By Richard Tew/NASA/JSC Correspondent for The Post Newspaper
Experiments and research are a part of life aboard the International Space Station. Those experiments in the ISS’ unique zero-gravity environment can lead to breakthrough technologies with real world benefits realized back on Earth.
One area of research for NASA is in the field of colloidal behavior. A colloid is a mixture of one substance which contains dispersed insoluble particles which is suspended throughout another substance. This can be in the form of gels, aerosols, creams, etc. the particles are tiny and are measured in nanometers.
NASA Associate Administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate Kathy Lueders says there are ongoing experiments on the ISS which are designed to explore how colloids interact with various mediums.
“When you are here on Earth, there are gravitational effects that don’t allow you to be able to easily understand time phasing of how materials operate in fluids,” Lueders. “On orbit, you get to kind of slow things down and are able to see those behaviors.”
Lueders says it’s hard to observe these effects on Earth with gravity’s effect on these tiny particles.
“And so what that allows people to do is to be able to go and devise ways to control that behavior, test it on orbit and understand how it is working, and then being able to come up with applications for things to use it for on the ground,” said Lueders. “This is about getting particles out in fluids easier.”
Another benefit to research on the ISS is the way science is conducted in a gravity-free environment.
“Over 20 years, we have also learned about how to do our science differently,” said Lueders. “All of our researchers have gotten smarter and smarter about how to do research on orbit.”
These innovations have led to “tissue chips,” small samples of human and animal tissue used for experimental purposes. The decreased size of these chips allow more samples to be sent to the ISS so more studies can be performed.
“You can better understand the effects of the tissue on orbit and be able to track the changes in a way that doesn’t have the gravitational effects,” said Lueders.
NASA Research Portfolio Manager Kristen Fortson says research on the space station has many benefits.
“It’s what we learn up there (ISS) that applies down here,” said Fortson. “You design an experiment to go up and look for something.”
Fortson cites research studying protein crystallography experiments which focuses on studying proteins related to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. This is one area of study which came from ISS research projects.
According to www.mda.org, in a body with this rare condition, a particular protein (dystrophin) which maintains muscular cell health is missing, leading to the gradual destruction of muscle fibers.
Starting as early as age 2, those with this condition can experience difficulty with walking, running or jumping. Other effects can include an inward curve of the spine. In time other muscles such as the heart and muscles controlling respiration can be affected.
Both Lueders and Fortson suggest research possibilities on the ISS as a research platform are endless. Both ongoing and future studies center around research on how the human body is affected by the lack of gravity for prolonged periods of time.
Lueders says there are still some biological hurdles to overcome before astronauts can spend extended times on the Moon and eventually Mars. She says the ISS provides an ideal laboratory to research these challenges and many more.
“What we are really providing is a facility and a capability that allows people to clearly see interactions and when you can see how things work, you can figure out how to solve problems,” said Lueders.
When he’s not writing on NASA/JSC-related topics, Richard Tew teaches Irish dance to students aged three through adult in Clear Lake. Learn more at www.tew-academy.org or email rttew@yahoo.com.
Photo Cutline:
NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Frank Rubio is all smiles as he observes the behavior of a free-flying water bubble inside the International Space Station’s (ISS) Kibo laboratory module on Oct. 10, 2022. Photo by NASA.
