NASA Selects Space Biology Research Projects that will Enable Organisms to Thrive in Deep Space

NASA announces the award of 10 grants or cooperative agreements for exciting new Space Biology research that will advance NASA’s understanding of how living systems respond, acclimate, and adapt to the space environment in support of human space exploration. As human exploration prepares to go beyond Low Earth Orbit, Space Biology is shifting its research priorities towards work that will enable organisms to Thrive In Deep Space (TIDES). These efforts will focus on determining the effects of multiple deep-space stressors (e.g., radiation & reduced gravity) on multiple organisms. 

This work will support animal research (vertebrate and invertebrate) that will enable us to better understand human responses to the deep-space environment. The plant research will support human exploration either through the eventual production of micronutrients and food during deep-space missions, or the establishment of bioregenerative life support systems. 

The goal of the TIDES initiative is to enable long-duration missions and improve life on Earth through innovative research. Read more about the investigations that were awarded…