Today, Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi are now almost halfway through their mission on the International Space Station. The Ax-2 crew had a busy day executing payload operations, conducting microgravity research, collecting biomedical samples, and participating in STEAM outreach and media engagements.
Whitson continued working on the Cancer in Low-Earth Orbit experiment, which will study prospective therapies for breast and blood cancers by testing countermeasure drugs on the space station. This project will contribute to the goal of creating cellular models to predict and detect the development of cancer and develop future therapeutics.
Alqarni continued operations for the Stellar Stem Cells project to explore whether microgravity can make it easier and more efficient to produce large batches of stem cells. In partnership with Cedars Sinai, this is the first of a series of missions supported by Axiom Space, where, for the first time, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) will ultimately be manufactured in space by astronauts.
Alqarni began setting up the cloud seeding experiment, which is a collaborative effort with Nanoracks and the Saudi Space Commission. In this experiment, cloud seeding will be examined in space under microgravity conditions. Moist air and silver iodide crystals will be mixed in a reaction chamber to examine the possibility of nucleation, where water vapor condenses around the silver crystals to form water droplets. The outcome of this experiment could help develop agricultural technologies to generate artificial rain in future human settlements on the Moon and Mars.
Shoffner and Alqarni collected more samples for the Nebula Human Research investigations, which will look at how humans adapt and respond to spaceflight to better understand human physiology in microgravity. The astronauts scanned each other’s eyes with the Ultrasound 2 device and wore a cap filled with sensors, to scan their brains’ oxygen levels using near-infrared light. These studies may provide insights into the effects of weightlessness on cognition and vision.
The Ax-2 astronauts had a busy day conducting STEAM outreach events. The Ax-2 crew hosted a STEAM-focused educational outreach event with Space Center Houston. Local children and community members attended the event and had the opportunity to ask the crew questions about their experience in space and the important science experiments and microgravity research they will be conducting on the International Space Station. You can watch the event on Axiom Space’s YouTube channel.
Alqarni and Barnawi also conducted a STEAM outreach event with students ages 9-18 in coordination with the Ministry of Education, Mawhiba, Riyadh School, and Misk Schools part of the Saudi education outreach program. The astronauts conducted a science demonstration with the Nanoracks Space Kite payload to show how microgravity affects the aerodynamic behavior of kites.
Shoffner used the HAM radio, through an organization known as ARISS, to connect with students and show them what it is like to live and work in space. ARISS gives crew members aboard the space station the opportunity to promote the exploration of STEAM topics.
Tomorrow, Whitson will have a conversation and conduct a science experiment demonstration on surface tension with Emily Calandrelli, TV host and social media influencer. This STEAM engagement will educate viewers on what it is like to live and work in space and Whitson will have the opportunity to speak about her career. You can watch this event live at 10:15 a.m. CDT on Axiom Space’s YouTube channel.
Shoffner is staying busy connecting with students around the world to inspire career paths in STEAM. Tomorrow he will host two live STEAM outreach events with students from Middlesboro Middle School and MIT graduate and undergraduate students involved in the Skinsuit project. The MIT Skinsuit event will take place at 9:45 a.m. CDT and the Middlesboro Middle School will occur at 1:40 p.m. CDT. You can watch both events live on Axiom Space’s YouTube channel.
Today, Whitson and Shoffner kicked off the on-orbit media engagements for the Ax-2 mission. In one of the interviews, Shoffner did a Q&A with Men’s Health Magazine on living and working in space, training for the mission, and mental health. Click here to watch the event with Men’s Health Magazine.