Pub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-05-25DOI: 10.2478/gsr-2024-0003
Christopher Ludtka, Josephine B Allen
As considerations are being made for the limitations and safety of long-term human spaceflight, the vasculature is important given its connection to and impact on numerous organ systems. As a major constituent of blood vessels, vascular smooth muscle cells are of interest due to their influence over vascular tone and function. Additionally, vascular smooth muscle cells are responsive to pressure and flow changes. Therefore, alterations in these parameters under conditions of microgravity can be functionally disruptive. As such, here we review and discuss the existing literature that assesses the effects of microgravity, both actual and simulated, on smooth muscle cells. This includes the various methods for achieving or simulating microgravity, the animal models or cells used, and the various durations of microgravity assessed. We also discuss the various reported findings in the field, which include changes to cell proliferation, gene expression and phenotypic shifts, and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and Ca2+ signaling. Additionally, we briefly summarize the literature on smooth muscle tissue engineering in microgravity as well as considerations of radiation as another key component of spaceflight to contextualize spaceflight experiments, which by their nature include radiation exposure. Finally, we provide general recommendations based on the existing literature's focus and limitations.
{"title":"The Effects of Simulated and Real Microgravity on Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells.","authors":"Christopher Ludtka, Josephine B Allen","doi":"10.2478/gsr-2024-0003","DOIUrl":"10.2478/gsr-2024-0003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As considerations are being made for the limitations and safety of long-term human spaceflight, the vasculature is important given its connection to and impact on numerous organ systems. As a major constituent of blood vessels, vascular smooth muscle cells are of interest due to their influence over vascular tone and function. Additionally, vascular smooth muscle cells are responsive to pressure and flow changes. Therefore, alterations in these parameters under conditions of microgravity can be functionally disruptive. As such, here we review and discuss the existing literature that assesses the effects of microgravity, both actual and simulated, on smooth muscle cells. This includes the various methods for achieving or simulating microgravity, the animal models or cells used, and the various durations of microgravity assessed. We also discuss the various reported findings in the field, which include changes to cell proliferation, gene expression and phenotypic shifts, and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and Ca<sup>2+</sup> signaling. Additionally, we briefly summarize the literature on smooth muscle tissue engineering in microgravity as well as considerations of radiation as another key component of spaceflight to contextualize spaceflight experiments, which by their nature include radiation exposure. Finally, we provide general recommendations based on the existing literature's focus and limitations.</p>","PeriodicalId":90510,"journal":{"name":"Gravitational and space research : publication of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research","volume":"12 1","pages":"46-59"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11156189/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141285571","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Haley O. Boles, Lucie Poulet, Christina M. Johnson, Jacob J. Torres, Lawrence L. Koss, LaShelle E. Spencer, Gioia D. Massa
Abstract In long-duration space missions, crops will supplement the astronaut diet. One proposed crop type is microgreens, the young seedlings of edible plants that are known for their high nutritional levels, intense flavors, colorful appearance, and variety of textures. While these characteristics make microgreens promising for space crop production, their small size presents a unique challenge within the microgravity environment. To address this challenge, a microgreen planting box was developed to improve microgreen harvest techniques both in 1 g and in microgravity without concern for contamination by roots. Using this microgreen planting box, three parabolic flights were conducted where two different bagging methods (attached and manual) and three different microgreen cutting methods (Guillotine, Pepper Grinder, Scissors) were tested. In flight, the microgreens were contained within a glovebox and footage of all microgreen harvests was recorded. Statistical and trade analyses revealed that the combination of Cutting & Bagging method that performed the best was the Pepper Grinder with attached bagging. This was based on the following criteria: (1) average execution time, (2) microgreen debris, (3) biomass yield, (4) root debris, (5) microgreens left on the hardware, (6) number of seedlings growing under the lids, (7) hardware failure, and (8) perceived ease of use. This process allowed us to identify weaknesses and strengths of all hardware types and helped us identify major points of improvement within the hardware design to harvest microgreens in microgravity. Future directions include microgreen harvests in analog environments and further development of microgreen Cutting & Bagging method.
