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Upward Volume 9 Issue 2

Upward Volume 9, Issue 2 Available Now

In this issue’s cover story, discover how brain organoids on the ISS are helping researchers study aging, neurodegeneration, and disease-relevant changes linked to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Rett syndrome. Other features discuss how unexpected findings from Sanofi’s space research could help improve vaccines and how a new holographic microscope could one day help scientists find life on distant worlds.

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View from the Cupola - Ken Savin

July 28, 2026

View From the Cupola: Ken Savin

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Upward magazine. This issue is especially meaningful to me, and I am excited—and even...

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Human brain organoids grown in Alysson Muotri’s lab form three-dimensional clusters of neural cells, giving researchers a way to study brain development, disease, and the effects of spaceflight in a dish.

July 28, 2026

How Space Is Opening a Window Into the Brain

What came back from the International Space Station (ISS) in 2019 was, to the naked eye, almost nothing. A few specks, roughly...

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Before sending it to space, Jay Nadeau tested early versions of the holographic ELVIS microscope in harsh environments on Earth alongside student teams, including Carl Snyder, pictured at right.

July 28, 2026

What a Spacefaring Arctic Microbe Reveals About Life in Alien Oceans

It lives in places where life should not exist. In the brine channels that thread through Arctic sea ice, it survives...

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NASA astronaut Megan McArthur samples donor cells inside the Life Sciences Glovebox on the ISS for Sanofi's Celestial Immunity experiment.

July 28, 2026

An Unexpected Space Discovery May Improve Vaccines for Older Adults

Some of the most exciting science happens when an experiment doesn’t reveal what you thought it would. When the data you...

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View from the Cupola - Cady Coleman

March 30, 2026

View From the Cupola: Cady Coleman

In 2010, the day after my 50th birthday, I got the best present imaginable. I climbed aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket with my two...

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March 30, 2026

Addressing the Problem of Space Debris With an Orbital Tow Truck

It’s mesmerizing to watch its arms unfurl gracefully like an octopus’s tentacles. Micro-patterned pads on each arm allow it...

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Tiffany Hennessa and Zheng Wang look at petri dish containing bacterial culture

March 30, 2026

Why Growing Useful Bacteria in Space is Harder Than It Looks

Place a living thing in a hostile environment and its usual biological cycles unravel, giving way to survival and change. A...

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March 30, 2026

Manufacturing Artificial Retinas in Space to Restore Sight on Earth

Imagine an environment with saltwater four to five times saltier than the ocean. There are places on Earth where the water pools...

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View From the Cupola: Sachin Velankar

November 19, 2025

View From the Cupola: Sachin Velankar

At age 17, Anna-Sophia Boguraev won a STEM contest that changed her perspective on what is possible on Earth and beyond.

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Upward 8.3 Good Vibrations

November 19, 2025

Good Vibrations: Transforming Cooling and 3D Printing in Space

By studying fluid wave patterns on the ISS, scientists discover how to harness resonance for valuable applications.

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The sampling tools used to swab surfaces across the ISS for the study.

November 19, 2025

Charting the Microbial Map: What Astronauts Leave Behind

A sweeping 3D survey uncovers the microbial ecosystem thriving onboard the ISS—and what it means for living beyond Earth.

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Five fluid-filled cuvettes prepared for launch to the ISS as part of the investigation.

November 19, 2025

Reshaping Clean-Energy Design With Space Bubbles

Light-activated bubbles in microgravity are revealing new ways to move fluids—insights that could unlock cleaner, more...

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