ISS National Lab Prelaunch Science Webinar: NASA’s SpaceX CRS-30 (Mar. 8, 2024)

Description (for media): The ISS National Laboratory is inviting members of the media to participate in a science-focused prelaunch webinar for NASA’s SpaceX CRS-30 mission. Participants will hear from NASA and ISS National Lab officials as well as researchers who will discuss a few of the projects flying on this cargo resupply mission. The live webinar will take place on Friday, March 8, 2024, at 1 p.m. EST. The webinar will be livestreamed on the ISS National Lab’s website and a recording will be uploaded to our YouTube page upon completion. Speakers will include: • Marc Elmouttie, research group leader at CSIRO (an Australian government agency responsible for scientific research), will discuss the Multi-Resolution Scanner (MRS) project that will use the Astrobee autonomous free-flying robotic system on station. MRS can be used to rapidly create 3D maps of space environments like the space station. • Paula Grisanti, CEO of the National Stem Cell Foundation, will discuss a continuing investigation using 3D brain models derived from induced pluripotent stem cells of patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases as well as primary progressive multiple sclerosis. This study aims to understand the mechanisms behind neuroinflammation, a common feature of neurodegenerative diseases. • Kris Kuehnel, managing director for Space Exploration Operations at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, will discuss the ArgUS external mechanical platform capable of hosting payloads in low Earth orbit. Liam Kennedy, SpaceTV Director of Sen Corp., will give an overview of SpaceTV-1, an optical video system that will leverage the ArgUS platform to livestream high-definition views of Earth and areas around the space station, including visiting vehicles. • Michelle Lucas, founder and CEO of Higher Orbits, a nonprofit that aims to inspire students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) industries, will discuss three student-led spaceflight experiments through the Go For Launch! program. • Jordan McKaig, a graduate student from Georgia Institute of Technology, will discuss CS-05A: Genomic Enumeration of Antibiotic Resistance in Space (GEARS), a NASA-sponsored investigation that will survey the space station for antibiotic resistant-organisms. Genetic analysis could show how these bacteria adapt to space environments. • Hema Ramkumar, founder and CEO of biopharmaceutical company Oculogenex, will discuss an investigation that will leverage microgravity to test a novel gene therapy to prevent and even reverse vision loss from age-related macular degeneration.