ISS Expedition 74 Bioprints Cartilage and Harvests Alfalfa as Crew Runs 3 Biomedical Studies
Updated
Updated · NASA · Jun 8
ISS Expedition 74 Bioprints Cartilage and Harvests Alfalfa as Crew Runs 3 Biomedical Studies
1 articles · Updated · NASA · Jun 8
Summary
Expedition 74 opened the week by printing human cartilage tissue in the ISS Kibo lab and harvesting alfalfa in the Columbus Veggie facility, pairing health research with food-growth work for future missions.
Jessica Meir and Chris Williams thawed frozen cartilage samples, mixed living cells with bioink and loaded a printer cartridge to test whether microgravity can improve stable, on-demand implants made from a patient’s own cells.
Jack Hathaway and Williams collected alfalfa plants and roots for the Veg-06 study, photographing and freezing the samples for later analysis aimed at improving crop production in space.
Ultrasound 3 scans by NASA and Roscosmos crew members tracked neck, shoulder and leg veins in real time to help researchers guard against space-linked blood clots.
The station’s science work also included retrieving external exposure samples—such as radiation shields, suit fabrics and optical fibers—to guide tougher technologies for space and Earth.