Station Science Top News: Nov. 3, 2022

An upgraded Distillation Assembly (DA), the heart of the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) on the International Space Station (ISS), set the record for the longest DA run time to date — more than 5,300 hours. The upgrades were based on lessons learned from more than a decade of UPA testing and operations on station, part of NASA’s efforts to demonstrate exploration-ready technologies on the orbiting laboratory. Longer run times equal longer installed life for a DA and fewer spares that need to be launched.

The UPA extracts water from crew urine via vacuum distillation. This water is combined with recaptured water from the crew cabin heat exchanger, undergoes further treatment in the Water Processor Assembly and, ultimately, becomes part of the station’s potable water system. Water is a precious and limited resource in space, and water-recovery systems such as the UPA are critical to supporting long-duration activities like a mission to Mars.

 
NASA astronaut and Expedition 63 Commander Chris Cassidy replaces components inside the Waste and Hygiene Compartment, the International Space Station’s bathroom, located inside the Tranquility module. Credits: NASA

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The ISS Program Research Integration Office hosted science communication training to improve the ability of its station research spokespersons to engage with and help audiences understand and appreciate the benefits of ISS utilization. This is a continuation of NASA’s efforts to bring such training to its leadership and more effectively share our work with the public.

The two-day in-person class, conducted by the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, follows the curriculum taught at the four-day in-person NASA Science Communication course. Attendees included the ISS chief scientist, deputy chief scientist, high-visibility spokespersons who represent space station research at launches, and station research portfolio managers who present ISS research overviews at the Stage Operations Readiness Review. Participants reported that they felt more capable of making a significant and lasting impact on station stakeholders, validating the intended objectives of this course.

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SpaceX’s 26th commercial resupply mission is scheduled to launch to the space station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 18. Here is a look at some of the scientific experiments and technology demonstrations on their way to space:

• The Moon Microscope investigation tests a kit for in-flight medical diagnoses for crew members on future missions and also could provide the ability to test water, food, and surfaces for contamination.
• Roll Out Solar Array (ROSA) technology installed on the space station expands its energy-production capabilities. A second set of panels launching on SpaceX-26 supports a 20 to 30% increase in power for research and operations. The iROSA program shows how the space station serves as a testing platform for technology and research needed to explore farther into space.
• BioNutrients-2 tests a system for producing nutrients on demand, which could be a key part of supplying adequate nutrition to crews on future long-duration missions. The investigation kicks off phase two of the five-year BioNutrients program, headed by NASA’s Ames Research Center and managed by Game Changing Development in NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.
• Astronauts on future exploration missions face transitions between gravity fields, which can affect spatial orientation, coordination, balance, and locomotion. Falcon Goggles, an investigation from NASA’s Human Research Program, tests hardware that captures high-speed video data on ocular alignment and balance to support development of ways for crew members to adapt to and work in new gravities.

Read the SpaceX-26 science highlights here.

Watch the science highlights video below.

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ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor, or ASIM, observation facility on station enables the study of severe thunderstorms in Earth’s upper atmosphere, which are too high for observation balloons and too low for weather satellites. A new paper reports observation of multi-pulse corona discharges, which could play a significant role in the initiation of lightning leaders, or sparks. Studying lightning helps scientists better understand the effect of thunderstorms on Earth’s atmosphere and could improve weather and climate forecasts.

Understanding how lightning is initiated inside thunderclouds remains one of the biggest mysteries in atmospheric science. These results indicate that an unexpected class of horizontally oriented electrical discharges could play a significant role in the initiation of lightning leaders.

 
View of the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor, or ASIM, and the High Definition Earth Viewing payloads installed on the Columbus External Payload Facility aboard space station. Credits: NASA