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3 Min Read NASA, Partners to Conduct Space Station Research During Expedition 73
NASA NASA astronauts are gearing up for a scientific mission aboard the International Space Station. Expedition 73 NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov will launch in March as part of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission. NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will join the crew when he launches aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft in April alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky.
Read more about some of the microgravity research planned by NASA and its partners:
Subjects for human research
NASA Astronauts often serve as test subjects, submitting blood and other samples for research. NASA astronaut Anne McClain is pictured submitting a sample on a previous mission with assistance from CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut David Saint-Jacques. McClain will participate in NASA’s Complement of Integrated Protocols for Human Exploration Research investigation, or CIPHER, a suite of integrated studies on physiological and psychological changes seen in space. Results could provide valuable insights for future deep space missions.
Testing lunar navigation
NASA When Expedition 73 astronauts engage with students worldwide via the ISS Ham Radio program, researchers will use the ham radio hardware to test software for the Navigation and Communication Testbed (NAVCOM) that could help shape future lunar navigation. Researchers from the investigation recently launched a related study to the Moon aboard Firefly’s Blue Ghost to help bridge existing Earth navigation with emerging lunar-specific solutions.
Advancing fire safety
NASA Expedition 73 is scheduled to conduct a Material Ignition and Suppression Test (SoFIE-MIST), testing material flammability in microgravity. This research could improve fire safety on future missions, contributing to models used to select materials for space facilities and helping to determine the best ways to extinguish fires in space.
Keeping blood flowing
Angelo Taibi/ASI Expedition 73 crew members will participate in Drain Brain 2.0, which examines how blood flows from the brain to the heart in microgravity using this plethysmograph, a device that can record the volume of blood drainage from the skull. Results could identify which processes in the body compensate for the lack of gravity, helping to ensure proper blood flow for astronauts on future missions and people with cardiovascular issues on Earth.
The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth. For more than 24 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, through which astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time. The space station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy and NASA’s next great leaps in exploration, including missions to the Moon under Artemis and, ultimately, human exploration of Mars.
Learn more about the International Space Station, its research, and its crew, at:
https://www.nasa.gov/station
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By NASA
On March 6, 1985, NASA’s newest space shuttle, Atlantis, made its public debut during a rollout ceremony at the Rockwell International manufacturing plant in Palmdale, California. Under construction for three years, Atlantis joined NASA’s other three space-worthy orbiters, Columbia, Challenger, and Discovery, and atmospheric test vehicle Enterprise. Officials from NASA, Rockwell, and other organizations attended the rollout ceremony. By the time NASA retired Atlantis in 2011, it had flown 33 missions in a career spanning 26 years and flying many types of missions envisioned for the space shuttle. The Visitor Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida has Atlantis on display.
Space shuttle Atlantis under construction at Rockwell International’s Palmdale, California, plant in 1984. Credit/NASA. Atlantis during the rollout ceremony in Palmdale. Credit/NASA. Workers truck Atlantis from Palmdale to NASA’s Dryden, now Armstrong, Flight Research Center. Credit/NASA. On Jan. 25, 1979, NASA announced the names of the first four space-worthy orbiters – Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis. Like the other vehicles, NASA named Atlantis after an historical vessel of discovery and exploration – the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s two-masted research ship Atlantis that operated from 1930 to 1966. On Jan. 29, NASA signed the contract with Rockwell International of Downey, California, to build and deliver Atlantis. Construction began in March 1980 and finished in April 1984. Nearly identical to Discovery but with the addition of hardware to support the cryogenic Centaur upper stage then planned to deploy planetary spacecraft in 1986, plans shelved following the Challenger accident. After a year of testing, workers prepared Atlantis for its public debut.
