Summer 2020
Growing up with undiagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome How to make your food go Further Poetry Corner Enigmatic Meanings of the Phoenix
Myth buster FAQ’s Do you have Questions
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My Life During the Coronavirus ‘Lockdown’
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ART CORNER A place to Share your Creativity
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US NASA Commercial Crew Program
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Advocacy for all supports adults with high functioning autism, through its peer support groups. Enabling people to join social networks, make friends and share information about the world. In these times we want to produce a newsletter with our membership for our members. Please send us your articles so the newsletter reflects the interests, skills and abilities of you all. We hope you enjoy our very first edition. Kind Regards, The Newsletter Team
Viruses & Viral Life Cycles, Sars-CoV-2 & CoVID-19: Anti-Virals and other effective chemicals
The otherworldly Phoenix, Is an ancient creature of legend and myth; Many cultures define this entity as a symbol of Hope, Some stories suggest that the Phoenix dwells in a realm of fire and brimstone; People can sometimes relate too this being shrouded in crimson gold flames, And towering plumes of circling dark smoke; When one has endured much adversity in different ways, They've turned their life around and risen from the ashes as one may say; Whatever form the Phoenix means too you Just remember that the moral concept of resilience and renewal still rings true; The Phoenix will be a mystical enigma too some what which is a curious truth; A Poem Written By Yvonne Capel
By Nick Gibbons Hi, Nick Gibbons here. Following doing my PhD and a postgraduate course in molecular modelling and protein structure, I've worked as a freelance scientist doing research into protein structures, structural biology and molecular modelling for many years. I've also had an interest in virology and disease since I was a teenager. I'm therefore very interested in the science and research around Sars-CoV-2, and I've been keeping an eye on the web for science research articles. In this article, I hope to explain something about the way Sars-CoV-2 and other viruses work in causing disease, by first looking at the structure of viruses and then examining how structural biology can be used to determine the structure of viral proteins. Then going through the steps involved in the lifecycle of a virus’s infection of a cell. Finally taking a looking at how some drugs and chemicals can target and stop viruses or destroy them, both in general and specifically concerning Sars-CoV-2 Work on a preventative vaccine is still in progress. As has been mentioned in news on TV and on websites. While progress on a vaccine is moving relatively fast, due to the quantities needed for vaccination on a mass scale, this is likely to be some way off before an effective vaccination program can be
put into action. However, there has been news via the internet on the development of various treatments via the antiviral routes. Some of these are older drugs that are beginning to be tested to see if they have effectiveness against Sars-CoV-2, while others are novel and being developed anew. Antiviral drugs work by targeting various steps of a virus’s life cycle. Structural Biology can often be important in the development of new antivirals. Typically, experimentally speaking, this depends on discovering a virus genome, which consists of genes that code for proteins. Scientists can then use corresponding pieces of DNA that can be used to express viral proteins in cells, these can then be used to produce sufficient quantities of proteins that can be used to determine the structure of viral proteins. There are 3 experimental techniques that are used in structural biology. Xray crystallography, Cryo electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) and Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR Spectroscopy). • For X-ray crystallography, crystals
of a protein are produced. Beams of X-rays are then passed through the protein crystals. X-ray crystallography, which then can be used to produce X ray diffraction patterns, which can be then used to determine electron density map from which a protein's structure can be deduced. • Cryo-EM, a thin film of protein is flash frozen on to a metal grid. For Cryo-EM a beam of electrons is used to irradiate the frozen film of proteins and produce 2D Images of proteins. • NMR Spectroscopy a solution of protein is produced. A tube containing a liquid solution of proteins is placed in a magnetic field, and then radio waves are used to excite atomic nuclei, these then resonate and produce signals that can be detected and used to differentiate between different molecules, and so again get an idea of a protein's molecular structure. This is known as solving a protein structure. Typically, when this happens a scientific research paper will then be written as a result and a file containing the solved protein structure is submitted to a big database of protein structures, known as the RCSB Protein Data Bank and given a unique code, known as an accession number. This archive of protein structures is
maintained by an organisation known as the Worldwide Protein Data Bank, wwPDB. The roots of this organisation go back to 1968, where sets of protein data were being collected, together with a molecular graphics display (BRAD) that could visualise these. Various steps happened to move and store atomic coordinate files of proteins, and this resulted in 1971 in the formation of the protein data bank as a joint project between Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre in the UK and Brookhaven National Laboratory in the US. Various directors moved this project forward between 1998 and 1999, the Protein Data Bank arrived at its present home at the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics four years later. the RSCB PDB in the US joined with separate organisations in Europe (PDBe) and in Japan (PDBj) forming the wwPBD, which is a global organisation dedicated to maintaining a single worldwide archive for the collection of protein structures. A fourth organisation, the Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank joined in 2006, this is more concerned with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy than the other three. Once a protein's structure is known, this can be used to identify important parts of a protein that are crucial to its function, then computers can be used to perform experiments, known as docking experiments where drugs can be tested to see if they can target these parts of a protein and therefore interfere with its function. The structure of a typical virus particle, known as a virion, varies. Viruses can have either DNA or RNA which can be either single or double stranded. This RNA is then often surrounded by a
Shown above is the structures of Sars-CoV-2.
