic style.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Hydroponics is
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > great, highly productive, but ... water is heavy.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Aeroponics can give you
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > much of the benefit of hydroponics but with a fraction of
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the equipment
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > mass. Aeroponics should be more adaptable to low-g and
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> microgravity
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > environments since it's not gravity-dependent -- it's
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> basically just the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > deposition of nutrient-enriched mist droplets on plant
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> roots. Aeroponics may
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > have gotten its start from NASA funding.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Regards,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Michael Turner
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Executive Director
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Project Persephone
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > K-1 bldg 3F
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > 7-2-6 Nishishinjuku
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 160-0023
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Tel: +81 (3) 6890-1140
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Fax: +81 (3) 6890-1158
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Mobile: +81 (90) 5203-8682
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > turner at projectpersephone.org
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > <http://www.projectpersephone.org/>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://www.projectpersephone.org/
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > "Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> looking outward
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > together in the same direction." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > On Mon, May 16, 2016 at 4:35 PM, Michael Turner
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Michael,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Are you going to take over the list then?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SpaceProgram mailing list
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.org
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>>>>>> SpaceProgram mailing list
>>>>>>>>>>>>> <SpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.org>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> SpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.org
>>>>>>>>>>>>> <http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> SpaceProgram mailing listSpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.orghttp://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ SpaceProgram
>>>>>>>>>> mailing list SpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.org
>>>>>>>>>> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ SpaceProgram
>>>>>>>>> mailing list SpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.org
>>>>>>>>> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ SpaceProgram
>>>>>>>> mailing list SpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.org
>>>>>>>> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> SpaceProgram mailing listSpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.orghttp://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> SpaceProgram mailing list
>>>>>>> SpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.org
>>>>>>> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> SpaceProgram mailing list
>>>>>> SpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.org
>>>>>> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> SpaceProgram mailing list
>>>>> SpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.org
>>>>> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> SpaceProgram mailing list
>>>> SpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.org
>>>> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> SpaceProgram mailing list
>>> SpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.org
>>> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram
>>>
>>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> SpaceProgram mailing list
>> SpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.org
>> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram
>>
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> SpaceProgram mailing list
> SpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.org
> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram
>
>
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