INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

BENEFITS

for Humanity

2022
Researchers believe that optical fibers used for 

ultra-high-speed broadband communications and 

remote sensing could exhibit far superior qualities 

when produced in microgravity. Several studies, 

including the ISS National Laboratory-sponsored 

Optical Fiber Production in Microgravity, are 

putting this theory to the test, seeing whether 

low-Earth orbit can become the commercial 

manufacturing location of these fibers.

Russian space agency ROSCOSMOS and 

company 3D Bioprinting Solutions launched the

Organ.Aut bioprinter to culture cartilage cells 

using a magnetic field on the space station. 

The bioprinter also created thyroid gland tissue 

spheroids. This effort is part of the initiative to 

test the viability of commercial manufacturing of

organs in orbit.

U.S.-based company Planet created a collection 

of CubeSats with the mission to photograph 

the entire Earth every day and turned to station 

to test its business model. The first flock of 

“Doves” (small satellites) was released from 

station in 2014. Planet has now built and 

successfully deployed 450 satellites, with more 

than 200 currently in orbit. Planet illustrates 

how the space station can provide early access 

to space, allowing new business models to 

prove themselves and attract the investment. 

Small satellites are playing an increasing role in 

exploration, technology demonstration, scientific 

research, and educational investigations.

The International Space Station nurtures a growing commercial space economy that includes commercial research, satellite 

services, and in-space manufacturing. Many of the tools and processes developed for use in space have launched new and 

thriving businesses on the ground, while growing participation of private entities in supporting station activities is helping to 

bring more commercial players into the space marketplace.

ECONOMIC BENEFITS

Aging-like changes, including arterial thickening

and stiffening, accelerate in many station crew

members. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

Vascular, Vascular Echo, and Vascular Aging

experiments study these changes. Results

could help researchers to develop effective

countermeasures to maintain astronaut health

on future long-duration missions.

Studies employing NASA’s Veggie Production 

System help researchers identify the best 

methods for growing crops in space, providing 

fresh food security for future missions to the 

Moon and Mars. On Earth, the same principles 

can be applied to improve food production in 

remote environments.

The Twins Study compared NASA astronaut Scott 

Kelly to his twin on Earth during a nearly yearlong mission on the orbiting laboratory in order to 

examine fluid shifts in the body, changes in the 

structure of the eye, and other physical responses 

to long-term space flight.

The International Space Station is the ideal test bed for demonstrating and improving technologies needed to explore 

farther into space and to stay there longer. New power generation, air and water recycling, carbon dioxide removal, 

communications, and computing systems are among the exploration-enabling technologies being tested and proven on 

the station. Researchers also study how humans adapt to and work in space, grow plants in microgravity, and more.

EXPLORATION BENEFITS

Station hosts many external instruments aimed at 

understanding the changing environment of 

our home planet. Data from NASA’s ECOsystem 

Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment 

on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) payload, 

which measures subtle changes in temperature 

to identify plant stress, have been employed in 

efforts to reduce heat absorbed by city surfaces, 

better allocate water, reduce fire risk, search for 

geothermal energy sources, track mosquitos, 

help farmers water their fields efficiently, and 

more. Advances in X-ray technologies produced 

for NASA’s Neutron star Interior Composition 

Explorer (NICER), a telescope helping unravel

the mysteries of our universe, are also being

used to reduce the size and complexity of 

computed tomography (CT) scanners. This 

technology could lead to CT scans that expose 

patients to less radiation and expand capabilities 

for remote doctors. 

Millions of students around the world have

participated in station downlinks and STEM

programs, including Amateur Radio on the 

International Space Station (ARISS) events, 

Sally Ride EarthKam, StoryTime from Space, 

and numerous plant growth experiments. These 

programs help inspire the next generation

of scientists.

A series of protein crystal growth (PCG) studies 

from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency 

(JAXA) have provided the precise structures of 

many proteins and could result in development 

of drugs to treat breast cancer, gum disease, 

and muscular dystrophy. A study of the protein 

structure associated with Duchenne Muscular 

Dystrophy (DMD) in particular has led to clinical 

trials of a drug that may slow the progression of 

DMD by half, potentially doubling the lifespan of 

many patients.

