Northrop Grumman - Cygnus NG-14 Mission patch.
Sept. 22, 2020
A Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft soon heading to the International Space Station carries thousands of pounds of scientific investigations, technology demonstrations, commercial products, and other cargo. The company’s 14th commercial resupply mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than Sept. 29 from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Highlights of the payloads this Cygnus mission delivers to space include:
Identifying targeted cancer therapies
Scientists use many models and screening methods in efforts to develop more effective cancer drugs and reduce risks of harmful side effects. Leveraging Microgravity to Screen Onco-selective Messenger RNAs for Cancer Immunotherapy (Onco-Selectors) tests drugs based on messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNA) for treating leukemia. Found in all our cells, mRNA plays a role in the process of making proteins, and it can be different in healthy versus cancer cells. In normal gravity, the drugs to be tested are onco-selective, meaning they can tell cancer cells from healthy ones. Researchers expect any drugs that also demonstrate this trait in microgravity could make good candidates for safer, more effective, and affordable medicines to treat leukemia and other cancers. This could improve survival rates for thousands of people every year.
Improving how we 'go' in space
Image above: The new, compact toilet for the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS) launching to the space station on the NG-14 commercial resupply service mission. Image Credit: NASA.
A new toilet headed to the space station has a number of features that improve on current space toilet operations and help us prepare for future missions, including those to the Moon and Mars. The Universal Waste Management System (UWMS) demonstrates a compact toilet and the Urine Transfer System (UTS) that further automates waste management and storage. Automated emptying of backup storage allows simultaneous use of both toilets on the space station, saving crew member time. A more reliable waste-disposal method makes things easier for the crew and allows them to focus on other activities such as research. The smaller footprint of the UWMS supports possible expansion of the number of crew members on the space station and planning for future exploration missions as well. Compact, efficient waste disposal technology also has potential applications in remote areas and those not served by traditional waste treatment systems on Earth and during disasters.
Adding radishes to the space salad
Animation above: Crew members tested the lighting setup in the Advanced Plant Habitat in preparation for the arrival of the Plant Habitat-02. The Advanced Plant Habitat is equipped with white, red, blue, green, and far red LEDs, which allows researchers to vary lighting conditions. Animation Credit: NASA.
A new crop is headed to the space station. Researchers have conducted a number of studies on developing ways to produce food in space and help sustain crews on long-duration missions, including those to the Moon and Mars. Previous experiments have grown different types of lettuces and greens aboard the space station. The Assessment of Nutritional Value and Growth Parameters of Space-grown Plants (Plant Habitat-02) investigation adds radishes to the mix, cultivating seeds to see how different light and soil conditions affect growth. This model plant is nutritious, grows quickly (roughly four weeks from sowing to harvest), and is genetically similar to Arabidopsis, a plant frequently studied in microgravity. Findings could help optimize growth of the plants in space as well as provide an assessment of their nutrition and taste.
Spacewalks in virtual reality
Image above: The ISS Experience camera, here being tested on the ground prior to launch, was designed to capture in 360 degrees a spacewalk from the space station. Image Credits: Felix and Paul Studios/Time.
The International Space Station Experience (ISS Experience) is creating an immersive virtual reality (VR) series documenting life and research aboard the space station. Partnering with the ISS National Lab and Time, a team from Felix and Paul Studios launched a customized 360-degree camera to the space station in December 2018 that crew members have used to record a few hours every week. Felix and Paul and partner Nanoracks further modified an additional camera to withstand the extreme conditions of space and are launching it to use for filming a spacewalk. The camera went through a complex certification process to make it ready to be used in space outside the station. It also features special design elements to accommodate unique conditions such as variable light exposure due to the multiple sunsets and sunrises the station experiences each day as it orbits Earth about every 90 minutes. The camera will be mounted to the Canadarm2 and supervised by the NASA Roboteam and the extra-vehicular activity (EVA) group. The project plans to capture a spacewalk from start to finish as well as footage of Earth and the exterior of the space station for the final episodes of Space Explorers: The ISS Experience. The series premieres this fall on multiple platforms.
Energy and water from waste
Image above: Camila Morales Navas, a chemistry Ph.D. student at the University of Puerto Rico, works on final preparation of hardware for the Ammonia Electrooxidation investigation. Image Credits: University of Puerto Rico.
The investigation Elucidating the Ammonia Electrochemical Oxidation Mechanism via Electrochemical Techniques at the ISS (Ammonia Electrooxidation) examines a process for ammonia oxidation in microgravity. Ammonia is a small molecule made up of nitrogen and hydrogen. Oxidation is a reaction that breaks up these molecules, producing nitrogen gas, water, and energy. Ammonia oxidation could be used in space to produce water and energy by first converting the urea in human urine to ammonia. Both water and energy are critical needs on future long-term space missions. An electrochemical ammonia removal system could serve as an innovative water recovery system on long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars and provide vital drinkable water in remote and arid areas on Earth.
Opening the space station to business
Estee Lauder’s New Advanced Night Repair serum will be photographed in the space station’s iconic cupola window as part of NASA's efforts to enable commercial activities at the space station and develop a robust low-Earth orbit economy. The imagery will be used on the brand’s social media platforms. NASA is dedicating a modest amount of its crew time – just 5% – to providing expanded opportunities on the International Space Station for U.S. entities to propose activities to be conducted aboard the space station that meet one of three criteria: require the unique microgravity environment, have a nexus to the NASA mission, or support the development of a sustainable low-Earth orbit economy. These opportunities can help catalyze and expand space exploration markets for many businesses by demonstrating the value of conducting commercial activities in space. Any interested U.S. entity can submit a proposal under Focus Area 3 of the NASA Research Announcement.
Related links:
Cygnus resupply spacecraft: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/launch/northrop-grumman.html
Onco-Selectors: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8265
UWMS: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1904
Plant Habitat-02: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7793
ISS Experience: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7877
Customized 360-degree camera: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/virtual_reality_camera_captures_life_on_ISS/
Ammonia Electrooxidation: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7362
Low-Earth orbit economy: https://www.nasa.gov/leo-economy/low-earth-orbit-economy
NASA Research Announcement: https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/solicitationAmmendments.do?solId=%7B21E0270C-BC1F-EFC4-3D87-30713B5FF373%7D&path=&redirectURL=
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), Animation (mentioned), Video (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Michael Johnson/JSC/International Space Station Program Research Office/Melissa Gaskill.
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