December 2024
Welcome to Space Station Spotlight, a 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 to elevate your research to new heights by leveraging the unique space environment.
What’s new at the ISS National Lab?
Nearly 50 ISSInternational Space Station National Lab-sponsored payloads returned to Earth on SpaceX CRS-31.
The payloads included research that could enable early cancer detection, advance treatments for neurodegenerative conditions, and improve respiratory therapies.
The ISS National Lab showcased an exciting year of launches.
Read about the valuable research that launched to the space station in 2024 in our end-of-the-year photo essay and press release.
R&D World highlighted an ISS National Lab publication on physical science research in space.
This coverage underscores the science community’s growing interest in utilizing the unique space environment to advance fundamental science in ways not possible on Earth.
Partner News
NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration published the final version of its 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. 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. Strategy. In the document, NASA affirmed the need for humans to remain in LEO through the transition from the ISS to commercial space stations. The agency said a continuous human presence is required to advance space-based R&D, foster innovation, and maintain the momentum for a thriving space industry.
Axiom Space plans to begin operating its commercial space station as early as 2028. The previous plan was to start operations in 2030, but reversing the order in which the modules are launched allowed the company to move up the timeline by two years.
Jared Isaacman was nominated to serve as the next administrator of NASA. Isaacman is a billionaire entrepreneur, philanthropist, and private astronaut. He flew on Inspiration4 (the first all-civilian orbital spaceflight mission) and the Polaris Dawn mission, during which he participated in the first private astronaut spacewalk.
Chinese astronauts performed a record-breaking nine-hour spacewalk outside the Tiangong Space Station. The previous record was held by NASA astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms, who spent eight hours and 56 minutes on an EVA outside the ISS in March 2001.
Funding Opportunities
The feasibility form for the NSF-funded tissue engineering solicitation is due January 15. This solicitation seeks projects utilizing the ISS National Lab for discovery-level, transformative projects integrating engineering and life sciences. The details are on our solicitation webpage.
An NSF-funded solicitation on transport phenomena is now open. This solicitation seeks projects utilizing ISS National Lab for research in fields related to the NSF Transport Phenomena Cluster programs, the Nanoscale Interaction program, the Metals and Metallic Nanostructures program, the Ceramics program, and the Advanced Manufacturing program. The details are on our solicitation webpage.
Results
The most recent 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.
Testing on the ISS enhanced a radiation-shielding vest to protect astronauts in deep space. Developed by StemRad in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, the AstroRad vest has undergone extensive testing through the ISS National Lab, significantly enhancing its design and functionality. To learn more, read the Upward feature “Armor for Astronauts.”
NASA Ames Research Center published results from ISS National Lab-sponsored rodent research. The project investigated body-wide responses to spaceflight to better understand spaceflight-associated health risks.
Researchers published results from a project that used the ISS to test spacecraft materials. Georgia Tech Applied Research Corporation used the MISSE Flight FacilityThe Materials International Space Station Experiment Flight Facility is a hardware platform on the exterior of the ISS that provides exposure to the harsh space conditions for the accelerated testing of materials and technologies with important applications both in space and on Earth. This ISS National Lab commercial facility is owned and operated by Aegis Aerospace. to evaluate changes in the optical properties of conventional and novel spacecraft materials exposed to harsh space conditions. The results could be used to create a database to remotely diagnose the material health of spacecraft.
Findings were published from two NSF-funded projects on advanced materials production. Researchers from Stanford and the University of California, Berkley aimed to produce improved graphene aerogels, and a team from the University of Alabama Birmingham aimed to produce novel ceramic-nanomaterial composites. These materials have valuable applications in heat management, energy storage, and more.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute published results related to NSF-funded physical science research. The project studied flow boiling and condensation behavior in microgravity to inform the design of applications such as water treatment and in-space fueling of spacecraft.
Workforce Development and STEM Education
A student project testing a powdered hydration solution on plant cells in space returned to Earth. The students hypothesized that the drink mix could help keep astronauts better hydrated during spaceflight. The project was among nearly 40 student experiments that launched to station as part of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Mission 18.
Save The Date
The 2025 ISS Research and Development Conference (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.) will be held in Seattle July 28-31. Join us for the 14th annual ISSRDC, the only conference dedicated exclusively to showcasing how the ISS advances science and technology development.
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