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Welcome back, I'm Lisa and this week on NASA Now we're going
to get an inside look at the International Space Station
and find out what the crew of Expedition 26 is working
on 350 kilometers above Earth.
But before we get to that,
let's see what else is happening at NASA NOW!
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NASA and the National Institutes
of Health recently announced three new biomedical experiments
using the International Space Station's unique microgravity
facilities to improve human health on Earth.
The experiments will use the station to study how bones
and the immune system weaken in space.
Based on recent studies of Salmonella bacteria
in a microgravity environment.
Scientists may have a candidate for a Salmonella vaccine
to be used in space and on Earth.
Salmonella is one of the most common forms of food poisoning
and a major cause of childhood death worldwide.
NOW, Let's look back at the past!
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In September of 2002,
NASA astronaut Dr. Peggy Whitson became the International Space
Station's first science officer.
As science officer, Dr. Whitson oversaw all US research being
conducted onboard the station during Expedition 5.
Everyday experiments are being conducted onboard the
International Space Station.
Some of the research focuses on sustaining life
in space while other aspects focus on enhancing life
for people here on Earth.
Here to give us an inside look at some
of the high tech research being performed by the crew
of Expedition 26 is Tara Ruttley,
Associate International Space Station Program Scientist.
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The space station is built for research,
it's an orbiting laboratory.
That is our primary goal.
At any one time there are usually six people
on orbit maintaining the space station,
maintaining the science trying to just stay alive
to keep the vehicle orbiting.
So not only do these crew have a responsibility
to deliver results, but to be the scientist's eye
and ears and sometimes nose.
But, they also have a responsibility to each other
to maintain safety of the vehicle.
To maintain systems of the vehicle,
anywhere from fixing a toilet all the way
to delivering science experiments.
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The human in the loop factor is a major factor especially
when it comes to research.
Everything we learn as scientist and everything we think we learn
as engineers has the gravity variable inside of it.
So, it's great and it helps us understand things
that happen on Earth.
But when you get to space and that is taken away,
now you're talking about a microgravity environment.
Where fluid physics is different.
Fluids tend to climb the container walls in space
and that doesn't happen here.
Different air flows occur in space because you are
in a closed environment, you lose that gravity;
that convection change.
There's radiation to take into effect,
some hardware is effected by radiation.
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Engines at maximum thrust and lift off...
[ Dr. Ruttley ]
There will be over 100 experiments
that happens on Expedition 26.
They will range from experiments in fluid physics
to material science to combustions science
to human research and biotechnology
and even technology demonstration inside the vehicle
and also externally too.
Another study that has an effect, or has potential
for development of a countermeasure
for allowing our astronauts to stay healthy in space,
is an experiment called integrated cardiovascular.
This experiment looks at why the heart decreases
in size the longer you stay in space.
So, scientists are interested
in understanding why the heart atrophies; how to mitigate that
and how to develop a countermeasure against that.
The way they do this is,
on orbit astronauts will measure their blood pressure over time
and they will also take images
of their heart using the ultrasound on orbit.
And, they will also take heart rate measurements over time
and deliver the results to scientist
to let the scientist work through the results.
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We are trained as scientist and engineers from the beginning
of our research that processes work in a certain way,
cells respond in a certain way, you know,
hardware responds a certain way and it's all based
on what we know here on the ground.
There are things that happen in space that could never,
we'd never know about, even from what we know
from the gravity vector on the ground.
For example, there is a fluid physics experiment called
capillary flow and it looks
at the capillary flow changes in space.
Just from the experiments that were done
on this particular experiment, science experiment on orbit,
we were able to come up with a brand new fundamentally equation
on fluid flow that we have never seen before and it's applicable
to not only on space, but on the ground so that's a contribution
to textbook knowledge.
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Did you know, The 2005 NASA Authorization Act designated the
US segment of the International Space Station
as a national laboratory.
This means that other federal organizations
or privately owned corporations are able to conduct experiments
on this one of a kind orbiting lab.
Now it's time to check out what's up!
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NASA has everything you need
to track the International Space Station in real time.
Just go to this website and you'll get all the latest data,
including where and when you can spot the Space Station
in the evening sky.
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Today we learned a lot more about the fascinating technology
and research being conducted
on board International Space Station
by the crew of Expedition 26.
Now it's your turn!
Check out these resources and activities
on the NASA Explorer Schools' Virtual Campus!
Your challenge is to research fitness in microgravity
and create your own podcast about exercising and keeping fit
on the International Space Station.
For more information on how
to develop your own podcasts visit NASA's Do-It-Yourself
Podcast link on the NASA Explorer Schools website.
Well that's it for NASA NOW, Be sure to tune in next week
when we'll learn all about the extraordinary discovery NASA
scientists made 50 million light years away.
We'll see you then on NASA NOW!
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NASA NOW comes to you from the virtual campus
at NASA Explorer Schools.