Axiom 3 and beyond, because research in low Earth orbit is increasingly important
Conversation with Barbara Negri, head of Human Flight and Scientific Experimentation at ASI, starting from the return to earth of the Axiom 3 space mission, a milestone for European research in low Earth orbit
With the splashdown off the coast of Daytona Beach, the space phase of the Axiom 3 mission ended, almost two days after undocking from the International Space Station. The astronauts – commander Michael López-Alegría, mission specialists Alper Gezeravcı and Marcus Wandt and Walter Villadei, pilot – protected in the SpaceX Dragon Freedom capsule crossed the infernal thickness of the atmosphere for 12 minutes at 28,000 km/h, exceeding 2,000 degrees of surface temperature and then settle on the Atlantic and be recovered by the Shannon, the ship of Falcon Landing LLC, a company linked to SpaceX which also owns Elon Musk's private jet, equipped with all the recovery systems: lifting systems, medical treatment facilities, a helicopter platform.
“The successful return of our Ax-3 astronauts means more than just the completion of a human spaceflight mission,” Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom Space, said at the splashdown. And he added: “The mission marks a crucial moment in commercial space exploration and a significant milestone for European research in low Earth orbit.”
At this point, the complex terrestrial phases began to analyze the data, check the physical and mental parameters of the astronauts and test a whole series of measures necessary to carry out the research which starts from a theoretical basis but which must be verified promptly through experiments in the field to be able to certify scientific validity.
We asked Barbara Negri about the dynamics of this research. The scientist Barbara Negri, executive technologist of the Italian Space Agency ( ASI ), has been responsible for the Italian Delegation in the ESA Science Program Committee since 2018 and focal point for the collaboration with NASA in the scientific missions of Exploration of the Solar System and Astrophysics. In ASI since 2021 he has been responsible for Human Flight and Scientific Experimentation.
Dr. Negri, what value do you give to these missions?
Space is a very useful laboratory for research; it can certainly be said that space can be considered an accelerator of processes that take a much longer time on earth. Therefore, some experiments taking place on the International Space Station allow the expected results to be verified much more quickly.
So is this the space economy?
Not exactly. The space economy is very different from what is generally stated. When we design any instrument or technology necessary to achieve a goal, be it the Station, or the Moon or even Mars or some asteroids, we need to push ourselves to the maximum on the frontier of science and technology. It is an important expansion of knowledge which can then have strong repercussions on the Earth and its inhabitants. Except that often a lot of time passes before the tools designed can have practical applications that can be used by everyone or, even, that a path for their technological transfer is not identified.
However, some of the experiments conducted by Colonel Villadei will provide answers to very current questions.
Undoubtedly. And the Space Station is an excellent laboratory, because it is located just 380 km above sea level and orbits within the Van Hallen belts, therefore quite protected from cosmic radiation and is easily accessible for the supply of water, food and materials. A very different matter from what the Gateway outpost that will orbit around the Moon will be. The distance is a thousand times greater and our planet, although a fascinating vision, will be just a small celestial ball accompanying the crew. Just reaching it is particularly complex but I can imagine all the other difficulties, starting from communications and logistics, and then adding the most adequate protections from the radiant insults of the sun and cosmic rays. In short, when Artemis is operational, everything will be more complicated. And this is precisely what we are studying.
Let's go back to the Axiom 3 mission.
Certainly. It was an important mission for Italy, due to the presence on board of Col. Villadei which highlights the national presence in a basket of very high value research.
So she confirms the importance of the mission.
Axiom Space is a commercial operator that will play an increasingly important strategic role in future human space missions. Since these are private shipments, they can be open to all countries. In particular, to those countries that have an interest and possibility of investing in the frontiers of science, therefore countries with large universities, important research centers and valuable scientists. Italy is part of this club and can afford to conduct comprehensive scientific research and innovative technological demonstrations in the unrepeatable environment of microgravity.
And not just microgravity.
This is so if we refer to a complex and hostile environment that is paradoxically similar and yet opposite, which is the underwater one. There are many environmental affinities between astronauts and submarine crews. Microgravity is an exclusive scenario of space missions orbiting the Earth. However, life in a closed and completely isolated environment, with very small spaces and illuminated only by artificial lamps and being surrounded by a column of water or a void changes little. This is one of the studies we are carrying out to understand the psychological responses of individuals, the state of stress and reactions to isolation and forced sharing. All information that comes from different environments but which ultimately can and must be useful on Earth.
Then there are many experiments.
It is true and it is appropriate that the conceptualizations are disclosed. Because we are testing the first studies on the mechanisms of reproduction in a microgravity environment, for now on bovine cells, while among the experiments that are close to the heart of our scientific teams we should mention the studies on the aggregation of beta amyloid proteins, implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and research on oxidative stress caused by microgravity and ionizing radiation. Furthermore, studies are added to monitor the health of astronauts, necessary for the assessment of risks due to permanence in the space environment in order to identify potential personalized countermeasures. For this reason, astronauts are subjected to a series of clinical investigations before leaving and after their return that can trace the main physiological parameters and – possibly – identify recovery paths. This is also done in space and represents an important return also for health on the ground.
What are the limits of this research?
They are certainly not easy searches and it goes without saying how expensive they are. Because apart from all those expenses that we can define as fixed, it is possible to bring on board the Station only a limited number of experiments and the time/man is also limited because a part of the astronauts' day is dedicated to the functioning and standard operations for the numerous Station systems. However, each participating nation selects important research to carry out and all contribute to the progress of human science and therefore to the improvement of universal knowledge.
Will Italy return to the International Space Station?
First of all, there are the missions that are part of the agreements with ESA and NASA for the ISS, which will take place in the coming years. Furthermore, Axiom Space plans to launch its fourth mission — Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) — to the ISS no earlier than October 2024 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and there will also be future SpaceX missions. On average, Italy sends one of its astronauts every two years. Probably in 2030 the Station as it is currently organized will be handed over to some private companies, such as Axiom and Nanoracks, which will independently manage on-board access. Going to the Station represents important preparation for much further expeditions. As for science, it is increasingly necessary for the results of research carried out to be disseminated, possibly also through technological transfer, so that they can stimulate scientists and industries to create objects and instruments that can improve life on Earth.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/axiom-3-e-non-solo-perche-sono-sempre-piu-importanti-le-ricerche-nellorbita-terrestre-bassa/ on Mon, 12 Feb 2024 16:25:15 +0000.