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Upward Volume 9 Issue 1

Upward Volume 9, Issue 1 Available Now

In this issue’s cover story, discover how a biotech startup is using space to manufacture artificial retinas that could restore vision in people with macular degeneration. Other features highlight a new in-orbit capture system that could help remove space debris and a study on how microbes could be used to produce valuable materials on long-duration spaceflight missions.

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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...

Upward 

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...

Upward 

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.

Upward 

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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Anna-Sophia Boguraev works in the vaccine lab at the Ragon Institute of Harvard, MIT, and Mass General Brigham

July 23, 2025

From High School Labs to the ISS: How Genes in Space Shaped the Future of Four Young...

As kids, their ambitions were sky-high. With help from an annual STEM contest, those childhood dreams didn’t vanish.

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This microscopic image shows a cloned tumor sample from a SpaceX CRS-30 investigation that used Encapsulate’s tumor-on-a-chip system to grow patient-derived cancer cells and test chemotherapy drugs in microgravity.

July 23, 2025

The Tumor Oracle: How a Startup is Using the ISS to Outwit Cancer

Could cancer become less mysterious? Research onboard the ISS offered some surprising results.

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The future LunaNet will bring terrestrial internet capabilities to astronauts, rovers, and orbiters.

July 23, 2025

Interplanetary Internet: Sending Data Across the Solar System

In the future, the ability to communicate and transfer data will be crucial for exploration across our solar system.

Upward 

Anna-Sophia Boguraev, M.D.-Ph.D. Student at Harvard and MIT

July 23, 2025

View From the Cupola: Anna-Sophia Boguraev

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

Upward