Research to Mend Broken Bones, Test Implantable Devices, and Inspire Future Explorers on Next Mission to International Space Station

Kennedy Space Center (FL), November 14, 2022 – While millions of Americans plan for the upcoming holidays, a variety of critical research and supplies will head to the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) as part of SpaceX’s 26th 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. (SpaceX CRS-26). The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled for launch onboard a Falcon 9 rocket to the space station no earlier than November 21, 2022, from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Among the investigations launching on this mission are several ISS National Laboratory-sponsored projects intending to bring value to our nation through space-based research and technology development, while enabling commerce 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..

Here is a quick look at some of these payloads:

• RevBio (formerly LaunchPad Medical), a clinical-stage medical device company, will further evaluate the company’s proprietary bone adhesive, Tetranite®, which can speed up new bone growth while reducing recovery time and discomfort in patients with a bone fracture. The company will test how well Tetranite® works to regenerate bone 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..
• The Houston Methodist Research Institute will test an implantable drug delivery device that can be operated remotely to enable the controlled distribution of therapeutics inside the human body. If successful, the device could allow doctors to remotely control drug delivery in patients in remote areas of Earth, or even in astronauts during spaceflight.
• The University of Florida is launching its latest project in a series of tissue chip investigations funded by the National Institutes of Health. Tissue chips mimic human physiology, allowing researchers to evaluate the safety and efficacy of drugs for patients on Earth. This team seeks to develop a tissue chipA tissue chip, or organ-on-a-chip or microphysiological system, is a small engineered device containing human cells and growth media to model the structure and function of human tissues and/or organs. Using tissue chips in microgravity, researchers can study the mechanisms behind disease and test new treatments for patients on Earth. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a multiyear partnership with the ISS National Laboratory® to fund tissue chip research on the space station. system to culture and electrically stimulate human skeletal muscles from young and older adults. If effective, this project could lead to therapeutics to treat age-related muscle loss conditions on Earth.
• The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program, a yearly competition for middle and high school-aged students, will send more than 20 student-led investigations to station. Among them are a fleet of MixStix experiments in the areas of crystal growth, plant biology, physics, and microbial research. Additionally, payloads supported by the Girl Scouts of America and Space Kids Global will look at brine shrimp, ants, and plant growth in low Earth orbit.

To learn more about all ISS National Lab payloads on this mission, please visit the SpaceX CRS-26 launch page.

Download a high-resolution photo for this release: SpaceX CRS-25 Liftoff

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 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. 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(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 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.

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