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.
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.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
John Love, ISS Research Planning Integration Scientist
Expedition 68
