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NASA, ISRO Research Aboard Fourth Private Astronaut Mission to Station

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NASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) are collaborating to launch scientific investigations aboard Axiom Mission 4, the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. These studies include examining muscle regeneration, growth of sprouts and edible microalgae, survival of tiny aquatic organisms, and human interaction with electronic displays in microgravity.

The mission is targeted to launch no earlier than Tuesday, June 10, aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Regenerating muscle tissue

Dark red fibers stretch from the top to bottom of this image. Glowing blue dots are scattered along the fibers, both single dots and lines and clusters of dots.
Immunofluorescent image of human muscle fibers for Myogenesis-ISRO, showing nuclei (blue) and proteins (red).
Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine, India

During long-duration spaceflights, astronauts lose muscle mass, and their muscle cells’ regenerative ability declines. Researchers suspect this may happen because microgravity interferes with metabolism in mitochondria, tiny structures within cells that produce energy. The Myogenesis-ISRO investigation uses muscle stem cell cultures to examine the muscle repair process and test chemicals known to support mitochondrial function. Results could lead to interventions that maintain muscle health during long-duration space missions, help people on Earth with age-related muscle loss and muscle-wasting diseases, and assist athletes and people recovering from surgery.

Sprouting seeds

A tangle of tannish-yellow seeds with small white sprouts fills a circular image.
This preflight image shows sprouted fenugreek seeds for the Sprouts-ISRO investigation.
Ravikumar Hosamani Lab, University of Agricultural Sciences, India

The Sprouts-ISRO investigation looks at the germination and growth in microgravity of seeds from greengram and fenugreek, nutritious plants commonly eaten on the Indian subcontinent. Bioactive compounds in fenugreek seeds also have therapeutic properties, and the leaves contain essential vitamins and minerals. Learning more about how space affects the genetics, nutritional content, and other characteristics over multiple generations of plants could inform the development of ways for future missions to reliably produce plants as a food source. 

Microalgae growth

A white square of foam holds nine rectangular clear bags filled with a pale green liquid. Each bag has two tubes protruding from it, one with a connection port and one with a clip, and there are yellow tags on one of the tubes for each bag, as well as stickers on the bags themselves.
Culture bags for Space Microalgae-ISRO.
Redwire

Space Microalgae-ISRO studies how microgravity affects microalgae growth and genetics. Highly digestible microalgae species packed with nutrients could be a food source on future space missions. These organisms also grow quickly, produce energy and oxygen, and consume carbon dioxide, traits that could be employed in life support and fuel systems on spacecraft and in certain scenarios on Earth.  

Tiny but tough

Whitson, wearing a black jacket and a smart watch on her left wrist, is looking at the microscope in front of her. The device, mounted on a silver plate connected to a station wall, has a white base with a black eyepiece in front and behind it, a flat black plate on a white arm and a black lens mounted above it. There are two black dials on the side of the base facing the camera.
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson sets up the BioServe microscope, which will be used by the Voyager Tardigrade-ISRO investigation.
NASA

Tardigrades are tiny aquatic organisms that can tolerate extreme conditions on Earth. Voyager Tardigrade-ISRO tests the survival of a strain of tardigrades in the harsh conditions of space, including cosmic radiation and ultra-low temperatures, which kill most life forms. Researchers plan to revive dormant tardigrades, count the number of eggs laid and hatched during the mission, and compare the gene expression patterns of populations in space and on the ground. Results could help identify what makes these organisms able to survive extreme conditions and support development of technology to protect astronauts on future missions and those in harsh environments on Earth. 

Improving electronic interactions

O’Hara, wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and green pants, is holding an electronic tablet in front of her face with both hands. She is looking at the tablet. An open hatch behind her is filled with white storage containers.
NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara interacts with a touchscreen. Voyager Displays-ISRO examines how spaceflight affects use of such devices.
NASA

Research shows that humans interact with touchscreen devices differently in space. Voyager Displays – ISRO examines how spaceflight affects interactions with electronic displays such as pointing tasks, gaze fixation, and rapid eye movements along with how these interactions affect the user’s feelings of stress or wellbeing. Results could support improved design of control devices for spacecraft and habitats on future space missions as well as for aviation and other uses on Earth.

Download high-resolution photos and videos of the research mentioned in this article.

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