protein shell, known as a capsid, sometimes known as nucleocapsid if it is closely associated with the RNA or DNA. There may also be other proteins, typically enzymes associated or contained with the capsid/ nucleocapsid. Some viruses have a membrane, composed of double layer of lipid, known as a lipid bilayer membrane. This typically has glycoproteins, which are proteins with sugar molecules attached. A virus typically works by binding to the surface of a cell by interacting with cellular receptors. Entry into the cell can occur in various forms, some viruses have a mechanism whereby they can inject their genetic material into the cell. Others can fuse with cell membranes or gain entry via endocytosis. This is a process whereby cells take in nutrients and other important chemicals. A virus can trick the cell into gaining entrance in this way. Some antiviral drugs can work by targeting viral entry. Some general examples of drugs that work this way are Cyanovirin-N (HIV & Ebola) which bind to block viral glycoproteins that bind to the cell. These consist of a protein where certain amino acid residues like threonine, serine or asparagine are linked to oligosaccharides, which are short chains of sugar molecules, and the drug binds to these. Where SarsCoV-2 is concerned, it uses an enzyme known Releasing essential glycoproteins needed for viral activity and inactivating the virus as a result. Where SarsCoV-2 is concerned, it uses an enzyme known as ACE-2 (Angiotensin converting enzyme 2)
as a receptor to bind to cells in the throat and lungs. APN01 is a recombinant form of this enzyme, but is soluble instead of being membrane bound, and therefore can be found outside cells, floating freely in the extracellular environment. It acts as a decoy for the cellular receptors by binding to Sars-CoV-2 virions, and therefore blocking them up so they can no longer target the real receptor. Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine, two drugs that have been highly published as being possibly useful against Sars-CoV-2 are also thought to act in antiviral manner by interfering with endocytosis and may also reduce glycosylation of the target receptor. However, there is considerable doubt about whether they are effective in this case.Other ways a drug can work is to target synthesis of specific parts of a cellular receptor or stop production of receptors entirely. For example DAS181, which targets and removes glycoprotein oligosaccharides known as sialic acid on a receptor needed for influenza virus protein entry, and Cyclotriazadisulfonamide (CADA), which targets CD4, a protein that is key to HIV entry. Next step after entry of a virus into a cell, is uncoating. Whereby the virus contents are released into the cell. Some drugs can target this step, for example
Amantadine and Rimantadine. These work by targeting a protein known as the M2 ion channel, which acts by bringing hydrogen ions into the interior, causing dissociation of viral proteins and therefore releasing Viral RNA into the cell. Next step is Viral replication and then viral assembly. This is where some of the antiviral drugs that are being developed against Sars-COV-2 work. Two of the candidates being tested are Favipiravir and Remdesivir. Favipiravir works by binding to and blocking an enzyme known as RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, which is the enzyme that is responsible for replicating viral RNA. Remdesivir works by terminating production of viral RNA. It can do this because it is what is known as a nucleoside analogue, which means it is chemically similar to one of the four nucleotides that are the building blocks that are present in RNA. Specifically, once activated by metabolism, it is similar to adenosine, and therefore is taken up by the viral enzymes that replicate RNA. Once in place, since it is artificial, it terminates RNA production, since the Viral enzymes can no longer add further nucleotides. Coronavirus has developed a defence mechanism against some drugs that act this way, as it codes a protein known as nsp14. Part of this protein, known as a domain, has exoribonuclease activity, which means it can scan and proof read viral RNA's that are being produced. Meaning it can potentially target and remove some nucleoside analogues. However, Remdesivir appears to be able to avoid being detected and therefore is
