ISS - Expedition 63 Mission patch.
July 10, 2020
Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted scientific investigations during the week of July 6 that included research on the perception of movement in space, durable coatings for spacecraft, and the behavior of water droplets.
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 launching astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil, increases the crew time available for science on the orbiting lab.
Image above: NASA astronaut Bob Behnken inside the Bigelow Expandable Aerospace Module (BEAM) during cargo activities in the inflatable space. Image Credit: NASA.
Here are details on some of the microgravity investigations currently taking place:
Getting down moves in microgravity
To control the movement and position of our bodies and evaluate distances between us and other things, humans combine what we see, feel, and hear with information about movement from the inner ear or vestibular system. The Effect of Long Duration Hypogravity on the Perception of Self-Motion (VECTION), an investigation by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), determines how microgravity may change this ability, which could significantly affect mission activities. The investigation also could help drivers, pilots, and robotic manipulators control vehicles in low-gravity environments. Researchers collect data during multiple time points during and after flight in order to examine how astronauts adapt to and recover from these effects. During the week, crew members set up hardware, performed sessions, and transferred data to investigators on the ground.
Standing up to the space environment
Image above: A set of strips for the Space Test Program - H5 - Innovative Coatings Experiment (STP-H5-ICE) are visible attached to the space station’s ExPRESS (Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station) Logistics Carriers. STP-H5-ICE exposes different paints and coatings to the space environment for approximately two years. Image Credit: NASA.
Radiation and extreme temperatures in space can corrode the paint and coatings that protect spacecraft exteriors, potentially leading to damage of a spacecraft’s hull. Optical coatings provide specialized markings that enable robotic and human navigators to capture and repair spacecraft. Ground-based testing of coatings may not accurately represent the harsh environment of low-Earth orbit. The Space Test Program-H5-Innovative Coatings Experiment (STP-H5 ICE) exposes eight new and two reference coatings to the space environment for two years in order to determine stability and durability. Photographs taken once per quarter document the current state of the materials, and this week crew members took photos from the cupola and the JEM window.
Better showers using less water
Image above: Comet Neowise is visible in the lower center of this image taken from the International Space Station as it orbited above the Mediterranean Sea in between Tunisia and Italy. Image Credit: NASA.
Droplet Formation Studies in Microgravity (Droplet Formation Study) evaluates the size and speed of water droplets from Delta Faucet’s H2Okinetic shower head. Reduced-flow shower devices conserve water, but lower flow rates also reduce their effectiveness and can cause consumers to take longer showers, undermining the goal of using less water. Gravity’s full effects on formation of water droplet size are unknown, and research in microgravity could help improve the technology to create improved devices and conserve water and energy. During the week, crew members installed the investigation in the Microgravity Sciences Glovebox (MSG) in preparation for its future run.
Other investigations on which the crew performed work:
- Capillary forces, the interaction of a liquid with the solid sides of a narrow tube that acts to draw the fluid up the tube, act even in the absence of gravity. Capillary Driven Microfluidics examines capillary flow in small devices to improve understanding of how it works in microgravity. Microfluidic devices could be used to develop more portable, robust, and affordable medical diagnostic tools to protect the health of astronauts on future long-term missions.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7377
- When producing glass, metal alloys, or other materials on Earth, chemical reactions between raw materials and the container used to melt them can cause imperfections and contaminations. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF) uses static electricity to cause the materials to float, eliminating the container so that behavior of the materials can be better understood.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1738
- 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).
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=2063
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1651
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
Space to Ground: Dragon's Den: 07/10/2020
Related links:
Expedition 63: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition63/index.html
Commercial Crew Program: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/index.html
VECTION: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7484
STP-H5 ICE: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1749
Droplet Formation Study: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7541
Microgravity Sciences Glovebox (MSG): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=341
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/overview.html
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Images (mentioned), Video (NASA), Text, Credits: NASA/Jack Griffin/John Love, Lead Increment Scientist Expedition 63.
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