International Space Station benefits for humanity

Almost as soon as the International Space Station (ISS) was habitable, researchers began using it to study the impact of microgravity and other space effects on several aspects of our daily lives. This unique scientific platform continues to enable researchers from all over the world to put their talents to work with innovative experiments that could not be done anywhere else. The common goal is to share the resulting knowledge for the betterment of humanity.

We may not yet know what will be the most important discovery from the ISS, but we already have some amazing breakthroughs! In the areas of human health, telemedicine, education and observations of Earth from space, there are already demonstrated benefits to human life. Vaccine development research, Station-generated images that assist with disaster relief and farming, and education programs that inspire future scientists, engineers and space explorers are just a few examples of research benefits.

The following stories are excerpts from Benefits for Humanity, a booklet produced by the ISS partners to share the scientific, technological and educational accomplishments of research on the Space Station that has and will continue to have an impact on life on Earth.

• 1 : neuroArm
• 2 : Image-Guided Autonomous Robot (IGAR)
• 3 : Tomatosphere^TM