2024 Annual Highlights of Results from the International Space Station Science

The 2024 Annual Highlights of Results from the International Space Station is now available. This new edition contains updated bibliometric analyses, a list of all the publications documented in fiscal year 2024, and synopses of the most recent and recognized scientific findings from investigations conducted on the space station. These investigations are sponsored by NASA and all international partners – CSA (Canadian Space Agency), ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and the State Space Corporation Roscosmos (Roscosmos) – for the advancement of science, technology, and education.

Between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024, more than 350 publications were reported. With approximately 40% of the research produced in collaboration between more than two countries and almost 80% of the high-impact studies published in the past seven years, station has continued to generate compelling and influential science above national and global standards since 2010.

The results achieved from station research provide insights that advance the commercialization of space and benefit humankind.

Some of the findings presented in this edition include:

• Improved machine learning algorithms to detect space debris (Italian Space Agency, Roscosmos, ESA)
• Visuospatial processing before and after spaceflight (CSA)
• Metabolic changes during fasting intervals in astronauts (ESA)
• Vapor bubble production for the improvement of thermal systems (NASA)
• Immobilization of particles for the development of optical materials (JAXA)
• Maintained function of cardiac 3D stem cells after weeks of exposure to space (NASA)

The content in the Annual Highlights of Results from the International Space Station has been reviewed and approved by the International Space Station Program Science Forum, a team of scientists and administrators representing NASA and international partners that are dedicated to planning, improving, and communicating the research operated on the space station.

[See the list of Station Research Results publications here and find the current edition of the Annual Highlights of Results here.]  

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Roger Weiss

Station Science Top News: Feb. 14, 2025

Modeling properties of thunderstorm discharges

Researchers report detailed physical properties of different types of corona discharges, including single- and multi-pulse blue discharges linked to powerful but short-lived electrical bursts near the tops of clouds. These details provide a reference for further investigation into the physical mechanisms behind these discharges and their role in the initiation of lightning, an important problem in lightning physics.

An ESA (European Space Agency) instrument used to study thunderstorms, Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) provides insights into their role in Earth’s atmosphere and climate, including mechanisms behind the creation of lightning. Understanding how thunderstorms and lightning disturb the upper atmosphere could improve atmospheric models along with climate and weather predictions. These high-altitude discharges also affect aircraft and spacecraft safety.

Evaluating effects of climate change on oceans

Researchers conclude that the space station’s ECOSTRESS instrument yields highly accurate sea surface temperature data. Given the instrument’s global coverage and high spatial resolution, these data have potential use in studies of biological and physical oceanography to evaluate regional and local effects of climate change.

ECOSTRESS resolves oceanographic features not detectable in imagery from NOAA’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite satellite, and has open-ocean coverage, unlike Landsat. Satellites are a fundamental tool to measure sea surface temperatures, which are rising across all oceans due to atmospheric warming induced by climate change.

Describing a gamma ray burst

Researchers report detailed observations and analysis of emissions from an exceptionally bright gamma ray burst (GRB), 210619B, detected by the station’s ASIM and other satellite and ground-based instruments. These observations could be useful in determining various properties of GRBs and how they change during different phases.

Believed to be generated by the collapse of massive stars, GRBs are the brightest, most explosive transient electromagnetic events in the universe. ASIM can observe thunderstorm discharges difficult to observe from the ground. It has a mode where a detected event triggers observation and onboard storage of data.

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Linda E. Grimm

What is an Engineer? (Grades K-4)

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What is an Engineer? (Grades K-4)

This article is for students grades K-4.

Engineers solve problems. They use science and math to create new things or make things work better. There are different kinds of engineers. They work on different kinds of projects. Some engineers design buildings or machines. Others find ways to move heat, power, or water from one place to another. Some create new tools.

NASA needs engineers. They design the things humans need to fly in space or on airplanes. Engineers make great ideas become real.

What do NASA engineers work on?

NASA has many missions. These missions need different kinds of engineers. Here are some of the ways engineers help NASA get the job done.

• Spacecraft: These are vehicles that fly in space. NASA engineers decide how a spacecraft should be built and what it should do. They also make sure it will keep astronauts safe.
• Airplanes: NASA engineers work on airplanes. They design how the plane will look, how fast it will fly, and how much fuel it will use.
• Telescopes: Telescopes help us see space objects like stars and planets. Some telescopes are placed in orbit for the best view. NASA engineers design them to work in space.
• Computers: Computers can do complex tasks faster than people. NASA engineers write code that tells computers what to do.

Why is it fun to be a NASA engineer?

At NASA, engineers get to work on cool projects. They use science and creativity to find new ways to reach big goals. Here are some of the reasons they like their work.

• “Being an engineer is like solving a huge puzzle or building something cool with building blocks. The difference is that the things we make help make the world better and improve people’s lives.” – Othmane Benefan, materials research engineer
• “I like being an engineer because I get to learn new things almost every day. Most of the engineering projects at NASA are super unique because we are building satellites that study new places all over the solar system (planets, asteroids, even the Sun), and it’s really fun to learn all the ways that we can use robots to explore.” – Phillip Hargrove, launch mission integration engineer
• “I love to build and create things. At NASA, there’s always something to do, and I get to work with people I enjoy.” – Jenna Sayler, aerospace engineer
• “I love being an engineer because I love trying to understand how things work. There’s a lot of stuff in our universe. Engineering is the tool I’ve chosen to help make sense of it all.” – Brian Kusnick, mechanical engineer

What are some things I can do to help me become an engineer?

