Molecular Muscle Experiment : Hardware and Operational Lessons for Future Astrobiology Space Experiments

Pollard, Amelia and Gaffney, Christopher and Deane, Colleen and Balsamo, Michele and Cooke, Michael and Ellwood, Rebecca and Hewitt, Jennifer and Mierzwa, Beata and Mariani, Alessandro and Vanapalli, Siva A and Etheridge, Tim and Szewczyk, Nathaniel J (2020) Molecular Muscle Experiment : Hardware and Operational Lessons for Future Astrobiology Space Experiments. Astrobiology, 20 (8). pp. 935-943. ISSN 1557-8070

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Abstract

Biology experiments in space seek to increase our understanding of what happens to life beyond Earth and how we can safely send life beyond Earth. Spaceflight is associated with many (mal)adaptations in physiology, including decline in musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, vestibular, and immune systems. Biological experiments in space are inherently challenging to implement. Development of hardware and validation of experimental conditions are critical to ensure the collection of high-quality data. The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans has been studied in space for more than 20 years to better understand spaceflightinduced (patho)physiology, particularly spaceflight-induced muscle decline. These experiments have used a variety of hardware configurations. Despite this, hardware used in the past was not available for our most recent experiment, the Molecular Muscle Experiment (MME). Therefore, we had to design and validate flight hardware for MME. MME provides a contemporary example of many of the challenges faced by researchers conducting C. elegans experiments onboard the International Space Station. Here, we describe the hardware selection and validation, in addition to the ground-based experiment scientific validation testing. These experiences and operational solutions allow others to replicate and/or improve our experimental design on future missions.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Astrobiology
Subjects:
?? spaceflightspace biologyastrobiologyc. eleganshardware development ??
ID Code:
144326
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
02 Jun 2020 14:35
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
13 Sep 2024 08:21