SpaceX CRS-31 supports heart health, neurodegeneration and student science

More than 25 payloads sponsored by the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) National Laboratory, including technology demonstrations, in-space manufacturing, student experiments and multiple projects funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), are headed to the orbiting outpost around the earth. .

Launched during SpaceX’s 31st Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission for NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration, these studies aim to improve life on Earth through space exploration and promote a sustainable economy in low orbit. the Earth (abbreviation: LEO). Earth extending to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 mi) from the Earth’s surface. The orbit of the International Space Station is in LEO, at an altitude of about 400 kilometers. (LEO).

The mission will launch from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center no earlier than Monday, November 4 at 9:29 PM EST. Some of the ISS National Lab-sponsored projects for this mission are highlighted below.

• Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) will build on its legacy of protein crystallization on the Space Station with a project, in collaboration with ISS National Lab Commercial Service ProviderImplementation Partners that own and operate commercial facilities supporting research on the ISS or developing future facilities. facilities. Redwire Space, which seeks to crystallize model compounds from small molecules to support the production of more effective therapies. Crystals grown in microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness that occurs when an object is in free fall, such as when an object is in orbit around the Earth. Microgravity changes 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. are often larger and better organized than those on the ground and could have had a better morphology (geometric shape).
• NSF is funding four studies launched under this mission, including a collaborative project between Oregon State University and Texas Tech University focused on heart health. This experiment will use 3D bioprinted heart organoids to study microgravity-induced myocardial atrophy. The results could lead to a better understanding of myocardial atrophy, which occurs in various conditions, such as cancer, muscle diseases, muscular dystrophy, diabetes, sepsis and heart failure.
• Several projects sponsored by the ISS National Lab and funded by NASA focus on manufacturing in space. One study by Sachi Bioworks, in collaboration with ISS National Lab Commercial Service Provider Space Tango, could help advance the development of new therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. The project will use brain organoids in microgravity to test the effects of a new drug on Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
• The Malta College of Arts, Science, and Technology is launching a project, with support from ISS National Lab Commercial Service Provider Voyager Space, to test a heatless welding method. Cold welding is a process of joining similar metal materials using force or pressure rather than heat. This method could one day be used to safely repair space platforms and ensure their long-term viability, which would help address growing concerns about space debris. In this project, the research team will test remotely operated, cold welding to apply metal patches to simulated spacecraft hull samples.
• The Student Spaceflight Experiment Program (SSEP) will send 39 student-led experiments to the space station on its 18th mission. SSEP aims to prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers by actively involving school communities in the development of scientific research to be conducted in the field of microgravity. More than 35 communities participated in this SSEP mission, which involved hundreds of students from grades 5 to 12, junior college and undergraduate studies.

Visit our launch page to learn more about ISS National Lab-sponsored studies on NASA’s SpaceX CRS-31. Visit our website to learn more about the research and technology development sponsored by the ISS National Lab, including how to propose concepts for future space exploration.