SpaceX's 35th commercial cargo mission is launching from Cape Canaveral in Florida to the International Space Station (ISS). On board are not only supplies but also scientific equipment and samples for four NASA studies that will help understand how long spaceflight affects human and plant health.
Mini-brains in weightlessness
One experiment is the study of space's effect on the human brain. Small laboratory models of brain tissue grown from cells will be sent to the station. They will be compared with identical samples left on Earth. After five weeks, scientists will examine how the short flight affected the cells. This will help understand how the brain responds to stress and, in the future, develop protective measures for astronauts on long expeditions, for example to the Moon.
Plants under threat from fungus
Another project is devoted to agriculture in space. Researchers will check whether plant diseases develop faster under microgravity (a state in which the force of gravity is barely felt). To do this, they will compare plants infected with a pathogenic fungus on Earth and on the ISS at the molecular and structural level. The results could also be useful on Earth: helping plant breeders develop disease-resistant varieties. And in future space greenhouses, they could reduce crop losses. Plants provide astronauts with food, diversify their diet and offer psychological support, and they also absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen and participate in water purification.
Rapid diagnostics in orbit
The third experiment is the first test of a compact device for analyzing microplates (plastic panels with wells for samples) that arrived at the station earlier this year. The device is supposed to detect and measure biomarkers, such as antibodies, antigens and proteins. If the device proves itself, scientists will be able to analyze samples directly on the ISS without waiting for them to be returned to Earth. In the future, this will help detect infections and other health problems in astronauts in time, and will also expand research opportunities in remote areas where delivering cargo is difficult.
Superbugs under observation
The fourth study, already the fourth and final planned stay on the station, is devoted to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Astronauts will regularly take swabs from surfaces on the ISS to monitor such microorganisms and understand how they survive and change in microgravity. This will help develop ways to protect the crew from bacterial infections on long flights. On Earth, the results could offer clues about how antibiotic overuse produces resistant "superbugs."
All four projects belong to NASA's Biological and Physical Sciences division. As the agency emphasizes, the studies are intended to benefit both Earth and future space expeditions.