Space: The Final Frontier for Standards
Published 2026-02-09
Seven reference materials, including house dust and human liver, were launched to the International Space Station to assess how the extreme space environment affects human health and manufacturing processes.
The mission aims to understand how the extreme environment of space affects manufacturing and human health. This collaborative effort involved NIST, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Space Commerce, and biotech company Rhodium Scientific. The initiative supports U.S. leadership in the space sector by fostering innovative commercial and scientific capabilities, especially as drug development and other research expand in low Earth orbit. These materials are crucial for calibrating instruments and ensuring accurate measurements in space. “These SRMs are an early step in getting that better understanding.” NIST's standard reference material for house dust Credit: NIST The seven chosen reference materials were the first to go
Six of these are standard reference materials (SRMs), meeting the highest measurement standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). These materials are vital for calibrating instruments and ensuring accurate measurements in research and industry. They were chosen for their importance to human health and ease of launch. “These SRMs are an early step in getting that better understanding.” NIST's standard reference material for house dust Credit: NIST The seven chosen reference
Understanding how the space environment affects these reference materials is critical as space becomes a hub for living, research, and new businesses. For instance, drug development is already occurring in low Earth orbit. NIST scientist Kate Rimmer noted the importance of knowing how stable medical testing molecules like cholesterol and urine remain in space for extended human stays. A 2023 elementary school project starkly demonstrated this need, showing epinephrine transforming into poisonous benzoic acid when exposed to cosmic radiation.
Watch next: This initial step will provide a better understanding of space's impact on materials. Future research will likely involve continued monitoring of these reference materials on the International Space Station and potentially sending additional types of reference materials to orbit as space activities expand.