Station Science Top News: Oct. 19, 2023
Researchers analyzed observations of Aquila-X-1 and confirmed five X-ray outbursts between 2016 and 2020. Observations of these low-mass X-ray binary stars – systems in which one star is compact (i.e., a neutron star or black hole) and taking matter from the other – are important for understanding the origins of matter and energy in the universe.
MAXI, a JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency) investigation, continuously monitors X-ray sources and variabilities to address fundamental astrophysics questions and improve our understanding of the universe. Many X-ray sources are transient and difficult to detect with telescopes because of their narrow fields of view. MAXI offers an all-sky view and up to 1,000 notifications a day that alert other observatories of a detection so that they can capture additional data.
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Comparison of results from JAXA’s Electrostatic Levitation Facility (ELF) with those of ground-based Electrostatic Levitation (ESL) validated the effectiveness of the space station facility for measuring the properties of molten oxides at extremely high temperatures. This method improves the understanding of properties of melts in microgravity where solidification is not affected by external forces. In turn, this helps accelerate development of innovative materials such as super-high-heat resistant ceramics that could be useful in the aerospace and energy industries.
To produce glass or metal alloys on Earth, raw materials are heated in a container called a crucible, but reactions between the crucible and the materials can cause imperfections. ELF enables the processing and study of these materials without a container.
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Researchers found that crew members in space and control subjects in isolation on the ground had an increase in opportunistic and disease-causing microorganisms and increased antibiotic resistance. Examining multiple databases dating back to 1970, the study concluded that this antibiotic resistance was the result of a genetic advantage carried in plasmids. This result demonstrates the usefulness of databases to explore the evolution of microorganisms in the human body in enclosed environments.
The Roscosmos investigation Plasmid examined microgravity’s effect on bacterial plasmids, circular DNA molecules found in some microscopic organisms. The genes carried in plasmids are known to provide bacteria with genetic advantages such as antibiotic resistance. Addressing the problem of the accumulation of pathogenic microorganisms in closed environments is important for future long-duration missions and habitation on the Moon or Mars.
