Station Science Top News: July 27, 2023

by ISS Program Science Office | 2023-07-27

Researchers report that microgravity-grown crystals of an enzyme were large enough to view their structure with NPC (neutron protein crystallography). The enzyme is involved in mitochondrial function, and improved knowledge of its structure helps researchers understand the enzyme's role in protecting astronauts from radiation on future long-duration missions.

Perfect Crystals grew crystals of MnSOD (manganese superoxide dismutase), an antioxidant protein that helps protect the human body from oxidizing radiation. Understanding its function requires direct proton visualization, which is possible with neutron crystallography. This understanding could contribute to protecting astronauts on future missions and supporting development of prevention and treatment methods for diseases that involve MnSOD, including non-Hodgkins lymphoma and lung and colorectal cancer.

View of Expedition 60 Flight Engineer Nick Hague holding Perfect Crystals within Styrofoam containers in Node 3 aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Nick Hague — View of Expedition 60 Flight Engineer Nick Hague holding Perfect Crystals within Styrofoam containers in Node 3 aboard the International Space Station. **Credit: NASA/Nick Hague**

Genetic analysis of microbes on the International Space Station identified a new genus/species combination, Kalamiella piersonii. The analysis suggests its antimicrobial resistance and biofilm formation characteristics have adapted to microgravity and that certain microbes are more susceptible to these types of changes. This knowledge could be applied to protecting crew members from potentially harmful organisms.

Microbes can pose a threat to crew health and equipment function in space. Microbial Observatory-1 monitored microbes on the space station for a year, helping scientists to understand the diversity of the station’s microbial flora and how it changes over time. Analyzing MAGs (metagenome-assembled genomes) and whole-genome sequences show how these organisms evolve in microgravity compared to those on Earth.

Photographic documentation taken during Microbial Observatory-1 Sample Collection by the Expedition 43 crew. Credit: NASA/Terry Virts — Photographic documentation taken during Microbial Observatory-1 Sample Collection by the Expedition 43 crew. **Credit: NASA/Terry Virts**

Researchers demonstrated accurate and reliable operation of a personal dosimetry system during ascent, spaceflight, and descent. This system provides precise radiation dose measurements and could help scientists improve monitoring of crew health on future long-duration missions.

Radiation remains one of the primary challenges to crew health and safety and the success of future missions. Developed by the EAD (ESA-Active Dosimeters) team, this system integrates real-time inputs from multiple radiation detectors throughout the International Space Station. NASA’s Artemis I mission plans further testing of the EAD technology beyond low Earth orbit.

Flight engineer and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet holds a Mobile Unit in the Columbus European Laboratory during EAD (ESA-Active-Dosimeters) experiment operations. Credit: ESA/Thomas Pesquet — Flight engineer and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet holds a Mobile Unit in the Columbus European Laboratory during EAD (ESA-Active-Dosimeters) experiment operations. **Credit: ESA/Thomas Pesquet**

The ISS team provided outreach at two events this past weekend:

Moon Day Dallas, a family friendly event celebrating the past, present, and future of space exploration. The July 22 event had an estimated 250 attendees with astronaut Shane Kimbrough providing the keynote address.

The Girl Scouts National Convention in Orlando, Florida, an event attended by thousands of scouts, leaders, and volunteers from across the country. The organization offers badges that focus on STEM activities. In collaboration with ISS National Lab and the DTE (Driven to Explore) mobile exhibit, the team interacted with an estimated 2,380 attendees.