Mar 12, 2025   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 Astronauts to Advance Biomedical, Materials, and Physical Sciences via the ISS National Laboratory

Astronauts to Support Cutting-Edge Biomedical Investigations, NSF-Funded Physical Science Projects, and More Through the ISS National Lab

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., March 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Four crew members will embark on a new long-duration science expedition when they launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft as part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 mission. While on station, the crew will engage in a wide variety of research sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory®, including materials and physical sciences experiments and biomedical research. Findings from these investigations will benefit humanity and drive commerce in low Earth orbit.

NASA astronauts Anne McClain (commander) and Nichole Ayers (pilot) will join JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi (mission specialist) and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov (mission specialist) as part of Expedition 73 on the space station.

Below are some of the ISS National Lab-sponsored investigations that the Crew-10 astronauts will support during their expedition:

    --  Several investigations funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation
        (NSF) seek to further fundamental science in the areas of transport
        phenomena and fluid dynamics:
        --  An investigation from Lehigh University, in collaboration with ISS
            National Lab Implementation Partner Tec-Masters, will study
            particles in complex fluids to see how the particles move according
            to a thermal gradient (temperature changes over a distance). Results
            could help improve devices that detect the amount of a virus, called
            viral load, in blood or saliva samples. Onboard the space station,
            the researchers can examine the particle motion without effects from
            gravity-driven buoyancy and sedimentation. Insight gained could aid
            in the development of viral load detection devices that provide
            quick results without the need for complex laboratory equipment and
            procedures.
        --  Building on previous research, an investigation from Rensselaer
            Polytechnic Institute that is supported by Tec-Masters aims to use
            microgravity to study fluid flow in protein solutions to better
            understand why protein clumping occurs during pharmaceutical
            manufacturing. Protein-based therapeutics treat and prevent many
            conditions, from cancer to HIV, but protein clumping is a problem
            because it negatively affects drug quality. Studying the complex
            motion of proteins in solution on Earth is difficult because the
            proteins interact with the walls of the container holding the
            solution, which affects their behavior. In microgravity, the liquid
            forms into a floating, self-contained sphere, allowing the team to
            study protein motion in new ways and create models to better
            understand the factors that lead to protein clumping.
        --  A project from the University of Alabama-Birmingham and supported by
            Leidos will study the formation and microstructure of
            ceramic-nanomaterial composites in microgravity to produce novel
            materials that are lightweight, electrically conductive, and stable
            in high-temperature environments. The materials can be made into
            almost any shape or size, making them valuable for many industrial
            applications such as energy storage, electric systems, and
            nanodevices.
    --  A project from the University of Connecticut and Eascra Biotech, in
        partnership with Axiom Space, aims to use microgravity to improve the
        production of Janus base nanomaterials (JBNs). These nanomaterials,
        which self-assemble into a structure that mimics human DNA, could be
        used to treat diseases like osteoarthritis and cancer. When JBNs are
        produced on Earth, gravity-driven forces can cause defects in the
        nanomaterials. However, in space, where these forces are greatly
        reduced, the team can manufacture JBNs that have a more uniform
        structure, which leads to better therapeutic outcomes. This project
        builds on multiple previous investigations on station and is funded
        through NASA's In-Space Production Applications program.

The Crew-10 mission, which is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, is scheduled to lift off no earlier than March 12, 2025, at 7:48 p.m. EDT from NASA's Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Over the coming weeks, additional information will be available regarding ISS National Lab-sponsored investigations launching on future Commercial Resupply Services missions to the space station. To learn more, visit our launch page.

Download a high-resolution image for this release: NASA's SpaceX Crew-10

About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory:
The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Laboratory® allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve quality of life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology, and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space® (CASIS®) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative Agreement with NASA, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit our website.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CASIS accepts corporate and individual donations to help advance science in space for the benefit of humanity. For more information, visit our donations page.



     
     Media Contact: 
     Patrick O'Neill


                       
     904-806-0035


                                         PONeill@ISSNationalLab.org



              
              
                International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory


         
              Managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space(R) (CASIS(R))


     
        ________________________________________________________________________________________________

       
          1005 Viera Blvd., Suite 101, Rockledge, FL 32955 -- 321.253.5101 -- www.ISSNationalLab.org

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SOURCE International Space Station National Lab