Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Space
  3. News

The science experiments that the Crew-6 astronauts will be performing on the ISS

By
Tech For Change
This story is part of Tech for Change: an ongoing series in which we shine a spotlight on positive uses of technology, and showcase how they're helping to make the world a better place.

On Monday, NASA and SpaceX will launch four new crew members to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Crew-6 mission.

During their six-month stay on the ISS, NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, plus UAE astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, will work on tasks like upgrading the ISS systems and performing maintenance. But they will also perform scientific research in the microgravity environment of the station, working on a wide variety of experiments.

NASA astronaut Victor Glover tests collection methods for ISS External Microorganisms
In the Neutral Buoyancy Lab at Johnson Space Center, NASA astronaut Victor Glover tests collection methods for ISS External Microorganisms, which examines microbes released from the space station to help limit contamination on future exploration missions. NASA

One of the most dramatic-sounding experiments the crew will work on is the ISS External Microorganisms project, which aims to collect samples of bacteria and fungi from surfaces on the outside of the station. The big worry isn’t that some space bacteria will mutate and harm humans, but rather that astronauts could inadvertently contaminate other environments like Mars if we ever travel there.

Recommended Videos

The experiment checks for the presence of microbes around areas like the station’s life support system vents to see if microbes can survive on these surfaces and how far they can spread, with the samples being returned to Earth for DNA sequencing. This should help us understand the potential dangers of human contamination of environments, especially when looking for signs of life beyond Earth.

Related

Another experiment will look further into the uses of tissue chips, which contain human cells and mimic human organs such as the heart. These can be used to test out new treatments like drugs and to see how organs respond to the space environment without having to perform experiments on real people. Two heart-related experiments will test out drugs for protecting the heart during spaceflight, which could also be useful for developing new treatments for cardiac disease on Earth. A further health-related experiment called Immunity Assay will test out the effects of spaceflight on cellular immune functions, using a new type of test tube developed for microgravity.

And for another dramatic test, the crew will continue working with the station’s Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction (SoFIE) hardware which is used to test how things burn in space, depending on factors like airflow and pressure. This is useful for developing safer space technologies and could also help develop firefighting equipment on Earth as well.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet
Space Writer
Georgina is the Digital Trends space writer, covering human space exploration, planetary science, and cosmology. She…
NASA’s Crew-7 astronauts splash down safely off the coast of Florida
Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, left, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa are seen inside the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship MEGAN shortly after having landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov are returning after nearly six-months in space as part of Expedition 70 aboard the International Space Station.

NASA's Crew-7 mission has splashed down without incident off the coast of Florida, with the four astronauts on board returning safely from the International Space Station (ISS). The crew spent a total of 199 days orbiting the Earth and are now headed to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to rest and recover.

The crew traveled in a SpaceX Dragon capsule that undocked from the ISS on Monday, March 11, and splashed down at 5:47 a.m. ET on Tuesday, March 12. The group arrived at the station in late August 2023, and spent their time in orbit performing research and maintenance tasks.

Read more
How to watch homecoming SpaceX astronauts fly overhead on Tuesday
SpaceX's Crew-6 reentering Earth's atmosphere.

SpaceX’s Crew-7 astronauts undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) at 11:20 a.m. ET on Monday after a six-and-a-half-month stay aboard the orbital outpost.

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov are expected to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico at around 5:50 a.m. ET on Tuesday morning. If the skies are clear, folks in more than a dozen states will be able to witness the crew’s homecoming as the capsule flies overhead.

Read more
How to watch SpaceX Crew-7 return to Earth this week
SpaceX Crew-7 aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft at the start of their mission in August 2023.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Re-entry and Splashdown

SpaceX’s Crew-7 is preparing to depart the International Space Station (ISS) after a six-and-a-half-month stay aboard the orbital outpost some 250 miles above Earth. NASA will live-stream all of the key moments of the homecoming (full details below).

Read more