ISS - Expedition 64 Mission patch.
Nov. 30, 2020
Scientific investigations conducted aboard the International Space Station the week of Nov. 23 included studies of how the human body adapts to space and producing optic fiber in microgravity.
International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA
The seven crew members currently aboard include four from NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which increases the crew time available for science on the orbiting lab. The space station has been continuously inhabited by humans for 20 years and has supported many scientific breakthroughs during that time. The station provides a platform for long-duration research in microgravity and for learning to live and work in space, experience that supports Artemis, NASA’s program to go forward to the Moon and on to Mars.
Here are details on some of the microgravity investigations currently taking place:
Better grasps and grips in microgravity
Image above: NASA astronaut Victor Glover conducts a session for GRIP, an investigation on how microgravity affects a person’s dexterity and ability to manipulate objects. Image Credit: NASA.
Living in space requires humans to adapt both physically and mentally. Two ESA (European Space Agency) investigations conducted during the week, GRASP and GRIP, look at the effect of adaptation to microgravity on how a person moves about and manipulates objects.
GRASP seeks to better understand how the central nervous system takes in information from the senses, including sight and hearing, when coordinating hand movements such as reaching for an object in the absence of gravity. GRIP studies the ability of subjects to regulate the force of their hand grip and the trajectory of upper limbs while manipulating objects. It also examines interactions between the brain and external cues from senses such as sight and touch. This week, crew members performed sessions for both investigations.
Spinning fibers of glass
Image above: The hardware for Space Fibers is shown installed in the space station’s Microgravity Science Glovebox. This investigation evaluates a way to produce fiber optic cable in space. Image Credit: NASA.
Space Fibers 2 evaluates a way to produce fiber optic cable in space from a blend of elements called ZBLAN, which produces extremely transparent glass exceptional for such cables. Microgravity suppresses mechanisms that can degrade fiber, and previous studies showed that fiber made in microgravity has better properties than that produced on the ground. This higher-performance product has many potential applications on Earth, including improved imaging and remote sensing and next-generation optical communications. During the week, the crew installed hardware and conducted a production run.
Protecting muscle tone in space
During the week, the crew collected and processed samples for Myotones, an ESA (European Space Agency) investigation. Myotones observes the biochemical properties of muscles during long-term exposure to spaceflight. Results are expected to provide insight into principles of human resting muscle tone and could lead to the development of new strategies for treatments to combat muscle loss during future space missions and from disease and disuse on Earth.
Other investigations on which the crew performed work:
- Avatar-X, an investigation from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), controls a space station camera from the ground to demonstrate remote robotic technology.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8232
- SERFE demonstrates a new water evaporation technology to maintain appropriate temperatures in spacesuits.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7514
- Drop Vibration examines the behavior of big liquid drops when their contact lines move rapidly as drops change shape through merging or due to vibration. These motions are fast and small on Earth but become slower and larger in microgravity, making it possible to observe them more closely.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7681
- Standard Measures collects a set of consistent measurements from U.S. crew members to help characterize the effects of living and working in space on the human body.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7711
Image above: Astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) shows off radish plants growing inside the Advanced Plant Habitat before collecting leaf samples for analysis. The Plant Habitat-02 investigation determines the effects of space on growth of the plants. Image Credit: NASA.
- Plant Habitat-02 cultivates radish plants (Raphanus sativus) to determine the effects of space on their growth. This model plant is nutritious, has a short cultivation time, and is genetically similar to Arabidopsis, a plant frequently studied in microgravity.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7793
- Food Acceptability looks at how the appeal of food changes during long-duration missions. Whether crew members like and actually eat foods directly affects caloric intake and associated nutritional benefits.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7562
- Thermal Amine Scrubber tests a system to remove carbon dioxide from the space station’s cabin air.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7404
Space to Ground: Talking Turkey: 11/27/2020
Related links:
Expedition 64: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition64/index.html
GRASP: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=2038
GRIP: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1188
Space Fibers 2: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7375
Myotones: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7573
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), Animation (mentioned), Video (NASA), Text, Credits: NASA/Michael Johnson/John Love, ISS Research Planning Integration Scientist Expedition 64.
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