Ideas Range From Deep Space Exploration To Development Of Lunar
Habitats
The Multilateral Coordination Board (MCB) for the International
Space Station partner agencies met Tuesday, July 26, to discuss how
to use the space station as a test bed for technologies that will
enable missions beyond low Earth orbit.
The board will begin identifying several specific technology
collaboration initiatives based on possible future missions
suggested by the International Space Exploration Coordination
Group. These technology developments and demonstrations on the
station could support voyages to an asteroid or Mars or the
development of lunar habitats.
The MCB also discussed efforts to increase station use and
reported on the status of standardization efforts for rendezvous
and proximity operations, interfaces for replaceable items and
payloads and command protocols for spacecraft. The recently
released revision of the International Docking Systems Standard can
be downloaded at:
Ongoing space station research includes:
The uses of the International Space Station as a national
laboratory are growing. Memorandums of understanding are in place
between NASA and other U.S. government agencies such as the
National Institutes of Health, which is now in its second year of
selecting experiments related to human health research.
Space Act Agreements also are active with private firms and
universities in the areas of vaccine development for bacterial
pathogens, gene differentiation for production of new plant
cultivars, nanocube scale experiment systems, hyper-spectral
imaging for agricultural applications and advanced propulsion
technologies. Earlier this month, NASA formally selected the Center
for the Advancement of Science in Space for negotiation of a
cooperative agreement to stimulate, develop and manage uses of the
station by organizations other than NASA.
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer has collected more than 2
billion observations of galactic cosmic rays since its launch and
installation on the space station in May. The astrophysics
instrument is a partnership of hundreds of scientists and sixteen
countries led by Nobel laureate Samuel Ting.
Robotic technologies developed by the Canadian Space Agency
(CSA) for the station have been used to improve the dexterity of
surgeons in fine scale surgery. NASA will be testing a humanoid
robot, Robonaut, developed in partnership with General Motors in
the coming months. The first test of robotically controlled
refueling in orbit, developed jointly by NASA and CSA, launched
earlier this month aboard Atlantis' STS-135 flight.
The space station partnership is working to share data from
remote sensing instruments mounted on the orbiting outpost and to
increase the application of such data to disaster response. The
Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean has collected more than
3,510 images, providing unprecedented spectral resolution of
difficult-to-map coastal waters. The International Space Station
Agricultural Camera collected its first images on June 10. Its data
is used to assess crop health and rapid changes during the growing
season.
NASA's studies of crew health have identified relationships
between diet and bone loss that offer important insights for future
studies. Recently published data on chemical changes in
pharmaceuticals identified that low-dose ionizing radiation in
orbit degrades many medications, and that additional development of
space-hardy medications will be needed for human spaceflight beyond
Earth orbit.
The Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, continues
experiments aimed at human adaptation to future long-term
expeditions. Effects of the flight conditions on the cardiovascular
system, the respiratory system and bones are being investigated in
dedicated medical experiments. Wheat and vegetables are being
planted, followed by genetic, microbiological and biochemical tests
of the plants. Four different long-duration Russian astrobiology
experiments from Expose-R returned after two years of open space
exposure.
In addition to astronomical and Earth observations, Japan
promotes biotechnological research by analyzing structures of
high-quality protein crystals created on the station leading to
treatments for muscular dystrophy. Japan also continues experiments
related to future long-term human spaceflight missions such as
investigating bone loss mechanism, the effects of radiation and
countermeasures of those. Scientists have gained insight to the
fields of fundamental life and materials science from research
conducted in the Kibo laboratory.
With the return of European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Paolo
Nespoli in May, ESA successfully concluded a focal set of research
known as the "MagISStra" mission. Recently returned long-duration
experiments include: a year-long radiation exposure experiment
conducted with Roscosmos, nine different European astrobiology
experiments after two years of open space exposure and the CFS-A
study of fungi after five months in space. The completion of the
ZAG and Otolith experiments by shuttle crew members gives new,
unexpected insight into human balance. The Materials Science
Laboratory now has the ability to cool rapidly metal alloy samples,
with new cartridges expanding its use by the research community.
These experiments are being performed in collaboration with the
station's international partners.
Educational activities on the station reach thousands of
students around the world. In May and June, hundreds of thousands
of students watched the adaptation of spiders to a space
environment and compared their behavior to spiders in classrooms on
Earth through the website BioEdOnline.org. The spiders returned to
Earth on Thursday, July 21. Students in the U.S., Europe and Japan
had the opportunity to propose investigations for the space station
and astronauts conducted the winning activities.
The MCB includes senior representatives from NASA, CSA, ESA,
Roscosmos and the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology. The MCB meets periodically to ensure
coordination of station operations and activities among the
partners. The board is working to tabulate station utilization
metrics and document accomplishments for a publication to be
released by September.