NASA to Highlight Science Launching on Next Resupply Mission to Space Station

NASA to Highlight Science Launching on Next Resupply Mission to Space Station

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA will host a media teleconference at 11 a.m. EDT Monday, March 19, to discuss a number of science investigations and instruments launching in April to the International Space Station on the next SpaceX commercial resupply mission. Audio of the teleconference will stream live on NASA's website.

To participate in the teleconference, media must contact Stephanie Schierholz at 202-358-1100 or stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov by 5 p.m. Friday, March 16, for dial-in information.

Pete Hasbrook, associate program scientist for the International Space Station Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center, and Michael Roberts, deputy chief scientist at the Center for Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), will kick off the call with an overview of the research and technology aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft.

Also participating in the briefing will be:

    --  Torsten Neubert, National Space Institute at the Technical University of
        Denmark - Neubert, principal investigator for the Atmosphere-Space
        Interactions Monitor (ASIM), will discuss how this Earth observatory
        will study severe thunderstorms and their role in the Earth's atmosphere
        and climate. In addition to space applications, ASIM will help improve
        current atmospheric models that guide long- and short-term climate
        predictions.
    --  Stephanie Murphy and Mark Gittleman, Alpha Space Test and Research
        Alliance - Murphy, founder of Alpha Space, and Gittleman, the company's
        president and chief executive officer, will discuss Alpha Space's
        Materials International Space Station Experiment flight facility
        (MISSE-FF). MISSE will be permanently installed on the exterior of the
        orbiting laboratory and provide the ability to test materials, coatings,
        and components in the harsh environment of space, with flight
        opportunities for experimenters approximately every six months. Testing
        on MISSE may benefit a variety of industries, including advanced
        manufacturing of products ranging from protective clothing for
        astronauts to solar cells.
    --  Kim de Groh, NASA's Glenn Research Center - De Groh, a senior materials
        research engineer, will talk about how exposing 138 polymer and
        composite samples to the space environment via MISSE-FF will provide
        critical data to improve predictions of materials durability for
        spacecraft and component lifetimes in low-Earth orbit.
    --  Elaine Horn-Ranney, Tympanogen, Inc. - Principal investigator for
        research about wound healing, Horn-Ranney will discuss this
        investigation into improving the process of antibiotic release from gels
        that can cover large wounds, a medical advancement that could be used to
        treat military combat wounds and reduce the occurrence and severity of
        systemic infection and inflammation.
    --  Randall German, San Diego State University - German will discuss the
        NASA Sample Cartridge Assembly experiment (MSL SCA-GEDS-German) that
        seeks to better understand how the lack of gravity affects a process
        used to produce high-performance products from metal powders. This
        research could lead to improved manufacturing techniques and has
        potential as a way to perform in-space fabrication and repair.
    --  Dr. Guy Trudel, University of Ottawa and Ottawa Hospital in Ontario -
        Trudel, a physician and principal investigator for the MARROW study,
        will discuss an investigation that looks at the effect of microgravity
        on bone marrow, blood cells produced in marrow, recovery after space
        missions, and the application of this data to future space explorers as
        well as healthcare providers on Earth.

SpaceX is targeting no earlier than 4:30 p.m. April 2 for the launch of its Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Find out more about NASA's commercial resupply services at:

https://go.nasa.gov/2FPdagj

Learn more about research aboard the International Space Station at:

https://www.nasa.gov/station/research

CONTACT: Stephanie Schierholz, Headquarters, Washington, 202-358-1100, stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov

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SOURCE NASA