ISS - Expedition 62 Mission patch.
March 20, 2020
The crew members of the International Space Station conducted scientific investigations during the week of March 16, including studies of changes in vision and heart cell production in space.
Now in its 20th year of continuous human presence, the space station provides a platform for long-duration research in microgravity and for learning to live and work in space. Experience gained on the orbiting lab supports Artemis, NASA’s program to go forward to the Moon and on to Mars.
Image above: The island of Japan at night, with the lights of Tokyo at bottom and an orbital sunrise at top, in an image taken as the International Space Station orbited 260 miles above the Pacific Ocean. Image Credit: NASA.
Here are details on some of the microgravity investigations currently taking place:
Seeing better with a pair of pants
During the week, crew members set up hardware in the Russian segment and conducted Chibis testing for Fluid Shifts. This NASA investigation measures how much fluid shifts from the lower to the upper body and in or out of cells and blood vessels and determines the impact these shifts have on fluid pressure in the head and changes in vision. The experiment collects a number of measurements, including pressure in the lower body using the Roscosmos Lower Body Negative Pressure or Chibis hardware, essentially a pair of rubber suction pants. Using such a device to reverse the shift of fluids into the head could help prevent vision changes that occur in microgravity. The investigation began in 2015 and has measured the extent of body fluid shifts in multiple astronauts over time, one of several long-running investigations involving human subjects.
International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA
Examining gene expression in microgravity
The crew performed routine habitat maintenance activities, which include food and water supply, odor filter exchange, and waste collection, for the continuing JAXA Mouse Habitat Unit-5 (MHU-5) investigation. The study examines the effects of partial gravity on mice, analyzing alterations in gene expression and the possible effects on development of germ cells, which carry genetic information and expression to subsequent generations. Fundamental knowledge of how space travel affects a model organism at the level of gene expression and modification supports preparations for future long-term human space exploration. The investigation also provides data that could contribute to development of countermeasures for muscle atrophy caused by extended bedrest or disease on Earth.
Growing more heart cells faster
Image above: NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan works with heart cell samples for the Multi-use Variable-g Platform-02 Cell-03 (MVP Cell-03) experiment inside the portable glovebag. This investigation induces stem cells to generate heart precursor cells and cultures those cells on the space station to analyze and compare with cultures grown on Earth. Image Credit: NASA.
Generation of Cardiomyocytes From Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Cardiac Progenitors Expanded in Microgravity (MVP Cell-03) examines whether microgravity increases the production of heart cells from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). The investigation analyzes cells cultured on the space station and compares them with cultures grown on Earth. Scientists could potentially use these heart cells or cardiomyocytes (CMs) to treat cardiac abnormalities experienced by astronauts and to replenish cells damaged or lost due to cardiac disease on Earth. CMs also could contribute to quicker and more cost-effective development of drugs. The crew conducted operations for the investigation, including injecting samples into a fixation bag to preserve them for later analysis.
Other investigations on which the crew performed work:
- Engineered Heart Tissues looks at how adult human heart tissue functions in space using a unique three-dimensional culture of adult human cardiac muscle tissue embedded with tiny magnetic posts and an external magnet-based sensor to provide real-time measurement of muscle contractions.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8217
Image above: NASA astronaut Jessica Meir swaps out growth media for bone samples inside the Life Science Glovebox for the OsteoOmics experiment. This experiment compares samples exposed to microgravity and others magnetically levitated to simulate microgravity on Earth for insights into bone ailments such as osteoporosis. Image Credit: NASA.
- OsteoOmics investigates the molecular and metabolic changes that occur in genetic expression in osteoblasts (cells in the body that form bone) in real and analog or simulated microgravity.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1149
- The ISS Experience creates virtual reality videos from footage taken by astronauts of different aspects of crew life, execution of science and the international partnerships involved on the space station.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7877
- Probiotics, an investigation from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), studies whether beneficial bacteria (probiotics) improve the human intestinal microbiota and immune function on long-duration space missions.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=2047
- Food Acceptability examines the effect of repetitive consumption of the food currently available during spaceflight. “Menu fatigue” resulting from a limited choice of foods over time may contribute to the loss of body mass often experienced by crew members, potentially affecting astronaut health, especially as mission length increases.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7562
- ISS Ham gives students an opportunity to talk directly with crew members via ham radio when the space station passes over their schools. This interaction engages and educates students, teachers, parents and other members of the community in science, technology, engineering and math.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=337
- Radi-N2, a Canadian Space Agency investigation, uses bubble detectors to better characterize the neutron environment on the space station, which could help define the risk this radiation source poses to crew members and provide data necessary to develop advanced protective measures for future spaceflight.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=874
- Acoustic Diagnostics, sponsored by ESA (European Space Agency), tests the hearing of crew members before, during, and after flight to assess possible adverse effects of noise and the microgravity environment of the space station.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7898
Space to Ground: In Times of Adversity: 03/20/2020
Related links:
Expedition 62: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition62/index.html
Fluid Shifts: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1126
Long-running investigations: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/life-cycle-of-space-station-science-experiment
MHU-5: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8150
MVP Cell-03: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7725
ISS National Lab: https://www.issnationallab.org/
Spot the Station: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/
Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Images (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Video (NASA), Text, Credits: NASA/Michael Johnson/John Love, Lead Increment Scientist Expedition 62.
Best regards, Orbiter.ch
