Day 2 of ISSRDC is About to Begin: Enjoy Highlights From Day 1
Attendees at ISSRDC 2023 listen to a welcome address from astronauts onboard the ISS.
August 2, 2023
Day 1 of the 2023 International Space Station Research and Development Conference(Abbreviation: ISSRDC) The only conference dedicated exclusively to showcasing how the International Space Station is advancing science and technology and enabling a robust and sustainable market in LEO. This annual conference brings together leaders from the commercial sector, U.S. government agencies, and academic communities to foster innovation and discovery onboard the space station. ISSRDC is hosted by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, manager of the ISS National Lab; NASA; and the American Astronautical Society. (ISSRDC) kicked off in Seattle yesterday morning with the theme “Innovation in the New Space Age: Accelerating Commercialization and Science in Space Through 2030.”
CASIS(Abbreviation: CASIS™) The nonprofit organization that manages the ISS National Lab, which receives at least 50 percent of the U.S. research allocation on the International Space Station to facilitate research that benefits humanity (NASA manages the other 50% and focuses on research for space exploration purposes). CEO Ray Lugo welcoming everyone to the 12th annual ISSRDC in Seattle.
The morning began with a welcome address from Ray Lugo, CEO of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS), manager of the ISSInternational Space Station National Laboratory; Dana Weigel, NASA’s ISS Program Deputy Manager; John Mulholland, Boeing VP and program manager for the ISS; and Megan McArthur, NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut, scientist, and explorer.
Ezinne Uzo-Okoro, assistant director for space policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, moderates a panel discussion at ISSRDC 2023 on Igniting Innovation to Accelerate Disease Research on the ISS. She was joined by panelists Michael Roberts, chief scientific officer for the ISS National Lab, and Lisa Carnell, Biological and Physical Science Division director at NASA.
In the day’s first keynote address, Michael Roberts, chief scientific officer for the ISS National Lab, announced the upcoming Igniting Innovation ISS National Lab Research Announcement (NLRAThe abbreviation for an ISS National Lab Research Announcement. NLRAs are one of the ISS National Lab’s primary mechanisms to solicit proposals in specific research areas.) in collaboration with NASA’s Biological and Physical Science Division. The solicitation seeks experiment series focused on the cure of human diseases on Earth, such as cancer. “This is a different sort of NLRA than we’ve had in the past,” Roberts said. “This one affords the community the opportunity to identify multiple flight experiments to reach an end state to help accelerate the pace of discovery and innovation here on Earth.”
Houston Methodist Research Institute scientist Nicola Di Trani presents research on a tunable drug delivery implant during one of the technical sessions at ISSRDC 2023.
Yesterday’s technical sessions ranged from talks about ISS experiments aimed at improving human health to presentations on in-space production applications(Abbreviation: InSPA) InSPA is an applied research and development program sponsored by NASA and the ISS National Lab aimed at demonstrating space-based manufacturing and production activities by using the unique space environment to develop, test, or mature products and processes that could have an economic impact., physical science studies, and technology development. During the Human Health in Space technical session, Nicola Di Trani with Houston Methodist Research Institute discussed his team’s research to develop a remotely controlled drug delivery implant.
Anissa Ramirez discussed the importance of storytelling in science communication during her luncheon keynote address at ISSRDC 2023.
In her luncheon keynote, scientist and science communicator Ainissa Ramirez discussed the importance of using storytelling to engage the public, including “science phobics” and “science fans” alike, in innovations happening on the ISS.
Katy Martin, outreach and communications lead at miniPCR bio, gives a Lightning Talk on STEM engagement and workforce development at ISSRDC 2023.
Katy Martin, outreach and communications lead for miniPCR bio, gave a Lightning Talk about stimulating workforce development in the space industry through creative STEM education programs like Genes in SpaceAn annual national research competition for students in grades 7 through 12 to design pioneering biotechnology experiments that are conducted by astronauts on the space station. The program is funded by Boeing and miniPCR bio and supported by the ISS National Laboratory® and New England BioLabs.. “To say that Genes in Space is a team effort is a massive understatement,” she said, emphasizing government, higher education, and commercial partnerships.
Francisco Cordova, chief operating officer for the ISS National Laboratory moderates a panel discussion on the future of R&D in LEO with panelists Robyn Gatens, NASA’s director of the ISS; Ezinne Uzo-Okoro, assistant director for space policy for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; and Ronald Joslin, program director for the U.S. National Science Foundation, at ISSRDC 2023.
A panel on the future of R&D in low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles. (LEO) discussed national strategy and policy objectives to successfully transition from the ISS to commercial LEO destination platforms of the future. Robin Gatens, NASA’s director of the ISS, talked about the agency’s involvement in the strategic planning. “How do we keep this work going and the momentum created by the ISS National Lab? How do we provide continuity for our research community, because that’s critically important during this transition. We want to get all we can out of this incredible space station platform through the decade, and it’s exciting to be here and see all the results from the research, but we also want you to know that we’re working hard to plan for that future.”
Ken Savin, chief scientist for Redwire Space, gives a Lightning Talk comparing the Gold Rush and the commercialization of space at ISSRDC 2023.
In a Lightning Talk, Ken Savin, chief scientific officer for Redwire Space, compared commercial space to the Gold Rush that transformed California in the 1850s. During the Gold Rush, entrepreneurs made money digging for gold, selling tools to dig, and providing transportation to move people, gold, and money. “Space will be like the Gold Rush,” he said. “What the ISS affords us is the chance to find the gold.”
Day 2 of the conference is packed with more exciting sessions, including a keynote address from Christie Canaria, interagency policy specialist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology; Lightning Talks from innovative companies Vast and Leidos; and a Fireside Chat with Alessandro Grattoni of the Houston Methodist Research Institute and Maurizio Reggiani from Automobili Lamborghini. Learn more at www.issconference.org, and stay tuned for more highlights from ISSRDC 2023!