effective where other antivirals of this type are not. Other more general examples of drugs targeting this step are Zidovudine (AZT), Lamivudine and Abacavir, these are all nucleoside analogue reversetranscriptase inhibitors, which are used to treat AIDS and work by inhibiting the HIV retroviral enzyme reverse transcriptase, which is needed to convert RNA into DNA. Another target involved in viral replication that is specific to CoVID-19 is the SarsCoV-2 main protease, SARS-CoV-2Mpro also known as 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro). This is essential as it works by processing the proteins encoded by the viral RNA, by cleaving one big protein (known as a viral proprotein). Cleaving is where a viral proprotein is cut and broken down into the various viral proteins, by cutting at the peptide bonds of certain amino acids. These can be targeted by protease inhibitors that can bind to and block this protein. Two inhibitors of this type that were originally developed for use against HIV, have been tested as there was some evidence that they might have antiviral activity. So far, trials have failed to show efficacy. The crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2Mpro has been recently solved in complex with an Îąketoamide inhibitor, known simply as 13a, which has been shown to dock into the active site of an enzyme and block it. The final step in a viruses life cycle is assembly of fully functioning virus particles, followed by exit from the cell, which can be either via being enveloped in a membrane and leaving the host cell by budding of the lipid membrane. More simply the damage done to the cell results
in the lysis of the membrane, leading to rupture, cell death and release of the virus particles. In some cases, particularly with membrane envelopment, once again antivirals can prevent this. For example, with influenza, two known antivirals are Tamiflu and Relenza (Oseltamivir and Zanamivir). These work by targeting a protein on the influenza virus known as Neuraminidase which is an enzyme responsible for cleaving sialic acid residues that are bound to newly formed virus particles. Blocking the enzyme prevents release of virus and can result in aggregation of virus particles, which then are contained and easily targetable by the immune system.Finally, as everyone will be aware from all the adverts and advice, one of the most effective preventative methods is washing your hands and or everyday surfaces in the home. While this is not a drug, the way this works is based on biochemistry. As mentioned above Viruses can be simple, with just a protein capsid, if they are more complex, like Sars-CoV-2, they will have the lipid bilayer, which also has glycoproteins embedded in it that are responsible for binding to receptors for Sars-CoV-2 and entering the cell. The reason why soap is so effective against the virus is that it consists of lipid molecules. While viruses composed of a protein shell are quite resilient, given that you need fairly harsh chemicals to oxidise amino acids in proteins, the lipid bilayer of SarsCoV-2 is much more fragile. Soap molecules combine with it to form micelles, disrupting its ability to bind to skin and or surfaces and more importantly, disrupting
and breaking up the lipid bilayer, releasing essential glycoproteins needed for viral activity and inactivating the virus as a result. Well, I hope you have enjoyed my tour explaining viruses, virology and the methods used to study their component proteins and develop antiviral drugs, that you have found it interesting and that it has above all, given you hope. By showing you that there is a massive number of scientific teams and science expertise around the globe on the virological and structural biology side that is dedicated to tackling the threat of SarsCoV-2. If anyone has any questions about the Science or needs anything explained, Carol and Annie have my details and can pass questions on and I will gladly answer questions and offer explanations on any details requested. https://cen.acs.org/analytical-chemistry/ structural-biology/structural-biologistsrevealed-new-coronaviruss/98/ i17?utm_source=NonMember&utm_me dium=Newsletter&utm_campaign= CEN - Crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2 main protease provides a basis for How soap absolutely annihilates the coronavirus https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/ 2020/3/11/21173187/coronavirus-covid-19-10 https://www.rcsb.org/ Worldwide Protein Bank http://www.wwpdb.org/
Growing up with undiagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome (high-functioning autism)
Primary School
Tip Don’t forget your Autism Awareness Card Wearing Face Coverings “Face Masks” on Public Transport & in Shops You will probably have seen and heard that passengers on the Buses and Trains are now expected to wear Face Coverings when they travel. But it is also important to know that. The Government have said some people have a reasonable excuse not to follow the face covering rule. This is called an exemption to the rules.This includes people with disabilities. https://www.keepsafe.org.uk/mask This is what transport for London have said: Some customers are exempt from wearing face coverings and you can find details on our website. tfl.gov.uk/campaign/face-coverings If you are exempt from wearing a face covering, you can download a card to carry with you. content.tfl.gov.uk/face-covering-exemption-card.pdf You can print the card or download it onto your phone and show it if asked why you are not wearing a face covering. If you do not have a printer or a smartphone, you can contact TfL & they will print & post a card to you Call 0343 222 1234
