Orbiting 400 miles above the Earth, the International Space Station (ISS) provides a unique environment that allows for research not possible on Earth. These experiments laid the foundation for valuable scientific discoveries that improved the lives of people on earth. In collaboration with ISS National Laboratory®the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and others are funding research that takes advantage of this unique platform in space to advance fundamental understanding of humanity’s science.
As leader of the NSF Engineering Directorate, Susan Margulies leads NSF in its mission to transform the world for a better tomorrow by accelerating discovery, stimulating innovation, enriching education, and accelerating access. I’m teaching. At this year’s International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC), Margulies discussed the benefits of doing science in low-Earth orbit during a discussion moderated by Waleed Abdalati of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Joint Institute for Environmental Sciences. did.
“On Earth, we have very little opportunity to mitigate gravitational phenomena, but only for a few seconds or minutes at most,” Margulies said. during the session. “The International Space Station gives us the opportunity to remove the effects of gravity for weeks at a time. This gives us deep insight into the fundamental scientific processes that are occurring, which is extremely important. ”
One of the studies Margulies discussed was from a team of researchers at Case Western Reserve University. The team developed a project to fly to the space station in 2019 to better understand how flame behaves in confined spaces. The NSF-funded experiment used microgravity conditions to investigate the underlying physics of confined flames and improve fire protection models for buildings and other structures.
Margulies also discussed efforts to expand the field of tissue engineering in space, highlighting work by researchers at Stanford University focused on heart cells in microgravity. The research team investigated whether artificial heart muscle tissue grown in microgravity could be used as a heart failure model to screen potential new drugs.
“We think of the International Space Station as a great laboratory that will really benefit life on Earth,” she said. “That’s why we fund research in space with the aim of truly understanding and improving life on Earth.”
Margulies said NSF is excited to help researchers take science to new heights by providing funding to support projects that take advantage of the valuable research platform provided by the ISS National Laboratory. I am.
Abdalati, a research scientist with experience in space science and current board member of the Center for the Advancement of Space Science (CASIS™), which manages the ISS National Laboratory, emphasized the importance of scientific discovery. The unique microgravity environment provided by the space station.
“When we talk about discovery, the space station provides an incredibly powerful opportunity to do just that,” Abdalati said during the session. “And it’s not just organizations like NSF making these solicitations, but seeing the response from researchers and scientists who want to send their work into space and expand our understanding of science. is amazing.”
For more information on basic science research being conducted in space, read Margulies’ Perspective article in the current issue. upwardthe official magazine of the ISS National Laboratory.