FLIGHT PROFILE
KATHLEEN “ KATE ” RUBINS
Flight Engineer - NASA Expeditions 48 and 49 Soyuz MS-01 Spacecraft
PERSONAL STATS
115 DAYS aboard the International Space Station
FIRST to sequence DNA in space
TWO SPACEWALKS totaling 12 hours 46 minutes
1 OF 14 chosen from 3,500 applicants for NASA ’ s 2009 astronaut training
SAW 16 sunrises and sunsets per 24 hours
ORBITED THE EARTH every 90 minutes at speeds of 17,500 mph
JOINS TRITONS IN SPACE Sally Ride , faculty and 1st American woman in space
Megan McArthur , PhD ’ 02 from Scripps Institution of Oceanography
ONE IN THREE WOMEN at UC San Diego enroll and graduate with a science , technology , engineering or mathematics ( STEM ) degree — three times the national average
That ’ s incredible . We did cellular experiments as well —
Almost like any other job . the first long-term cell culture of Yeah —“ You should apply .” By then I had a cardiomyocytes ( cardiac muscle cells ) in lab at Whitehead Institute at MIT , and I space . And then , of course , there was a was very happy with that career . But you whole series of molecular experiments — know , you apply and you see what you probably heard about the genetic happens . It ’ s not something that you can sequencing in space . It was fascinating to say , “ I ’ m going to go do this .” do this same kind of lab work that I would do on the ground , but to see what the
Right . And how can you say no to that ? effects were in space . There ’ s also a whole The dream and fascination , I mean . fleet of technologies that we were testing What was the most fascinating part of up there . We ’ re essentially establishing a your research on the International molecular laboratory — not just for one Space Station ? experiment , but as a real capability for the space station . As a research geek ,
Well , I ’ m a little biology centered . that ’ s one of the most exciting things you
We participated in over 275 experiments could do — build a laboratory in space . on board and I was really fascinated by what happens to physiology in space .
What does a lab in space allow for ?
You no longer have gravity pulling blood flow down into your legs , so there ’ s fluid Doing science in remote environments is shifts in all of our physiology , and that an incredible challenge , but it ’ s where we changes things : your cardiovascular can learn a lot . Sometimes there ’ s the system , your nerve-vestibular system gets question of “ Why do these experiments in completely out of whack ; it ’ s fascinating space ?” or “ Why do these experiments in to watch the human brain adapt to that . the Congo ?” Well , sometimes that ’ s the We did experiments that look at neural only place that you can answer these mapping , we used ultrasound to look at questions . I can ’ t simulate the microgravity or radiation environment of the vessels , arteries , chambers within our heart , trying to understand the space station — only in this one lab can cardiovascular physiology . you answer how those variables affect physiology or affect cellular and
GAME CHANGER
While aboard the International Space Station , NASA astronaut Kate Rubins ’ 99 successfully sequenced DNA for the first time in microgravity .
The ability to sequence DNA in space opens a world of scientific and medical possibilities , allowing the crew to diagnose an illness or to identify microbes growing in the space station and determine whether they represent a health threat . A space-based sequencer could also be an important tool to protect astronaut health during long-duration missions , like the journey to Mars .
43 TRITON | SPRING 2017