Looking
forward to the ISS
Scientists at a recent media forum
say they are eager to begin using the International
Space Station as an innovative orbiting research
laboratory.
NASA
Science News home
August
2, 2000 -- Experts in the fields of biology, chemistry,
physics and general science proclaimed last week that
the International Space Station moves to the "head
of the class" compared to the Spacelab and Mir
programs.
"Research opportunities in the
biomedical field during those past space programs have
been very limited," said Dr.
J. Milburn Jessup, Professor of Surgery, University
of Texas Heath Science Center. "The International
Space Station will offer scientists a lab that could
provide an opportunity to study and gain better
understanding of bone and muscle loss, balance
disorders, and cell and tissue reproduction," he
said.
"We found in two short shuttle
flights that fewer cells cultured in space died than
similar cells cultured on the ground. This in essence
could improve the process of understanding death of the
human body," said Jessup.
Above: The current configuration of
the growing International
Space Station now includes the Russian Zvezda
Service Module, which docked with the Zarya and
Unity modules on July 26, 2000. Shuttle flight STS-106
is scheduled to visit the station in September to
deliver supplies and outfit Zvezda in preparation for
the station's first permanent crew, which is scheduled
to arrive at the station in early November. Take
a Video Tour of the Space Station Zvezda Module
Jessup was one of five researchers
participating in the first in a series of International
Space Station media forums NASA will hold as the Agency
and its international partners move into high gear for
construction and research on the infant space platform.
The forum was held hours prior to the successful docking
of Russia's Zvezda module.
According to the panelists, the
International Space Station will provide scientists with
continual access and long-term exposure in space,
coupled with state-of-the art equipment -- a
combination, they agreed, that could provide untold
multiple benefits to humankind.
"The Hubble Space Telescope is to
astrophysicists as the International Space Station will
be to other researchers -- a working science laboratory
in space," said Dr. Julie Swain, acting NASA Deputy
Associate Administrator for Life and Microgravity
Science and Applications, Washington, DC, and Professor
of Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Kentucky.
"The Mir and Spacelab programs
provided only a glimpse. The International Space Station
offers the opportunity to conduct research 24 hours a
day, 365 days a year," said Dr. Mary Musgrave,
Associate Dean, College of Natural Sciences and
Mathematics, and Professor of Biology, University of
Massachusetts.
Left:
The U.S. Laboratory module for the International Space
Station is shown under construction in the fall of 1997
at the Marshall Space Flight Center station
manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Al. Image credit: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov
Dr. Ron Sega, Dean, College of
Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado,
Colorado Springs, and a former astronaut, noted that the
International Space Station is also a research tool for
engineering. "Knowledge obtained from this station
will help us build the next generation of satellites,
which may lead to further commercial applications of
space.
"International Space Station
engineering research will certainly enhance technology
development outside the space station," he said.
Dr. Kathryn Clark, Senior Scientist
for the International Space Station, noted that research
of this magnitude does not happen overnight. However,
the International Space Station will be a vital platform
for providing greater insight into understanding the
human body, exploring the universe, studying the Earth
and atmospheric changes, and improving the overall
quality of life on Earth.
 |
The glovebox facility aboard
Space Station will be an advanced descendant of
the Middeck Glovebox being used on board shuttle
mission. The new facility will occupy a full
rack (left) and will offer a more generous
operating volume (right) for experimenters. |
 |
"The International Space Station
is the essential test-bed in which questions in these
areas may be answered," Clark said.
The International Space Station is the
largest and most complex international project in
history. Led by the United States, the project draws
upon the scientific and technological resources of 16
nations.
Related Links
SpaceFlight.NASA.gov
- NASA's Space Station Home Page
Microgravity
Research Program Office - at the Marshall Space
Flight Center offers a wealth of information and
background on microgravity science projects
Science@NASA stories about
Microgravity Science and the ISS
Station
Sightings -- July 24, 2000, With the aid of free
NASA software you can spot the International Space
Station from your own back yard.
Not
Just Another Old Flame -- May 12, 2000
Now,
Just A Blinkin' Picosecond! -- April 28, 2000
How
to Become an Astronaut 101 -- April 19, 2000
Materials
Science 101 -- Sept. 14, 1999
Space
station glovebox ready for scientists to start
designing experiments -- Sept. 14, 1999
Spacelab
Results are Out of this World -- March 15, 1999
Space
Laboratory under construction -- Dec. 10, 1998
The
Physics of Orange Juice -- November 3, 1998
Nature's
Sugar High: Spacelab crystallizes intensely sweet
protein -- Sept. 14, 1998
Shedding
new light on the Earth's powerstation -- July 27,
1998
Microgravity
takes a Quantum Leap -- July 15, 1998
Levitating
furnace holds promise for future experiments --
July 15, 1998
New
Experiments Planned for the International Space
Station -- July 13, 1998
Materials
Sciences Meeting to preview Space Station plans --
July 9, 1998
Spacelab
Mission Sets Stage for Space Station -- March 20,
1997
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