• Be curious and excited to learn new things.
• Learn more about how different types of machines work.
• Practice making, building, or tinkering with things.
• Work hard in math and science classes.
• When you get to middle school or high school, try a NASA student challenge or apply to be a NASA intern. Students over age 16 can apply for NASA internships. Interns work on real projects. NASA team members help guide interns as they learn.

How can I try engineering today?

NASA has fun engineering activities that you can do at home. Here are a few to try:

• Make and color a paper airplane. Let your imagination fly!
• Build a tower with pasta! How tall can you build it?
• Make a paper Mars helicopter. See which design works best!
• Build a new spacecraft using items in your house!
• A CubeSat is a small satellite. Try to build a CubeSat in this online game.

When you do these projects, try them more than once. Make a small change each time. See if it makes your design work better. Engineering is all about testing ideas!

Learn More

• JPL Education: Student Projects (Grades K-4)
• NASA Space Place

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Kaitlyn Adams

Cookies, Cream, and Crumbling Cores

Perseverance’s drives over the last few weeks have doubled back several times. Why such an unconventional route? Team scientists have been delighted to find new kinds of rocks that could be the oldest ever found on Mars and are eager to collect samples.

Perseverance embarked on the Crater Rim Campaign in search of ancient uplifted rock, to better understand the geologic processes occurring early in Mars’ history, and search for ancient habitable environments. Recent discoveries have not disappointed: so far in this portion of the rim, every outcrop that the rover has taken a close look at using the science instruments on its robotic arm has ended up being something new. As explained in the previous update, after acquiring the “Silver Mountain” core, which is rich in the mineral pyroxene, Perseverance approached a nearby rock that had signatures of the mineral serpentine, fittingly nicknamed “Serpentine Lake.” Following this, the rover used its abrasion tool to clean the rock of dust and coatings for detailed scientific interrogation, and the team was wowed by the intriguing rock texture, which resembles “cookies & cream” dessert (see photo above), and the very high abundance of minerals like serpentine, which form in the presence of water.

After finishing that investigation, the operations team decided to have Perseverance head back along its path once more to the site of its first abrasion in this part of the rim, named “Cat Arm Reservoir,” to acquire a sample. Results from that earlier analysis showed a rock texture with coarse pyroxene and feldspar crystals consistent with an igneous origin. However, the sample tube turned up empty. What happened? Perseverance has encountered this problem before: flashback to our first ever coring attempt. It’s not a common occurrence, but sometimes the rocks Perseverance tries to sample are so weak that upon coring they essentially disintegrate into a powder instead of remaining in the tube. The rover drove to a nearby spot and tried again, but when a second attempt to core this rock did not retain any sample, the team decided to move on.

This week, Perseverance will return once again to the site of the Serpentine Lake abrasion patch to acquire a core of this fascinating rock, which records intense alteration by water. The team hopes that it will prove strong enough to acquire a core, and if successful, Perseverance may perform more scans on the abrasion patch. Afterward, the plan is to drive downhill to an area called “Broom Point,” home to a spectacular sequence of layered rock, where I’m sure more surprises and exciting scientific discoveries await.

Written by Athanasios Klidaras, Ph.D. student at Purdue University

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Sols 4454-4457: Getting Ready to Fill the Long Weekend with Science

Earth planning date: Friday, Feb. 14, 2025

Curiosity is continuing to make progress along the strategic route, traversing laterally across the sulfate (salt) bearing unit toward the boxwork structures. The team celebrated the completion of another successful drive when we received the downlink this morning, and then we immediately got to work thinking about what’s next. There is a holiday in the United States on Monday, so instead of the typical three-sol weekend plan, we actually planned four sols, which will set us up to return to planning next Tuesday.

The first sol of the plan focuses on remote sensing, and we’ll be taking several small Mastcam mosaics of features around the rover. One of my favorite targets the team picked is a delightfully pointy rock visible toward the left of the Navcam image shown above. The color images we’ll take with Mastcam will give us more information about the textures of this rock and potentially provide insight into the geologic forces that transformed it into this comical shape. The team chose what I think is a very appropriate name for this Martian pyramid-shaped target — “Pyramid Lake.” The terrestrial inspiration behind this name is a human-made reservoir (lake) near Los Angeles with a big (also human-made) pyramidal hill in it.

On the second sol of the plan, we’ll use the instruments on Curiosity’s arm to collect data of rock targets at our feet, including “Strawberry Peak,” a bumpy piece of bedrock, “Lake Arrowhead,” a smooth piece of bedrock, and “Skyline Trail,” a dark float rock. ChemCam will also collect chemical data of Skyline Trail, “Big Tujunga” — which is similar to Strawberry Peak — and “Momyer.” We’ll also take the first part of a 360-degree color mosaic with Mastcam!

In the third sol of the plan, we’ll complete the 360-degree mosaic and continue driving to the southwest along our strategic route. The fourth sol is pretty quiet, with some atmospheric observations and a ChemCam AEGIS. Atmospheric observations are additionally sprinkled throughout other sols of the plan. This time of year we are particularly interested in studying the clouds above Gale crater!

I’m looking forward to the nice long weekend, and returning on Tuesday morning to see everything Curiosity accomplished.

Written by Abigail Fraeman, Planetary Geologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

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