Beyond eating floating food and introducing curious Earthlings to vacuum toilets, the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) have some serious work to do as their time on the ISS nears its end.
Since the space station opened, astronauts have conducted more than 3,000 experiments in the microgravity and high radiation of low Earth orbit. Experiments range from making sure fertility levels remain unchanged (in mice, not in the crew) to testing the feasibility of using lunar soil to make concrete that will help build a future lunar base. Here are four of the most impressive aspects of ISS research.
Artificial retina
Millions of people suffer from degenerative diseases that affect the retina (the layer of light-sensitive cells at the back of the eye), and there is no cure, only treatments that slow its progression. However, implants that mimic the function of the retina could be a solution, and US-based Lambda Vision has successfully manufactured them by depositing a light-activated protein called bacteriorhodopsin in layers. On Earth, solutions of bacteriorhodopsin tended to clump together and deposited poorly, but earlier this decade the microgravity environment of the International Space Station produced much better results. Lambda Vision is now attempting to scale up space manufacturing of artificial retinas, claiming that these are among the first technologies evaluated on the International Space Station that have the potential for clinical use.
Invisible Flame
When you light a match, the wood burns and reacts with oxygen to produce heat, light, and other substances such as carbon…