Atlantis arrives at NASA’s Dryden, now Armstrong, Flight Research Center to prepare for its cross-country ferry flight. Credit/NASA. Atlantis during an overnight stop at Ellington Air Force Base, now Ellington Field, in Houston. Credit/NASA. Atlantis arrives at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Credit/NASA. Three days after the rollout ceremony, workers trucked Atlantis 36 miles overland to NASA’s Dryden, now Armstrong, Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave Desert, for final preparations for its cross-country ferry flight. In the Mate Demate Device, workers placed Atlantis atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified Boeing 747, to begin the ferry flight. The duo left Edwards on April 12, the fourth anniversary of the first space shuttle flight. Following an overnight stop at Houston’s Ellington Air Force Base, now Ellington Field, Atlantis arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 13.
Atlantis following its first rollout to Launch Pad 39A. Credit/NASA. The flight readiness firing of Atlantis’ three main engines.Credit/NASA. Liftoff of Atlantis on its first mission, STS-51J. Credit/NASA. Four months later, on Aug. 12, workers towed Atlantis from the processing facility to the assembly building and mated it to an external tank and twin solid rocket boosters. The entire stack rolled out to Launch Pad 39A on Aug. 30 in preparation for the planned Oct. 3 launch of the STS-51J mission. As with any new orbiter, on Sept. 13 NASA conducted a 20-second Flight Readiness Firing of Atlantis’ three main engines. On Sept. 16, the five-person crew participated in a countdown demonstration test, leading to an on time Oct. 3 launch. Atlantis had joined the shuttle fleet and begun its first mission to space.
Space shuttle Atlantis in the Visitor Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit/NASA. Over the course of its 33 missions spanning more than 26 years, Atlantis flew virtually every type of mission envisioned for the space shuttle, including government and commercial satellite deployments, deploying spacecraft to visit interplanetary destinations, supporting scientific missions, launching and servicing scientific observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope, performing crew rotations and resupplying the Mir space station, and assembling and maintaining the International Space Station. Atlantis flew the final mission of the shuttle program, STS-135, in July 2011. The following year, NASA transported Atlantis to the Kennedy Visitor Center for public display.
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By Space Force
Air Force and Space Force senior leaders took to the stage at the recent Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium March 3-5, outlining their vision for the future of warfare.
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By NASA
Challenges to measuring space-induced brain changes
CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut David Saint-Jacques undergoes an MRI for Wayfinding. CSA Researchers found that an upward shift in the brain during spaceflight makes it hard to distinguish different types of tissue, causing errors in determining changes in brain volume. Previous studies have interpreted these changes as evidence of adaptation to space. This finding suggests that unique methods are needed to analyze astronaut brain structure.
Wayfinding, a CSA (Canadian Space Agency) investigation, looked at how the brain adapts to space and readapts after return to normal gravity using a variety of assessments, including neuroimaging. The researchers propose that previous data could be reanalyzed based on the errors identified by this paper.
Catching micrometeoroids
JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Tanpopo panels were mounted on the Exposed Experiment Handrail Attachment Mechanism (ExHAM) at top center of this image. JAXA/Takuya Onishi An impact track made by a micrometeoroid on a panel outside the International Space Station contained iron and orthopyroxene crystals. This finding, along with previous studies, suggests that micrometeoroids containing these elements are abundant in low Earth orbit and more measurements are needed to determine their origins and potential for carrying life.
At least 90% of meteoroids at one astronomical unit or AU (93 million miles or the distance between Earth and the Sun) do not reach Earth’s surface, so investigating those in low Earth orbit is key to understanding their nature. The JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Tanpopo experiment placed blocks of a special gel outside the station to capture solid microparticles to test the theory that they could transport life among celestial bodies. Most meteoroids at one AU may have originated from Jupiter family comets.
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By NASA
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission with agency astronauts Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov is preparing to return to Earth following their science mission aboard the International Space Station. Hague, Williams, and Wilmore completed more than 900 hours of research between over 150 unique scientific experiments and technology demonstrations during their stay aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Here’s a look at some scientific milestones accomplished during their journey:
Mighty microalgae
NASA astronaut Nick Hague processes samples for Arthrospira C, an investigation from ESA (European Space Agency) that transplants and grows Arthrospiramicro-algae eboard the International Space Station. These organisms conduct photosynthesis and could be used to convert carbon dioxide exhaled by crew members into oxygen, helping maintain a safe atmosphere inside spacecraft. Arthrospira also could provide fresh food on long-duration space missions.
