NASA's SpaceX CRS-35 Mission to Study Human and Plant Health in Space

According to NASA News Releases, experiments concentrating on human and plant health, as well as drug-resistant organisms, are scheduled to travel to the International Space Station via SpaceX's 35th Commercial Resupply Services mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This research supports astronaut health during extended missions through four investigations conducted by the agency’s Biological and Physical Sciences division, which include studies on 3D models of the human brain, a crop disease study, a method for quicker astronaut health assessment, and an analysis of bacteria resistant to antibiotics aboard the station.

Regarding the human brain, a new precision health investigation is designed to address what occurs to the human brain in space. This experiment involves sending small, lab-grown models of the human brain to the orbiting laboratory for a duration of five weeks. Researchers plan to compare these tissue models that traveled to space with identical models maintained on Earth to ascertain how a brief spaceflight impacts the human brain at the cellular level. This effort may enhance the understanding of how the human brain reacts to stress and could assist in establishing methods to mitigate risks to brain health for astronauts on future missions to the Moon and beyond.

In the area of space crops, an investigation is testing whether crop diseases progress more rapidly and severely in microgravity. This experiment compares the molecular and structural alterations observed in plants grown on Earth versus those grown on the space station when both are infected with a disease-causing fungus. The resulting data could inform plant breeding efforts on Earth to develop crops that are resistant to disease and help reduce yield losses in forthcoming space agriculture systems. Space crops are noted for providing nutrition, increasing dietary variety, and offering psychological advantages for astronauts during prolonged missions. Furthermore, they absorb carbon dioxide, generate oxygen, and recycle water, which will become increasingly vital as human missions move further from Earth.

Another component of the mission involves the first test of a compact microplate reader that was delivered to the space station earlier this year. This Commercially Enabled Rapid Space Science initiative experiment evaluates the device's capacity to measure and detect specific biomarkers, such as proteins, antigens, and antibodies. Utilizing the plate reader would enable scientists to analyze samples while aboard the space station and acquire data rapidly, circumventing the need to await sample return to Earth for analysis. Ultimately, this research intends to aid in the timely identification of infections and other health concerns in astronauts while expanding scientific capabilities in remote exploration sites where resupply is more challenging.

A precision health investigation is returning for its fourth and final planned stay on the space station to examine how antibiotic-resistant bacteria survive and evolve in microgravity. As part of this study, astronauts will repeatedly collect samples from various surfaces throughout the space station to monitor for organisms resistant to drugs. This work has the potential to aid in creating methods to safeguard astronauts against bacterial infections during long-duration missions. On Earth, the findings could offer insights into the development of superbugs resulting from the overuse of antibiotics.

NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division is noted for pioneering scientific discovery and facilitating exploration by utilizing space environments to conduct investigations that are not feasible on Earth. Studying biological and physical phenomena under extreme conditions allows researchers to advance the fundamental scientific knowledge necessary to travel farther and remain longer in space, while also providing benefits to life on Earth.