The next launch of a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will carry a crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for a six-month science expedition mission. The launch, SpaceX’s fourth Commercial Crew mission contracted by NASA, will send NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren (mission commander), Robert Hines (pilot), and Jessica Watkins (mission specialist), along with European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti (mission specialist), to the orbiting laboratory. During their mission, the Crew-4 astronauts will perform dozens of research and technology development investigations sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory. Their endeavors will bring value to humanity through space-based inquiry, further our ability to explore, and enable a robust market in low Earth orbit.
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ISS National Lab-sponsored experiments that the Crew-4 astronauts will conduct range from projects in the life and physical sciences to those in advanced materials, technology development, and in-space production applications. This research, along with critical supplies, will be delivered to the ISS on multiple Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) missions. Examples of investigations the Crew-4 astronauts will facilitate during their mission include the following.
- Procter & Gamble—one of the leading consumer goods companies in the world—will launch an investigation to aid in the development of low-resource-use laundry solutions for everyday use while also meeting consumer demands for more sustainable products. Procter & Gamble presently has an active experiment onboard the orbiting laboratory utilizing Tide Infinity for stability testing. This upcoming mission will further evaluate key ingredients found in Tide To Go Pens and Tide To Go Wraps, allowing the company to examine the viability of cleaning detergent solutions in space.
- A student experiment through the Genes in Space™ program will help to validate a portable, low-cost biosensor that could aid in medical diagnostics and on-demand production of medicine and vaccines. Such a sensor could also support future space missions and the burgeoning market in low Earth orbit. Genes in Space™ is an annual research competition that challenges students in grades seven through 12 to design DNA experiments to be conducted via the ISS National Laboratory. A total of nine student investigations have launched through the program, including the first experiment to utilize CRISPR technology in microgravity. Several of these student investigations have yielded results that have been published in peer-reviewed journals.
- A team from Arizona State University will send a fluid transport investigation through the ISS National Lab that seeks to develop and test predictive models of flow between proteins to better understand hydrodynamics and improve drug development. This ISS National Lab-sponsored project is one of many funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).