Water bears, baby squids, kidney stones, and Several exciting research experiments will be flown to the International Space Station on SpaceX's 22nd cargo resupply mission. It is set to launch no sooner than June 3.
The majority of the experimental sets carried aboard SpaceX CRS-22, like so many others before them, are meant to provide light on astronauts' health concerns.
One of these will do so using tardigrades or water bears.
"Tardigrades are renown for their ability to withstand a number of extreme stresses," Thomas Boothby, an assistant professor of molecular biology at the University of Wyoming and the principal investigator on the Cell Science-04 experiment, said in 9NewsAu report.
Water Bears In Space
Science Times Tardigrades can tolerate extreme temperatures and boiling water, as well as high air and water pressures. They can be dormant for up to 30 years without food or water.
According to Boothby, tardigrades may survive and reproduce in space and may even withstand lengthy exposure to the vacuum of space.
Scientists hope to undertake both short- and long-term experiments for the project, subject single and several generations of water bears to the stressors of spaceflight, such as microgravity and radiation.
Boothby said they'll rescue the creatures and examine what genes they turned on and off while on the ISS to see how they're coping with the challenges.
Celestial Umami
In a second experiment named UMAMI, newborn bobtail squids (Euprymna scolopes) will be used to investigate the effects of spaceflight and microgravity on animal-microbe symbiosis.
UMAMI principal investigator Jamie Fosters expressed her eagerness to observe how healthy beneficial microorganisms connect with animal tissues in space.
Adult squid has a symbiotic interaction with the Vibrio fischeri bacteria. Astronauts will carry several dozen young bobtail squid to the International Space Station for the UMAMI experiment, all of which will be bacteria-free.
The bacteria will be given to the squid paralarvae and allowed to populate their light organs, which are an extra pair of rudimentary eyes after they arrive onboard.
The beginnings of symbiosis will be monitored for 12 hours before the squid is frozen for tissue study back on Earth.
"The UMAMI experiment uses a glow-in-the-dark bobtail squid to address these important issues in animal health," Fosters said in a WRAL report.
Astronauts Encounter Several Health Issues
In orbit, astronauts encounter a range of health issues, one of which is a higher risk of kidney stones.
Gravity helps sustain bone structure on Earth, according to principal investigator Ed Kelly, assistant professor of Pharmaceutics at the University of Washington. As a result, bones demineralize in space.
Calcium, phosphate, and magnesium are transported to the kidneys, according to Kelly. One of the main reasons why astronauts are so prone to kidney stones is because of this, Kelly told SpaceDaily.
However, gravity makes understanding kidney stone production difficult on Earth. Kidney stones in lab studies tend to settle to the bottom of solutions as they develop, making observation and measurement more difficult.
Kelly and his colleagues think that the kidney cell models embedded in 3D tissue chips may aid them in solving the problem.
Experts believe that modeling how kidney stones grow and what can be done to avoid them will be possible in the microgravity setting.
According to NASA, SpaceX will also conduct tests to test robotic arms and solar panels and more durable cotton crop kinds.
Check out more news and information on Space on Science Times.