NASA Improving astronaut exercise
Researchers are testing the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D), a modular device that combines cycling, rowing, and resistance exercises to help keep crews healthy on long-duration missions. A single, small device effective at countering bone and muscle loss and improving cardiovascular health is needed for use on future spacecraft such as the Gateway lunar space station. NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore works on installing the device aboard the International Space Station ahead of its evaluation.
NASA Watering the garden
This red romaine lettuce growing in the International Space Station’s Advanced Plant Habitat is part of Plant Habitat-07, a study of how different moisture levels affect the microbial communities in plants and water. Results could show how less-than-ideal conditions affect plant growth and help scientists design systems to produce safe and nutritious food for crew members on future space journeys.
NASA Packing it in
Packed bed reactors are systems that “pack” materials such as pellets or beads inside a structure to increase contact between any liquids and gasses flowing through it. NASA astronaut Suni Williams installs hardware for the Packed Bed Reactor Experiment: Water Recovery Series (PBRE-WRS) investigation, which examines how gravity affects these systems aboard the International Space Station. Results could help scientists design better reactors for water recovery, thermal management, fuel cells, and other applications.
NASA Fueling the flames
During the Residence Time Driven Flame Spread (SOFIE-RTDFS) investigation at the International Space Station, this sheet of clear acrylic plastic burns at higher oxygen levels and half the standard pressure of Earth’s atmosphere. From left to right, the image sequence shows a side and top view of the fuel and the oxygen slowly diffusing into the flame. Studying the spread of flames in microgravity could help improve safety on future missions.
NASA Monitoring microbes in space
During a recent spacewalk, NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore swabbed the exterior of the International Space Station for ISS External Microorganisms, an investigation exploring whether microorganisms leave the spacecraft through its vents and, if so, which ones survive. Humans carry microorganisms along with them wherever they go, and this investigation could help scientists take steps to limit microbial spread to places like the Moon and Mars.
NASA A hearty workout
NASA astronaut Nick Hague exercises on the International Space Station’s Advanced Resistive Exercise Device while wearing the Bio-Monitor vest and headband. This set of garments contains sensors that unobtrusively collect data such as heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and temperature. The data supports studies on human health, including Vascular Aging, a CSA (Canadian Space Agency) investigation that monitors cardiovascular function in space.
NASA On-demand medical devices
NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore works with hardware for InSPA Auxilium Bioprinter, a study that tests 3D printing of an implantable medical device that could facilitate recovery from peripheral nerve damage, a type of injury that can cause sensory and motor issues. In microgravity, this manufacturing technique produces higher-quality devices that may perform better, benefitting crew members on future long-duration missions and patients back home.
NASA Could wood be better
A deployer attached to the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module launches LignoSat into space. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) developed the satellite to test using wood as a more sustainable alternative to conventional satellite materials. Researchers previously exposed different woods to space and chose magnolia as the best option for the study, including sensors to evaluate the wood’s strain and its response to temperature and radiation. Researchers also are monitoring whether Earth’s geomagnetic field interferes with the satellite’s data transmission.
NASA Making microbes in space
NASA astronaut Suni Williams poses with bacteria and yeast samples for Rhodium Biomanufacturing 03, part of an ongoing examination of microgravity’s effects on biomanufacturing engineered bacteria and yeast aboard the International Space Station. Microgravity causes changes in microbial cell growth, cell structure, and metabolic activity that can affect biomanufacturing processes. This investigation could clarify the extent of these effects and advance the use of microbes to make food, pharmaceuticals, and other products in space, reducing the cost of launching equipment and consumables from Earth.
