NSF-Funded Solicitation Seeks Physical Science Proposals to Utilize the International Space Station National Lab

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (FL), December 6, 2022 – For the eighth year, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (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).) and U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) have partnered to solicit transport phenomena and fluid dynamics research leveraging the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) National Laboratory.

NSF will provide up to $3.6 million for multiple projects to utilize the space station’s research facilities for fundamental research in the areas of fluid dynamics, particular and multiphase processes, thermal transport, combustion and fire systems, and nanoscale interactions.

Some forces that affect the behavior of fluids on Earth are absent in 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., so the sustained microgravity environment onboard the ISS provides benefits for several areas of study. Responsive proposals will describe how the proposed research will utilize the unique conditions available on the ISS to advance fundamental and translational research to benefit life on Earth.

A physical science investigation funded through a past NSF/CASIS joint solicitation launched to the space station on a recent resupply mission. Researchers from the University of California San Diego seek to better predict, and possibly prevent, catastrophic mudslides after wildfires by studying how burned soil reacts with air and water in microgravity. This fluid dynamics investigation was designed to gather data and create a baseline of material behaviors that could lead to breakthroughs in stabilizing soil after wildfires. Results from this research could help to better protect life and property in the communities where wildfires happen.

Fundamental science is a strategic focus area for the ISS National Lab, and knowledge gained from such research leads to advances that bring value to our nation and further informs the scientific community. Through this partnership, the ISS National Lab will facilitate hardware implementation and in-orbit access to the ISS, and NSF will fund the selected projects to further fundamental science in the areas of transport phenomena and fluid dynamics.

Prior to submitting a full proposal to NSF for this solicitation, all interested investigators must submit an ISS National Lab Feasibility Review Form. The information provided in this form is used to evaluate the operational feasibility of the proposed research to be conducted onboard the ISS.

The deadline to submit a Feasibility Review Form is January 12, 2023. Only investigators whose concept passes this Feasibility Review will be invited to submit a full proposal. NSF will close this solicitation on March 6, 2023.

For more information on this solicitation, including how to submit a Feasibility Review Form, visit the ISS National Lab solicitation webpage. To visit the full solicitation, please visit the NSF solicitation page.

To learn more about previous ISS National Lab and NSF research collaborations and additional opportunities to leverage the space station, please visit issnationallab.org.

Media Contacts:       
ISS National Lab
Patrick O’Neill
904-806-0035
PONeill@ISSNationalLab.org

NSF
703-292-7090
media@nsf.gov

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About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory:: The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Lab allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market 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.. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative AgreementA cooperative agreement is Federal assistance that establishes a relationship between the U.S. Government and a recipient in which the principal purpose of the relationship is to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation.  Since 2011, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space™ (CASIS™) has managed the National Laboratory® through a Cooperative Agreement with NASA. with NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit issnationallab.org.

About the U.S. National Science Foundation: The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to promote the progress of science, to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare, and to secure the national defense. NSF supports fundamental science and engineering research to create knowledge that transforms the future. With a 2022 fiscal year budget of $8.8 billion, NSF provides support for approximately 25% of all federally supported basic research conducted by America’s colleges and universities. NSF also invests in equipment and infrastructure that is needed by scientists and engineers. Examples of such major research equipment include giant optical and radio telescopes, Antarctic research sites, high-end computer facilities, ships for ocean research, sensitive detectors of subtle physical phenomena and gravitational wave observatories.

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