During Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first Private Astronaut Mission, researchers uncovered that cancer stem cells appeared to regenerate more easily and become more resistant to standard therapies in low gravity conditions. The subsequent mission, Ax-2, will now see if reversing growth is possible in breast cancer tissue. This mission will evaluate the health of astronauts’ blood stem cells before, during, and after spaceflight to determine whether a low gravity environment has an effect on stem cell aging, immune function, and cancer cell generation.
