ISS - Expedition 63 Mission patch.
May 29, 2020
Research on neutron radiation and liquid foam properties represents just a few of the scientific studies conducted on the International Space Station during the week of May 25. The week also brought the arrival on Monday of HTV9 with supplies and experiments. Launch of SpaceX Demo-2, scheduled for Wednesday, was delayed due to weather. Part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Demo-2 carries NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley and marks the first launch of astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil since 2011.
Image above: The Crew Dragon spacecraft attached to a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A at sunrise as preparations continue for the Demo-2 mission. Originally scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the launch was delayed due to weather. Image Credit: NASA.
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. NASA’s Commercial Crew Program once again launches astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil, allowing for an increase in crew complement and effectively doubling the crew available for science on the orbiting lab.
Here are details on some of the microgravity investigations currently taking place:
Almost like being there
Image above: This special camera is used to film for The ISS Experience virtual reality series about life and science on the space station. Image Credit: NASA.
During the week, crew members set up cameras to film footage of the Demo-2 Dragon hatch opening for The ISS Experience. Astronauts film different aspects of crew life, execution of science and the international partnerships involved on the space station that will be used to create a virtual reality series produced by Félix & Paul Studios in Canada in partnership with the ISS National Lab and Time. The series aims to give audiences a tangible experience of the challenges of adapting to life in space, the work and science conducted on the space station and the human interaction between astronauts. It also could spark ideas for research or programs to improve conditions for crew members on future missions and to benefit people on Earth.
Tracking down neutron radiation
Image above: Bubble detectors for the Radi-N2 investigation, which seeks to identify the sources of neutron radiation on the space station. Image Credit: NASA.
Neutrons are produced when cosmic rays strike the atoms of a spacecraft or the human body, and earlier experiments revealed that astronauts absorb larger doses of neutron radiation than expected. An investigation from the Canadian Space Agency, Radi-N2 Neutron Field Study (Radi-N2), characterizes the neutron radiation environment aboard the space station using eight neutron “bubble detectors” that only measure neutrons and ignore other forms of radiation. Crew members carry one of the detectors and attach the others at fixed locations inside the space station. Astronauts deployed detectors for the investigation during the week.
Radi-N2 follows a previous investigation, RaDI-N, to help reveal the sources of neutron exposure and support development of appropriate protective measures for future spaceflights.
Watching bubbles make foam
Image above: Sample cell hardware for FOAM, an investigation studying wet foams in microgravity. Image Credit: NASA.
Solid and liquid foams have a number of applications on Earth, from detergents to food products, medicine, oil cleanup, firefighting and many others. Microgravity makes it possible to study foams in a way not possible on Earth, where gravity quickly breaks them down. FSL Soft Matter Dynamics - Hydrodynamics of Wet Foams (FOAM), an ESA (European Space Agency) investigation, studies bubble size and rearrangement dynamics for wet or liquid foams. A better understanding of the properties of wet foams could help improve foam control and process design in industry. During the week, crew members exchanged sample containers for the investigation.
Other investigations on which the crew performed work:
- Structure and Response of Spherical Diffusion Flames (s-Flame) studies the structure and dynamics of soot-free and sooty flames. Findings could contribute to development of engines with improved efficiency and reduced emissions on Earth. S-Flame is part of the Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments (ACME) project, a series of independent studies of gaseous flames performed in the station’s Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR).
- Structure and Response of Spherical Diffusion Flames (s-Flame):
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=2063
- Microgravity Experiments (ACME):
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1651
- Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR):
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=317
- The Integrated Impact of Diet on Human Immune Response, the Gut Microbiota, and Nutritional Status During Adaptation to Spaceflight (Food Physiology) investigation documents the effects of dietary improvements on immune function and the gut microbiome and the ability of those improvements to support adaptation to spaceflight.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7870
- Hourglass, a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) investigation, examines the behavior under different gravity conditions of various granular materials that simulate regolith, a dust that covers the surface of planets and planetary-like bodies.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8007
Related article:
JAXA HTV-9 Spacecraft Carries Science, Technology to the International Space Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2020/05/jaxa-htv-9-spacecraft-carries-science.html
Space to Ground: Dawn of the Dragon: 05/29/2020
Related links:
Expedition 63: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition63/index.html
SpaceX Demo-2: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/dm2/
Commercial Crew Program: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/index.html
The ISS Experience: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7877
ISS National Lab: https://www.issnationallab.org/blog/experience-the-international-space-station-like-never-before/
Time: https://time.com/space-explorers/
Radi-N2: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=874
RaDI-N: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=190
FOAM: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7934
Spot the Station: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/
Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/overview.html
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Images (mentioned9, Video (NASA), Text, Credits: NASA/Jack Griffin/John Love, Lead Increment Scientist Expedition 63.
Best regards, Orbiter.ch
