6 Out of this World Scientific Discoveries from the ISS

This high-flying international laboratory is packed with some of the most technologically sophisticated facilities that can support a wide range of scientific inquiry in biology, human physiology, physical and materials sciences, and Earth and space science. There is no place on Earth where you can find such a laboratory—approximately the size of an American football field (including the end zones) and having the interior volume of 1.5 Boeing 747 jetliners—with facilities to conduct the breadth of research that can be done aboard the ISS.

Here, we explore 6 of the most cutting-edge research areas ongoing on the ISS today.

In 2018, NASA's Cold Atom Lab became the first facility to produce that fifth state of matter, called a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), in Earth orbit. This can provide insight into fundamental laws of quantum mechanics.

The Genes in Space-3 team turned that possibility to reality in 2017, when it completed the first-ever sample-to-sequence process entirely aboard the space station.

3. Drug development using protein crystals

Protein crystal growth experiments conducted aboard the space station have provided insights into treatments numerous diseases, from cancer to gum disease.

One of the most promising results has come from the study of a protein associated with Duchenne Muscle Dystrophy (DMD), an incurable genetic disorder. A treatment for DMD based on station research is in clinical trials.

AMS-02 has provided researchers around the globe with data that can help determine what the universe is made of and how it began.

Earth observations taken from space, including those taken over the past two decades from the space station, have supplied data that revolutionized weather tracking and forecasting, and provided insights into land use, geophysical, and atmospheric changes.

6. Human Life Science Research

Human Life Science research has assessed the complexity, severity, and duration of physiological changes that have noticeable effects on a crew member's health in space in micro-gravity and when returning to a gravity environment.

Physiological changes in micro-gravity include sensorimotor disturbances, cardiovascular deconditioning and loss of muscle mass and strength. These changes can lead to performance impairments once the crew member returns to a gravity field. Field Test Investigations conducted on the ISS crew members after their return to Earth have led to understanding crew performance that could affect critical mission requirements during future exploration missions.

The ‘One-Year Mission’ (2015-2016), was the first of a series of extended duration research missions to develop a better understanding of how each human system adapts to the space flight environment. The first one year mission focused on seven categories of medical, psychological and biomedical challenges. Astronaut Scott Kelly flew on ISS for nearly a year while his twin brother, Mark, served as Scott’s ground control.

During the long duration ISS space missions, astronauts’ experienced reduced visual acuity along with ocular and brain changes that had not been apparent during earlier missions. This condition was named Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) Most ISS astronauts were found to have been affected to varying degrees. Continuing research has focused on better understanding what causes SANS and how to prevent it from happening during future human spaceflight missions.