CASIS Commemorates 10 Years of ISS National Lab Management
Join us in celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and its management of the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) U.S. National Laboratory. As we look back at a decade built on partnership and growth, we renew our dedication to our incredible mission to advance space-based research and development for the benefit of life on Earth.
Below, enjoy a selection of stories highlighting milestones, publications, and the diversity of research and development done through the ISS National Lab over the last 10 years.
NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut Nick Hague works on the Genes In Space-6 experiment that is aimed at studying radiation damage to DNA.
Media Credit: NASA
A student-led experiment, awarded through the 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. competition, used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology to create targeted breaks in the yeast genome that imitate damage to DNA caused by radiation. Results from the experiment may inform our understanding of DNA repair mechanisms and may lead to improvements in current methods to protect astronauts against cosmic radiation during space travel.
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Scanning electron microscopy image of aggregates of kaolinite clay formed in salt solution
Media Credit: University of California, Santa Barbara
A project from the University of California, Santa Barbara was launched as part of SpaceX CRS-15 on June 29, 2018 and funded through the multiyear partnership between the National Science Foundation and 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).. Results from this study have possible applications in ocean drilling, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem modeling.
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Paul Reichert preparing the Protein Crystallization Facility hardware prior to SpaceX-10.
Media Credit: Merck
If pharmaceutical companies like Merck & Co. discover a way to formulate cancer therapies as highly concentrated crystalline suspensions, the medicine may one day be given as a simple injection under the skin during a quick visit to a doctor’s office. A team of Merck researchers is utilizing the unique microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. environment of the ISS National Lab as a first step in trying to achieve just this.
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NASA astronaut Jessica Meir works with the Techshot Bone Densitometer to assess bone density of the animal subjects for the Mighty Mice investigation.
Media Credit: NASA
Findings from the “Mighty Mice” investigation on the ISS may help “save the day” both for earthbound patients with muscle and bone loss as well as astronauts on prolonged spaceflight missions. Findings demonstrate that the inhibition of myostatin and activin A had a significant protective effect against microgravity-induced muscle and bone loss. These results have important implications for the development of therapies to combat muscle and bone loss both on and off Earth.
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Media Credit: NASA
CASIS has partnered with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) on multiyear programs that support regenerative medicine research on the ISS National Lab.
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Media Credit: Proctor and Gamble
In an era of increasing commercial innovation in space, many big-name companies are taking to the skies to explore how microgravity research might enhance their products. But for Procter & Gamble (P&G), a giant among household product providers, spaceflight has been a part of their R&D portfolio for almost a decade—and they shared exciting progress from their ISS experiments investigating the new science of polydisperse systems.
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Media Credit: CASIS
Optical fibers are the thread that connects our modern digital world. Smaller in diameter than a human hair, these fibers can transmit light pulses of information at billions of pulses per second and over distances of several thousand kilometers, eclipsing what is possible with electrical cables. When these optical fibers are produced on Earth, convection and other gravity-driven phenomena can cause imperfections, so scientists have turned to the ISS National Lab to produce ZBLAN fiber in microgravity.
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An amputated flatworm fragment sent to space regenerated into a double-headed worm, which is a rare spontaneous occurrence.
Media Credit: Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University
In the summer of 2017, a two-headed worm achieved internet and popular media fame when researchers from Tufts University published a paper describing the worm and other results from their ISS National Lab experiment. Because the DNA of planarian flatworms can diverge widely and yet their anatomy remains intact, their cellular decision making is revealing novel aspects of how genetics and physics cooperate to control dynamic anatomy. The research team studied the role of bioelectric signals—electrical communication between individual cells—in determining anatomy. Over the long term, understanding these processes may shed light on how biophysical dynamics are involved in the development, aging, and modification of body plans in higher organisms—and how we might use bioelectric and other signals to control cell behavior.
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NASA astronaut Christina Koch monitors a satellite refueling experiment called Furphy on the ISS developed by startup company Orbit Fab.
Media Credit: NASA
In fiscal year (FY) 2020, the ISS National Lab ecosystem reflected successful funding rounds, contract wins, and strategic transactions for ISS National Lab startup investigators and Implementation Partners. Many of this year’s successes are a result of ISS National Lab Investor Network growth, timely monetary investments, and funding for the space industry and new ISS projects—successes that indicate continued utilization of the ISS as we move into FY21 and beyond.
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Media Credit: CASIS
At any given time onboard the ISS National Lab, a 3D printer receives data files from Earth that it transforms, layer by layer, using plastics, into fully functional tools and parts that ISS crew members can use. The Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF) was launched as a permanent “machine shop” on the ISS, providing in-orbit fabrication services to customers from both the ISS National Lab and NASA.
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Media Credit: RR-5 UCLA Team
An ISS National Lab investigation from a team of researchers at e University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) successfully proved the robustness of a new potential osteoporosis therapy based on a naturally produced protein, NELL-1, and also led to significant improvements in the delivery of the therapy. Most osteoporosis drugs only work to slow bone breakdown, not form new bone. A therapeutic approach using NELL-1 developed by the UCLA research team works both ways. NELL-1 has been shown to not only help prevent further bone loss but also build new bone to replace what was lost. Such a therapy would be of tremendous benefit to patients with severe osteoporosis.
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The Michael J. Fox Foundation is sending an experiment to the ISS National Lab to investigate the LRRK2 protein, a key target in identifying the makeup of Parkinson’s disease.
Media Credit: CASIS
A mutation in the LRRK2 gene appears to be linked to Parkinson’s disease, making it a key target for drug development; however, its gene product, LRRK2 protein, is difficult to study. Crystals grown in microgravity are often larger and more well-ordered than crystals grown on Earth. The Michael J. Fox Foundation, which is dedicated to finding improved therapies and ultimately a cure for Parkinson’s disease, leveraged the ISS National Lab to investigate the structure of the LRRK2 protein by crystallizing it in microgravity. For some proteins, crystallization in space produces larger and higher-quality crystals than on Earth.
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The bright sun greets the International Space Station and the Earth below.
Media Credit: NASA
In 2020, we celebrated 20 years of continuous human presence in space. This era has enabled tremendous activity onboard the ISS—research and technology development that improves quality of life on Earth and will empower us to reach farther into the depths of space, the birth and growth of businesses devoted to democratizing 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., and educational initiatives that have inspired millions of students to reach for the stars. In a series of essays, we asked thought leaders, business owners, and members of the ISS community to share their expectations and hopes for what is to come over the next 20 years.
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Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, and NASA astronaut Dr. Kate Rubins
Media Credit: NIH/NASA
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, and NASA astronaut Dr. Kate Rubins served as the Day 1 keynote of the 2021 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). The virtual keynote session touched on the important research and development being done on the ISS, the value that research brings to humanity and to our nation, and potential opportunities for future innovation and discovery. This marked the 10th annual ISSRDC, bringing together experts who shared scientific results and discussed the future of research in microgravity and beyond.
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