Space Station Systems & Science
The systems that keep a station running and the science done aboard — docking, life support, experiments, and space medicine.
9 entries.
Probe-and-drogue docking system
Docking system
The probe-and-drogue docking system is the long-serving Russian mechanism used by Soyuz and Progress to dock with space stations, including the ISS Russian segment.
APAS
Docking system
The Androgynous Peripheral Attach System is a docking mechanism developed for the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project and later used by the Space Shuttle to dock with Mir and the ISS.
International Docking System Standard
Docking system
The International Docking System Standard, implemented on the ISS as the International Docking Adapters, allows Crew Dragon and Starliner to dock autonomously.
Environmental Control and Life Support System
Life-support system
The Environmental Control and Life Support System keeps a station's crew alive by recycling air and water, controlling temperature and pressure, and removing carbon dioxide.
NASA Twins Study
Space experiment
The NASA Twins Study compared astronaut Scott Kelly during a year aboard the ISS with his identical twin on Earth, advancing understanding of how spaceflight affects the human body.
Bone density loss
Space medicine
In microgravity the human body loses bone mass, a key concern for long-duration spaceflight that is studied and countered aboard the ISS.
Muscle atrophy
Space medicine
Without gravity to work against, muscles weaken in space; resistance exercise aboard stations helps crews maintain strength.
Space radiation exposure
Space medicine
Beyond Earth's protective atmosphere and much of its magnetic field, astronauts face increased radiation, a central challenge for long missions.
Fluid shift and vision changes
Space medicine
In weightlessness, body fluids shift toward the head, contributing to the vision changes studied as Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS).