Why astronauts are collecting their blood during space station stay
Samples collected from a crew member are inserted into a cryogenic storage unit for preservation and later analysis.
By Dean Murray
The recently returned astronauts may be glad they left the space station - the current crew has shown how they are drawing blood for science.
NASA's Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers shared how she is processing tests on their blood to explore how microgravity affects human physiology.
The study is looking at bone structure pre- and post-mission, as well as bone markers in the blood to help build a digital twin model that can aid in predictions of future bone evolution.
Samples collected from a crew member are inserted into a cryogenic storage unit for preservation and later analysis.
Nichole Ayers shared: "More science! After completing a blood draw (we are our own phlebotomists up here), we spun the tubes in a centrifuge and then put them in the MELFI (Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory Freezer for Space Station) for later return to the ground. "
NASA adds: "Bone, muscle, and blood studies topped the research schedule aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday as the Expedition 72 crew continued exploring how microgravity affects human physiology."
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