NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins performs the Grasp experiment in the Columbus module of the International Space Station ahead of the New Year. The experiment studies how the central nervous system, specifically hand-eye coordination, adapts to microgravity. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-01-image-good-grasp-year.html…
Tag: microgravity
Astronauts Grow Radishes in a Microfarm on the International Space Station
From a report: The thought of eating “astronaut food” brings to mind a kind of instant food that is far from “farm to table.” However, recent experiments aboard the ISS are improving our understanding of how to bring the farm directly into space itself. Astronauts just ran a Veg-PONDS 02 experiment on the International Space Station. The experiment used food that…
Image: Study explores how astronauts’ nervous systems adjust to microgravity
If the orientation of this image is a little disorienting, then you know how astronauts feel in their first few hours in space. in weightlessness, the human body loses its cues for up and down and requires adjustments in over to move and manipulate objects. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-12-image-explores-astronauts-nervous-adjust.html…
Biomining study could unlock future settlements on other worlds
Experiments on the International Space Station have shown that the process of “biomining” will work in microgravity; a discovery that could help the first space settlers gather the minerals they need to build a long-term presence beyond Earth. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-12-biomining-future-settlements-worlds.html…
The small satellite that’s paying big dividends
Think of the International Space Station, and most likely you imagine an orbiting laboratory, where scientists observe how plants, materials, and humans react to microgravity conditions. But during the past decade, the station has also served a very different role—that of being a business incubator. And this is one of its star products—the CubeSat. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-11-small-satellite-big-dividends.html…
Team designs a prototype fuel gauge for orbit
Liquids aren’t as well behaved in space as they are on Earth. Inside a spacecraft, microgravity allows liquids to freely slosh and float about. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-11-team-prototype-fuel-gauge-orbit.html…
The International Space Station is 20 and going strong
20 years ago, three astronauts stepped aboard the ISS. It’s since hosted residents from many countries, creating humanity’s first history of living in space. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/20-years-iss-what-its-future-holds-nov-2-2020…
The human heart in space: What can we learn from mathematical modeling
Human spaceflight has been fascinating man for centuries, representing the intangible need to explore the unknown, challenge new frontiers, advance technology and push scientific boundaries further. A key aspect of long-term human spaceflight is the physiological response and consequent microgravity (0G) adaptation, which has all the features of accelerated aging involving almost every body system: muscle atrophy and bone loss, onset…
Image: Making waves in space
The International Space Station is an exciting place for experiments. This one in particular was making waves in space. Called Fluidics, the experiment studies fluid dynamics in microgravity and recently performed another successful round of science on board the Space Station. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-09-image-space.html…
Self-Replicating Chernobyl Mold Tested on ISS as a Space Radiation Shield
Humans on the moon and Mars would face the problem of damaging space radiation. But new research suggests one possible solution to the fact that “Space wants to kill you,” according to CNET:
To protect astronauts, scientists have been studying an unusually hardy organism, discovered in one of the most radioactive places on the planet: Chernobyl… In some parts of the plant,…