Multimedia Gallery

ISS Projects – Overview

Researchers are preparing to send an unprecedented 7 NSF supported experiments to the International Space Station National Lab aboard the Cygnus NG-18 mission.

What are these projects going to learn from microgravity and how could they impact life back home? We'll explore in the U.S. National Science Foundation's "Discovery Files."

A project looking at mudflows in the wake of wildfires will help us better understand gravity's impact on the dynamics of flow and lead to better early warning systems and risk evaluation.

Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle as we age. A project involving the cells that make bone will give us significant insight into cell tension and lead to new bioengineering platforms.

Stem cell derived cardiac muscles could be used to heal patients with heart disease, the leading cause of death in the US. When grown on Earth the cells are not mature enough for use, but in microgravity they may be able to accelerate maturation.

With foams and emulsions microstructure and stabilization perform critical roles, removing gravity's force will answer fundamental questions about structural efficiency.

Vibrations can cause sudden wave generation in fluids, but a better understanding on the flow patterns of Faraday Instability could impact microfluidic processes such as additive manufacturing.

2 projects are looking at boiling process, where on earth the bubbles dissipate, in microgravity there are no forces to make that happen. Could light waves or microstructures lead to solutions?

To hear more science and engineering news, including the researchers making it, subscribe to "NSF's Discovery Files" podcast.

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