Nanoracks small experiment host module for ISS

[Danderman]

http://wchsiss.edublogs.org/2012/04/04/the-experiments-begin/

–A message from Dan Saldana- Head Engineer Mentor from Valley Christian San Jose–


“Just to let you know that both of our NanoLabs got installed and turned on by Andre one of the Astronauts at around 7:05 am this morning. Both units are drawing the expected turn on current of 300 ma. All indications are that both units are working properly. We expect to get our first experiment data this coming Monday. Keep praying that all goes well. Congratulations to the ISS Students, their hard work really paid off.”

[Danderman]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nanoracks/7018341855/in/photostream

Nanoracks IPhone at ISS

[Danderman]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-17657804

An island distillery has taken to space in a bid to discover the taste of the future.

Experiments using malt from the Ardbeg distillery on Islay are being carried out on the International Space Station to see how it matures without gravity.

Compounds of unmatured malt were sent to the station in an unmanned cargo spacecraft in October last year, along with particles of charred oak.

Scientists want to understand how they interact at close to zero gravity.

NanoRacks LLC, the US company behind the research, has said understanding the influence of gravity could help a number of industries, including the whisky industry, to develop new products in the future.

[Solar_OPS]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-17657804

An island distillery has taken to space in a bid to discover the taste of the future.

Experiments using malt from the Ardbeg distillery on Islay are being carried out on the International Space Station to see how it matures without gravity.

Compounds of unmatured malt were sent to the station in an unmanned cargo spacecraft in October last year, along with particles of charred oak.

Scientists want to understand how they interact at close to zero gravity.

NanoRacks LLC, the US company behind the research, has said understanding the influence of gravity could help a number of industries, including the whisky industry, to develop new products in the future.

Funny, I had the impression they had done this already last time I tried one of those Ardbeg Uigeadail, it really did taste out of this world... Keep up the good work I'd say!
Cheers,

Denis

[Danderman]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2012/04/10/important-scientific-experiment-can-scotch-mature-in-space/

Important Scientific Experiment: Can Scotch Mature In Space?

The Ardbeg Distillery has been distilling and maturing Scotch Whisky for over 300 years, and you don’t last that long without innovating. It’s no doubt that drive that has led Ardbeg to pursue its latest experiment – to see whether Scotch can properly mature while it’s in space, on board the International Space Station.

To get the experiment going, Ardbeg teamed with NanoRacks (who I’ve profiled here) to load samples of unmatured malt whisky with particles of charred oak. An identical setup is being used on Earth in the Ardbeg distillery. This will allow scientists to see how the products interact with each other in zero gravity compared to how they interact on Earth, thus providing insight into how Scotch would mature in low-G environments. Ardbeg’s samples will be on board the International Space Station for two years.

[Space Pete]

RELEASE : 12-110
 
Commercial Platform Offers Exposure at Space Station
 
WASHINGTON -- Researchers will be able to expose experiments to the weightlessness and vacuum of space by using a new commercial platform outside of International Space Station (ISS).

NanoRacks LLC will develop and operate the External Platform Program (EPP) to take advantage of the only orbiting lab that offers long-term, repeat access to the unique environment of unpressurized space. NanoRacks is a private company already operating research facilities under a NASA Space Act Agreement for use of the station's U.S. National Laboratory.

The EPP and equipment will be developed and operated using only commercial funding. NASA will contribute space station hardware and resources such as power and data transmission systems. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which manages the portion of the station operated as a U.S. National Laboratory, will reserve the first external platform site for commercial researchers. The external platform, scheduled to be launched by 2014, will provide low-cost access to space. It is designed to encourage users to test materials, biological samples, sensors and sophisticated electronics outside the space station, which orbits 240 miles above Earth.

"This program opens the door to allow commercial users to fully utilize not only the U.S. National Laboratory in a pressurized environment but also outside," said ISS National Laboratory Manager Marybeth Edeen. "It's another example how companies are investing their own money to take advantage of this unique national resource."

