NASA’s Gateway to Space for Life Science Research Dedicated
The Space Life Sciences (SLS) Laboratory was dedicated
today in a ceremony hosted by NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
(KSC) and the state of Florida.
The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASA’s
ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology
studies and analytical chemistry labs. Facilities for space
flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant
growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that
will be used to conduct ground control experiments in
simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments also
call the new lab home.
Lt. Governor Toni Jennings said, “Today we celebrate the
dedication of the new Space Life Sciences Lab and a new era in
education and economic partnership. This new facility will
greatly benefit Florida’s university community.” Jennings is
chair of the Florida Space Authority’s Board of Supervisors.
Invited guests included dignitaries, government
representatives and partners.
“The SLS Lab provides NASA’s gateway to space with operations
and research capability to effectively use the International
Space Station and take full advantage of research and
commercialization opportunities,” said KSC Director Jim
Kennedy. “It provides a meeting place for our partners in
research to work together. We anticipate researchers from
around the world performing investigations in the SLS Lab,
addressing key issues in biological sciences, enabling
improved life on earth and long duration space flight,” he
said.
The facility, completed in August of this year, represents a
partnership between NASA and the state of Florida. The state,
through Florida Space Authority, built the research
laboratory. The facility is part of a $30 million project that
also includes Space Commerce Way, the new public roadway
providing 24-hour access to International Space Research Park.
The Florida Space Authority Director, Captain Winston Scott,
said, “This new facility represents a new way of doing
business to advance the ‘state of Space.’ The only way we’ll
continue to do that in the future is through partnerships of
this kind.”
Kennedy Space Center, in partnership with Florida Space
Authority, is developing the International Space Research Park
at KSC. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment
Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space
for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac
Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the
University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and
Physical Research will use the facility for processing life
sciences experiments that will be conducted on the
International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet
facility for the Research Park.
Space Commerce Way also connects NASA Causeway and Kennedy
Parkway to provide a throughway to the Kennedy Space Center
Visitor Center and the Astronaut Hall of Fame.
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