ISS - Expedition 64 Mission patch.
Dec. 4, 2020
Scientific investigations conducted aboard the International Space Station the week of Nov. 30 included studies of how humans perceive time in space, artificial organ growth, and differences in how materials react in low-Earth orbit and on Earth.
International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA
The seven crew members currently aboard include four from NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, increasing 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:
Time flies in space
Animation above: The Time Perception experiment requires astronauts to be in free-floating condition using VR goggles and a laptop to record their judgments of objects in the environment, as shown here by NASA Astronaut Victor Glover. Animation Credit: NASA.
During the week, the crew performed Time Perception, an ESA (European Space Agency) experiment that aims to quantify the subjective changes in time perception that humans experience during and after long-duration spaceflight. The crew members recorded their judgments of durations in seconds, minutes, hours, and days.
Scientists suspect that astronauts underestimate time duration while on orbit due to the absence of gravitational reference. Crew members also experience the sensation that time “is going faster up there.” Crew members tend to have slower motions at the beginning of flight and increase speed of their motions as the flight progresses. In addition, it takes about twice as long to execute experimental procedures in orbit as it does on Earth. Time perception also may be affected by lack of sleep, disrupted daily or circadian rhythms, stress, and accounting for the variety of time zones (such as GMT, Houston, and Moscow time) on the space station. Because time perception is fundamental to motion perception, sound localization, speech, and fine motor coordination, it is crucial for astronauts to adapt.
A step toward artificial organs
The crew made configuration changes during the week in preparation for Space Organogenesis. This investigation from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) demonstrates the growth of 3D organ buds from human stem cells in order to analyze changes in gene expression. Cell cultures on Earth need supportive materials or forces to achieve 3D growth, but in microgravity, cell cultures can expand into three dimensions without those devices. There is a need to establish technology that can create artificial organs with regenerative medicine technology because the supply of organs for transplants cannot meet current demand. This investigation will be critical for advancing the organ transplantation field.
Putting materials to the test
Image above: An artist's rendition of the newly designed flight facility platform for MISSE built and integrated by Alpha Space Test & Research Alliance in Houston, Texas. The platform will have more space to accommodate material samples. Image Credits: Alpha Space Test & Research Alliance.
MISSE is a series of tests by NASA’s Glenn Research Center of how the harsh space environment affects the performance and durability of various materials. Each mission tests new materials and material configurations, and similar materials fly on multiple MISSE missions. MISSE-14 exposes space de-orbit, phase change, and radiation shielding materials as well as 10 types of crop seeds. The platform allows the crew to see how materials, coatings, or other components react to exposure to ultraviolet (UV), electromagnetic, and ionizing radiation; atomic oxygen and micro-meteoroids; and other conditions in low-Earth orbit.
Other investigations on which the crew performed work:
Image above: Preflight view of the Airborne Particulate Monitor (APM) unit that monitors cabin air on the space station. APM has potential applications in environmental monitoring and air pollution studies on Earth. Image Credit: Steven Spielman.
- APM measures and quantifies the concentration of both small and large particles in cabin air as part of efforts to maintain air quality in the occupied environment on station, vital for the crew’s health.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7936
- Rotifer B2, an ESA (European Space Agency) experiment, explores the cumulative effect of microgravity and space radiation on living organisms.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7995
- ACME is a set of six independent studies of gaseous flames. ACME’s goals are to advance fuel efficiency and reduce pollutant production in practical combustion on Earth, and to improve spacecraft fire prevention.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1651
- 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: NASA Astronaut Kate Rubins photographs radish leaves she cut from the bulb and harvested after a four-week grow period for the Plant Habitat-02 experiment. 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
Space to Ground: A New Door to Space: 12/04/2020
Related links:
Expedition 64: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition64/index.html
Commercial Crew Program: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/index.html
Time Perception: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7504
Space Organogenesis: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8116
MISSE: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/factsheets/MISSE.html
MISSE-14: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8349
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
Animation (mentioned), Images (mentioned), Video (NASA), Text, Credits: NASA/Michael Johnson/John Love, ISS Research Planning Integration Scientist Expedition 64.
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