Welcome to the Virtual Astronaut Research in Space information center.
Research has always been an integral part of the U.S. space program. Use the subjects below to take a brief look into the exciting world of NASA's research activities.
At first, scientists were not even certain that a human being could survive in microgravity. The original Mercury astronauts were not just testing the performance of a brand-new craft in space - they were testing the performance of the human body in space.
Space quickly became a new laboratory for Earth's scientists, and the astronauts became laboratory researchers and test subjects.
Although it quickly became clear that a person can survive and function during space flight, scientists observed a number of changes in the human body as it adjusts to microgravity. Here, Gemini 7 astronaut Frank Borman holds a thermometer in his mouth to check his temperature, while looking into a device that tests his visual acuity.
Biomedical research was not the only subject studied in space. Earth observation was also one of the many areas investigated by the first astronauts. Here is what the Earth looks like during a solar eclipse. The shadow of the Moon can be seen darkening part of Earth. This shadow moves across the Earth at nearly 2000 kilometers per hour.
Astronauts could perform research outside of the spacecraft as well. In this image captured from a television transmission, Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt sets up geological equipment on the surface of the Moon.
Skylab, America's first space station, allowed astronauts and scientists to conduct a wide variety of research in a number of disciplines, including astronomy. This photograph of the sun was taken by the final Skylab crew.
Skylab also allowed scientists to see what happened to the human body over the course of several weeks in space. Here, Skylab 2 astronaut and physician Joseph Kerwin gives fellow astronaut Paul Weitz a check-up.
The Space Shuttle gives scientists even more opportunity to conduct research in space. Along with the middeck facilities, astronauts can conduct life and microgravity science research in the Spacehab module. Spacehab is carried in the Shuttle cargo bay. In this photo, taken by cosmonauts on board Mir, the Spacehab module (at left, with flags) is visible next to the passage that connects it to the middeck. You can also see the docking apparatus (gold, at right) that allows the Shuttle to dock with Mir.
The microgravity of spaceflight is important to research, because in space many things, like fluids, act differently than on Earth. This allows scientists to study processes and structures in new ways. Here, STS-35 astronauts examine what happens in space when water is squeezed out of a drinking tube.
Microgravity can also be simulated on Earth. By flying in a series of steep climbs and dives called "parabolas," the KC-135 airplane can create several minutes of microgravity for Shuttle mission training. On this KC-135 flight, scientists train for a Shuttle experiment that will investigate the development of frog eggs in microgravity, while an adult frog experiences weightlessness.
STS-76 astronaut Ronald Sega works in a Spacehab glovebox. The glovebox provides a clean, sealed environment for conducting experiments in many disciplines, including combustion science, fluid physics, plant biology, and material science.
Research on the International Space Station will cover a number of disciplines: physiology, biology, Earth and Space sciences, material science, fluid physics, combustion science, biotechnology, fundamental physics, and engineering.
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