The Gravity of It All: From osteoporosis to immunosuppression, exploring disease in a microgravity environment holds promise for better treatments on Earth

Today, exploration into the universe beyond our planet takes many forms and has led to fascinating discoveries in the life and physical sciences, many of which inform our understanding of health and medicine here on Earth. These new voyages of discovery include telescopes that peer deep into space and time, rovers that crawl about on other planets, and, most remarkably, a permanently crewed orbital outpost: the International Space Station (ISS). Like the voyages of discovery long ago, the ISS is a ship with human pioneers looking outward to the next horizon, exploring the physical universe beyond?but also inward, to define the limits of our existence when living in the new frontier of space.