From Science Fairs to Space: Student Experiments Help Launch New Era of Space-Based Research
To advance scientific discovery in new ways, scientists are taking their experiments and labs to an environment unlike any other: the International Space Station…
The View From the Cupola: Erik Svedberg
I am very excited to introduce this special issue of Upward to you, as its focus is on materials research in space. My work…
The View From the Cupola: Lucie Low
The opportunity to do biomedical research on the International Space Station (ISS) is so far outside the realm of possibility for most researchers in…
Spaceflight Studies for a Sustainable Future
Humankind has made incredible technological advancements over the past two centuries. However, many of these advancements have come at a significant cost to the…
Space Worms: Unexpected Pioneers of Discovery & Commercial Services
Three years ago, a two-headed worm returned from the International Space Station (ISS), and in the summer of 2017, the worm achieved internet and…
Pure of Heart: How Microgravity is Improving Cardiac Cell Quality
It is old wisdom that life is a journey and not a destination. But when your destination is space, it might seem difficult to…
The Little Furnace That Could: Using Space to Improve Radiation Detection
Everything around you emits radiation—from the bananas in your kitchen, to cosmic rays from space, to the piece of paper (or screen) from which…
Microbes in Microgravity: Analyzing Gene Expression to Better Understand Bacterial Behavior in Space
By observing the health of astronauts that travel into space, scientists have learned that microgravity has important effects on the human body, causing substantial…
Pushing Research to New Heights: Innovative Research at the ISS R&D Conference
What do investigators studying ecosystem productivity, the growth of fungi from the Chernobyl nuclear accident site, the robustness of a new type of osteoporosis drug, and…
WetLab-2: Transforming the ISS into a Living Laboratory
To study gene expression in a ground-based molecular biology lab, researchers utilize a whole lab bench of tools and equipment. The process of conducting…
The ISS and Household Products: How P&G is Using Space to Improve Customer Experience
In an era of increasing commercial innovation in space, many big-name companies are taking to the skies to explore how microgravity research might enhance…
Gravity Incarnate: Bone Health and Physical Force
The human body, while often glorified in artistry for its aesthetics, is nonetheless a type of organic machinery—and like all machines, it is governed…