August 2024
Welcome to Space Station Spotlight, a new monthly newsletter from the ISS National Laboratory. Here’s where you can find all the latest R&D happenings on the space station, see what our partners are up to, and learn how you can elevate your research to new heights by leveraging the unique space environment.
What’s new at the ISS National Lab?
The agenda was packed with engaging keynote addresses, exciting panel discussions, informative technical sessions, valuable networking events, and more. Check out the ISSRDC 2024 Online Series for any sessions you missed or would like to watch again.
This mission carried more than 20 ISSInternational Space Station National Lab-sponsored payloads, including an NSF-funded project studying the ability of tiny, engineered particles to self-propel, with applications from drug delivery to water desalination. Learn more on our NG-21 launch page.
A new 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). “Forging the Path” piece discusses the value of cancer research in space.
In the piece, Davide Marotta, ISS National Lab program director for in-space biomanufacturing, highlights the intersection of space-based R&D and the President’s Cancer Moonshot initiative.
This ISS National Lab research announcement, in partnership with NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences division, sought research aiming to harness 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 to advance cancer R&D. The five selected projects were announced at ISSRDC(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..
Partner News
Vast will offer microgravity lab space on its Haven-1 space station. Commercial space station developer Vast partnered with two companies to provide lab facilities for microgravity research on its upcoming Haven-1 station. Haven-1 is slated to launch no earlier than August 2025.
Redwire Corporation acquired satellite builder Hera Systems. The acquisition of Hera Systems, advertised as a developer of satellite buses for national security customers, marks Redwire’s tenth acquisition.
SpaceX plans to build three new rocket landing zones on Florida’s Space Coast. The new landing zones will increase the number of missions SpaceX can launch and are expected to accommodate Starship launches.
Axiom Space’s CEO will transition to the company’s board of directors. After serving eight years as CEO, Mike Suffredini will take on a new position on Axiom’s board of directors. Kam Ghaffarian, Axiom’s executive chair and co-founder, will serve as interim CEO.
Funding Opportunities
The ISS National Lab and NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration announced a new solicitation for science in space to cure disease on Earth. The 2024 Igniting Innovation solicitation, which offers up to $4 million for an expected two to three awards, seeks multiflight research leveraging the space environment to address challenges in disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The deadline to submit a concept summary is September 26. Full details here.
Results
A new issue of Upward, official magazine of the ISS National Lab, is online. Explore valuable findings from space-based R&D—download the current and past issues here.
ISS research from Notre Dame could help revolutionize early cancer detection. Read the Upward feature “Harnessing the Power of Space Bubbles” to see how the research team is leveraging microgravity to study the formation of bubbles that can be used to concentrate trace substances in liquids. Results could significantly enhance biosensing technology.
Researchers published results from the first archaeological study in space. The research team captured images of six areas inside the ISS and assessed them from an archaeological perspective to see how the areas and tools within them are used. Results, published in PLOS One, could help improve the design of future space stations and other crewed spacecraft.
Stem Cell Reports published results from NSF-funded muscle 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. research on the ISS. The research team developed a skeletal muscle tissue chip system in microgravity that models key aspects of sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss). The model could be used to study muscle deterioration and test potential treatments for conditions that cause muscle loss.
Workforce Development and STEM Education
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. announced the winners of its 2024 student research competition at ISSRDC. New York high school students Isabelle Chuang and Julia Gross are this year’s winners, and astronauts will conduct their experiment on the ISS in the coming year.
Four former Genes in Space student participants led a fireside chat at ISSRDC 2024. They discussed the program’s impact on them and how it helped shape their academic and career paths.
An ISSRDC panel discussed expanding access to space through inclusion and workforce development. The panel brought together diverse voices to show that space is for everyone and to highlight the transformative power of inclusive practices in the space industry.
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