NanoRacks selected Astrium North America as a team member in the development of the EPP facility. The program capitalizes on the history and strengths of the two companies in providing external payload platforms, operating commercial facilities, and using off-the-shelf hardware, standard interfaces and existing space station data and power systems.

The contributions by NanoRacks and Astrium are the most recent example of NASA efforts to expand the station's research capacity through innovative partnerships with commercial companies.

"This new capability offers unique opportunities for the research community and industry to engage in exciting areas of study, including materials and observational sciences," said CASIS Interim Executive Director Jim Royston.

NanoRacks operates platforms inside the U.S. National Laboratory, which also were financed and developed solely by the commercial company and its partners.

For information about research on the ISS, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station/research

Follow more information about NanoRacks, visit:
http://www.nanoracks.com


http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/apr/12-110_NanoRacks_EPP.html

[Danderman]

Surprise, surprise, surprise.

 

[Fuji]

NanoRacks, Astrium NA Working on External Space Station Platform
http://www.spacenews.com/civil/120412-nanoracks-astrium-station-platform.html

When an experiment arrives at the space station for testing, an astronaut will place the payload in the new platform and attach the platform to the Japanese Experiment Module’s airlock slide table. Then the airlock will be depressurized and its outer door will open to allow the external platform to slide outside, Manber said.

Once the external platform is outside, either the Japanese robotic arm or Canada’s two-armed Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator will lift the external platform from the slide table and attach it to the exterior of the Japanese Experiment Module. For certain missions, customers may opt to keep their payloads on the Canadian robotic arm. Whether a payload is mounted to the Japanese Experiment Module or on the Canadian robot arm, NanoRacks will ensure that electric power is provided to the payload and testing data are delivered to customers through a secure downlink or on a secure memory card, Manber said.

[Danderman]

http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Schools/Houston_ISD/HISD_SCHOOLS_VYING_TO_HAVE_SCIENCE_EXPERIMENTS_FLOWN_INTO_SPACE/58657

Published 04/14/2012 - 8:48 a.m. CST
Initiative marks unique collaboration among 6 HISD schools

HOUSTON ISD - Science experiments made by students from six HISD schools could soon be flying in space. Students from Garden Oaks Elementary, Parker Elementary, Black Middle, Johnston Middle, Pershing Middle, and Washington High Schools have created experiments that if selected would fly aboard a mini research laboratory on the International Space Station.

The students had to develop and create experiments covering a diverse range of topics including seed germination, crystal growth, cell biology and growth, and food studies. Engineers from NASA worked with the students on their proposals and designs. Some student teams also designed a mission patch to fly in space with their experiments.

The competition is part of a National Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Initiative aimed at inspiring the next generation of America’s scientists and engineers.

“SSEP takes a unique approach to getting students and teachers excited about real science” said Garden Oaks Elementary Principal Lindsey Pollock, “We’re honored six HISD schools have been selected for this amazing opportunity.”

The Student Space Flight Experiments Program (SSEP) (http://ssep.ncesse.org) is undertaken by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE; http://ncesse.org) in partnership with Nanoracks, LLC. This on-orbit educational research opportunity is enabled through NanoRacks, LLC, which is working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.

Teachers, NASA engineers, and scientists will select the experiments that will be flown. The winners will be announced April 21.

[Danderman]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Icv7QVtZu9U&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Icv7QVtZu9U&rel=1</a>

[Danderman]

I can't believe I missed this last week:

http://www.spaceflorida.gov/news/2012/04/12/casis-and-nanoracks-close-deal-to-use-commercial-research-platform-in-the-extremes-of-space


CASIS and NanoRacks Close Deal to Use Commercial Research Platform in the Extremes of Space

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (APRIL 12, 2012) – The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the non-profit organization managing the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory, today announced a deal with NanoRacks, LLC, to reserve space on the first commercial platform available for researchers outside the ISS in the extreme environments of space. In June, CASIS will issue a formal solicitation to the research community and private enterprise for their proposals to use this one-of-a-kind platform for anything from earth observation to materials, and biological sciences.

