A New Website Sharing Space Station Benefits For Humanity

When the International Space Station was first imagined, the idea was to create an unprecedented research platform to support microgravity investigations for the benefit of all humankind. That goal is now a reality, and researchers have not waited for completion to begin working on studies to build on our knowledge of science and technology in space. Because of this, we can already see some amazing breakthroughs.

So just what has the space station yielded to humankind? You can discover the benefits for yourself, thanks to another international collaborative effort. Working together, the station partners launched the International Space Station Benefits for Humanity website on March 1. This site enables readers to look at the global progress resulting from the knowledge and technologies of the orbiting laboratory.

Camille Alleyne, International Space Station assistant program scientist with NASA, explains the goals behind this new effort. "The website is a great resource for the general public and other stakeholders," Alleyne said. "It communicates the value of the International Space Station as a unique scientific and educational platform that enables discoveries that benefit all humanity."

Desert RATS 2011: Mid-way Report

NASA's Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) crew has reached the mid-way point in the 14th annual Desert RATS mission, conducted at Black Point Lava Flow in the Arizona desert. On Aug. 30, the crew consisting of engineers, astronauts, scientists, and technicians from across NASA and throughout industry and academia began integrated mission simulations to evaluate different conditions that will enable human and robotic exploration of an asteroid.

So far, much of the testing has focused on crew operations inside of the Deep Space Habitat (DSH). For three nights each, Crew A and Crew B slept overnight in the DSH to test independent crew operations and the habitability of the xHab Loft and Hygiene Module. Testing these elements is crucial for understanding what logistics and living quarter’s humans will need during deep-space exploration missions.

The Desert RATS crew has also successfully tested communication links through the European Science and Technology Centre (ESTEC). With primary science backroom support from mission control in Houston, the ESTEC provided secondary science backroom operations support from the Netherlands.