{"title":"Design, Build and Testing of Hardware to Safely Harvest Microgreens in Microgravity","authors":"Haley O. Boles, Lucie Poulet, Christina M. Johnson, Jacob J. Torres, Lawrence L. Koss, LaShelle E. Spencer, Gioia D. Massa","doi":"10.2478/gsr-2023-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/gsr-2023-0001","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In long-duration space missions, crops will supplement the astronaut diet. One proposed crop type is microgreens, the young seedlings of edible plants that are known for their high nutritional levels, intense flavors, colorful appearance, and variety of textures. While these characteristics make microgreens promising for space crop production, their small size presents a unique challenge within the microgravity environment. To address this challenge, a microgreen planting box was developed to improve microgreen harvest techniques both in 1 g and in microgravity without concern for contamination by roots. Using this microgreen planting box, three parabolic flights were conducted where two different bagging methods (attached and manual) and three different microgreen cutting methods (Guillotine, Pepper Grinder, Scissors) were tested. In flight, the microgreens were contained within a glovebox and footage of all microgreen harvests was recorded. Statistical and trade analyses revealed that the combination of Cutting & Bagging method that performed the best was the Pepper Grinder with attached bagging. This was based on the following criteria: (1) average execution time, (2) microgreen debris, (3) biomass yield, (4) root debris, (5) microgreens left on the hardware, (6) number of seedlings growing under the lids, (7) hardware failure, and (8) perceived ease of use. This process allowed us to identify weaknesses and strengths of all hardware types and helped us identify major points of improvement within the hardware design to harvest microgreens in microgravity. Future directions include microgreen harvests in analog environments and further development of microgreen Cutting & Bagging method.","PeriodicalId":90510,"journal":{"name":"Gravitational and space research : publication of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research","volume":"127 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135261396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract It is often a challenge to arouse much interest, motivation, and engagement in physical science courses among non-STEM majors. We attempt to address this difficulty and at the same time strive to achieve high levels of student learning by choosing a novel as the main text of the course. We created a context-rich course on astrobiology—the science of life in the universe—that uses Carl Sagan's Contact as the main text. We were able to teach the entire subject matter of a conventional course without omitting any topic. A typical class session included discussion of the science content of one chapter of Contact after students are assigned to read it and answer questions before the lecture. We assessed our approach with pretests and posttests that measure students’ knowledge of the key content areas, as well as students’ perceptions. We then calculate the students’ normalized gains, the effect size, and perform hypothesis testing. Our results show that this approach can result in substantial learning gains for students and at the same time improve students’ self-assessment and perceptions of science while not compromising the absolute learning gains.
{"title":"A Novel Approach to Teaching a General Education Course on Astrobiology","authors":"L. Burko","doi":"10.2478/gsr-2022-0003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/gsr-2022-0003","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract It is often a challenge to arouse much interest, motivation, and engagement in physical science courses among non-STEM majors. We attempt to address this difficulty and at the same time strive to achieve high levels of student learning by choosing a novel as the main text of the course. We created a context-rich course on astrobiology—the science of life in the universe—that uses Carl Sagan's Contact as the main text. We were able to teach the entire subject matter of a conventional course without omitting any topic. A typical class session included discussion of the science content of one chapter of Contact after students are assigned to read it and answer questions before the lecture. We assessed our approach with pretests and posttests that measure students’ knowledge of the key content areas, as well as students’ perceptions. We then calculate the students’ normalized gains, the effect size, and perform hypothesis testing. Our results show that this approach can result in substantial learning gains for students and at the same time improve students’ self-assessment and perceptions of science while not compromising the absolute learning gains.","PeriodicalId":90510,"journal":{"name":"Gravitational and space research : publication of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research","volume":"333 1","pages":"18 - 29"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80574117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The reduction in growth and development of plants constantly exposed to different ranges of hypergravity (acceleration more than 1 g) is adequately documented. However, earlier studies did not reveal the threshold hypergravity value at which these effects were seen. The understanding of the threshold g-value is an important consideration while we plan hypergravity experiments as different plants can perceive and respond differently at the same g-value. The aim of the present work is to study the effect on growth and photosynthetic parameters as well as to assess the threshold values in wheat seedlings grown from hypergravity-exposed seeds. Healthy wheat seeds were immersed in distilled water for 24 hours and exposed to hypergravity values ranging from 200 g to 1,000 g for a short duration of 10 minutes and sown on 0.8% agar gel. All the measurements were done on the fifth day after sowing. Results obtained showed significant reduction in growth and photosynthetic parameters in seedlings raised from hypergravity-treated wheat seeds. Interestingly, the reduction was started at 400 g and was found to reach a maximum at 1,000 g. Probably this would be the first study reporting the threshold of high g forces for growth and photosynthetic parameters when seeds were exposed to hypergravity.