As I child, I always felt different to the other children. I found it hard to communicate with them and didn’t understand how to play. I felt like other children had a rule book and mine got lost somewhere. I even remember at the age of 5 or 6 asking my mother “How am I supposed to play? What should I do?” Her answer of “you just join in with everyone else, you play” made me feel like I was being stupid. I just didn’t understand. I tended to gravitate towards playing football with the boys, because that had rules and I could understand that. I was always having hearing tests as a child. Every 3 to 6 months at least. I realise now that this isn’t exactly normal. Teachers thought I was deaf, I later found out, because I didn’t respond unless they were looking directly at me and using my name when they spoke to me. I just didn’t realise it was my attention they wanted. Academically, I was one of the brightest in the class. Especially with maths and sciences. I enjoyed learning new things, especially when they were factual.
English was something I found more difficult. Especially with creative writing tasks… I couldn’t make things up very easily. My teachers gave me a starting point and put ideas into my head and I would write it down. Anyway I left school with Level 5s in English and Science and a Level 6 in maths so it didn’t look like I was struggling. Academically I wasn’t. Socially it was another story. Lots of time at break in the library area or colouring in. Very little interaction with other children. Secondary School The change of moving from a very small primary school (there were 22 students in my year group) to Highsted was overwhelming and one of the most frightening experiences I’d had. The bells to
change each lesson took a lot of getting used to. I got headaches every time, it was so loud (to me at least) it was physically painful. Since then I have realised I was experiencing sensory overload. I got very emotional when I came home on my first day, begging with my parents to let me go back to the safe haven that was my primary school.
everyone else but didn’t know why. I was good with facts and numbers but describing the “authors motives” or analysing characters… It was like trying to speak another language. I had no clue – and I confess now that most of my English GCSE coursework was a rephrasing of someone else’s who said they would help me.
I found it harder to integrate than the other girls. Luckily teachers sat us in register order most of the time and the girl next to me – now a very close friend of mine – was very calm and reassuring (I think she figured that I was quite a nervous and shy sort of person). Friendships were formed in the school very quickly, and I was left out again. Once again I found myself asking my mother “how do I make friends” and she said “talk to people, find out what you have in common”. I didn’t really have any hobbies so that didn’t help much.
Things like changing seating plans terrified me. Or being told to revise for a test but not specifically being told what would appear… I needed routine and rules. I depended on them far more than the rest of my class. One teacher (she taught me Geography in year 7) was brilliant, in my opinion. Every lesson would have the same structure. I loved it and felt comfortable in her classes because I knew what to expect. I think I was the only one – a lot of the other girls said her lessons were boring.
Once again, academically there weren’t really any issues. Frequently top of the class in maths and science lessons, but English was becoming more difficult. “Can’t be good at everything”, I was told. But when it came to year 9 and I had achieved Level 8 in Maths, Level 7 in Science and a Level 5 in English… I thought something was wrong. I was aware I was different to
I left school with a decent set of results, from GCSE and A Level, academically fairly confident, but socially I still felt like the terrified 11-year-old I was when I started, because I knew more change was coming, and I found that difficult. I’d heard about autism from a friend of mine – he had it too. I think that’s when I began to realise I was different, and why. But I had isolated myself from my parents by this point (spending most of the time at home in my room, alone,
reading or playing music) and didn’t have the self-confidence to “get it checked out”. University Once again, I struggled with the concept of change. Getting the train to Canterbury every day, the loud noises and busy, packed trains and buses, and having lectures for topics and being unable to ask for clarification, it was stressful. Lecture theatres filled with up to 250 students made me very anxious. I’ve always struggled with crowds. Having said that, I managed to successfully complete teacher training. The one thing I’d always wanted to do, and I was there.
