NASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) are collaborating to launch a scientific survey on Axiom Mission 4, the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. These studies include examining muscle regeneration, growth of new buds and edible microalgae, survival of tiny organisms, and interactions between electronic displays in microgravity and humans.

The mission is intended to be launched by Tuesday, June 10, a SpaceX Dragon Speccraft aboard the Falcon 9 rocket at the Florida Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

During a long space flight, astronauts lose muscle mass and their muscle cells regenerate their ability to regenerate. Researchers suspect this may happen because microgravity interferes with mitochondria metabolism, which are tiny structures within cells that produce energy. Myogenesis-isogenesis, muscle repair process is examined using muscle stem cell cultures and tested for chemicals known to support mitochondrial function. The results may lead to interventions maintaining muscle health in long-term space tasks, helping people on Earth who are age-related muscle loss and wasteful muscles, and helping athletes and athletes and people who recover from surgery.

Bacillus investigations focus on the germination and growth of seeds of Greengram and Fenugreek from nutrient plants consumed on the Indian subcontinent. The bioactive compounds in fenugreek seeds also have therapeutic properties, and the leaves contain essential vitamins and minerals. Learn more about how space affects genetics, nutritional content, and other characteristics of other multigenerational plants can be developed for future tasks to reliably produce plants as food sources.

Space Microalgae-ISRO studies how microalgae growth and genetics. Nutritiously digestive microalgae species may be a food source for future space missions. These organisms also grow rapidly, producing energy and oxygen, consuming carbon dioxide, and can be used on spacecraft and in some cases on Earth to features in life support and fuel systems.

Diving is a tiny aquatic creature that can tolerate extreme conditions on Earth. Voyager Tardigrade-Isro tested the survival of tide strains, including cosmic radiation and ultra-low temperatures, under harsh space conditions, which kill most life forms. The researchers plan to resume dormant diving, calculate the number of eggs laid and hatched during the mission, and compare gene expression patterns of populations on space and on the ground. The results can help determine what enables these organisms to survive under extreme conditions and support the development of technology to protect future missions and astronauts in the harsh environments on Earth.

Research shows that humans interact differently with touch screen devices. Voyager Displays - ISRO studies how space flight affects interactions with electronic displays, such as pointing to a mission, staring at fixed and fast eye movements, and how these interactions affect the user’s sense of stress or well-being. The results can support improved design of spacecraft control devices and habitats for future space missions and other uses on aviation and on Earth.

Download high-resolution photos and videos of the research mentioned in this article.