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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin are returning to Earth after months aboard the International Space Station conducting scientific experiments and technology demonstrations for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. The four launched on March 3 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Here’s a look at some scientific milestones accomplished during their mission:

Revealing resistant microorganisms

NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps extracts DNA for the Genomic Enumeration of Antibiotic Resistance in Space experiment, which surveys the station for antibiotic-resistant organisms and sequences their DNA to examine adaptations to space. Results could support development of measures to protect astronauts and people in buildings and facilities on Earth, such as hospitals, from resistant bacteria.

NASA Brain organoid models

NASA astronaut Mike Barratt processes samples for Human Brain Organoid Models for Neurodegenerative Disease & Drug Discovery. This investigation uses human brain organoids created with stem cells from patients to study neuroinflammation, a common feature of neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. The organoids provide a platform to study these diseases and their treatments and to potentially address how extended spaceflight affects the brain.

NASA Bioprinting human tissues

Tissue samples bioprinted in microgravity are higher quality than those printed on the ground. NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick processes cardiac tissue samples for the Redwire Cardiac Bioprinting Investigation. Results could advance the production of organs and tissues for transplant and improve 3D printing of foods and medicines on future long-duration space missions.

NASA Growing better drugs

NASA astronaut Mike Barratt works on Pharmaceutical In-space Laboratory – 02, which uses the station’s Advanced Space Experiments Processor to study how microgravity affects the production of various types of protein crystals. The ability to produce better crystals could lead to manufacturing improvements and new applications and better performance for pharmaceutical compounds, potentially providing more positive patient experiences.

NASA Alloy solidification

NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps works on Materials Science Lab Batch 3a, two projects investigating the solidification of metallic alloys in space. Insights gained could help improve alloy solidification processes on the ground, supporting the development of materials with superior chemical and physical properties for applications in space and on Earth.

NASA Fueling the flames

The Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction- Growth and Extinction Limit investigation determines how fuel temperature affects material flammability. This image shows the fuel surface during a burn (the black part of the sphere) and the distance traveled by the flame (blue). Results could improve researchers’ understanding of fire growth and inform the development of optimal fire suppression techniques to protect crews on future missions.

NASA Very long-distance calls

NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps wraps up an ISS Ham Radio session on April 10, with students in Italy. The program connects students and enthusiasts with astronauts in space via amateur radio. Participants study space, radio waves, and related topics to prepare questions before their scheduled call.

NASA Student robotics competition

For Astrobee-Zero Robotics, students compete to have their code control one of the space station’s Astrobee robots. The experience helps inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers. NASA astronaut Mike Barratt works with the Astrobee robot named Bumble during operations for the project.

NASA Immune function in space

NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps prepares samples for Immunity Assay, a study of how spaceflight affects immune function. Previously, astronaut immune function could only be examined pre- and postflight, but a newly developed assay allows for testing during flight. This capability provides a more precise assessment of the immune changes that happen in space.

NASA Getting weighed in weightlessness

The Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device calculates a crew member’s mass based on Newton’s Second Law of Motion, which states force equals mass times acceleration. NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick performs maintenance on the device, used in support of multiple NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) investigations on how spaceflight affects the body.

NASA Satellites for science

NASA astronaut Mike Barratt prepares for the Nanoracks Cubesat Deployer Mission 27on April 16. The mission deployed seven research satellites: a reflectometer to measure sea ice, tests of telemetry instruments and solar cells, a hyperspectral thermal imager, a gamma-ray burst detector, a new remote sensing technique, and a magnetic field measurement test.

NASA Remote-controlled robots

NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps remotely manipulates a robot on the ground for Surface Avatar. The investigation tests system ergonomics, operator response to feedback, and the potential challenges for actual orbit-to-ground remote control. Such operation is an important capability for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars.

NASA The power of photographs

NASA astronauts Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Loral O’Hara take photographs in the station’s cupola, adding to the more than 4.7 million images produced for Crew Earth Observations. These images support scientific studies on topics ranging from aquatic organisms and icebergs to the effects of artificial lighting at night and inform the response of decision-makers to natural disasters such as volcanoes and floods.

NASA Reflections on the Moon

For Earthshine from ISS, astronauts photograph the Moon throughout the lunar cycle to study changes in the light it reflects from Earth. Results could help validate the concept of observing Earth’s climate from satellite-borne instruments and add to researchers’ understanding of how the planet’s climate is changing.