Working life Started my NQT at Longfield Academy in Dartford. Not sure really what attracted me to that school – it certainly wasn’t the double sized classes or team teaching. I have a feeling that it was the specialist unit for students with ASD. I had by then suspected I was autistic for a few years but wanted to find out more before I saw the doctor (as I was still anxious to make the appointment). Because of this unit in school all new staff were given training in
ASD and I found myself thinking, on a lot of the points, “but isn’t that normal?”. Then I realised it may be normal for me, but other people found eye contact easy (I didn’t), other people didn’t lose track of what they were doing half way through (I did), other people understood sarcasm (it’s still a mystery to me – because why say something if you mean the opposite?). Turns out the long commute and large classes didn’t work out for me so I decided to leave and accept the vacancy at Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey. Much closer to my home in Sittingbourne and that’s all that mattered to me at that point (I have a bit of a onetrack mind). Passed my NQT there (an achievement in itself, believe me) and made a couple of good friends. Teaching mostly bottom set classes in my second year there along with another teacher, we talked a lot about work, and personal stuff too. I mentioned to her that I was seeing a specialist about an autism diagnosis. Her reply “Oh, I thought you were autistic! Sorry, it seems clear to me but maybe because I’ve taught hundreds of students with ASD over the 12 years I’ve been here”. Sure enough, I got the diagnosis, at the age of 24. And suddenly, everything made sense. Why I was bullied, why I felt different and
alien to everyone else, why I found it so hard to socialise, especially when there wasn’t a set of rules available to me. So why wasn’t I diagnosed before then? My belief is this: I was academically very able, I went to a tiny village primary school with limited resources, then to a grammar school, and I’m female. Autism is harder to detect in girls, apparently. And maybe the fact that my parents don’t believe it exists (ASD is just bad behaviour in their book, or a label for someone’s differences). By Sophie Tummon
Meal 7:
Cut 1/3 of the quiche and cook it according to the packet instructions. Serve with a handful of the salad and a bread roll
Cook some potatoes and mixed veg (enough for the number of people eating the meal). Then slice the potatoes and place in an oven proof dish. Arrange the cooked sliced potatoes in the dish. Then mix together the rest of the cheese sauce, the rest of the tuna and the vegetables. Spread over the potatoes and then put in the oven until the cheese sauce bubbles and browns. Serve on its own or with the rest of the salad.
Meal 2: Cut another 1/3 of the quiche, cook accordingly to packet instructions and serve with salad and half of the tin of baked beans You can make 7 Meals Shopping List: 1 family sized quiche - any flavour you like (or you could make your own) 1 lasagne for 2 people (or you can make your own) 1 bag of mixed salad 1 tin of tuna
Meal 3: Final 1/3 slice of the quiche, cook accordingly to packet instructions and serve with cooked vegetables and a few of the new potatoes
Meal 4: Cut ½ of the lasagne (if made for 2) and cook it according to the packet instructions. Serve with a handful of salad
Meal 5:
1 bag of dried pasta
Use the other half of the lasagne and serve with cooked mixed vegetables or spinach or your favourite vegetable
1 pot of cheese pasta sauce
Meal 6:
Small bag of new potatoes How to make your food go Further? At a time when our normal eating habits are disrupted it is a good idea to make as many meals as possible out of the food we can buy in the supermarket. Here are some ideas for meals using similar ingredients, which are designed for one person living alone. If you are in a couple you can alter the quantities as appropriate.
Meal 1:
Bread rolls – you can freeze these and defrost as you need them 1 400g tin of baked beans 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables / spinach etc.
Cook about 4oz of the dried pasta. Once cooked, pour over half of the cheese sauce and half the can of tuna. Mix together in the saucepan to heat. Then serve will a handful of the green salad
You can mix these meals around. You don’t have to eat the quiche meal every day. You could alternate with the lasagne for example. A really simple cookbook that I would recommend if you are just cooking for yourself is ‘How to Boil an Egg’ by J. Arkless. It contains a lot of recipes and tips. You can buy it on-line. By Nicola
Myth buster FAQ’s that are helpful to people answered! Do you have Questions ? We will try to find the answers
The Myth buster page aims to help us to help each other. It’s been great to see how well everyone is adapting to the online world and it’s inspiring to read your messages of support to each other and see the interesting things you have all been doing. A few people have been posting worried messages and speculation on WhatsApp about Covid-19 mostly generated by the media. Rather than post these in the WhatsApp groups we would ask you to email us your worries. We are going to create a team for our newsletter which can tackle these questions and, if they can’t be answered at the moment, find ways to help people cope.
