International Hardware and Experiment Development for Human Life Science Research on the International Space Station

摘要

Early science returns in the field of Space Human Life Science will be accomplished onboard the International Space Station (ISS) through the use of the Human Research Facility (HRF). The Human Research Facility is the first facility-class payload that will be integrated into ISS. HRF is a suite of internationally developed hardware basic to the study of the human body's adaptation to microgravity. This hardware has been, in most cases, procured from commercial vendors and re-packaged for integration into a standard space station payload rack. The efforts to prioritize science needs, station capabilities, research agendas, resources available, and how all these tie into hardware and experiment development will be the focus of this paper.