NASA Packing a Dragon

NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick and Tracy C. Dyson pack frozen samples into the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for return to Earth and analysis by researchers. The spacecraft launched to the orbiting laboratory on March 21 for NASA’s SpaceX 30th commercial resupply services mission, carrying scientific experiments and supplies, and returned to Earth on April 30.

NASA Cygnus delivers

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft attached to the Canadarm2 robotic arm before being released from the space station on July 12. NASA’s Northrop Grumman 20th commercial resupply services mission arrived Feb. 1 with experiments on 3D printing, robotic surgery, tissue cartilage, and more.

NASA

Melissa Gaskill

International Space Station Research Communications Team

NASA’s Johnson Space Center

Download high-resolution photos and videos of the research mentioned in this article. Search this database of scientific experiments to learn more about those mentioned in this article.

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NASA’s Instruments Capture Sharpest Image of Earth’s Radiation Belt

From Aug. 19-20, ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Juice (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) mission made history with a daring lunar-Earth flyby and double gravity assist maneuver, a spaceflight first. As the spacecraft zipped past our Moon and home planet, Juice’s instruments came online for a dry run of what they’ll do when they reach Jupiter. During that time, two of NASA’s onboard instruments added another first to the list: capturing the sharpest-ever image of Earth’s radiation belts – swaths of charged particles trapped in Earth’s magnetic shield, or magnetosphere. 

The Jovian Energetic Neutrals and Ions (JENI) instrument, built and managed by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, on behalf of NASA, took the image as Juice soared away from Earth. What it captured is invisible to the human eye. Unlike traditional cameras that rely on light, JENI uses special sensors to capture energetic neutral atoms emitted by charged particles interacting with the extended atmospheric hydrogen gas surrounding Earth. The JENI instrument is the newest generation of this type of camera, building on the success of a similar instrument on NASA’s Cassini mission that revealed the magnetospheres of Saturn and Jupiter.

An illustration showing the trajectory of ESA’s Juice spacecraft during its lunar-Earth gravity assist, featuring a high-resolution ENA image of the million-degree hot plasma halo encircling Earth captured by NASA’s JENI instrument. The white rings denote equatorial distance of 4 and 6 Earth radii. The inset showcases measurements taken by the NASA’s JENI and JoEE instruments during their passage through the radiation belts, revealing a highly structured energetic ion and electron environment. Credit: ESA/NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Josh Diaz

“As soon as we saw the crisp, new images, high fives went around the room,” said Matina Gkioulidou, deputy lead of JENI at APL. “It was clear we had captured the vast ring of hot plasma encircling Earth in unprecedented detail, an achievement that has sparked excitement for what is to come at Jupiter.”

On Aug. 19, JENI and its companion particle instrument Jovian Energetic Electrons (JoEE) made the most of their brief 30-minute encounter with the Moon. As Juice zoomed just 465 miles (750 kilometers) above the lunar surface, the instruments gathered data on the space environment’s interaction with our nearest celestial companion. It’s an interaction scientists expect to see magnified at Jupiter’s moons, as the gas giant’s radiation-rich magnetosphere barrels over them. 

On Aug. 20, Juice hurled into Earth’s magnetosphere, passing some 37,000 miles (60,000 km) above the Pacific Ocean, where the instruments got their first taste of the harsh environment that awaits at Jupiter. Racing through the magnetotail, JoEE and JENI encountered the dense, lower-energy plasma characteristic of this region before plunging into the heart of the radiation belts. There, the instruments measured the million-degree plasma encircling Earth to investigate the secrets of plasma heating that are known to fuel dramatic phenomena in planetary magnetospheres. 

“I couldn’t have hoped for a better flyby,” said Pontus Brandt, principal investigator of JoEE and JENI at APL. “The richness of the data from our deep-dive through the magnetosphere is astounding. JENI’s image of the entire system we just flew through was the cherry on top. It’s a powerful combination we will exploit in the Jovian system.”

Now after using the Moon’s and Earth’s gravity, Juice’s trajectory has been successfully adjusted for a future encounter with Venus in August 2025. That Venus flyby will serve as a gravitational slingshot, propelling Juice back toward Earth and priming it for two additional flybys in September 2026 and January 2029. Only then will the spacecraft, now boosted into high gear, make its grand arrival at Jupiter in July 2031.

The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, in Laurel, Maryland, manages the JoEE and JENI instruments, which together make up the Particle Environment Package (PEP-Hi) instrument suite, for NASA on ESA’s Juice mission. The JoEE and JENI instruments are part of the Solar System Exploration Program, managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. 

For more information on NASA’s involvement with ESA’s Juice mission, visit:

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/juice/

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