If you have questions or would like to be part of our intrepid newspaper team, please contact Carol, Charlie & Annie carol.detnon@advocacyforall.org.uk annie.miller@advocacyforall.org.uk Charles.linley-adams@advocacyforall.org.uk
US/NASA "Commercial Crew Program" - First Orbital Human Spaceflight Mission that involves NASA Astronauts in 9 years since the End of the Space Shuttle Program By Ramon Hartopp-Sancho Later this month of May 2020 the United States will, for the first time in 9 years, attempt to launch into Low Earth Orbit, two veteran NASA astronauts in a brand new design of spacecraft – the first time this has happened since the first Space Shuttle launch, STS-1 in April 1981. There have been, during the last 60 years, only four new generations of US Human capable spacecraft. This will be the fifth. Also, this will be the first too! A first for the US Commercial Space Sector. In the past, NASA has procured human rated spacecraft, from Project Mercury, through Apollo then Space Shuttle, by requesting the building of spacecraft that NASA would eventually own. This time, NASA has assisted the private sector, such as SpaceX, to build their own human rated spacecraft product and then NASA intends to only purchase ‘seats’ aboard them as ‘passengers’ – much as we already do when flying commercially. We don’t go buying an owning a plane when we, say, go to fly to, say, Florida or somewhere – we purchase seats – the ‘Airline Company’ OWNS the aircraft fleet. Such will be the
future of the commercial agreement structure between SpaceX and NASA. It comes out cheaper that way! The NASA-SpaceX DRAGON 2 ‘DEMO-2’ Flight (Demo-1 occurred a year ago, un-crewed and performed its 6-day mission extremely well) will carry two veteran NASA Astronauts, US Marine Col. Douglas Hurley and USAF Col. Robert Benkhen, both Space Shuttle veterans. Their mission is to get into orbit safely, go find the International Space Station, ‘automatically’ – but ‘manually’ if necessary, attach itself, and then live aboard the ISS from a period from 30 days to 119 days – probably somewhere inbetween. Why the large margin? Because the only limiting factor is the durability of Dragon 2’s main solar panel solar cell array. Being in space causes them to degrade over time – just how long
Enclosed below are images of the Dragon 2 ‘Demo 2’ Mission Spacecraft with its 2-person crew in various stages of preparedness and a image of the previous Demo 1 about to be seen to dock with the forward docking port of the International Space Station last year, 2019.
engineers don’t yet know – for this, they will need, not simulated data but real-time data. That can only be obtained after a few weeks attached to the ISS as engineers monitor the ‘declining’ Voltage output of this solar cell array. This way, they will get the ‘angle of the degradation curve’ thus pinning down an end date for the mission. When the end comes, the two astronauts will undock, fire the Retro-Propulsion system for the ‘ReEntry Burn’ that slows down the spacecraft so that its orbit is lowered enough that it ‘intersects’ the Earth’s atmosphere – and that latter will then slow the DEMO 2 spacecraft enough, from 17,500 miles per hour orbital speed until around MACH 1 (765 miles per hour) when the Drogue then 4 Main Parachutes will open allowing the spacecraft to perform a successful ‘splashdown’ into the Atlantic Ocean, just East of the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, not far from where it started its historic flight some months earlier.
If all goes well with this DEMO-2 flight, ending sometime later-on this summer, SpaceX will prepare the next spacecraft for human flight. This mission, although it will have the same destinationthat of the International Space Station, it will have an ‘improved’ set of Solar Cell Arrays – ones that last longer in the vacuum of space thus allowing this ‘operational’ NASA mission to stay attached to the ISS for up to 210 days. The USCV-1 Mission will probably launch this coming early/mid-Autumn with an expected end and sea recovery in the Spring of 2021. Its crew will be double in size – 4 astronauts – three from NASA and one from Japan. Commercial Crew flights will then occur about twice a year going to the ISS and back.
