Microgravity as a research area encompasses the systematic investigation of physical, chemical, and biological processes under conditions of greatly reduced effective gravitational acceleration, such as in orbiting spacecraft, drop towers, or parabolic flights. It enables isolation of gravity-driven phenomena, allowing precise study of fluid dynamics, combustion, phase transitions, material solidification, colloidal behavior, and fundamental physics, as well as physiological and cellular responses to altered mechanical loading. Microgravity research supports development of validated models for transport processes, structure formation, and mechanobiology, and informs the design of space systems, countermeasures for human health in spaceflight, and advanced materials and processes with potential terrestrial applications.
Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have completed a spaceflight biology investigation aboard the International Space Station (ISS) that reveals how microgravity fundamentally alters microbial metabolism, ...
Space Exploration
Jan 26, 2026
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The astronauts evacuated last week from the International Space Station say a portable ultrasound machine came in "super handy" during the medical crisis.
Space Exploration
Jan 22, 2026
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As we prepare for missions beyond Earth orbit, one crucial challenge remains: keeping astronauts healthy in microgravity. Without daily exercise, their muscles, bones and cardiovascular systems weaken, which could impact ...
Space Exploration
Jan 19, 2026
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In a new study, terrestrial bacteria-infecting viruses were still able to infect their E. coli hosts in near-weightless "microgravity" conditions aboard the International Space Station, but the dynamics of virus-bacteria ...
Astrobiology
Jan 13, 2026
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For more than 25 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, conducting research that is transforming life on Earth and shaping the future of exploration. From growing food and ...
Space Exploration
Jan 13, 2026
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Spaceflight takes a physical toll on astronauts, causing muscles to atrophy, bones to thin and bodily fluids to shift. According to a new study published in the journal PNAS, we can now add another major change to that list. ...
In this Oct. 20, 2025, photo, tiny ball bearings surround a larger central bearing during the Fluid Particles experiment, conducted inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) aboard the International Space Station's Destiny ...
General Physics
Dec 30, 2025
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The shelf life of a sunscreen, the stability of mayonnaise, the effectiveness of a drug; these all depend on what is happening within the materials that make up gels or glasses, disordered structures that change slowly over ...
Space Exploration
Dec 2, 2025
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Microgravity experienced during spaceflight poses potential health risks to astronauts' cardiovascular systems. Determining how to mitigate these health risks is challenging, as countermeasures are tested in Earth's gravity. ...
Space Exploration
Nov 19, 2025
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From muscle atrophy to bone loss, astronauts face a number of health risks while in space.
Space Exploration
Nov 11, 2025
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