Podcast: Biomedical research – the case for doing it in space

By Ben IannottaApril 20, 2021

By Ben Iannotta - April 20, 2021

NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins fills plates with protein solution for an experiment aboard the ISS National Lab, which is seeking to grow crystal proteins that could one day form the basis for new pharmaceutical drugs developed back on Earth.

The International Space Station won’t last forever. Over time, the modules will become more expensive to maintain, and the political will to do so is likely to falter, despite the promising research that happens up there, including aboard the ISS National Lab. Aerospace Insider spoke to microbiologist Michael Roberts about why this unique, space-borne national laboratory has proven to be such a draw, particularly for pharmaceutical and other researchers, and what should become of this research in the post-ISS era.

About Ben Iannotta

As editor-in-chief from 2013 to March 2025, Ben kept the magazine and its news coverage on the cutting edge of journalism. He began working for the magazine in the 1990s as a freelance contributor. He was editor of C4ISR Journal and has written for Air & Space Smithsonian, New Scientist, Popular Mechanics, Reuters and Space News.