If this First Flight in a totally ‘new’ human spacecraft is successful not only will it have ended 9 years of no US launched Astronauts into space but will be the ‘starting gun’ for the upcoming Project ARTEMIS – to put the Next Man and the First Woman onto the Lunar surface by the end of 2024, although, personally, I do thing that timeline is rather optimistic – more like 2026 Although the SpaceX Dragon is not Reusable, it will possess a Launch Escape System – something that the five space-worthy Space Shuttle Orbiters were never designed to have. This in-itself will be a great safety improvement over its illustrious predecessor. Lastly, the act of developing ‘home grown’ human rated spacecraft along with other related human spaceflight hardware allows both scientists and engineer to learn by testing new, untried techniques in many applications that will benefit us here on Earth – just as Project Apollo’s journey to the moon developed and matured the
ubiquitous ‘Monolithic Integrated Circuit’ (the Micro-Chip) from and early 1960’s ‘high expense joke’ to the ‘everyday’ device that we see today in almost all types of
electronic equipment that we take for granted today, such as high speed, low cost portable and pocket computers, cell phones, GPS Sat-Nav’s, Pacemakers and many other indispensable products that we use today. Space is a great ‘Proving Ground’ for not only ‘Exploration’ but for New Product Development. And this will be yet another ‘small but significant’ step this coming May 27th with the SpaceX Demo-2 flight.
the metallic sort myself but again it’s down too preference. At this point I go straight in and create an image. You can draw a template of your design if you like and then begin to create a painting of anything you want. A place to Share your Creativity Art Technique Introduction By Yvonne Capel The kind of art work that I do can vary from time to time but recently I’ve started a new style. This new technique consists of producing a collage and then painting over it with an image in mind, this way you get a completely different texture too the art piece. Here are some tips on how to create something similar for yourselves. 1. First cut out some old magazine fragments or newspaper cuttings. 2. Secondly once you’ve got your pieces, paste and glue them down in a cheap notebook or a discarded old book of your choosing and build it up layer upon layer. You should begin to get a wrinkled like texture similar to that of parchment paper. 3. Finally, you can now use whatever paints you like whether it would be standard acrylic paint or metallic acrylic paint. I tend to use
Here’s one other tip if you want to go that extra step further, you can use ink and do a blotted effect mixed with white acrylic paint and produce an ink painting like traditional Japanese artists have done through the ages. Or if you want you can stick with the original technique I suggested and maybe use a calligraphy set and write poetry or inspired philosophical quotes that mean something too you or just positive messages that you feel uplift you in some way. If you don’t have a calligraphy set of your own, then a plain standard black ball point pen should do the trick. You can do anything you like at this point. Lastly take some photo snaps of your art pieces and attach them in an email if you wish too forward them to include in the next newsletter edition. Send them to the newsletter team via their email addresses which are: carol.detnon@advocacyforall.org.uk annie.miller@advocacyforall.org.uk Charles.linleyadams@advocacyforall.org.uk
My Life During the SARS CoV02 Coronavirus ‘Lockdown’ The Things I Miss and The New Things I Have Learnt Because of The Present Situation. By Ramon Hartopp-Sancho
My name is Ramon HartoppSancho. I am diagnosed with High Functioning Autism. Here is an essay on how I have – and still am – adapting to the ongoing UK ‘Nationwide Lockdown’ in place because of the Worldwide Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020. Since my mother passed away, nearly two years ago now, I live alone, well, not quite, I still have ‘GIZMO’ my cat for company and he is great when I feel down which can be often. Before my father passed away nearly ten years ago, I lived with my parents – and being an only sibling with no uncles or cousins, I lived a sheltered life for most – nearly all of it. Since Mum passed away, I have had to concentrate even harder on managing by myself, something that I started when my Dad passed away. During this nationwide lockdown, I have continued to try my best to look after myself – all by myself, as before the lockdown. Now, new procedures, like the ‘extra, super hygiene’ things that we have to do I now take for granted; washing hands longer and more
