Members Can Post Anonymously On This Site
-
Similar Topics
-
By NASA
(Oct. 25, 2024) — NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams is pictured at the galley inside the International Space Station’s Unity module at the beginning of her day.Credit: NASA Students from Colorado will have the opportunity to hear NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams answer their prerecorded questions aboard the International Space Station on Thursday, Nov. 14.
Watch the 20-minute space-to-Earth call at 1 p.m. EST on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content on various platforms, including social media.
The JEKL Institute for Global Equity and Access, in partnership with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, will host students from the Denver School of Science and Technology for the event. Students are building CubeSat emulators to launch on high-altitude balloons, and their work will drive their questions with crew.
Media interested in covering the event must RSVP by 5 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 13, to Daniela Di Napoli at: daniela.dinapoli@scienceandtech.org or 832-656-5231.
For more than 24 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN’s (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network.
Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the space station benefit people on Earth and lays the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars; inspiring Artemis Generation explorers and ensuring the United States continues to lead in space exploration and discovery.
See videos and lesson plans highlighting space station research at:
https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
-end-
Tiernan Doyle
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
tiernan.doyle@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
Share
Details
Last Updated Nov 12, 2024 EditorTiernan P. DoyleLocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
International Space Station (ISS) Astronauts Communicating and Navigating with Missions Humans in Space ISS Research Johnson Space Center Near Space Network Space Communications & Navigation Program Sunita L. Williams View the full article
-
By NASA
NASA/Loral O’Hara The Choctaw Heirloom Seeds investigation flew five varieties of heirloom seeds from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma aboard the International Space Station in early November 2023. The seeds are Isito (Choctaw Sweet Potato Squash), Tobi (Smith Peas), Tanchi Tohbi (Flour Corn), Tvnishi (Lambsquarter), and Chukfi Peas. The seeds spent six months aboard station, returning to Earth in April 2024.
Next spring, Jones Academy students will plant the space-flown seeds alongside Earth-bound seeds of the same type in the school’s Growing Hope Garden. Students will hypothesize how the seeds will grow and make observations throughout the growing season.
Middle school teachers are developing curriculum incorporating the seeds’ journey to space station and students’ experiments in the garden. This research could impact Native and Indigenous populations across the United States, inviting underrepresented groups to engage with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Image credit: NASA/Loral O’Hara
View the full article
-
By NASA
Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center provides an update on Exploration Park on Feb. 15, 2022, at the ASCENDxTexas conference at South Shore Harbor Resort and Conference Center. Credit: NASA / Josh Valcarcel Nov. 12, 2024
Director Vanessa Wyche of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will join Texas A&M University leaders and guests Friday, Nov. 15, to break ground for the new Texas A&M University Space Institute.
U.S. media interested in participating in person must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, by calling 281-483-5111 or emailing: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online.
The groundbreaking is planned for 10 a.m. CST Nov. 15, at Johnson Space Center’s Exploration Park. Additional participants will include:
Greg Bonnen, Texas House of Representatives, chairman of House Appropriations Committee William Mahomes, Jr., Board of Regents chairman, Texas A&M University System John Sharp, chancellor Texas A&M University System General (Ret.) Mark Welsh III, president, Texas A&M University Robert H. Bishop, vice chancellor and dean, Texas A&M Engineering Nancy Currie-Gregg, director, Texas A&M University Space Institute Robert Ambrose, associate director for space and robotics initiatives, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station The institute, funded through a $200 million initial investment from the State of Texas, will support research for civilian, defense and commercial space missions as part of NASA Johnson’s Exploration Park. Key features will include the world’s largest indoor simulation spaces for lunar and Mars surface operations, state-of-the-art high-bay laboratories, and multifunctional project rooms.
The Texas A&M Space Institute is set to open in Summer 2026.
NASA is leasing the 240-acre Exploration Park to create facilities that enable a collaborative development environment, increase commercial access, and enhance the United States’ commercial competitiveness in the space and aerospace industries.
To learn more about NASA Johnson and the Texas A&M University Space Institute, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/nasas-johnson-space-center-hosts-exploration-park
-end-
Kelly Humphries
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov
View the full article
-
By NASA
Researchers demonstrated the feasibility of 3D bioprinting a meniscus or knee cartilage tissue in microgravity. This successful result advances technology for bioprinting tissue to treat musculoskeletal injuries on long-term spaceflight or in extraterrestrial settings where resources and supply capacities are limited.
BFF Meniscus-2 evaluated using the BioFabrication Facility to 3D print knee cartilage tissue using bioinks and cells. The meniscus is the first engineered tissue of an anatomically relevant shape printed on the station. Manufactured human tissues have potential as alternatives to donor organs, which are in short supply. Bioprinting in microgravity overcomes some of the challenges present in Earth’s gravity, such as deformation or collapse of tissue structures.
A human knee meniscus 3D bioprinted in space using the International Space Station’s BioFabrication Facility.Redwire Complex cultures of central nervous system cells known as brain organoids can be maintained in microgravity for long periods of time and show faster development of neurons than cultures on Earth. These findings could help researchers develop treatments for neurodegenerative diseases on Earth and address potential adverse neurological effects of spaceflight.