{"title":"Short-Term Hypergravity-Induced Changes in Growth, Photo synthetic Parameters, and Assessment of Threshold Values in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)","authors":"Jyotsana Dixit, S. Jagtap, P. Vidyasagar","doi":"10.2478/gsr-2022-0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/gsr-2022-0002","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The reduction in growth and development of plants constantly exposed to different ranges of hypergravity (acceleration more than 1 g) is adequately documented. However, earlier studies did not reveal the threshold hypergravity value at which these effects were seen. The understanding of the threshold g-value is an important consideration while we plan hypergravity experiments as different plants can perceive and respond differently at the same g-value. The aim of the present work is to study the effect on growth and photosynthetic parameters as well as to assess the threshold values in wheat seedlings grown from hypergravity-exposed seeds. Healthy wheat seeds were immersed in distilled water for 24 hours and exposed to hypergravity values ranging from 200 g to 1,000 g for a short duration of 10 minutes and sown on 0.8% agar gel. All the measurements were done on the fifth day after sowing. Results obtained showed significant reduction in growth and photosynthetic parameters in seedlings raised from hypergravity-treated wheat seeds. Interestingly, the reduction was started at 400 g and was found to reach a maximum at 1,000 g. Probably this would be the first study reporting the threshold of high g forces for growth and photosynthetic parameters when seeds were exposed to hypergravity.","PeriodicalId":90510,"journal":{"name":"Gravitational and space research : publication of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research","volume":"6 1","pages":"10 - 17"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91121850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Meyers, Eric S. Land, I. Perera, Emma Canaday, S. Wyatt
Abstract Plant biology experiments in microgravity face many challenges, among which are the constraints of the growth platforms available on the International Space Station (ISS). Protocols for preservation and sample return to Earth often limit efficient dissection of seedlings for downstream tissue-specific analysis. The Advanced Plant Experiment (APEx)-07 spaceflight experiment required a large quantity of dissectible, well-preserved seedlings suitable for omics analysis. During preflight tests, protocols were developed for using an agar-polyethersulfone (PES) membrane platform for seedling growth that allowed for seedling germination and growth aboard the ISS and rapid freezing to provide intact seedlings for dissection and extraction of high-quality DNA, RNA, and protein. Each component of the growth setup was carefully examined: membrane color, hydration and growth substrate, capacity for delayed germination, growth duration, harvest approach, and preservation pipelines were all individually optimized. Sterilized Arabidopsis seeds were adhered to PES membrane with guar gum. Membranes were laid onto 0.8% agar containing 0.5x Murashige and Skoog (MS) in 10 cm square Petri dishes and held at 4 °C until the experiment was actuated by placing the Petri dishes at room temperature. Seedlings were grown vertically for 12 days. PES membranes were removed from the agar, placed in the Petri dish lid, wrapped in foil, and frozen at −80 °C. Seedlings were dissected into roots and shoots and provided high-quality DNA, RNA, and protein. The system is simple, potentially adaptable for seedlings of multiple species, scalable and cost effective, and offers added versatility to existing ISS plant growth capabilities.