NASA A NICER spacewalk
The International Space Station’s Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER, studies neutron stars, the glowing cinders left behind when massive stars explode as supernovas. NASA astronaut Nick Hague installs patches during a spacewalk to repair damage to thermal shields that block out sunlight while allowing X-rays to pass through the instrument. NICER continues to generate trailblazing astrophysics discoveries reported in hundreds of scientific papers.
NASA Earth from every angle
From inside the International Space Station’s cupola, NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore photographs landmarks on Earth approximately 260 miles (418 kilometers) below. Crew members have taken millions of images of Earth from the space station for Crew Earth Observations, creating one of the longest-running records of how our planet changes over time. These images support a variety of research, including studies of phenomena such as flooding and fires, atmospheric processes affected by volcanic eruptions, urban growth, and land use.
NASA An out-of-this-world sunrise
This photograph captures an orbital sunrise above the lights of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo as the International Space Station orbits above Brazil. This image is one of the millions of photographs taken by crew members for Crew Earth Observations. These images teach us more about our home planet, and studies show that taking them improves the mental well-being of crew members. Many spend much of their free time pursuing shots that, like this one, are only possible from space.
NASA Vital vitamins
The BioNutrients investigation demonstrates technology to produce nutrients during long-duration space missions using engineered microbes like yeast. Food stored for long periods can lose vitamins and other nutrients, and this technology could provide a way to make supplements on demand. NASA astronaut Suni Williams prepares specially designed growth packets for the investigation aboard the International Space Station.
NASA Blowing in the solar wind
The International Space Station’s robotic hand, Dextre, attached to the Canadarm2 robotic arm, moves hardware into position for the COronal Diagnostic EXperiment, or CODEX. This investigation examines solar wind and how it forms using a solar coronagraph, which blocks out bright light from the Sun to reveal details in its outer atmosphere or corona. Results could help scientists understand the heating and acceleration of the solar wind and provide insight into the source of the energy that generates it.
NASA Can you hear me now?
Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov conducts a hearing test in the relative quiet of the International Space Station’s Quest airlock. Crew members often serve as test subjects for research on how spaceflight affects hearing and vision, the immune and cardiovascular systems, and other bodily functions. This research supports the development of ways to prevent or mitigate these effects.
NASA Exposing materials to space
Euro Material Ageing, an ESA (European Space Agency) investigation, studies how certain materials age when exposed to the harsh space environment. Findings could advance design for spacecraft and satellites, including improved thermal control, as well as the development of sensors for research and industrial applications. NASA astronaut Suni Williams installs the experiment into the Nanoracks Bishop airlock for transport to the outside of the International Space Station.
NASA Sending satellites into space
NASA astronauts Don Pettit and Butch Wilmore remove a small satellite deployer from an airlock on the International Space Station. The deployer had released several CubeSats into Earth orbit including CySat-1, a remote sensor that measures soil moisture, and DORA, a receiver that could provide affordable and accurate communications among small spacecraft.
NASA Robotic relocation
The Responsive Engaging Arms for Captive Care and Handling demonstration (Astrobee REACCH) uses the International Space Station’s Astrobee robots to test technology for capturing objects of any geometry or material orbiting in space. This ability could enable satellite servicing and movement to maximize the lifespan of these tools and removal of space debris that could damage satellites providing services to the people of Earth. NASA astronaut Suni Williams checks out an Astrobee fitted with tentacle-like arms and adhesive pads for the investigation.
NASA Arms to hold
As part of a program called High school students United with NASA to Create Hardware, or HUNCH, NASA astronaut Nick Hague demonstrates the HUNCH Utility Bracket, a student-designed tool to hold and position cameras, tablets, and other equipment that astronauts use daily. Currently, crew members on the International Space Station use devices called Bogen Arms, which have experienced wear and tear and need to be replaced.
NASA A Dragon in flight
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft fires its thrusters after undocking from the International Space Station as it flies 260 miles (418 kilometers) above the Pacific Ocean west of Hawaii. NASA’s commercial resupply services deliver critical scientific studies, hardware, and supplies to the station.
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