We Sent (Carefully Measured) House Dust to Space to Learn About Human Health May 13, 2026 By: Kate Rimmer and Johanna Camara

https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/we-sent-carefully-measured-house-dust-space-learn-about-human-health If you get your cholesterol checked and your doctor sends the sample to two different labs, you should get very similar results. But what if you had to get your cholesterol checked while visiting — or living in — space? How would living in microgravity affect your body’s key indicators, such as cholesterol? It sounds like science fiction, but it’s something scientists are interested in learning about. It’s important to understand, both for a possible future in which people spend more time in space and to see what it can teach us about life here on Earth.