Orbiter.ch Space News: Space Station Science Highlights: Week of August 9, 2021

vendredi 13 août 2021

Space Station Science Highlights: Week of August 9, 2021

ISS - Expedition 65 Mission patch.

Aug 13, 2021

Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted scientific investigations during the week of August 9 that included using engineered tissues to study muscle loss, advancing plant growth in space, and running a computer-based education program.

Image above: The Pacific Ocean is visible in this view through a window of the space station’s cupola. 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:

Minimizing muscle loss

Image above: This preflight image shows the BioCell bioreactor that houses engineered muscle tissue for the Cardinal Muscle investigation, which tests potential drugs to treat muscle loss. Image Credits: Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research.

As people on Earth age, they lose muscle mass, a condition called sarcopenia. Because this condition progresses slowly, though, it is difficult to identify drugs that might treat it. Astronauts experience a similar loss of muscle mass during spaceflight, but it happens much faster. Cardinal Muscle tests whether engineered tissues cultured in space could take advantage of this accelerated loss and support development of a model for quickly assessing possible drugs prior to human clinical trials. Prevention and treatment of muscle loss become more important as the length of space missions increases, and drugs that diminish muscle loss also could help people on Earth. After the experiment arrived aboard the Northrop Grumman CRS-16 Cygnus spacecraft this week, the crew inserted BioCells containing the tissues into the incubation facility.

Improving the space garden

Image above: NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough checks Hatch Chile pepper plants growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) for the Plant Habitat-04 experiment. The station crew and ground researchers will monitor growth of the peppers for about four months before harvesting them. Image Credit: NASA.

Food fresh from the garden adds appeal to any meal, especially those served in space. A number of studies on the space station have proven that plants can grow in microgravity. Current investigations examine the health benefits of plants, including growing peppers in space for the first time. Food that is nutritious and appealing is key to the health and well-being of crew members and, ultimately, the success of their mission.

HRF Veg, part of a project using the Veggie facility that includes Veg-04A, Veg-04B, and Veg-05, focuses on the overall health benefits to crew members of having various plants and fresh food available. The investigation uses psychological surveys and crew evaluations of the flavor and appeal of plants that are grown on the space station for other investigations.

Plant Habitat-04 spices things up a bit, growing New Mexico Hatch Green Chili peppers in the Advanced Plant Habitat. Peppers have not been grown in space before because they take a long time to germinate, grow, and develop fruit. Researchers evaluated more than two dozen pepper varieties from around the world before selecting Española Improved peppers. These peppers have a Scoville heat rating of 2000-4000 (less than half that of a jalapeno), but their spiciness could change in microgravity. The investigation includes microbial analysis to improve understanding of plant-microbe interactions in space, assessment of flavor and texture, and nutritional analysis. The crew trimmed the plants to enhance growth and took photos during the week.

Students program computers in space

Students across Europe use two augmented Raspberry Pi computers aboard the space station for an education program coordinated by ESA (European Space Agency). The AstroPi computers are equipped with hardware that can measure the space station environment, detect how the station moves through space, and pick up Earth’s magnetic field. One computer carries an infrared camera and the other a standard visible spectrum camera. Students respond to various software and hardware challenges addressing diverse needs in the space industry such as survival in the space environment, measurement and calibration, hardware re-configurability, and image processing. For Mission Space Lab, competitors run an experiment aboard the space station for up to six months. Mission Zero, suitable for beginners, allows students to send a message to the space station. Mission Zero 2019-2020 involved a record 6,351 teams of students and young people from 25 countries running their programs on the space station’s Astro Pi computers. By supporting the teaching of computing and coding, the program helps motivate students to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. During the week, crew members recorded a message announcing a new AstroPi unit and the 2021/22 AstroPi Challenge.

Other investigations on which the crew performed work:

- 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

- Cell Science-04 examines the genes involved in tardigrade (water bear) adaptation and survival in high stress environments, both short-term and across multiple generations. The results could advance understanding of the stress factors affecting humans in space.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7672

- Robo-Pro Challenge, sponsored by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), gives students the opportunity to create software programs to control one of the Astrobee free-flying robots aboard the space station. The experience helps build critical skills and encourages students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7979

- 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

- Cool Flames Investigation with Gases, part of the ACME series of studies, observes chemical reactions of cool flames, which burn at lower temperatures. Nearly impossible to create in Earth’s gravity, cool flames are easily created in microgravity and studying them may improve understanding of combustion and fires on Earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8270

- 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

- Mochii demonstrates a miniature scanning electron microscope that images and measures particles on the space station in real time. Such particles can cause equipment malfunctions and threaten crew health, and currently, samples must be returned to Earth for analysis, causing delays in addressing possible risks.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=7657

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