In addition to scientific discovery and exploration technologies, the International Space Station provides a unique vantage 

point at the edge of Earth’s atmosphere for monitoring climate change and provides benefits on Earth through spinoff 

technologies and inspiring future generations.

SOCIETAL BENEFITS

DNA sequencing was performed in space for 

the first time as part of NASA’s Biomolecule 

Sequencer investigation. Real-time DNA analysis 

capabilities on station, and future exploration 

missions, allow crews to identify microbes, 

diagnose infectious disease, and collect genomic 

and genetic data concerning crew health without 

having to wait for ground-based analysis.

This flame was one of many ignited within the 

Combustion Integrated Rack. One experiment led 

to the discovery of “cool flames,” a previously 

unknown form of combustion, while others 

focused on soot produced in different conditions. 

The study provided data that could help reduce 

pollutant production in combustion on Earth.

The station has hosted many investigations of fluid 

behaviors, taking advantage of the microgravity 

environment to study aspects of physics 

often masked by gravity. The ESA (European 

Space Agency) Reference mUltiscale Boiling 

Investigation (RUBI) experiment analyzed a very 

different type of bubble formed during boiling. 

Boiling in microgravity takes place in slow motion 

and produces larger bubbles, allowing scientists to 

observe and measure effects that are too fast and 

too small on Earth and providing a more complete 

understanding of heat transfer during boiling. 

This information could be applied to cooling 

electronics such as laptops more efficiently.

The International Space Station is a robust scientific laboratory with dozens of research facilities, capabilities for autonomous 

research and monitoring, and an array of tools and observational instruments. At any one time, this microgravity lab hosts 

hundreds of investigations spanning every major scientific discipline from physics to microbiology.

SCIENTIFIC BENEFITS

The International Space Station (ISS) Benefits for Humanity 2022 full publication includes a compilation of benefits being realized from station activities. This issue expands the 

spectrum of the impact of space station to include scientific, societal, exploration, and economic benefits as part of a growing low-Earth orbit economy. Below is an illustrative sampling

of the broad array of research sponsored by the space station’s international partnership and the benefits that have resulted.
On November 2, 2020, the International Space Station entered its third decade of 

human-tended operation and science. The first decade of station was the decade of 

construction; the second decade, moving from initial research to full utilization. We are 

now in the decade of results.

During the past twenty years, the space station evolved from an outpost on the edge of 

space into a highly capable microgravity laboratory. Now results are compounding, new 

benefits are materializing, and the third decade is building on this previous work.

This orbiting laboratory enables researchers from around the world to take advantage 

of microgravity, exposure to space, and a unique perspective on Earth to conduct 

groundbreaking experiments through an environment made accessible by the space 

station. Although the International Space Station is a partnership between many nations, 

each with distinct goals, every partner shares a unified goal: to use this amazing 

laboratory for the betterment of humanity. With more than 20 years of experiments now 

conducted on the station, more breakthroughs are materializing than ever before. 

Benefits for Humanity 2022 highlights the diversification of benefits stemming from 

microgravity research—for society, science, exploration, and the economy. This edition 

focuses on new areas of scientific study, future technologies for the exploration of the 

Moon and Mars, lives saved, and numerous companies and jobs created. 

The International Space Station advances scientific understanding of our planet, improves 

human health, develops advanced technologies, and provides a space platform that 

inspires and educates the leaders of tomorrow — a legacy and influence that will be felt 

for decades to come. 

For more information on the International Space Station Benefits for Humanity publication, 

including where to find the full publication, go to: https://www.nasa.gov/stationbenefits

The International Space Station Benefits for Humanity 2022 is 

a product of the International Space Station Program Science 

Forum (PSF), which includes the National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration (NASA), Canadian Space Agency (CSA), 

European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration 

Agency (JAXA), State Space Corporation ROSCOSMOS 

(ROSCOSMOS), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).

BENEFITS

for Humanity