ISS - Expedition 64 Mission patch.
Feb 5, 2021
Scientific investigations conducted aboard the International Space Station the week of Feb. 1 included testing new life-support technology, studying plant growth, and comparing flammability of different materials in space. On Wed., NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Michael Hopkins conducted their second spacewalk in as many weeks, finishing long-term battery upgrades for the station.
International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA
The seven crew members currently inhabiting the station include four from NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, providing increased crew time 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:
Simpler life support systems
Water recovery and air purification systems are the most important elements of a crewed spacecraft, but also among the heaviest and most complex structures. Future crewed missions traveling deeper into space require lightweight, simple technology. Current life-support systems on the space station separate liquids and gases using equipment that includes rotating or moving parts that could cause contamination should they break or fail. Capillary Structures tests a new separation method that uses capillary structures with specific shapes to passively separate fluids and gases. The investigation also studies water recycling and carbon dioxide removal, supporting efforts to design lightweight, more reliable life support systems for future space missions. The crew performed a fluid flow demonstration through four parallel open capillary conduits, completing the last session of this experiment and ending a five year study.
Space gardening
Image above: NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, left, and Kate Rubins, right, harvest one of the plants growing aboard the space station for the Veg-03 investigation, which cultivates a variety of plants in microgravity. Image Credit: NASA.
The Veg-03 investigation cultivates various plants using plant pillows, low-mass modules that require little energy and maintenance. The investigation continues efforts to understand how plants respond to microgravity so crews can eventually grow them for food on long-duration missions. Recently, crew members successfully transplanted extra sprouts from some thriving plant pillows into two that were not growing well, a first for the Veggie facility. During this week, the crew harvested some plants and stowed them for science return and harvested others to taste and eat.
Figuring out flammability
FLARE, a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) investigation, explores the flammability of materials in microgravity. Various solid fuels are burned under different conditions and observed inside a flow tunnel. Low-speed external flow of oxygen, only possible in microgravity, makes materials more flammable. Current tests that screen materials for crewed space missions do not consider this and other effects of gravity on flammability. The investigation demonstrates a new way to predict flammability in microgravity that could significantly improve fire safety aboard spacecraft on future exploration missions. Crew members set up hardware for runs of this investigation during the week.
Other investigations on which the crew performed work:
- For The ISS Experience, crew members capture footage used to create an immersive virtual reality series documenting life and research aboard the space station. The first episode of Space Explorers: The ISS Experience premiered in fall 2020 on multiple platforms.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7877
- Bacterial Adhesion and Corrosion tests an antimicrobial coating on materials used to represent typical surfaces on the space station, which could provide insight into better ways to control and remove resistant biofilms for long-duration spaceflight.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7956
- Antimicrobial Coatings tests a coating to control microbial growth on several different materials that represent high-touch surfaces. Some microbes change characteristics in microgravity, which could create new risks to crew health and spacecraft.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8352
Image above: Samples collected for the 3D Microbial Monitoring investigation, which uses DNA sequencing and other analyses to construct a map of bacteria and bacterial products to help identify risks to human health and environmental systems around the space station. Image Credit: NASA.
- 3D Microbial Monitoring uses DNA sequencing and other analyses to construct a three dimensional map of bacteria and bacterial products throughout the station to help identify risks to human health and environmental systems.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8345
- Food Physiology characterizes how an enhanced spaceflight diet affects immune function, the gut microbiome, and nutritional status. Results could help define targeted, efficient dietary interventions to maintain crew health and performance.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7870
- 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
- AstroRad Vest tests a wearable vest designed to protect astronauts from radiation caused by unpredictable solar particle events. Astronauts provide input on how easy the garment is to put on, how it fits and feels, and the range of motion it allows.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7803
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
Capillary Structures: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7329
Veg-03: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1159
FLARE: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7880
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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