{"title":"Polyethersulfone (PES) Membrane on Agar Plates as a Plant Growth Platform for Spaceflight","authors":"A. Meyers, Eric S. Land, I. Perera, Emma Canaday, S. Wyatt","doi":"10.2478/gsr-2022-0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/gsr-2022-0004","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Plant biology experiments in microgravity face many challenges, among which are the constraints of the growth platforms available on the International Space Station (ISS). Protocols for preservation and sample return to Earth often limit efficient dissection of seedlings for downstream tissue-specific analysis. The Advanced Plant Experiment (APEx)-07 spaceflight experiment required a large quantity of dissectible, well-preserved seedlings suitable for omics analysis. During preflight tests, protocols were developed for using an agar-polyethersulfone (PES) membrane platform for seedling growth that allowed for seedling germination and growth aboard the ISS and rapid freezing to provide intact seedlings for dissection and extraction of high-quality DNA, RNA, and protein. Each component of the growth setup was carefully examined: membrane color, hydration and growth substrate, capacity for delayed germination, growth duration, harvest approach, and preservation pipelines were all individually optimized. Sterilized Arabidopsis seeds were adhered to PES membrane with guar gum. Membranes were laid onto 0.8% agar containing 0.5x Murashige and Skoog (MS) in 10 cm square Petri dishes and held at 4 °C until the experiment was actuated by placing the Petri dishes at room temperature. Seedlings were grown vertically for 12 days. PES membranes were removed from the agar, placed in the Petri dish lid, wrapped in foil, and frozen at −80 °C. Seedlings were dissected into roots and shoots and provided high-quality DNA, RNA, and protein. The system is simple, potentially adaptable for seedlings of multiple species, scalable and cost effective, and offers added versatility to existing ISS plant growth capabilities.","PeriodicalId":90510,"journal":{"name":"Gravitational and space research : publication of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research","volume":"52 1","pages":"30 - 36"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84683376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Adam J. Cecil, John E. Payne, Luke T. Hawtrey, Ben King, G. Willing, Stuart J. Williams
Abstract A study of like-charged, bimodal colloidal suspensions was conducted in microgravity aboard the International Space Station as part of NASA's Advanced Colloids Experiments-Heated-2 (ACE-H-2) experiments. Samples comprised of silsesquioxane microparticles (600 nm) and zirconia nanoparticles (5–15 nm) in 1.5 pH nitric acid were mixed and allowed to agglomerate over time while being imaged with NASA's Light Microscopy Module (LMM). The samples contained 1% of microparticles with varying concentrations of nanoparticles in 0.1%, 0.055%, and 0.01% by volume. Digital images were captured periodically by the LMM over 12 days. Image analysis, including cluster size and distribution, was performed in Python using the “Colloidspy” package. The study found that cluster size had increased over time in at least seven of nine samples, but two samples exhibited nonlinear growth rates, while others showed very slow growth with cluster sizes two orders of magnitude greater than the free microparticles. We hypothesize that all samples experienced nonlinear growth, but early transient effects after mixing were missed due to timing limitations in image acquisition. Transport limitations of clusters in these systems may have dominated agglomeration behavior in microgravity, despite the samples being thermodynamically unstable, but more study is required.
{"title":"Nonlinear Agglomeration of Bimodal Colloids under Microgravity","authors":"Adam J. Cecil, John E. Payne, Luke T. Hawtrey, Ben King, G. Willing, Stuart J. Williams","doi":"10.2478/gsr-2022-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/gsr-2022-0001","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract A study of like-charged, bimodal colloidal suspensions was conducted in microgravity aboard the International Space Station as part of NASA's Advanced Colloids Experiments-Heated-2 (ACE-H-2) experiments. Samples comprised of silsesquioxane microparticles (600 nm) and zirconia nanoparticles (5–15 nm) in 1.5 pH nitric acid were mixed and allowed to agglomerate over time while being imaged with NASA's Light Microscopy Module (LMM). The samples contained 1% of microparticles with varying concentrations of nanoparticles in 0.1%, 0.055%, and 0.01% by volume. Digital images were captured periodically by the LMM over 12 days. Image analysis, including cluster size and distribution, was performed in Python using the “Colloidspy” package. The study found that cluster size had increased over time in at least seven of nine samples, but two samples exhibited nonlinear growth rates, while others showed very slow growth with cluster sizes two orders of magnitude greater than the free microparticles. We hypothesize that all samples experienced nonlinear growth, but early transient effects after mixing were missed due to timing limitations in image acquisition. Transport limitations of clusters in these systems may have dominated agglomeration behavior in microgravity, despite the samples being thermodynamically unstable, but more study is required.","PeriodicalId":90510,"journal":{"name":"Gravitational and space research : publication of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research","volume":"40 1","pages":"1 - 9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80990106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Plant growth experiments on near-term lunar landers need to be relatively small, lightweight, and self-contained. Here, we report on the design of a ~1 liter volume (1U Cubesat size) hermetically sealed habitat suitable for plant growth experiments during the first 10 days of seedling development of Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica nigra. Images from a single interior camera show germination and provide quantitative data on seedling height, leaf area, and circumnutations. After 10 days with illumination from LEDs, the photosynthetic area of Arabidopsis cotyledons per seedling reached 300 mm2. Seedling height, inferred from the overhead camera using reference markers, reached was 15 ± 5 mm. Robust circumnutation in seedlings was observed. CO2 increased as expected due to respiration in the seeds during germination reaching levels of 5000 ppm after 3 days before declining to 3000 ppm on day 10 due to photosynthetic uptake. No CO2 was added to the sealed chamber during the experiments. These results show that fundamental studies of germination and initial growth can be conducted in a small volume (1 L) hermetically sealed unit with only an overhead camera and CO2 sensor. Hardware based on this approach would be suitable for lunar experiments on robotic landers.