Cosmic Brain Organoids examined growth and gene expression in 3D organoids created with neural stem cells from individuals with primary progressive multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Results could improve understanding of these neurological diseases and support development of new treatments. Researchers plan additional studies on the underlying causes of the accelerated neuron maturation.
Neural growth in brain organoids that spent more than a month in space. Jeanne Frances Loring, National Stem Cell Foundation Researchers demonstrated that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be processed in microgravity using off the-shelf cell culture materials. Using standard laboratory equipment and protocols could reduce costs and make space-based biomedical research accessible to a broader range of scientists and institutions.
Stellar Stem Cells Ax-2 evaluated how microgravity affects methods used to generate and grow stem cells into a variety of tissue types on the ground. iPSCs can give rise to any type of cell or tissue in the human body, and insight into processing in space could support their use in regenerative medicine and future large-scale biomanufacturing of cellular therapeutics in space.
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, an Axiom Mission 2 crew member, works on stem cell research on a previous mission. NASA/Shane KimbroughView the full article
-
By NASA
Dr. Annie Meier (second from left) and her team inside the Applied Chemistry Lab at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida began supplementing their normal workload in mid-2023 with efforts to improve the lab’s sustainable practices. In 2024, the laboratory became the first at NASA to receive certification from the non-profit My Green Lab for its efforts in sustainability.NASA/Kim Shiflett NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida has a long record of achievements in sustainability and recently added another to the list when the spaceport’s Applied Chemistry Lab became the first in the agency to be certified for its environmentally conscious practices.
The My Green Lab Certification recognizes sustainability best practices in research facilities around the world. The certification program run by My Green Lab, a non-profit dedicated to creating a culture of sustainability through science, is considered a key measure of progress towards a zero-carbon future by the United Nations Race to Zero campaign.
“When I heard our lab achieved certification, I was so happy,” said Dr. Annie Meier, one of the laboratory’s chemical engineers. “It meant we could now make a conscious effort to share these green practices with all who work in our lab. We even added them to our training materials for new and incoming members in the lab.”
The lab performs research and technology development for a wide range of chemistry and engineering-related applications to solve the unique operational needs of NASA and outside partners. The lab primarily focuses on in-situ resource utilization and addressing technology gaps related to lunar and Martian sustainability. The lab’s scientists also provide expertise in the fields of logistics reduction, plasma science, hypergolic fuels, analytical instrumentation, and gas analysis.
While sustainability has long been a focus of the lab, the journey to the certification began when Riley Yager, a doctoral student from University of Alabama at Birmingham – where Meier was a technical monitor – shared her knowledge of the program after pursuing green lab practices at her university.
“I work as a sustainability ambassador at my university, so I knew of this program,” Yager said. “Sustainable practices are something woven into my everyday life, so naturally I wanted to bring those practices into my lab environments.”
After learning about the program from Yager and discovering the many other academic institutions and companies certified globally, Meier submitted a proposal to NASA and obtained funding to pursue certification for the Applied Chemistry Lab.
After a kickoff event hosted by My Green Lab in April 2023, the lab’s path to certification began with a self-assessment survey, in which members of the lab answered a series of questions about their practices in areas such as cold storage, green chemistry, infrastructure energy, resource management, waste reduction, and water. My Green Lab collected and analyzed the answers, providing a baseline assessment and recommendations to improve the lab’s sustainable practices.
“We took their initial survey and learned we had lots of room for improvements as a lab,” Meier said. “Then I worked with a few interns over the summer to spearhead the ‘green team’ to implement changes and get momentum from the entire lab.”
The lab began with minimizing purchases by improving efficiencies during the inventory process. The team also performed a waste audit of all seven of its laboratories. They adopted nitrile glove and pipette tip box recycling, reviewed the “12 principles of green chemistry” with the lab members, and installed stickers and signage about what can and cannot be unplugged to save energy. Additionally, they installed low-flow aerators on the lab tap sinks to reduce flow, and the lab now uses a recycling sink to save on water or solvents for cleaning parts.
As luck would have it, Yager ended up working at the Applied Chemistry Lab on a NASA fellowship and became a member of the green team.
“It was really fun to see that come full circle,” Meier said. “Almost all members of the lab, from our fellows to most senior members, used their self-motivation to get on the sustainability train.”
The green team continued to grow as the lab implemented changes to become more sustainable. Just over six months after the kickoff event, they completed another assessment survey. With possible certification levels of bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and green – the level that adheres closest to My Green Lab’s highest standards – the ACL was certified green, marking the first time any NASA center obtained a My Green Lab Certification.
“Our lab is looking to sustain these green practices and achieve the same status when we are reassessed in the future,” Meier said. “This effort could be a wonderful catalyst to inspire other work groups to lean towards more ‘green’ practices at the frontline in our laboratories.”
The NASA Kennedy lab joined over 2,500 labs in a range of sectors that received the My Green Lab certification. Maintaining the distinction will require recertification every two years.
View the full article
-
-
Check out these Videos
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.