ISS - Expedition 63 Mission patch.
July 31, 2020
Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted scientific research the week of July 27, including studies on creating photonic materials, water droplet formation in microgravity, and using temperature to control crystal growth. Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley prepared for their scheduled Aug. 1 departure from the station, bringing to a close the SpaceX Demo-2 flight, the first to launch NASA astronauts from U.S. soil since 2011. 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. 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.
Image above: This long-exposure photograph taken during an orbital night period reveals the Milky Way above a bright but exaggerated atmospheric glow that blankets the Earth's horizon. The station’s oxygen and nitrogen high-pressure tanks and one of the main solar arrays are visible in the upper foreground. Image Credit: NASA.
Here are details on some of the microgravity investigations currently taking place:
Forming photonic materials in space
JAXA Colloidal Clusters investigates the mechanism behind formation of tetrahedral clusters of negatively and positively charged particles suspended in liquid. These clusters may be useful as building blocks of future innovative light-manipulating or photonic materials (PMs). Tetrahedral colloidal clusters are key to creating diamond-lattice structures known to act as PMs. During the week, the crew initiated an experiment run that included exposure to ultraviolet illumination, then stowed samples for return to Earth for analysis and characterization.
Designing a better, more efficient shower
Image above: NASA astronaut Robert Behnken runs a session for the Droplet Formation investigation, a study of water droplet formation and water flow in microgravity. Image Credit: NASA.
During the week, the crew initiated multiple sessions for the Droplet Formation Studies in Microgravity (Droplet Formation Study) investigation, which evaluates water droplet formation and water flow of Delta Faucet’s H2Okinetic shower head technology. Reducing flow rates in shower devices conserves water, but lower flow rates also reduce the effectiveness of these devices and often causes 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, creating better performance and improved user experience while conserving water and energy.
Controlling crystal formation with temperature
Image above: NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy places samples into the Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) for Food Physiology, which documents the effects of dietary improvements on astronaut immune function and the gut microbiome. Image Credit: NASA.
Advanced Colloids Experiment-Temperature-4 (ACE-T-4) uses temperature to control the transition of an ordered crystal to a disordered glass in order to determine how increasing disorder affects the structural and dynamic properties. A better understanding of the microscopic process of this transition could lead to better control of the phenomenon and improved mechanical properties of glass-forming materials. ACE-T-4 also could provide insight into how increasing disorder in an initially crystalline material can affect melting, freezing, aging, and other structural and dynamic properties.
Other investigations on which the crew performed work:
- Robo-Pro Challenge, also known as Kibo-RPC, allows students to create programs to control an Astrobee free-flying robot aboard the space station. This activity is a partnership between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and NASA.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7979
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=1891
- The BioMole Facility is a technology demonstration to conduct comparative analysis for possible replacement of current microbial monitoring systems. Its non-culture-based samples are capable of providing microbial identification on-orbit within days.
- 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
- 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
- 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: #BecauseScience: 07/31/2020
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
JAXA Colloidal Clusters: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7879
Droplet Formation Study: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7541
Advanced Colloids Experiment-Temperature-4 (ACE-T-4): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7740
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/Michael Johnson/John Love, ISS Research Planning Integration Scientist Expedition 63.
Best regards, Orbiter.ch
