New Materials were tested on the International Space Station.

We live in a new era where space is starting to be accessible to everyone.   Until a few decades or a few years ago, going there was very exclusive, only able for a select group of people, mainly specialists in different science branches, experienced pilots, doctors, etc. 
Usually with formal training as astronauts and few with a brief preparation to perform some specific tests or experiments on a very short stay in space.

The construction of the International Space Station made it possible to have a permanent habitat in the Earth´s orbit where it has been possible to study the effects of extreme space conditions on human beings, exposing them increasingly to longer stays. In addition, a plethora of technology has also been tested and developed that later have diverse applications on Earth.

​Furthermore, the study of new materials has also found the space as an enhancer and accelerator of results better than ever before. 
Outer space is being, in some way, democratized and, open to private missions, i.e., it is being commercialized, allowing that industry, research centers, academics, and virtually anyone can have access to it.  

Since 2001, NASA has operated the International Space Station Materials Experimentation Module (MISE), testing hundreds of samples ranging from composite materials varying from electrons to seeds, spores, and other biologics.

NASA´s technology transfer program allowed the module to be managed and operated by a private company in 2017, which opened experimental spaces previously reserved for them only. Thanks to this AEXA has been able to venture into this area of technological innovation. So far, we have sent seven experiments to space, providing a unique opportunity to attendees of our International Air and Space Program and other own STEM programs. 

A high percentage of our participants are Latin Americans who thus gain access to the International Space Station that would otherwise be almost impossible to achieve.

Because of this access, in 2019 AEXA and History Channel Latin America signed a collaboration agreement to reward two winners of the Una Idea Para Cambiar La Historia initiative, sending their materials to the MISSE Module. The first sample is a plastic wood made by EcoDomo, a Colombian start-up that manufactures it from recycled plastic for the construction of ecological habitats. The second winner was Radial Biomaterials, a Mexican company that transforms agricultural waste mixed with fungi, bacteria, algae, and microorganisms into sustainable high-strength materials.

Today these samples are back, having given 5408 orbits to the Earth and covering almost 222 million kilometers for nearly a year.
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Learn more about this initiative and the samples... 

Right now, we are waiting for the results of their research, and there is no doubt that this exposure to the space environment will allow these entrepreneurs to carry a significant advantage in their industries, so that their application, improvements, commercialization, adaptation, etc. can be more accurate thanks to AEXA and the MISSE module.
 
In the coming years, we will see a new experiment module now installed on the lunar floor, allowing the study of new materials to enter a new phase, where it can even experiment with resources found or extracted on site (ISRU), giving rise again to a range of unique materials that will facilitate the colonization of other celestial bodies, and we will undoubtedly see here on Earth in endless applications.

Are you interested in moon colonization? Click here