International Space Station

Research Progress during Assembly

Julie A. Robinson, Ph.D., ISS Program Scientist (acting)
AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting
January 2007
 Themes

z Provide an overview of the

multidisciplinary accomplishments on ISS
z Assembly period limitations (transportation,
crew time, sample return)
z Demonstrate the capabilities of a growing
suite of laboratory facilities on ISS
z Early ISS science serves as a pathfinder
for potential future research in many
disciplines
13 ISS Expeditions Completed
Over 6 years of active human presence

Nov 2002 – Mar 2003

Nov 2000 – Mar 2001
Apr 2005 – Oct 2005

Apr 2003 – Oct 2003

Mar 2001 – Aug 2001

Oct 2005 – Apr 2006

Oct 2003 – Apr 2004

Aug 2001 – Dec 2001

Apr 2006 – Sept 2006

Apr 2004 – Oct 2004
Dec 2001 – June 2002

Lopez-Alegria, Willaims,
June 2002 – Nov 2002 Tyurin
Oct 2004 – Apr 2005
EXPEDITION 14
 U.S. Research on ISS Increment 14:
130 12 new 130
investigations
120 120
70 months continuous 20 continuing
ER 1
110 U.S. Research time 110
100 ER 2A
to date 100
90 IN PLANNING
90
ER 4
80 80
97 research investigations
70 operated and 9 racks installed 70
ER 5

60 onboard to date MSRR 60

50 HRF-1 12 Racks
50
Projected CIR
40 by ULF2 40
EMCS ER 6
30 (for ER 3A) 30
(Spacedrums)
20 ER 3A 20
10 MELFI WORF
MSG HRF-2 10
2A.2b Æ 11A 6S 11P 12P 7S 13P 8S 14P 15P 9S 16P 17P 10S 18P LF1 19P 11S 20P 12S 21P 22P ULF1.1 12A 13S 23P 12A.1 24P (4/03)
13A 14S 25P 13A.1 ATV1 26P 10A 15S 1E 1J/A 1J 15A ULF2
(9/00) Æ (11/02) (6/03) (8/03) (10/03)(1/04) (4/04) (5/04) (8/04) (10/04) (12/04) (2/05) (4/05) (6/05)(7/05) (9/05) (10/05) (12/05) (3/06)(4/06)(6/06) (7/06) (9/06) (10/06) (12/06)(1/07)(3/07)(4/07)(5/07)(6/07)(7/07) (9/07) (TBD)(10/07)(12/07)(2/08)(6/08)(8/08)

Exp 0-6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Today
Investigators on ISS Through
Expedition 13
 International Research Accomplishments
Total # of ESA Experiments 2001-2006

17%
Human Physiology
29%
Psychology
Biology
Microbiology

19%
Plasma Physics Russian Space Agency/
Material Sciences
1% Fluid Physics Energia Talley
Radiation Physics
Earth Observation
331 Experiments through 2006
3% 15%
2%
1%
6%
Education Igor Sorokin, October 2006
3% 4% Technology

European Space Agency Talley

183 Experiments on ISS 2001-2006
Marc Heppener, October 2006
Current U.S. Outfitting—9 racks + optical window

Human Research
Facility Rack 1 EXPRESS Rack 1 EXPRESS Rack 2A EXPRESS Rack 4 EXPRESS Rack 5
(March 2001) (April 2001) (April 2001) (August 2001) (August 2001)

Euro. Modular
Cultivation System Microgravity
Human Research MELFI
EXPRESS Rack 3A (EMCS) Sciences
Facility Rack 2 Freezer
(June 2002) EXPRESS Rack 3A GloveBox
(July 2005) (July 2006)
(July 2006) (June 2002)
 2006 Science Outfitting

Storage of Blood and Microgravity and Partial Gravity Growth

other samples Chambers
Card (ESA) —
Mechanisms of activation Tropi—Analysis of a Novel Sensory Mechanism
in Root Phototropism
of sympathoadrenal
activity in humans Gravi-1(ESA)—Threshold Acceleration for
Gravisensing
during spaceflight and
Multigen (ESA)—Microgravity Effects on
A model for investigating Multigeneration Studies of Arabidopsis
the mechanisms of thaliana (2007)
heart disease

