Expedition 60 Flight Engineer Christina Koch of NASA activates the new BioFabrication Facility to test its ability to print cells.
iss060e021175 (Aug. 2, 2019) — Expedition 60 Flight Engineer Christina Koch of NASA activates the new BioFabrication Facility to test its ability to print cells. Researchers are exploring whether the weightless environment of space may support the fabrication of human organs in space. An incubator houses the tissue samples to promote cohesive cellular growth over several weeks. Earth’s gravity inhibits 3-D bioprinters and incubators from recreating and growing complex organic structures.