The NASA Space Biology (SB) program falls within the Biological and Physical Sciences Division. This program element focuses on research that will increase NASA’s understanding of how living systems respond to the unique environments that are encountered during space exploration, including the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment inside the International Space Station (ISS) and deep space conditions beyond LEO, including transit to and maintenance of a sustainable presence in lunar and Martian environments. A summary of the key information contained within this program element may be found in Table E.9-B at the end of this document. A pre-proposer’s townhall for applicants interested in submitting a proposal to this program element will be held virtually on January 22, 2025, at 3 PM eastern time. Details of this virtual meeting are available on the NSPIRES page for this program element under “Other Documents”. The slides presented in this townhall will be posted on the NSPIRES page for this program element under “Other Documents” shortly after.
The NASA Space Biology Program solicits and funds research that will increase our understanding of how living systems respond to stressors encountered during space exploration. Space Biology-funded scientists conduct research across a wide spectrum of biological organization (biomolecules, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, whole organisms, microbe-host interactions, and ecosystems) and model systems to probe deeply into underlying mechanisms by which organisms acclimate to stressors encountered during space exploration (e.g., altered gravity, ionizing radiation, low magnetic fields, elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide, etc.). This research reveals how biological systems regulate and sustain growth, metabolism, reproduction, and development in space and how they repair damage and protect themselves from infection and disease. Such knowledge provides fundamental insights into biological mechanisms and provides a foundation researchers can build on to enable humans to thrive during deep space exploration. In addition, such knowledge has provided, and will continue to provide, benefits to the health and well-being of those on Earth.
Awards:
Multiple Awards
Letter of Intent:
Please contact the program director
Full Proposal Submission Deadline:
Step-1 Proposals Due Feb 04, 2025
Step-2 proposals are due May 6, 2025
Contacts:
For Space Crops:
Elison Blancaflor
Biological and Physical Sciences Division
Science Mission Directorate
NASA Headquarters, Washington DC
Email: nasa-spacebiology@mail.nasa.gov
