iss060e035097

iss060e035097 (8/12/2019) --- European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Luca Parmitano injects media into the culture bag of the Micro-15 investigation in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) abroad the International space Station (ISS).  The goal of this investigation is to better understand the effects of gravity on the differentiation of mammalian cells using 3-D cultures of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. This study investigates how exposure to microgravity fundamentally alters cell regulation and how these changes can affect the timing, progression, and outcomes of cell differentiation.