Locations designed as a maintenance work area and an exercise area on the International Space Station are commonly used by crew members for stowage and body maintenance activities, respectively. These differences between intended and actual use demonstrate that systematic observation of material culture can help researchers identify how astronauts adapt to life in microgravity and support better design of future spacecraft and habitats. The first archaeological fieldwork in space, SQuARE examined the space station’s material culture – objects and built spaces and their symbolic and social meanings – and how these objects and spaces…
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Station Science Top News: August 2, 2024
Analyses suggest that microgravity does not significantly alter fundamental biochemical pathways in kidney cells, including metabolism of vitamin D. This finding could help researchers develop strategies to protect crew health on future missions and improve treatment of kidney-related diseases on Earth. Kidney Cells examined the effects of microgravity and other factors of space travel on kidney health. Previous reports suggested that changes in kidney cell metabolism of vitamin D plays a role in bone loss in microgravity, and this paper recommends additional study to determine if this most recent finding is consistent with extended (>6…
Read MoreNASA to Highlight 13th Space Station Research, Development Conference
The International Space Station pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon during a fly around of the orbiting laboratory. Credit: NASA Editor’s Note: This media advisory was updated on July 29, 2024 to reflect the updated times for the Low Earth Orbit panel on Wednesday, July 31 and the keynote address on Thursday, Aug. 1. NASA will broadcast groundbreaking discoveries, benefits for humanity, and how the agency and its commercial and international partners are maximizing research and development in orbit from the 13th annual International Space Station Research and Development Conference.…
Read MoreStation Nation: Meet Katie Burlingame, ETHOS Flight Controller and Instructor in the Flight Operations Directorate
Katie Burlingame is an ETHOS (Environmental and Thermal Operating Systems) flight controller and instructor in the Flight Operations Directorate supporting the International Space Station. Burlingame trains astronauts and flight controllers on the International Space Station’s environmental control systems, internal thermal control systems, and emergency response. Burlingame shares about their path to NASA, what Pride Month means to them, and more. Read on to learn more! Where are you from? My dad was in the Coast Guard, so I lived in a few different places growing up, mostly along the East…
Read MoreNASA’s Laser Relay System Sends Pet Imagery to, from Space Station
Using NASA’s first two-way, end-to-end laser relay system, pictures and videos of cherished pets flew through space over laser communications links at a rate of 1.2 gigabits per second — faster than most home internet speeds. NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Christina Koch, and Kjell Lindgren, along with other agency employees, submitted photos and videos of their pets to take a trip to and from the International Space Station. The transmissions allowed NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program to showcase the power of laser communications while simultaneously testing out a…
Read MoreNASA Names Deputy Station Manager, Operations Integration Manager
NASA has selected Dina Contella, left, as the International Space Station Program deputy manager, based at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Contella succeeds Dana Weigel, who became the space station program manager in April. NASA has also selected Bill Spetch, right, as the space station operations integration manager, a role most recently held by Contella. Credits: NASA NASA selected Dina Contella as the deputy program manager and Bill Spetch as the operations integration manager for the agency’s International Space Station Program, effective Sunday, June 2. “Dina’s depth of…
Read MoreNASA Sets Coverage for Roscosmos Spacewalk Outside Space Station
(April 18, 2022) — Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev waves to the camera while working outside the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module during a spacewalk that lasted for six hours and 37 minutes to outfit Nauka and configure the European robotic arm on the International Space Station’s Russian segment. NASA will provide live coverage as two Roscosmos cosmonauts conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station Wednesday, Oct. 25, to install communications hardware and inspect a portion of the orbital complex. Coverage begins at 1:45 p.m. EDT on NASA Television, the NASA…
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