NASA and CASIS Chase Old Research Paradigms In Orbit
NASA has spent decades promoting the notion that it is doing cutting edge biotech research in space when in fact one of its core efforts uses out of date technology.
NASA has been thumping on the value of using the microgravity environment afforded by spaceflight as a way to create large, ultra-pure protein crystals – the kind you need to get the best structural measurements using x-ray crystallography.
It was a cool idea with considerable merit. Full disclosure: part of my job at NASA back in the 90s was to promote this type of research and I did so enthusiastically. But it took NASA a long time to actually try this in space while the real world back on Earth pushed ahead.
Now, the ability to use exceptionally small amounts of material on Earth using high-precision, ultra-powerful x-ray sources has allowed materials developed for ground-based crystallography that exceed what is obtained from research using space-based materials. Recently crystallography itself, in its traditional form, is now being eclipsed by new methods that offer even more precise structural information – with no apparent need for the trip to and from space.
So where is NASA in this story? NASA wants everyone to think that they are poised on the cusp of cutting edge technology in space when it comes to using ISS. That is often the case in some instances, but not in this one. On 30 January 2014 Nature magazine had a series of articles along the theme of “Crystallography Turns 100”. Neither NASA or microgravity/space-based crystallography research are mentioned. Science magazine did a similar feature in March 2016. Again, no mention of NASA or space-based research.
