KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (FL), July 22, 2019 – On July 23 at 9:00 a.m. EDT, NASA will televise a live What’s on Board science briefing to provide information on SpaceX’s 18th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station (ISS), SpaceX CRS-18. This launch will include more than 50 experiments sponsored by the ISS U.S. National Laboratory. During the NASA broadcast, multiple ISS National Lab–sponsored investigators will present their science that is slated to launch to the space station no earlier than July 24 at 6:24 p.m. EDT.
ISS National Lab Chief Operating Officer Kenneth Shields will participate in the briefing, providing an overview on sponsored investigations launching on this mission. This launch features more payloads than have ever flown to the ISS National Lab on any previous cargo resupply mission. According to Shields, “While every launch brings with it a level of excitement and intrigue, the SpaceX CRS-18 mission really demonstrates the demand that is continuing to build within the private sector to leverage the unique environment of the space station. The diversity that we see on this launch ranges from materials payloads to targeted biomedical investigations to an array of student experiments and demonstrations—all with the collective goal of benefiting life on Earth.”
Featured ISS National Lab–sponsored investigators that will present during the What’s on Board briefing include:
- Valentina Fossati from the New York Stem Foundation Research Institute and Andres Bratt-Leal from Aspen Neuroscience, who will discuss the Space Tango – Induced Stem Cells investigation, in which cells from patients with Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis will be cultured on the space station to examine cell-to-cell interactions that occur in neurodegenerative diseases.
- Dr. Eugene Boland from Techshot and Ken Church from nScrypt will discuss the BioFabrication Facility that will launch on this mission. The BFF is a space-based, automated system capable of culturing a defined heterogeneous cell population and bioprinting tissues and organs that can then be implanted into patients.
The briefing will also be available to watch via website at www.nasa.gov/live.
To learn more about all ISS National Lab–sponsored payloads on SpaceX CRS-18, please visit our launch coverage page.
Media Contact:
Patrick O’Neill
(321) 480-1054
[email protected]
# # #
About the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory: In 2005, Congress designated the U.S. portion of the ISS as the nation’s newest national laboratory to optimize its use for improving quality of life on Earth, promoting collaboration among diverse users, and advancing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. This unique laboratory environment is available for use by non-NASA U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The ISS National Lab manages access to the permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space.
# # #
