Station Science Top News: Aug. 25, 2022
A new study using data from the International Space Station ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station, or ECOSTRESS, experiment found that the rate at which plants release water by “sweating” and how efficiently they use water for photosynthesis can help predict the intensity of subsequent wildfires. As climate change drives greater wildfire risk, tools to better understand and predict fire severity could help keep communities safe.
ECOSTRESS measures the temperature of plants as they heat up and when they run out of water. The correlations between the intensity of a wildfire and the water stress in plants measured in the months before the blaze are not just a matter of dry plants burning more than hydrated ones. Some areas where vegetation had sufficient water burned more severely, possibly because fires had more fuel to consume. Whether higher or lower plant stress predicted more severe burning depended on the primary type of vegetation in an area.
Smoke rises from the Bobcat Fire, which burned more than 115,000 acres in Southern California’s San Gabriel Mountains in 2020. In the months before the fire, NASA’s ECOSTRESS passed over the area aboard the International Space Station, collecting data on plant water use. Credits: NASA
***
For more than two decades, the space station has enabled thousands of microgravity studies in low-Earth orbit. Many of these experiments have helped us better prepare for deep space exploration, including the Artemis I mission scheduled to launch soon.
Combining the findings from lunar orbit and results from science conducted aboard Earth’s orbiting laboratory is bringing humanity closer to Mars than ever before. Below are some of the space station studies that have contributed directly to Artemis.
- SERFE: Demonstrates a new technology to remove heat from spacesuits and maintain appropriate temperatures for crew members and equipment during spacewalks. This knowledge will be applied to the new Artemis spacesuits.
- ISS HERA/A-Hoss: Artemis HERA on Space Station (A-HoSS) demonstrated software to refine data analysis and operational products for future exploration missions. It modifies the Hybrid Electronic Radiation Assessor (HERA), built to operate as the primary radiation-detection system for Orion and certified for flight on Artemis 2, to operate on the space station.
- AstroRad: The AstroRad vest, developed to mitigate radiation threats to crew members on missions to the Moon and Mars, is being tested on station before its Artemis flight.
- BioSentinel: Poised to launch on Artemis I, BioSentinel — a shoebox-sized CubeSat — will perform the first long-duration biology experiment in deep space. Researchers will use data from identical sets of BioSentinel’s instruments aboard the space station and in a lab at NASA’s Ames Research Center to check and compare the response of yeast in different gravity and radiation environments.
Watch this new video featuring NASA astronaut Kayla Barron speaking to the connections between station and Artemis.
Lunar observations taken by the Expedition 31 crew. Earth airglow and the cupola module (with Flight Engineer Don Pettit visible through a window) are in view. Credits: NASA
***
Compared to ground-based samples of fungus Aspergillus niger, samples grown on Earth after space exposure showed a significant increase in the production of an antioxidant, pyranonigrin A. Researchers believe this antioxidant may have acted as a radioprotective agent in space. These results could lead to biotechnological applications to protect astronauts in closed habitats from radiation.
Researchers obtained a swabbing of Aspergillus niger from the International Space Station and returned it to Earth for genetic analysis as a part of NASA’s Microbial Observatory-1 study. Samples isolated from the space environment demonstrated significant changes in stress response and metabolic activity.