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The microgravity environment of space offers a unique environment to perform research with the potential to lead to new products and technologies.

Microgravity provides an opportunity for experimentation in a whole new quiescent environment:

• no thermally-induced convection
• no sedimentation/stratification
• no hydrostatic pressure
• reduced contact with vessel walls

Microgravity has been a major area of research in the space programs of all space faring nations, and will revolutionize traditional Earth-bound processing methods. The potential scientific, technological and commercial benefits of microgravity research to humankind are substantial, especially in the biomedical and drug development sectors.

Large (750 micron) urokinase protein crystal grown in ITA equipment on the STS-80 16-day shuttle mission, to be used in cancer research.

Typical microgravity experiments that have been conducted in space using ITA equipment include:

• Cancer and AIDS research
• Cell biology
• Collagen polymerization
• Inorganic crystal growth
• Materials/Fluid sciences-to enhance understanding of fluid dynamics and transport processes for use in non-toxic, environmentally compatible extraction methods, especially in biotechnology and free-fluid processing
• Microencapsulation of anti-cancer drugs
• Molecular biology
• Protein crystal growth-to determine the 3-D structure of proteins and other biomolecules for development of drugs and protein engineering
• Seed germination
• Thin film membrane formation
• Zeolite Crystal growth-to use as catalysts in the petroleum industry, for high efficiency medical dialysis, molecular sieves, and environmental waste clean-up.

Photograph of Bence-Jones protein crystals from a human cancer patient grown on STS-80 in ITA's Liquids Mixing Apparatus (LMA). These crystals may provide key data in the development of selective drug therapy delivery.

photo: A. Edmundson and C. Manion (Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation)

This is a crystal of the Bence Jones protein grown on STS-95 by Dr. Allen Edmundson of the Oklahoma Cancer Research Center. This is part of ITA's cancer research program to find remedies to bone cancer.

A multilayered microcapsule grown in microgravity resembles a miniature liquid filled balloon. This unique microcapsule contains internal spheres of a radiocontrast oil and an aqueous phase containing concentrated drugs.

This is part of a joint project for a new drug delivery system for destroying cancerous tumors in patients. The project has been jointly developed by ITA, the NASA Johnson Space Center, and the Institute for Research, Inc. (IRI) of Houston, Texas.

If you are interested in learning more about microgravity, go to the excellent NASA Marshall Research Center Understanding Microgravity Brochure for explanations, tutorials, teachers information, microgravity web sites, and much more.

Look here for international microgravity research programs.

The National Academies of Science Committee on Microgravity Research

NASA Microgravity Research Experiments (MICREX) Database

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to pop a water balloon in micro gravity? Excellent video!  

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