Nutrition Status
Assessment—
Key bone loss biomarkers:
Hormone indicators of
stress
Vitamin status related to
metabolic function
Markers of oxidative stress
Minus Eighty Degree C
Freezer (MELFI)

European Modular Cultivation System

(EMCS)
 Next Steps in Science Outfitting 2008

Combustion Space Dynamically Window Observational Materials Science

Integrated Rack Responding Research Facility Research Rack
(CIR) Ultrasonic Matrix (WORF) (MSRR)
System
(SpaceDRUMS)
Disciplines Represented in early
ISS Research

z Cell Biology and Biotechnology

z Plant Biology
z Human Research
z Physical Sciences
z Technology Development
z Environmental Monitoring
z Earth Observation
z Education
Disciplines Represented in early
ISS Research

z Cell Biology and Biotechnology

z Plant Biology
z Human Research
z Physical Sciences
z Technology Development
z Environmental Monitoring
z Earth Observation
z Education
Examples from 3 areas
 Biotechnology

Cell Culture
Bacterial Growth, Virulence,
and Antibiotic Production on ISS
 CGBA
(Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus)
z Proven multipurpose incubator
that can culture a variety of
organisms
z Bacteria, cells, plants,
Drosophila, to C. elegans
z First studies were on ISS prior to
permanent human occupation
z Currently a unit is on ISS
culturing both seedlings and C.
elegans for a combination of
research and educational
activities
z Commercially developed and
operated via Bioserve Space
Technologies, Boulder, CO

Hoehn, A., Klaus, D. and Stodieck, L., 2004, A

Modular Suite of Hardware Enabling Space
Flight Cell Culture Research. J. Gravitational
Physiology 11(1): 39-50
 CGBA-APS Results
(Antibiotic Production in Space)
z Used Streptomyces plicatus to
produce actinomycin-D for 72
days on orbit
z Early antibiotic production in
space greater than ground
controls
z Day 8: 15.6% higher
z Day 12: 28.5% higher
z After Day 12: ground production >
orbit production
z Mechanism under investigation

Benoit, MR, et al. 2006, Applied Microbiology Biotechnology, 70(4): 403-411

 Ongoing work on Microbial Growth and Virulence:
Yeast-GAP, Microbe, POEMS

z Suite of different
investigations using
microbe culture on ISS
z Saccharomyces, Candida,
Salmonella, Pseudomonas,
Bacillus subtilis
z Investigating
z Reproductive changes
z Acquisition of antibiotic
resistence
z Changes in virulence
z Gene activation (microarray
analysis)
z Flight components
complete

Yeast-Group Activation Packs and Microbe: Cheryl Nickerson, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Passive Observatories for Experimental Microbial Systems, Michael Roberts, Dynamac Corporation, FL
Plant Biology
 Advanced Astroculture
(ADVASC)
• Long-duration plant growth chamber
• Seed-to-seed life cycle
• Effect of microgravity on gene expression
• Chemical characteristics of seeds produced
on the ISS

• Arabidopsis thaliana successfully grown

from seed to seed on ISS.
• 90% of the seeds germinated in space
• 70% of the plants grew to maturity.
• 2nd-generation seeds produced
• Tissues were harvested and preserved for
RNA and cDNA analysis.
• Soybeans grown from seed to seed (95
days), for the first time in space.
• Biomass production ~ 4% larger than ground
controls.
• AiroCide TiO2 developed for maintaining
air quality in the hardware applied to air
purification by KES Science & Technology
Link BM, Durst SJ, Zhou W, Stankovic B. Seed-to-seed growth of Arabidopsis thaliana on the
International Space Station. Advances in Space Research. 2003 31(10):2237-2243.
 Biomass Production System
(BPS) and Photosynthesis Experiment and
System Testing and Operation (PESTO)
z Plant growth hardware test for regenerative
life support system investigations
zBrassica rapa (field mustard plant) in
microgravity for technology validation
zTriticum aestivum (common bread wheat
plant) was grown (photosynthesis,
metabolism, renewable food)

