• Sri Lankans in space 

We often hear that space is the final frontier. But the very nature of space is that it is unknown, hence, logically, it is the next frontier that can push humanity to greatness. There are so many scientists today researching how space can be harnessed to further humanity. Of course, space, for now, is just that – a vast expanse of space. But slowly, humans are beginning to make space more and more their own. 

This week, The Sunday Morning Brunch speaks to a young Sri Lankan scientist with a passion for space. In fact, in March, he became the first Sri Lankan to send an experiment to the International Space Station (ISS). 

Jithran Ekanayake is a doctoral student in a synthetic biology lab led by Dr. Amor Menezes at the University of Florida. Synthetic biology is about designing new biological systems and processes based on design principles found in nature; some examples include producing anti-malaria drugs in yeast, storing text and photos in DNA, and making plant-based meat. 

Jithran’s research applies synthetic biology to space (‘space synthetic biology’) to help solve life support challenges facing human space exploration. His research looks at how food, fuel, and bioplastics can be produced and recycled in space so that astronauts can be self-sufficient during long-duration missions to Mars.

In light of his bioplastics experiment literally taking flight to infinity and beyond, Brunch chatted with Jithran on exactly what that means. 

Space synthetic biology and space exploration – what are the benefits of these fields in the long run?

The heart of space exploration is about translating resultant technological advances to benefit people back on Earth. Historically, the US space programme has made huge global contributions towards improving the quality of everyday life on Earth. In healthcare, Apollo-era advances pioneered by NASA in digital signal processing helped improve CT, CAT, and MRI imaging technology used in hospitals today. 

In agriculture, remote sensing satellites collect data on weather patterns, soil properties, and pest infestations, to help farmers and foresters make decisions about plant health. In the energy sector, research on efficient power generation for the Space Shuttle programme, International Space Station, and the Artemis missions drove the development of more efficient batteries, fuel cells, and solar arrays that could help gradually reduce global dependence on petroleum-based fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

These are just a few of the translational benefits of human space exploration; I would encourage readers to review other interesting inventions and improvements to existing Earth-based technologies linked to knowledge stemming from space exploration, such as global search and rescue satellites, image sensors in phones and GoPros, implantable cardiac monitoring devices, insulin delivery, memory foam, prosthetic limbs, and numerous others in information technology, medicine, robotics, transportation, water treatment, and waste management. 

All these technologies and more were derived from innovations that resulted from tackling the unique challenges posed by extreme environments encountered in space.

The societal benefits of space exploration are equally significant. A landmark 2009 study called ‘Shooting for the Moon’ published in leading scientific journal Nature showed that hundreds of noteworthy researchers had been inspired to pursue a career in STEM by the Apollo missions, while hundreds more emphasised the ability of human spaceflight to inspire children to engage with science. 

Space exploration has also served as a powerful propellant of international partnerships promoting the peaceful unification of people and nations across the globe. In modern history, there have only been a couple of events that unified nearly every country in the world in celebration of a goal backed by almost all humankind – one was the global effort that saw the eradication of the smallpox virus by 1980 and the other was the Apollo 11 goodwill tour in 1969 that united 73 heads of state and 100 million men, women, and children representing dozens of nations from every inhabited continent who congregated to see the Apollo 11 crew. 

Even today, global partnerships continue to be cultivated by work aboard the International Space Station, where astronauts from five space agencies representing 15 countries live and work together every day. To me, space exploration is one of the most celebrated microcosms of the much larger arena that is the multidisciplinary creation of new knowledge impactful enough to empower individuals with a sense of purposefulness so deep it can foster unity.

What inspired you to work in this field? 

Growing up, my primary academic interests were healthcare and education. I was interested in space exploration as a child, but did not know that I could realistically engage with it until my undergraduate education at Carleton College in the US, where I was more directly exposed to news about missions planned by SpaceX and NASA. 

I discovered space synthetic biology as a result of trying to find a field that was interdisciplinary enough to reconcile healthcare and education with something as seemingly disparate as space exploration. Fortunately, addressing challenges facing human space exploration requires collaborative, interdisciplinary work between most academic domains in existence, and I found my niche in space synthetic biology.

You’re currently working on an experiment that has been taken to the ISS. Tell us about it.

One of the primary goals of the human space programme is to build a safe, productive, and self-sustaining human presence in space, with permanent astronaut bases on the Moon and Mars. A significant obstacle to achieving this aim is the huge cost of transporting equipment and consumables from Earth into space, which limits how much infrastructure astronauts can take with them on long-duration missions. 

This means that astronauts need to rely on frequent resupply missions from Earth with medicine, fuel, food, building materials, and other mission-critical items in order to survive.  One possible solution is for astronauts to use microorganisms, like bacteria and fungi, to produce some of the consumables they need during the mission, allowing them to remain self-sufficient for months or years at a time.

My work on the ISS mission is for a University of Florida team funded by DARPA B-SURE (the Biomanufacturing: Survival, Utility, and Reliability beyond Earth programme of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). We identified several candidate bacteria and fungi that can synthesise useful mission consumables; the bacteria that I am working with has the capacity to produce a bioplastic that can be used by astronauts to make useful tools, like spanners and screws. 

Before any bioproduction can take place, we must first test whether these microorganisms can thrive during spaceflight despite environmental stressors encountered in space, such as reduced gravity and space radiation. We sent the microorganisms to the ISS on SpaceX’s 27th resupply mission, in partnership with Rhodium Scientific, a leading spaceflight logistics company that organised the mission. 

STEM education and Sri Lanka – what do we need to focus on most to build the best students to work in STEM? 

Mentored early career research opportunities for students are essential to building academic resilience in STEM. During my secondary school education at Gateway College in Sri Lanka, I had the opportunity to participate in the first ever student-run research project on strokes in the country. It was my first exposure to the process of knowledge creation and it changed my life, becoming one of the strongest sources of resilience and empowerment that I had encountered. 

When personalised to students’ interests, I think that early career research exposure could help students adapt learning strategies to a range of academic and social contexts, collaborate effectively with peers and mentors from a diversity of backgrounds, and confidently take calculated academic risks to advance the construction of new bodies of knowledge – irrespective of whether it is part of the traditional school curriculum – to improve social and scientific wellbeing in the country.  

Pre-collegiate research opportunities could also significantly strengthen student academic profiles, making them attractive candidates to institutions of higher education. The professional networks they will form through mentored research could lead to finding recommenders for a college application, or consultants for research ventures they might choose to implement about passions they discover in the future. 

Taking a research project with them into university – one they are excited to share with peers and mentors of their future – could continue to function as sources of resilience, purposefulness, and propellants of socioeconomic progress long after they reach adulthood. 

Personalised research mentorship that nurtures students’ curiosities, while supporting their individual needs depending on life circumstances, personalities, and strengths, could empower students to embark on a lifelong, intrinsically motivated pursuit of creating new knowledge in whichever realm of learning they are most excited about exploring.