often, using hand gel, keeping a 2m personal distance and wearing a face mask whenever I go out which is something I do quite infrequently nowadays – only for the basic necessities like the weekly groceries. However, with this lockdown, the present difficulties have been obtaining these weekly groceries; something that I had managed to master after some years of practice but now thrown into somewhat disarray. Because of my Autism and having underlying health conditions, about a month ago I received from the NHS a ‘Shielding Letter’ that says that I need to be under extreme lockdown for at least 12 weeks. So that meant that I could not go into my two local supermarkets, for fear of catching this deadly contagion. Fortunately, my local Parish Council recently started a ‘Volunteer Service’ for persons with known disabilities, so I have started to re arrange how my shopping is being obtained for me along with my monthly medication packages from my local pharmacy. In short, it has meant being ingenious in solving new problems. I am getting there and adapting, albeit slowly. Being a long-term loner and thus not socialising much -not by choice- this situation now does not seem to affect me personally that much at all. However, there were three items that I would have liked
to have done this Spring – that of a 1-day trip to Barcelona and back, via the low-cost airline, EasyJet, something that I do like 2 or 3 times a year but now has stopped - I really LOVE flying, especially with my face plastered by the window, for that gives me such a thrill especially on take-offs and landings. That will come back – I just have to be patient! Also, I would travel to local towns, like Maidstone and TunbridgeWells by Bus – that too has stopped for the time being as have a couple of trips into the centre of London, to the Science Museum and also to the British Interplanetary Society, BIS, whenever they have a special event – invited speaker presentation. Again, no can do! A special trip was one to go to Filton, Bristol where I had planned on visiting the ‘last ever’ CONCORDE Supersonic Airliner built. That too will have to wait. But I am sure I will have the chance to do all these things in the future. On the positive side, the Lockdown, has meant that we all have had to learn new ways of communicating with each other – ‘Electronically’ through new ITC Skills. So I have learnt how to get the best out of
my newish -and first- Smartphone; with texting, also learning about a 30-day renewable product called ‘A £10 Big Value Bundle’ - that allows me ‘unlimited text time’, 250 telephone minutes and 3 GB of DATA – the latter allows me to use the Internet of my Smartphone when I am outside – something that will become much more useful when the lockdown ends. I am also learning how to use a Video Phone App called SKYPE; using WhatsApp with its chat-boxes, internet telephone and video capabilities and finally using a multi-user ICT platform called ZOOM that allow one to be a participant in ‘Webinar rooms’ – something that is basically an electronic ‘virtual’ seminar. Having recently learnt how to use these, for me, new and hitherto untried, technologies, they have allowed me to be able to keep in touch with the Autism Groups that I had previously been able to attend in person. So, the recent circumstances have also allowed me to learn skills that I would not have had the opportunity to learn beforehand. Very ‘positive’! I try to keep an ‘even keel’ psychologically speaking for I now realise that it is not worth me expending brain energy in feeling ‘hard done by’ for what I cannot – have not been able to do – or won’t yet do for a while and I cannot change. As NASA Astronaut,
Capt. Jim Lovell, said 50 years ago and 200,000 miles away; ‘it is not worth bouncing off the walls for 10 minutes for one is going to get right back where he/she started, trying to figure out how to solve the next problem we are facing now’. So, trying to keep calm is a must for me right now. Mindfulness does help me a lot in achieving this. Recently, I have noticed that a lot of people that I meet -whilst keeping 2m distance- seem to be on a little bit of a ‘short fuse’ lately. I have to try to take this into account when dealing with people and I have to lead by showing them more tolerance and patience than previously. TRUE LISTENING IS A MUST – and so is EMPATHY when dealing with other people - skills that will hold me in good stead in the future. These skills I had been practicing at both of the Autism Social Skills groups I attended. In conclusion, the continuing lockdown, at this stage -2 months in- has not, for me, presented too great a problem for me – some, yes, but where there is a problem - it is to be solved – that is what an ‘Engineer’ is trained to do – solve problems like I was taught to do as an Electronics
Engineer. All in all, the negatives and positives of this coronavirus lockdown have and still are presenting me with new, unique challenges to which I am always up to the challenge of resolving – by learning something new, every day. These days I have to do just that! Thank you. Ramon Hartopp-Sancho.
Useful, Interesting & Fun Tips To keep busy or relax with Online Enjoy a different stage production
every week with the National theatre who are releasing a stage production on you tube every week. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/ nt-at-home
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Looking for more guidance on the CoronaVirus? You can visit these pages for current news and information. www.gov.uk/coronavirus www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronaviruscovid-19/check-if-you-havecoronavirus-symptoms/ Got your own tips to share with others, maybe you found something fun or useful? Send in your tips to Annie or Carol and we will include your tip in the next news letter.
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