Advanced Mini-laboratories Automate Space Station Research
The International Space Station hosts hundreds of science experiments at a time. Some experiments can take hours to perform, and researchers need to account for astronauts’ limited time. Fully automated devices, like Redwire’s ADvanced Space Experiment Processors (ADSEPs), have been designed to conduct more space science with less crew time. Within each ADSEP facility there […]
NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson recently performed routine maintenance on the Advanced Space Experiment Processor (ADSEP) aboard the International Space Station. This mini-laboratory system, designed to automate space research, has been instrumental in conducting numerous experiments with minimal crew time. Each ADSEP facility houses three to four "mini-laboratories" called cassettes, enabling parallel studies of various needs. The latest model, ADSEP-4, boasts four cassettes and imaging capabilities.
Since 2017, ADSEPs have supported over two dozen investigations aboard the space station, with more on the horizon. One current focus is on growing crystals in microgravity, as crystals often exhibit larger and higher quality compared to their Earth-bound counterparts. Redwire's Pharmaceutical In-Space Laboratory (PIL-BOX), a cassette-based system leveraging ADSEP, has been employed for growing improved seed crystals for drug reformulation or new therapeutic development.
Notable PIL-BOX experiments sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory have centered on cancer research, notably the ADSEP-PIL-10 investigation aiming to crystallize cancer-blocking and cancer-promoting molecules with the aim of creating an oral cancer medication. ADSEP-PIL-15 has also successfully crystallized cancer-treating medicines to refine production, quality, and stability of these drugs.
A recent technology demonstration, ADSEP-ICC (Industrial Crystallization Cassette), tested a larger cassette to expand ADSEP's function and scale crystallization production for commercial use.
Written by urgent.news from NASA's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
