Research on board the ISS

The glovebox

Biolab

On board the ISS there are several gloveboxes that allow experiments to be carried out in an absolutely clean (sterile) environment.

Gloveboxes are made in such a way that there is always a lower air pressure inside the box compared to the air pressure outside the box. This means that if there is an unexpected leak in the glovebox, air will be sucked in. The idea behind this is to ensure that any hazardous materials like powders, acids or toxic substances remain inside the box and do not contaminate the ISS environment. The safety and health of the astronauts is always paramount.

The glovebox in the picture on the right is part of the Biolab. This will be accommodated inside the Columbus laboratory. It has been designed especially for biology experiments. The picture below shows a bigger glovebox, the Microgravity Science Glovebox, which was built by ESA and launched to the ISS on 6 June 2002. This glovebox is used for experiments in several disciplines.

Microgravity Science Glovebox