{"title":"Design of Spaceflight Hardware for Plant Growth in a Sealed Habitat for Experiments on the Moon","authors":"R. Bowman, C. Mckay, J. Kiss","doi":"10.2478/gsr-2022-0005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/gsr-2022-0005","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Plant growth experiments on near-term lunar landers need to be relatively small, lightweight, and self-contained. Here, we report on the design of a ~1 liter volume (1U Cubesat size) hermetically sealed habitat suitable for plant growth experiments during the first 10 days of seedling development of Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica nigra. Images from a single interior camera show germination and provide quantitative data on seedling height, leaf area, and circumnutations. After 10 days with illumination from LEDs, the photosynthetic area of Arabidopsis cotyledons per seedling reached 300 mm2. Seedling height, inferred from the overhead camera using reference markers, reached was 15 ± 5 mm. Robust circumnutation in seedlings was observed. CO2 increased as expected due to respiration in the seeds during germination reaching levels of 5000 ppm after 3 days before declining to 3000 ppm on day 10 due to photosynthetic uptake. No CO2 was added to the sealed chamber during the experiments. These results show that fundamental studies of germination and initial growth can be conducted in a small volume (1 L) hermetically sealed unit with only an overhead camera and CO2 sensor. Hardware based on this approach would be suitable for lunar experiments on robotic landers.","PeriodicalId":90510,"journal":{"name":"Gravitational and space research : publication of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research","volume":"66 sup6 1","pages":"37 - 44"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81527245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
H. Todd Smith, R. Hacala, E. Hohlfeld, W. Edens, C. Hibbitts, L. Paxton, S. Arnold, J. Westlake, A. Rymer, A. Chacos, M. Peck, B. Zeiger
Abstract Multiple private companies are building suborbital reusable launch vehicles possessing vastly different designs. Many of these companies originally focused on space tourism; however, revolutionary applications for scientific and engineering research as well as technology demonstrations and instrument development are emerging. The dramatic reduction in cost over traditional launch systems as well as a guaranteed (and rapid) safe payload return enable many new launch vehicle applications. These new capabilities will essentially move the laboratory environment up to the edge of space. To make use of these novel launch vehicles, the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory has established a Commercial Suborbital Program with a core system (JANUS) to support and enable many future suborbital missions. This program has already conducted six suborbital flight missions to establish vehicle interfaces and analyze the suitability and limits of each flight environment. Additionally, this program has also been selected by the NASA Flight Opportunities Program for five additional operational suborbital missions. Here we present the results of our completed missions as well as descriptions of future selected missions scheduled for 2021–2023.