The deal, worth $1.5 million, enables NanoRacks, the provider of sophisticated shoe-box sized space research hardware, to begin construction on the external platform and be ready for flight as early 2013 – almost a year ahead of the original schedule. NanoRacks already operates unique platforms inside the U.S. National Lab with more than 60 payloads under contract. NASA recently gave NanoRacks permission to expand its operations to the Japanese Kibo module’s exposed facility.

By enabling NanoRacks to extend their plug and play “NanoLabs” outside the Station, CASIS is helping to bring a whole new generation of researchers to the ISS. The deal also fulfills part of the CASIS mission to enhance the capabilities of the ISS National Lab. By calling for the first of two research proposals in June via www.iss-casis.org, CASIS will have projects ready to fly with the platform, maximizing use of America’s premier space research facility in a timely manner.

The NanoLabs platform provides a research space up to 8”x8”x8”. Through the CASIS investment, up to four companies will have an opportunity to fly their research onboard a NanoLab at minimal or no cost, depending on the project. Payloads will be delivered to the ISS by available vehicles launching from the U.S and Russia.

[jongoff]

I can't believe I missed this last week:

http://www.spaceflorida.gov/news/2012/04/12/casis-and-nanoracks-close-deal-to-use-commercial-research-platform-in-the-extremes-of-space


CASIS and NanoRacks Close Deal to Use Commercial Research Platform in the Extremes of Space

I got to chat with some of the NanoRacks team last week at NSS28 in Colorado Springs. The cool thing about the external platform they're building is that it is small enough that it can be passed in and out through the JEM airlock, while providing a backbone for plugging in NanoLab style payloads for external exposure.

~Jon

[Danderman]

http://www.nature.com/news/space-station-rendezvous-set-to-spur-research-push-1.10501

CASIS also has the challenge of wooing back researchers — particularly those in biomedicine, physics and materials science — who were involved in experiments on the ISS but were sidelined in the mid-2000s when the station’s crew was reduced following the loss of the space shuttle Columbia. Moreover, ISS-based research shifted towards medical research related to a manned Moon mission — a plan that has since been dropped. “You really have to coax people back now,” says Jeffrey Manber, managing director of NanoRacks in Houston, Texas, which built small cubic experimental modules, installed them on the space station and now rents the modules to researchers.

[Danderman]

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/NanoRacks-Terpene.html

Brief Summary

NanoRacks-Terpene Extraction in Microgravity (NanoRacks-Terpene) is an investigation sponsored by a commercial organization with the hope of finding new chemical building blocks for their products through microgravity extraction of the terpenes from wood samples.
Principal Investigator

Bill Lumsden, Dr., Ardbeg, Scotland, , United Kingdom

Research Summary

NanoRacks-Terpene Extraction in Microgravity (NanoRacks-Terpene) studies terpene extraction in microgravity.    Terpenes are major biosynthetic building blocks within nearly every living creature and have multiple applications-such as use in cleaning products, aromatherapy, and various topical preparations.


To date, terpenes have not been studied in the space environment, yet they are critical components of major consumer products.

Description

NanoRacks-Terpene Extraction in Microgravity (NanoRacks-Terpene) is a commercial investigation studying the extraction of terpenes from wood samples. Dry wood samples are placed in one end of the MixStix. Upon activation by a crewmember, the wood sample interacts with 6 mL of a 50/50 water and ethanol solution. The MixStix are then stowed until returning to earth where the samples are analyzed.

[Danderman]

http://nanoracks.com/facilities/plate-reader/

NanoRacks Plate Reader will open the door to new bio-pharmaceutical research opportunities onboard the ISS by the first quarter of 2012

The NanoRacks’ MD Plate Reader-1 holds 96 samples allowing veteran space researchers and those new to space to perform the same state of the art analysis now done in laboratories on the Earth.

We are working night and day to modify this sophisticated research unit for use by NASA and NanoRacks’ customers inside a standard locker onboard the U.S. National Lab.