Crystals in space! 💎 Our orbiting laboratory, the International Space Station (@ISS), is a perfect environment for creating protein crystal structures for research. In microgravity, protein molecules form more orderly, high-quality crystals, giving scientists a clearer picture into understanding their function so they can develop more effective treatments for diseases. Since experiments often need more than one attempt to generate ideal crystals, researchers may have to return samples to Earth for analysis and then revisit the experiment on a later space mission. Scientists are currently testing new methods of growing crystals that allow astronauts to observe imperfections, make real-time adjustments and try growing them again. This dramatically reduces the time and cost to conduct experiments in space, allowing astronauts to expand how much research happens in space. During their stay aboard the space station, astronauts conduct approximately 250 experiments and investigations that...