{"title":"APL JANUS System Progress on Commercial Suborbital Launch Vehicles: Moving the Laboratory Environment to Near Space","authors":"H. Todd Smith, R. Hacala, E. Hohlfeld, W. Edens, C. Hibbitts, L. Paxton, S. Arnold, J. Westlake, A. Rymer, A. Chacos, M. Peck, B. Zeiger","doi":"10.2478/gsr-2021-0003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/gsr-2021-0003","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Multiple private companies are building suborbital reusable launch vehicles possessing vastly different designs. Many of these companies originally focused on space tourism; however, revolutionary applications for scientific and engineering research as well as technology demonstrations and instrument development are emerging. The dramatic reduction in cost over traditional launch systems as well as a guaranteed (and rapid) safe payload return enable many new launch vehicle applications. These new capabilities will essentially move the laboratory environment up to the edge of space. To make use of these novel launch vehicles, the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory has established a Commercial Suborbital Program with a core system (JANUS) to support and enable many future suborbital missions. This program has already conducted six suborbital flight missions to establish vehicle interfaces and analyze the suitability and limits of each flight environment. Additionally, this program has also been selected by the NASA Flight Opportunities Program for five additional operational suborbital missions. Here we present the results of our completed missions as well as descriptions of future selected missions scheduled for 2021–2023.","PeriodicalId":90510,"journal":{"name":"Gravitational and space research : publication of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research","volume":"17 1","pages":"30 - 49"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87519311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
R. Smith, Felix Kraemer, C. Bader, Miana Smith, Aaron Weber, M. Simone-Finstrom, N. Wilson-Rich, N. Oxman
Abstract Microgravity experiment modules for living organisms have been instrumental to space research, yet their design remains complex and costly. As the private space sector enables more widely available payloads for researchers, it is increasingly necessary to design experimental modules innovatively so that they are proportionately accessible. To ease this bottleneck, we developed a rapid fabrication methodology for producing custom modules compatible with commercial payload slots. Our method creates a unified housing geometry, based on a given component layout, which is fabricated in a digital design and subtractive manufacturing process from a single lightweight foam material. This module design demonstrated a 25–50% reduction in chassis weight compared with existing models, and is extremely competitive in manufacturing time, simplicity, and cost. To demonstrate the ability to capture data on previously limited areas of space biology, we apply this methodology to create an autonomous, video-enabled module for sensing and observing queen and retinue bees aboard the Blue Origin New Shepard 11 (NS-11) suborbital flight. To explore whether spaceflight impacts queen fitness, results used high-definition visual data enabled by the module's compact build to analyze queen-worker regulation under microgravity stress (n = 2, with controls). Overall, this generalizable method for constructing experimental modules provides wider accessibility to space research and new data on honey bee behavior in microgravity.
{"title":"A Rapid Fabrication Methodology for Payload Modules, Piloted for the Observation of Queen Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) in Microgravity","authors":"R. Smith, Felix Kraemer, C. Bader, Miana Smith, Aaron Weber, M. Simone-Finstrom, N. Wilson-Rich, N. Oxman","doi":"10.2478/gsr-2021-0008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/gsr-2021-0008","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Microgravity experiment modules for living organisms have been instrumental to space research, yet their design remains complex and costly. As the private space sector enables more widely available payloads for researchers, it is increasingly necessary to design experimental modules innovatively so that they are proportionately accessible. To ease this bottleneck, we developed a rapid fabrication methodology for producing custom modules compatible with commercial payload slots. Our method creates a unified housing geometry, based on a given component layout, which is fabricated in a digital design and subtractive manufacturing process from a single lightweight foam material. This module design demonstrated a 25–50% reduction in chassis weight compared with existing models, and is extremely competitive in manufacturing time, simplicity, and cost. To demonstrate the ability to capture data on previously limited areas of space biology, we apply this methodology to create an autonomous, video-enabled module for sensing and observing queen and retinue bees aboard the Blue Origin New Shepard 11 (NS-11) suborbital flight. To explore whether spaceflight impacts queen fitness, results used high-definition visual data enabled by the module's compact build to analyze queen-worker regulation under microgravity stress (n = 2, with controls). Overall, this generalizable method for constructing experimental modules provides wider accessibility to space research and new data on honey bee behavior in microgravity.","PeriodicalId":90510,"journal":{"name":"Gravitational and space research : publication of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research","volume":"21 1","pages":"104 - 114"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83295058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. Theriot, P. Chévez-Barrios, T. Loughlin, Afshin Beheshti, N. Mercaldo, S. Zanello
Abstract The Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) is hypothesized to be associated with microgravity-induced fluid shifts. There is a need for an animal model of SANS to investigate its pathophysiology. We used the rat hindlimb suspension (HS) model to examine the relationship between the assumed cephalad fluid shifts, intraocular (IOP) pressure and the molecular responses in the retina to the prolonged change in body posture. Long evans rats were subjected to HS up to 90 days. Animals completing 90-day suspension were further studied for recovery periods up to 90 additional days in normal posture. With respect to baseline, the average IOP increase in HS animals and the rate of change varied by cohort. Transcriptomics evidence supported a response to HS in the rat retina that was affected by age and sex. Several molecular networks suggested stress imposed by HS affected the retinal vasculature, oxidative and inflammation status, pigmented epithelium and glia. The CSNK1A1-TP53 pathway was implicated in the response in all cohorts. Sex-specific genes were involved in cytoprotection and may explain sex-dependent vulnerabilities to certain eye diseases. These results support the hypothesis that changes in the biology of the retina subjected to simulated microgravity involve both the neural and vascular retina.
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