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cientists-turned-astronauts have been in the news often over
the years. Here are a few more stories of scientists who have
used time in space—either by themselves or by sending ex-
periments aloft—to make new discoveries:
Searching for Sprites:
Japanese researcher Dr. Mitsuteru Sato created
an experiment to search for sprites and elves. Not the kind from fairy
tales, though—those are names given to atmospheric displays inside
storms. Sato built a machine to detect and examine these displays, and
it was successfully used on the ISS in 2013.
Surviving Space:
The ISS and other spacecraft are made of dozens of
types of materials: metals, plastics, fabrics, and more. Knowing how
well those sort of things will survive and function in space is a key part
of astronaut safety. In 2014, NASA’s Kim de Groh won an award for the
studies her team did on a wide variety of materials.
Scientists in
the News
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