ISS - Expedition 68 Mission patch.
Mar 10, 2023
Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted scientific investigations during the week of March 6 that included recording crew members reading books aloud for an educational program, studying changes to the eyes in space, and testing a new method for monitoring space-induced changes in immune function. Members of NASA’s Crew-5, NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, are scheduled to depart the station on March 11 after a months-long mission conducting multiple scientific investigations.
Image above: The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour approaches the International Space Station carrying astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg of NASA, Sultan Alneyadi from UAE (United Arab Emirates), and Andrey Fedyaev from Roscosmos. Image Credit: NASA.
Here are details on some of the microgravity investigations currently taking place aboard the orbiting lab:
Read Me a Story
For the Story Time from Space educational program, crew members read children’s books on topics related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and complete simple science experiments. The reading and demonstrations are recorded, and video from the event is posted online with accompanying educational materials for use by teachers and others. The program increases awareness of the orbiting laboratory and helps inspire interest in STEM fields, preparing the next generation of explorers. This program is sponsored by the ISS National Lab. Crew members read and recorded a session during the week.
Image above: NASA astronauts Woody Hoburg (foreground) and Frank Rubio (background) organize gear and equipment on the International Space Station in preparation for conducting scientific investigations during the week. Image Credit: NASA.
Protecting Eyes in Space
Microgravity can cause structural changes to the eyes known as Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS). Shifting of blood and cerebrospinal fluid toward the head in microgravity may be an underlying cause. ISAFE measures eye, brain, and blood vessel changes to determine whether SANS varies with mission length, whether changes recover when crew members return to Earth, and how long any potential recovery takes. Results could support development of methods to prevent eye changes on future space missions and provide new insight into the mechanisms underlying eye diseases experienced by some people on Earth. During the week, crew members conducted measurements for the investigation and rescheduled additional measurements due to video issues.
A New Immune Function Test
Immunity Assay, an investigation from ESA (European Space Agency), tests a new process to monitor how the stress of spaceflight affects immune function. Until now, testing had to be done pre- and postflight on the ground, but the new method enables inflight testing. This capability could provide a much clearer assessment of the immune changes that happen in flight and help direct development of countermeasures. The new test also could be used to monitor stress-related immune performance in settings on Earth. Crew members set up hardware and reviewed procedures for investigation operations during the week.
Other Investigations Involving the Crew:
Animation above: Sultan Alneyadi from UAE (United Arab Emirates) works with the Veg-05 investigation, which grows dwarf tomatoes to examine the effects of light quality and fertilizer on the plants and the overall behavioral health benefits for the crew from having live plants on the station. Animation Credit: NASA.
- Veg-05 uses the station’s Veggie facility to grow dwarf tomatoes and examine the effect of light quality and fertilizer on fruit production, microbial food safety, nutritional value, taste acceptability by the crew, and overall behavioral health benefits. Growing plants to provide fresh food and enhance the overall living experience for crew members supports future long-duration missions.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7443
Image above: This sequence of snapshots, taken about 3 seconds apart, shows changes in a flame as the ambient pressure is reduced during a run of SoFIE-GEL. This investigation studies how fuel temperature affects material flammability in microgravity and could help improve crew and spacecraft safety for future exploration missions. Image Credit: NASA.
- SoFIE-GEL studies how fuel temperature affects material flammability in microgravity. Results could improve understanding of early fire growth behavior, inform selection of fire-resistant spacecraft cabin materials, and help to determine optimal fire suppression techniques on future missions.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8266
- ISS Ham Radio provides students, teachers, and others the opportunity to communicate with astronauts using amateur radio units. Before a scheduled call, students learn about the station, radio waves, and other topics, and prepare a list of questions based on the topics they have researched.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=337
- DOSIS-3D, an ESA investigation, monitors the radiation dose inside the space station using active and passive detectors. Researchers use the data to create a 3D map of distribution and levels of radiation, which could help scientists develop ways to protect crew members.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=177
- Standard Measures uses cognition tests, sleep questionnaires, blood samples, and a variety of other data to examine how crew members adapt to living and working in space. Results also help monitor the effectiveness of countermeasures to maintain crew health and well-being, which supports future long-duration missions.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7711
Space to Ground: Wrapping Up: March 10, 2023
The space station, a robust microgravity laboratory with a multitude of specialized research facilities and tools, has supported many scientific breakthroughs from investigations spanning every major scientific discipline. The ISS Benefits for Humanity 2022 publication details the expanding universe of results realized from more than 20 years of experiments conducted on the station.
The ISS Benefits for Humanity 2022: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/benefits/index.html
Related links:
Expedition 68: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition68/index.html
Story Time from Space: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1152
Story Time from Space: https://www.issnationallab.org/stem/educational-programs/storytimefromspace/
ISAFE: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8231
Immunity Assay: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8170
Veggie facility: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=374
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/Ana Guzman/John Love, ISS Research Planning Integration Scientist Expedition 68.
Best regards, Orbiter.ch
