OUT OF THIS WORLD: A zinnia aboard ISS in 2016. It was the first flower to be ever grown in space
25 Years Of ISS: Many Advances In Water Filtration, Healthcare & Agriculture Can Be Traced Back To Tests Conducted In
Orbit For a quarter of a century, the International Space Station (ISS) has served as a lab in low Earth orbit, offering
a microgravity environment that let scientists test ideas impossible to study at home. Work aboard the station has
shaped technologies that today support our hospitals, cities and farms. It has strengthened how we respond to disasters
and disease. Since 2000, over 4,000 experiments have been conducted aboard ISS. Many of them have benefited
humankind.SPACE AND THE ELDERLY Microgravity changes how bones and muscles behave. These changes helped researchers
understand conditions that mirror ageing, heart strain, and bone loss. The ISS offered controlled ways to observe these
shifts, which led to new approaches in managing osteoporosis and improved exercise protocols for older adults. One key
test involved a noninvasive health device called Myotone Pro, which monitored elasticity of astronauts’ muscles in
space. Researchers later realised the device could be deployed on Earth to detect musculoskeletal problems early on. The
station also became a test site for compact ultrasound systems now used in ambulances and remote clinics.3D-PRINTING
BREAKTHROUGH Fluids, flames and materials work differently in orbit. On ISS, researchers observed how fire spread
without buoyancy, giving fresh data on combustion and leading to improvements in fire-safety models for pressurised
aircraft cabins, factories and high-rise buildings. Last year, ESA crews 3Dprinted the first metal shape in space, a
critical breakthrough for long-duration exploratory missions in the future. Besides that, capillary flow studies on ISS
laid groundwork for passive fluid-control devices, which don’t rely on pumps. These ideas helped design lowenergy
plumbing systems back on Earth.SAFE WATER FOR VILLAGES The ISS needed a closed-loop water system long before
sustainability became a global concern. Nasa built purification units that could recycle water from almost any source.
In fact, ISS’s Water Recovery System slashed crew dependence on water delivered by a cargo spacecraft by 65% — from
nearly three litres a day to just about a litre. Experts soon realised machines that help ISS astronauts recycle as much
as 93% of their water would prove invaluable in villages without stable infrastructure. As for air, humidity-control and
air-scrubbing research on the station resulted in better air-quality systems. The same principles today support building
ventilation, industrial clean rooms, and special isolation wards at major hospitals.BETTER FOOD (AND SALADS) In 2015,
astronauts on ISS sampled their first ever spacegrown salad, a milestone for off-world fresh food. The space station’s
‘garden’ has grown a variety of plants, including three types of lettuce, cabbage, kale, radishes and peas. With gravity
out of the equation, plants rely more on chemical cues and light. These findings improved understanding of stress
response in plants and nutrient use. Sensors and LED-based plant chambers tested on the station helped design
energyefficient lighting now common in vertical farms. These systems have helped farmers cut power use and grow crops in
tight urban settings. Tests on microbial interactions in space added to research on crop resilience on Earth. And
combined with satellite data, these studies boosted precision agriculture models that currently help farmers manage
water and soil health.DISASTER RELIEF GUIDE The orbital path of ISS takes it over nearly 90% of the Earth’s human
population, which means its crew always have a pretty good view of what has happened, where. Over the years, ISS
astronauts have photographed storms, wildfires, volcanic eruptions and the aftermaths of earthquakes. These photos have
supplemented satellite imagery in numerous instances and have guided first responders. A good example of how lessons
from ISS helped during an emergency is Chile, 2010, when 33 miners were trapped in a copper mine for over two months.
Nasa experts — overseeing astronaut safety aboard the space station — rushed to the aid of Chilean rescuers,
recommending that the trapped workers be given Vitamin D, which space crews need because they’re often away from direct
sunlight. Even group dynamics were managed as the miners were at risk of conflict given their tight confines, just like