Life and Physical Sciences Research for a New Era of Space Exploration An Interim Report (2010) / Chapter Skim
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3 Research on the International Space Station
3 Research on the International Space Station
Pages 19-30
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From page 19... ...
• The research discussed here includes both enabling research (associated with the development of new knowledge that could be applied to exploration mission needs) and enabled research (associated with the development of new knowledge that can be obtained only by using the unique microgravity environment of space)
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From page 20... ...
In contrast, a series of experiments on the ISS with a focus on plants has provided an initial, limited characterization of plant responses ranging from the developmental and molecular changes elicited by spaceflight to changes in photosynthesis, phototropism, and gravisensing in this environment.1,2 One aim of this research has been to acquire basic knowledge to enable the use of plants for longterm life support in extraterrestrial habitats by capitalizing on plants' ability to provide fresh food and to aid in the recycling of air, water, and waste products. Establishing the robust elements of such a bioregenerative life support system, which will likely incorporate a combination of biological systems and physico-chemical technologies, requires extended research now that carefully integrates ground- and ISSbased work.
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From page 21... ...
In addition, it will provide essential insight into how these organisms might be selected or engineered, or how their growth environment might be manipulated so as to better tailor them to support a safe, sustained human presence in space. Such a research program studying the sensing and responses of plants and microbes to individual components of the spaceflight environment such as altered gravity, radiation, and atmospheric composition, and to the integrated effects of these multiple factors, will need to combine a robust ground-based program with ISS-based experimentation.
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From page 22... ...
In addition, the ISS platform provides an ideal laboratory for developing techniques to predict and/or monitor the psychological and behavioral status of astronauts, and to develop and test interventions to prevent and/or treat adverse behavioral responses during extended space missions. There are three key program areas for behavioral mental health research on the ISS: 1.
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From page 23... ...
The ISS provides the only opportunity to probe fundamental questions about the role of gravity in developmental biology by examining how animals grow, develop, mature, and age over a large portion of their life span without the influences of gravity. The ISS provides the only means to study, without the stimulus of gravity, these fundamental questions by (1)
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From page 24... ...
These kinds of integrative studies can also lead to insights in several divergent areas that have not been explored extensively in the microgravity environment of the ISS. These include but are not limited to bone formation versus resorption processes; fracture repair; reduction of the risk factors for renal stones; net protein balance and contractile protein turnover in skeletal muscle; substrate and organism energy turnover capacity during exercise; the prevalence of cardiac atrophy; head-ward fluid shifts and visual acuity; the mismatch in functional integration of sensorimotor circuits; the verification of the hypothesis that vestibular dysfunction is the cause of motion sickness; the alteration of Starling forces in the microgravity environment; the deposition of different sized aerosols in lung tissue; altered thermoregulation during extravehicular activity (EVA)
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From page 25... ...
Fundamental physical science research in space is unique in that it is almost entirely "enabled by" exploration, although in the long term this work may enable NASA's exploration mission through the development of new materials and energy sources, time and frequency standards for navigation, and technologies that help humans adapt to the hostile conditions in space. Soft Condensed Matter and Complex Fluids Soft condensed matter and complex fluids are materials with multiple levels of structure.
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From page 26... ...
With renewed NASA support and continued, successful peer review, these projects provide an opportunity to obtain a well-defined, rapid science return from the ISS national laboratory. In general ISS-based fundamental physical science experiments are not facility oriented, with one exception⎯the Low-Temperature Microgravity Physics Facility (LTMPF)
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From page 27... ...
Research on the ISS directed toward the first goal will contribute to the development of power generation and energy storage systems; space propulsion systems; systems for EVA; life support systems; fire prevention, mitigation, and recovery systems; materials production and storage; in situ resource utilization (ISRU) ; and habitat construction and maintenance.
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From page 28... ...
, reliability, thermal management, power generation and handling, and propellant storage and handling are key drivers to dramatically reduce mass, cost, and mission risk. The ISS provides unique opportunities for research in a number of these areas.
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From page 29... ...
Testing on the ISS would benefit continuing development of food preparation, delivery, and storage systems, health maintenance equipment, radiation protection systems and materials, robotic systems, and human-machine interface systems. Applied Research That Is Enabled by the ISS Research enabled by the unique microgravity environment and facilities on the ISS can also address unexplored phenomena that have beneficial implications for exploration systems as well as many terrestrial technologies.
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From page 30... ...
This convection results in nonuniform compositions as well as defects in the resulting crystal. The microgravity environment allows these crystal growth phenomena to be studied without the confounding effects of gravitationally induced convection.
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