z BPS results
zBrassica rapa grown over two growth cycles
on ISS.
zTissue analyzed for general morphology,
seed anatomy and storage
reserves, foliar carbohydrates, and chlorophyll
and root zone hypoxia analysis.
zHardware proven for future use
z PESTO results
zGrew 32 plants for 73 days inside the plant
growth chambers
zMicrogravity did not affect either
the transpiration or the photosynthesis
processes of the plants.
BPS: Robert Morrow, Orbital Technologies Corporation, Madison, WI; Musgrave ME, et al. J. Am.
Soc. Horticultural Sci. 2005. 130(6): 848-856.
PESTO: Stutte et al. 2005 Planta 223(1):46-56; 2006 Planta 224(5):1038-49
 EMCS Facility
z Controlled growth facility for small
organisms (plants, microbes,
insects, amphibians)
z Variable gravity conditions
(0.001G to 2.0G) using a rotating
centrifuge
z Multi-generation experiments and
studies on gravity effects on early
development and growth
z For plant studies, EMCS facilitates
z long-term growth studies,
including multi-generation studies
(seed to seed),
z early development events in
plants,
z gravity influence on early
development and growth (g-level
threshold research) and
z studies of how plants perceive
and respond to gravity when they
grow.
z U.S./ESA Shared equipment

Thomas Reiter installing EMCS, Expedition 13

EMCS control room
Trondheim, Norway, 2006
 Analysis of a Novel Sensory Mechanism in
Root Phototropism (Tropi)--ongoing

z Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress)

response to varying levels of light and
gravity.
z Various gravity conditions (0g to 1.0g)
using a rotating centrifuge
z White light, red light, and blue light
treatments to separate phytochrome
systems
z Seedlings frozen in MELFI for future
genetic analysis
z 0G and 1 G and partial G operations
completed during Expedition 14
z Next experiment (Gravi) planned for
next week
z Threshild for gravisensing by lentil
seeds

Tropi: John Kiss, Miami University, Oxford, OH

Gravi (Threshold Acceleration for Gravisensing): Dominique Driss-Ecole, Université Pierre-et-Marie Curie, Paris
Physical Science
 Physics of Colloids in Space
z Study of the physics of colloids
(fluids with dispersed particles)
z On earth, properties dominated by
sedimentation and buoyancy
z Crystallize (self-assemble) in
microgravity
z Results
z Colloid-polymer mixtures of
polymers serve as a model for
molecular behavior at the critical
point (led to development of
BCAT follow-on investigation,
ongoing)
z Power-law growth behavior in
binary crystallization
z Formation of gels with fractal
structures

PCS: David Weitz, Harvard, Peter Pusey, Univ. Edinburgh

Binary Colloidal Alloy Test: David Weitz, Peter Lu, Arjun Yodh et al.
 Pure material production in
microgravity
z Solidification and crystal growth
processes (lack of convection and
sedimentation in ug)
z Melt growth to reduce convection in
solidifying indium antimonide doped
with Te and Zn
z Zeolite (minteral aluminosilicate)
crystallization
z Results
z Pure semiconductor crystals from
InSb
z Zeolite beta with high degree of
crystalline perfection
z In progress: bulk metallic glasses,
magnetorheological fluids, pore
formation during molten solidification
SUBSA (Solidification using baffle in sealed ampoules): Churilov AV, Ostrogorsky AG. J. Thermophysics
and Heat Transfer. 2005. 19(4):542-547
ZCG (Zeolite Crystal Growth): Akata B, et al. A. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials. 2004. 71:1-9.
 Resources
Published summary of
Results from Expeditions
1-10
NASA/TP-2006-213146

Space Station Science Webpages (track objectives and

results with frequent updates)
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/