Technology Highlights
Zero-Boil-Off Tank Experiments to Enable Long-Duration Space Exploration
Do we have enough fuel to get to our destination? This is probably one of the first questions that comes to mind whenever your family gets ready to embark on a road trip. If the trip is long, you will…
Growing Yeast on the Moon to Study Radiation Risks to Human Explorers
PROJECT: Lunar Explorer Instrument for space biology Applications (LEIA) SNAPSHOT: An autonomous microfluidic culturing system with CubeSat heritage teams up with two state-of-the-art radiation detectors to measure how biology responds to the radiation and reduced gravity environment on the lunar…
Coexisting quantum gases in Earth’s orbit
PROJECT Cold Atom Lab (CAL) SNAPSHOT Two species of quantum gases have been created to coexist and interact for the first time in space. Accessing resonant interactions among these gases will allow scientists to explore few-body physics, quantum chemistry, and…
Cooling Technique Developed for Space Use Makes Charging Electric Cars on Earth Quicker and Easier
PROJECT Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE) SNAPSHOT An advanced temperature control technique developed for future NASA missions can also make charging electric vehicles easier and faster—potentially paving the way for increased adoption of electric cars. Numerous future NASA space…
A Novel Approach to Growing Gardens in Space
PROJECT eXposed Root On-Orbit Test System (XROOTS) SNAPSHOT To investigate techniques that can be scaled for crop production in microgravity, a NASA-sponsored Sierra Space team is developing soilless nutrient delivery and recovery technologies that will be demonstrated via plant tests…
Exploring How Radiation Exposure Will Affect Life Forms on the Way to Mars
PROJECT Rad-Bio-App SNAPSHOT A NASA-sponsored team has developed a discovery environment that enables researchers to explore information on radiation exposure from numerous spaceflight experiments and extend our understanding of how radiation affects life forms in space. Spaceflight significantly increases exposure…
Q: How Do You Water Plants in Space? A: Omni-Gravitational Hydroponics
PROJECT Plant Water Management (PWM) SNAPSHOT NASA is demonstrating that even without the help of gravity, hydroponic plant watering methods can enable plant habitats aboard crewed or robotic space missions. On Earth, plants draw water upwards through the roots against…
Innovative Technology Measures Muscle Strength of Worms in Space to Prepare Astronauts for Future Missions
PROJECT Determining Muscle Strength in Space-flown C. elegans SNAPSHOT Loss of muscle mass and strength in astronauts remains an issue for space exploration. Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a nematode species that is 1 mm long, shares common traits with humans…
New “Moon Duster” Will Help Clean NASA Assets in Space
PROJECT Lunar Dust Research and Mitigation SNAPSHOT To help protect future space assets and astronauts from dangerous effects that arise from Moon/Mars dust exposure, NASA is developing a new technology that will utilize electron beams/ultraviolet light to remove dust. The…
Multi-Spectral Fluorescence Imaging System for Studying Gene Expression on ISS
PROJECT Multi-Spectral Fluorescence Imaging System (Spectrum) SNAPSHOT NASA seeks to understand the impact of the spaceflight environment on organisms in preparation for long-duration missions. Spectrum was developed to undertake these types of studies using model organisms on ISS. All organisms…
Quantum Technologies Take Flight
PROJECT Cold Atom Lab (CAL) SNAPSHOT Interferometry of atomic matter-waves has been demonstrated for the first time in orbit, opening the door for precision quantum sensing for both fundamental and applied physics applications ranging from tests of general relativity to…
