ISS National Lab Sponsoring Botanical, Cardiac, and Genetic Research During Five-Month Science Mission to Orbiting Outpost

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International Space Station National Lab

Sep 26, 2024, 11:12 ET

During NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the space station, the crew will support dozens of projects sponsored by the ISS National Lab to benefit life on Earth through space-based research

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Sept. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A new five-month expedition begins when NASA's ninth rotational crew mission (Crew-9) launches to the International Space Station (ISS) to conduct a variety of scientific investigations, including many sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory^®. Crew-9, which is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station no earlier than Saturday, September 28, 2024, at 1:17 p.m. EDT.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague (commander) will join Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov (mission specialist) for the flight on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft named "Freedom." Once on station, the full ISS crew will support hundreds of experiments across many scientific disciplines to advance fundamental and applied science and test new technology to benefit humanity.

Below are some of the ISS National Lab-sponsored investigations the crew will support:

A student-led project launching on the Crew-9 mission will investigate the effects of radiation and the space environment on gene editing mechanisms. Results could help develop methods to better protect astronauts and could shed light on genetic risks for certain diseases during spaceflight. The principal investigator, Isabel Jiang, is a recent high school graduate from Hillsborough, CA, who is in her first year as a student at Yale University. She was awarded the opportunity to launch her research to the space station after being named the 2023 winner of the Genes in Space student research competition, founded by Boeing and miniPCR bio and supported by the ISS National Lab and New England BioLabs.
Also flying on the Crew-9 mission an investigation from the U.S. Air Force Academy and Rhodium Scientific will study the root growth of Arabidopsis plants, a member of the mustard plant family, at two different orbital altitudes. Plants grown on the space station in low Earth orbit (LEO) for four to six days will be compared with plants grown on the recent Polaris Dawn mission, which flew at a higher Earth orbit for about the same amount of time. Results could provide insights into the production of crops on long-duration space missions or in higher-radiation environments.
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is funding four investigations launching on an upcoming Commercial Resupply Services mission, including a collaborative project from Oregon State University and Texas Tech University focused on cardiac health. This experiment will use 3D-bioprinted cardiac organoids to study microgravity-induced atrophy on heart muscle cells. Results could lead to increased understanding of heart muscle atrophy, which occurs in several conditions, such as cancer, muscle disease, muscular dystrophy, diabetes, sepsis, and heart failure.
Multiple projects sponsored by the ISS National Lab and funded by NASA will focus on in-space manufacturing. One investigation by Sachi Bioworks (in collaboration with Space Tango) will use brain organoids in microgravity to test the effects of a novel drug on three neurodegenerative conditions—Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and dementia. Results could help advance the development of new therapeutics for patients on Earth.
On an upcoming Commercial Resupply Services mission, the Malta College of Arts, Science, and Technology is launching a project (with support from Nanoracks) to test a heatless method of welding. Heatless welding could one day be used to safely repair space platforms and ensure their long-term viability, which would help to address the growing concern of space debris. The ASTROBEAT experiment will test remote-operated, cold-welding to apply metal patches to simulated spacecraft hull samples. Cold-welding is a process that bonds similar metallic materials using force or pressure instead of heat.

Over the coming weeks, additional information on ISS National Lab-sponsored investigations launching on future Commercial Resupply Services missions will be made available. To learn more about the research and technology development sponsored by the ISS National Lab, including how to propose concepts for future space-based research, visit our website.

Download a high-resolution image for this release: NASA's Crew-9 countdown clock

About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory:
The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Laboratory^® allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve quality of life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology, and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space™ (CASIS™) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative Agreement with NASA, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit our website.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CASIS accepts corporate and individual donations to help advance science in space for the benefit of humanity. For more information, visit our donations page.