Worth watching: Critical conversations on science in space

NASA will join counterparts from across government, industry, academia and international organizations for an in-depth conversation about science on the International Space Station Monday, July 23, through Thursday, July 26, in San Francisco.

The seventh annual International Space Station Research & Development Conference will highlight discoveries and opportunities in microgravity research, human health in space, biology and medicine, physical sciences and materials development, and commercialization and nongovernmental use of the space station.

NASA Television will air portions of this event, and all keynotes and panels from July 24 to 26 will stream live on NASA’s website.

During the preconference on July 23, NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will host a joint workshop covering the achievements and opportunities tied to cooperative use of unique JAXA experiment hardware for joint research.

The following segments will air on NASA TV (all times CDT):

• 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 24 – Welcome and opening featuring a message from NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine
• 2:30 to 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, July 25 – Orbital Perspectives with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei
• 2:30 to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 26 – Luncheon Keynote with NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik

Vande Hei and Bresnik recently completed missions aboard the space station, during which they contributed to hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, Earth and physical sciences aboard the orbiting laboratory. Their time on station also marked the beginning of the first long-term increase in crew size on the U.S. segment from three to four. This increase enabled NASA to double the time dedicated to research and achieve a record-setting week of research that surpassed 100 hours. 

Events streaming on NASA’s website include a live conversation at 1:35 p.m. July 26 between conference participants and NASA astronauts Drew Feustel and Serena Auñón-Chancellor, who currently are living and working aboard the International Space Station. The astronauts will remotely join in a discussion about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and take questions from participants.

This conference is hosted annually by the American Astronautical Society and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) in cooperation with NASA.

The full conference agenda is available online at: https://www.issconference.org/agenda

Get updates about research conducted on the unique microgravity laboratory on Instagram and Twitter:

http://instagram.com/iss

and

http://www.twitter.com/ISS_Research

Expedition 56 Flight Engineer Serena Auñón-Chancellor of NASA is pictured in the Destiny laboratory module of the International Space Station on June 11, 2018, with gear from the Bone Marrow Adipose Reaction: Red Or White (MARROW) investigation. Image Credit: NASA