Media Invited to Join Researchers to Discuss Investigations Launching to the Space Station on Next Resupply Services Mission

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (FL), January 19, 2024 – The International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) National Laboratory invites members of the media to take part in a live webinar and question-and-answer session detailing investigations launching on NASA’s Northrop Grumman 20th Commercial Resupply Services mission(Abbreviation: CRS mission) A CRS mission is a cargo resupply mission contracted by NASA to deliver supplies and research to the International Space Station on commercial spacecraft as part of the CRS contract with three commercial companies. As part of CRS missions, experiments currently return to Earth on SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that splash down in the ocean. (NG-20) to the space station.

In this webinar, International Space Station National Lab Chief Scientific Officer Michael Roberts will join NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration International Space Station Program Deputy Scientist Meg Everett and NASA Director of the Biological and Physical Sciences Division Lisa Carnell to provide opening remarks on the upcoming mission and an overview of the space station program. After those remarks, panelists will discuss some of the payloads launching on Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraftOne of two U.S. commercial vehicles that currently deliver cargo including research investigations and crew supplies to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program. and how results from this research could benefit humanity. Following each overview, media will be encouraged to ask questions of the panelists. The following speakers will be available to share information on their projects:

• Shane Farritor, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Virtual Incision Corporation, will discuss NASA’s Robotic Surgery Tech Demo, which will test techniques for performing robotic surgery 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. using a miniature surgical robot that can be remotely controlled or teleoperated from Earth.
• Mark Fernandez, principal investigator of Spaceborne Computer-2 at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), will discuss the continued development of its commercial off-the-shelf high-performance computer system that can operate in the harsh conditions of space.
• Mary Murphy, director of programs at Nanoracks, a Voyager Space company, will introduce the GITAI (GEE-tie) Extravehicular Robotics Demonstration, which aims to showcase the versatility and dexterity of GITAI’s robotic systems in microgravity.
• Nicole Wagner, chief executive officer of LambdaVision, will discuss the company’s latest investigation to advance efforts to manufacture artificial retinas in space. This will mark the ninth investigation from LambdaVision to explore in-space manufacturing capabilities.
• Abba Zubair, medical director of the Mayo Clinic, will discuss a NASA investigation aiming to use microgravity to cultivate clinical-grade stem cells for therapeutic applications in humans. The Mayo Clinic has supported multiple spaceflight missions seeking to leverage microgravity to further medical advancements for patient care on Earth and beyond.

The webinar will take place at 1 p.m. EST, January 26, 2024. It will be livestreamed on the ISS National Lab website for the public and on Zoom for media. Members of the media that would like to participate are required to register for Zoom access no later than one hour in advance.

The public can participate by using #ISSNationalLab on social media to ask questions of the researchers. Following the webinar, a recording will be available on the ISS National Lab website.

The NG-20 Cygnus spacecraft, named SS Patricia “Patty” Hilliard Robertson for the late NASA astronaut, will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than Monday, January 29, 2024, at 12:29 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Additional information about ISS National Lab-sponsored projects on this mission will be made available to the media and public in the coming days.

Download a high-resolution image for this release: Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo craft arrives at the ISS in August 2023.

Media Contact:
Patrick O’Neill
904-806-0035
PONeill@ISSNationalLab.org

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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 Laboratory® allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve quality of 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™ (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).) 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 NASA, 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 our website.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CASIS accepts corporate and individual donations to help advance science in space for the benefit of humanity. For more information, visit our donations page.