Astronaut Jessica Meir Conducts Hardware Updates for NASA's Cold Atom Lab on ISS

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir performed hardware updates to the Cold Atom Lab (CAL) aboard the International Space Station on May 8, 2026, inspecting optical fibers and installing new components. The Cold Atom Lab, about the size of a minifridge and operated remotely from Earth, represents a significant advancement in quantum physics research in space. The device cools atoms to temperatures below minus 459 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 273.15 degrees Celsius)—so close to absolute zero that they form a Bose-Einstein condensate, a fifth state of matter distinct from solids, liquids, gases, and plasma.

In a Bose-Einstein condensate, scientists can observe quantum properties of atoms at a scale visible to the naked eye, including wave-particle duality—the phenomenon where atoms and particles sometimes behave like solid objects and sometimes like waves. This unique capability enables research that is not possible under normal conditions on Earth. The Cold Atom Lab was designed, built, and is operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in collaboration with Caltech in Pasadena, under the sponsorship of the Biological and Physical Sciences division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

The Biological and Physical Sciences division focuses on pioneering scientific discovery by leveraging space environments to conduct investigations impossible on Earth. By studying biological and physical phenomena under extreme conditions, researchers advance fundamental scientific knowledge essential for deeper space exploration and longer human missions, while also generating discoveries that benefit life on Earth. The successful hardware updates ensure the Cold Atom Lab can continue its groundbreaking quantum research aboard the ISS.