Orbiter.ch Space News: Space Station Science Highlights: Week of August 30, 2021

dimanche 5 septembre 2021

Space Station Science Highlights: Week of August 30, 2021

ISS - Expedition 65 Mission patch.

Sep 5, 2021

Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted scientific investigations during the week of Aug. 30 that included monitoring gene expression in liver enzymes, testing use of augmented reality for equipment maintenance, and demonstrating a technique for observing sound waves in 3D.

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.

Image above: The SpaceX Dragon approaches the International Space Station on August 30 for autonomous docking. This 23rd cargo resupply mission brought supplies and new scientific experiments for the crew. Image Credit: NASA.

Here are details on some of the microgravity investigations currently taking place:

Take your (better) medicine

Some medicines that astronauts use to maintain their health during flight do not work as well in space as they do on Earth. This effect may be linked to changes that spaceflight can cause in levels of the liver enzymes that metabolize most drugs. The Genes in Space-8 investigation tests a technology to monitor the expression of the genes that control these critical enzymes. Such monitoring could provide a better understanding of these changes and help support development of new medicines that can address this adaptation to spaceflight. During the week, crew members ran an assay for the experiment, downloaded images and video, and placed the samples in MELFI, the station’s cold storage unit.

Meet the new assistant

Image above: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi prepares to conduct routine maintenance on the T2 Treadmill (green panels) assisted by augmented reality goggles for the T2 AR investigation. Image Credit: NASA.

Crew members use augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in a variety of ways on the space station, from controlling robots to testing the body’s adaptation to space. T2 AR tests using AR to help crew members inspect and maintain the station’s treadmill, COLBERT, without assistance from the ground. This capability supports future long-term space missions where significant communication delays will make ground support more difficult. Using AR also can reduce the time crew members spend training for and completing such tasks. Using a tablet or headset, AR applications can interpret camera images as well as what a crew member does, and act as a ‘smart assistant’ by, for example, suggesting the correct next step with animated overlays and text. Crew members performed operations for the investigation during the week.

Sound in 3D

Image above: A preflight view of ground-based results of Chladni’s Figures, a Tetr’ISS physical science experiment from ESA that observes sound waves in 3D using fine particles that physically organize in response to vibrations. Image Credit: CNES.

Technology Box or Tetr’ISS, an investigation from ESA (European Space Agency), is a platform for demonstrating basic principles of physics and chemistry. Tetr’ISS currently contains Chladni’s Figures, a physical science experiment observing sound waves in 3D using fine particles. The particles are packed in a closed container with two ultrasound transmitters facing each other. As one transmitter moves and the distance between the two transmitters becomes greater, particles create patterns that make it possible to observe the vibration of sound waves. In the 18th century, German-born Hungarian physicist and musician Ernst Chladni developed the technique to reveal complex patterns of vibration in a rigid surface using sand, which moves away from vibrations and gathers in places that remain motionless. During the week, crew members set up the hardware, turned on the transmitters, and recorded the experiment on video.

Other investigations on which the crew performed work:

- RRP demonstrates 3D printing using a material simulating regolith, or loose rock and soil, found on the surfaces of planetary bodies such as the Moon. Using resources available on the Moon and Mars allows future explorers to bring fewer materials along from Earth, significantly reducing launch mass and cost.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8429

- Lumina is an ESA investigation demonstrating real-time monitoring of radiation dose received by crew members using a dosimeter with optical fibers that darken when exposed to radiation. Monitoring ionizing radiation is a key challenge for future space exploration and this dosimeter could help anticipate radiation flares and guide reaction to them.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8444

- APEX-08 examines the role of compounds known as polyamines in plant responses to microgravity. Results could provide insights into the mechanisms plants use to modulate the stress of microgravity.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8300

- Cell Science-04 examines the genes involved in adaptation and survival of tardigrades or water bears 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

- ASIM studies severe thunderstorms from the station’s external payload platform. This ESA investigation improves knowledge of how thunderstorms affect the ionosphere and provides a better understanding of cloud formation and electrification, which could lead to improved atmosphere models and climatology and meteorology predictions.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1822

- For ESA’s Blob investigation, students study a naturally-occurring slime mold that is capable of basic forms of learning and adaptation. Students replicate experiments conducted by ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet to see how the Blob’s behavior is affected by microgravity.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8530

- The Ring Sheared Drop investigation uses a device to create shear flow, or the difference in velocity between adjacent liquid layers, which previous research shows plays a role in the early stages of formation of protein aggregations called amyloid fibrils in the brain. Amyloids may be involved in development of Alzheimer’s disease, and results could contribute to a better understanding of this disease.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7383

- Plant Habitat-04 uses the Advanced Plant Habitat to grow New Mexico Hatch Green Chili peppers. Peppers have not been grown in space before because they take a long time to germinate, grow, and develop fruit. The investigation includes microbial analysis to improve understanding of plant-microbe interactions in space, assessment of flavor and texture, and nutritional analysis.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8276

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