ISS - Expedition 65 Mission patch.
Jun 11, 2021
The week of June 7, crew members conducted scientific investigations aboard the International Space Station that included studies of kidney stone formation, how gravity affects oral bacteria, and accelerated aging in space.
Image above: Soyuz MS spacecraft's docked outside the Space Station. Image Credit: NASA.
The space station has been continuously inhabited by humans for 20 years, supporting many scientific breakthroughs. The orbiting lab 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:
Stopping Kidney Stones
Image above: This image shows the 3D culture platform for Kidney Cells-02, which studies the effects of microgravity on formation of kidney stones. Twenty-four of these devices flew to the space station for the investigation. Image Credits: Alex Levine, University of Washington.
Some crew members exhibit increased susceptibility to kidney stones during flight, which could affect their health and the success of the mission. The Kidney Cells-02 investigation uses a 3D kidney cell tissue chip to study the effects of microgravity on formation of microcrystals that can lead to kidney stones. Results could lead to therapies to treat and prevent kidney stones in astronauts and people on Earth. Kidney Cells-02 is part of the Tissue Chips in Space initiative, a partnership between the ISS U.S. National Laboratory and the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) to analyze the effects of microgravity on human health and translate that to improvements on Earth. The crew transferred investigation hardware from the SpaceX-22 Dragon to the Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory (SABL) in preparation for operations.
On-orbit Oral Care
Image above: NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough organizes sample packs for Oral Biofilms in Space, a study of how oral bacteria is affected by microgravity and possible ways to counteract any potentially harmful changes. Results also could benefit oral health in space and on Earth. Image Credit: NASA.
Oral Biofilms in Space studies how gravity affects the structure, composition, and activity of oral bacteria in the presence of common oral care agents. During the week, crew members conducted sessions for the investigation, introducing either oral care bioactives or fixatives to the Session Packs. Due to bag connection issues, the sessions used only two of the original four packs. Findings could support development of novel treatments to fight oral diseases such as caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis. The investigation also could provide insights into how microgravity affects the microbiome of other mucosal surfaces in the body.
Analyzing Accelerated Aging
Aging-like symptoms such as bone loss and muscle atrophy occur more rapidly in space. MHU-6 and Phospho-aging, two investigations from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), examine the molecular mechanism behind these symptoms in mice and humans. A better understanding of bone and muscle loss could lead to improved countermeasures and treatments to protect crews on future missions. Results also could provide evidence that bone-loss conditions such as osteoporosis and osteopenia are not only results of aging but causes of it, leading to better therapies to prevent these conditions on Earth as well.
Space to Ground: A Plethora of New Science: 06/11/2021
Other investigations on which the crew performed work:
- TICTOC studies how cotton root system structure affects plant resilience, water-use, and carbon storing. Results could lead to development of more robust cotton varieties that require less water and pesticide use.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8043
- MME-2, an investigation from ESA (European Space Agency), tests whether a series of drugs that improves cell energy efficiency and muscle efficiency can improve overall heath in space, using the C. elegans worms as a model organism. Investigation activities servess as pre-clinical trials for drugs with potential for improving astronaut health and could lead to new therapeutic targets to study on Earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8454
Image above: ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet installs the MME-2 investigation, which tests a series of drugs to see whether they improve overall health in space and could lead to new therapeutic targets for examination on Earth. Image Credit: NASA.
- ACME includes six independent studies to improve fuel efficiency and reduce pollution from combustion on Earth and help prevent fires in spacecraft. The spacecraft fire prevention studies examine different materials, conditions needed for them to burn, how to extinguish them, and the effectiveness of methods to screen and select materials for spacecraft.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1651
- Time Perception, an ESA investigation, quantifies the subjective changes in time perception in humans during and after long-duration exposure to microgravity. Time perception is fundamental to motion perception, sound localization, speech, and fine motor coordination, and altered perception could affect crew safety and performance.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7504
- RTPCG-2 demonstrates new methods for producing high-quality protein crystals in microgravity for analysis on Earth to identify possible targets for drugs to treat disease.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8073
- Vascular Aging, an investigation by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), analyzes changes in the arteries of crew members. Results could point to mechanisms for reducing cardiovascular risk and help identify and detect blood biomarkers that predict early signs of cardiovascular aging.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7644
- Antimicrobial Coatings tests a coating to control microbial growth on different materials that represent high-touch surfaces on the space station. Some microbes change characteristics in microgravity, potentially creating new risks to crew health and spacecraft.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8352
- Standard Measures collects a set of core measurements from astronauts before, during, and after long-duration missions to create a data repository to monitor and interpret how humans adapt to living in space.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7711
- Food Physiology examines the effects of an enhanced spaceflight diet on immune function, the gut microbiome, and nutritional status indicators, with the aim of documenting how dietary improvements may enhance adaptation to spaceflight.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7870
- 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
- ISS Ham Radio provides students, teachers, parents, and others the opportunity to communicate with astronauts using ham radio units. Before a scheduled call, students learn about the station, radio waves, and other topics, and prepare a list of questions on topics they have researched.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=337
Related links:
Expedition 65: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition65/index.html
Kidney Cells-02: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8439
Tissue Chips in Space: https://ncats.nih.gov/tissuechip/projects/space
Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory (SABL): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=1148
MHU-6: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7701
Phospho-aging: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8278
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/Ana Guzman/John Love, ISS Research Planning Integration Scientist Expedition 65.
Best regards, Orbiter.ch
