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.

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

Sign up for our EXPRESS SCIENCE NEWS delivery

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.

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