America's Space Lab is Due for a Huge Update [VIDEO]

As autumn approaches, the International Space Station (ISS) can soon expect some care-packages from NASA - namely, loads of next generation lab technology that will drastically improve the United States National Laboratory.

This collection of improvements and new tech, termed Advancing Research Knowledge 2 (ARK2), focuses heavily on biological studies in space, including means to conduct not only experimentation but also analysis on the ISS.

The ISS is certainly no stranger to lab work. The station regularly sees plants, rodents, and even vials of scotch-whisky (purely for the studies on the effects of microgravity, of course).

However, while some analysis and study can be conducted up on the ISS, a great deal of lab work eventually has to be done at home. This latest ARK2 shipment may help close that divide, keeping ISS studies actually on the space station for longer.

For instance, the ISS is due to receive its first X-ray machine ever, as part of a joint project between NASA and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS). The machine won't be peeking at the bone structure of astronauts just yet, but it will allow astronauts to measure bone density of small model organisms (like lab rats) in real time.

And speaking of lab rats, major parts for the Rodent Research-1 investigation will also be reaching the station, including a new and innovative Rodent Habitat module that will both keep the lab rats safe during transport, and expand to provide them an ideal living and study environment once on the station.

Combined, these CASIS-funded initiatives will help usher in a new age of animal husbandry, allowing for longer and more comprehensive study of organisms on the ISS alone.

Private studies will start to be conducted on the ISS as well, with the nest SpaceX Dragon shipment bringing with it the components for a material science experiment that looks at industry-grade electroplating, and the impact microgravity can have on it. Cobra Puma Golf will be working with CASIS for this trailblazing endeavor.

[Credit: CASIS]