High Altitude Science Experiments aboard NASA’s WB-57 Airborne Research Platform

Purpose: Exposure to space radiation may place astronauts at significant health risks. This is an under-investigated area of research and therefore more knowledge is needed to better plan long-term space missions. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of radiation on murine naïve and activated T lymphocytes (T cells) and to test the effectiveness of thermal, radiation and flight tracking technology in biological scientific payloads. We cultured cells in specific cytokines known to increase their viability and exposed them to either flight or had them as ground controls. Flight cells were kept under proper environmental conditions by using an active thermal system, whereas the levels of radiation were measured by NASA’s Timepix radiation sensor during ascent, cruise at 60,000 feet, and descent. In addition, an Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) device was utilized to track the state vector of the aircraft during flight.