Heritage Space Flight
Pharmacological and Biological
Research Hardware and Technologies
A Survey of Applicability to the Space Island Lab-ET
/ Heritage Space Flight Pharmacological And Biological Research Hardware And Technologies: A Survey And Overview Of Applicability To The Space Island Lab-ET /
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1Scope
1.1Scalability of Lab-ET Applications
2Introduction
3Hardware
3.1Human Research Facility
3.1.1HRF 2 Centrifuge
3.2Habitats
3.2.1Advanced Animal Habitat
3.2.2Animal Enclosure Module
3.2.3Aquatic Habitat
3.2.4Cell Culture System
3.2.5Avian Development Facility
3.2.6Insect Habitat
3.2.7Plant Research Unit
3.2.8Biomass Production System
3.2.9Incubator
3.3Host Systems
3.3.1Habitat Holding Rack
3.3.2Standard Interface Glove Box
3.3.3Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC)
3.3.4Space Tissue Loss Unit
3.3.5Bioreactor Demonstration System (BDS)
3.3.6Freezers
3.4Laboratory Support Equipment
3.4.1Dissecting Microscope
3.4.2Small Mass Measuring Instrument
3.4.3Cell Culture Hardware
3.4.4Veterinary Kit
3.4.5Data Collection
4Research
4.1Prostate Cancer Growth in Bioreactor Demonstration System
(Cellular Biology)
4.2Protein Crystal Growth (PCG) Single-locker Thermal Enclosure System (STES) housing the Diffusion-Controlled Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity (DCAM) (Physical Sciences)
4.3Clinical Trial of Melatonin as a Hypnotic (Pharmacology, Chronobiology)
4.4Role of Visual Cues in Spatial Orientation (Neurophysiology)
4.5Gas Permeable Polymeric Materials (Materials Research)
4.6Effect of Weightlessness on Bone Histology, Physiology, and Mechanics (Bone and Calcium Physiology)
4.7Pulmonary Physiology in Weightlessness (Physiology)
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 3.1 – HRF Rack
Figure 3.2 – HRF2 Refrigerated Centrifuge
Figure 3.3 – Advanced Animal Habitat
Figure 3.4 – Animal Enclosure Module
Figure 3.5 – Aquatic Habitat
Figure 3.6 – Cell Culture System
Figure 3.7 – Avian Development Facility Internal View
Figure 3.8 – Insect Habitat
Figure 3.9 – Plant Research Unit
Figure 3.10 – Biomass Production System in the Shuttle Atlantis Middeck (STS-110)
Figure 3.11 - Incubator
Figure 3.12 – Habitat Holding Rack (empty, front view)
Figure 3.13 – Standard Interface Glove Box
Figure 3.14 – Biological Research in Canisters
Figure 3.15 – Space Tissue Loss Unit
Figure 3.16 – Bioreactor Demonstration System
Figure 3.17 – Oceaneering/SPACEHAB Refrigerator/Freezer
Figure 3.18 – Dissecting Microscope
Figure 3.19 – Small Mass Measuring Instrument
Figure 3.20 – Multiple Orbital Bioreactor with Instrumentation and Automated Sampling (MOBIAS)
Figure 3.21 – Veterinary Kit
Figure 3.22 – STS-90 Neurolab Crewmember donning the Sleep Net and RIP Suit
Figure 4.1 – This prostate cancer construct was grown during NASA-sponsored bioreactor studies on Earth. Cells are attached to a biodegradable plastic lattice that gives them a head start in growth
Figure 4.2 – Image of a DCAM Experiment
Figure 4.3 – STS-90 Crewmember utilizing the VEG to perform the Visual Cues in Spatial Orientation Experiment
Figure 4.4 – Space Shuttle Crew Member Using the Pulmonary Physiology Hardware
LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1 – Disciplines and Research Questions Addressed on the ISS
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1Scope
The scope of this document is to provide an overview of various microgravity biological research hardware and research that could be used in other orbiting laboratory environments such as Space Island Group’s (SIG) Lab-ET.
1.1Scalability of Lab-ET Applications
Technologies and payloads represented throughout this survey are designed per the proportional and resource constraints typical of NASA's Space Shuttle and Space Station flight assets and mission models. The Space Island Group's Lab-ET station architecture offers larger accommodations and resource availability on a commercial scale, with standard modular pallets each having volume approximately eight times that of a Space Station standard Middeck Locker Equivalent (MLE). Space Island Lab-ET installations are also expected to endure extended on-orbit operations. Adaptation of heritage technologies to the less constraining Lab-ET architecture is certainly viable. However, linear extrapolation of capability, power usage, volume and mass is not recommended, as many factors might invalidate simple scaling, resulting in unrealistically dense or volume-intensive approximations.
2Introduction
Both the Space Shuttle (STS) and the International Space Station (ISS) have been, and still are, being used as research test beds for life sciences research that cannot be conducted on Earth as easily because of the gravity factor. Table 2.1 shows a list of disciplines that NASA envisions being researched on ISS: a number of these are medical/biological in nature, while other items listed are clearly interdisciplinary and span from biology to science and engineering. The Shuttles have been used several times for dedicated life sciences missions (using resources in the Middeck and additional resources in the Spacelab and SPACEHAB modules), such as STS-90 Neurolab, and Columbia’s final mission, STS-107. It is certainly conceivable that Lab-ET could accommodate most, if not all, of these applications.
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Table 2.1 – Disciplines and Research Questions Addressed on the ISS[1]
Discipline / Fundamental Research QuestionsAdvanced Human Support/ Biomedical Research & Countermeasures / What knowledge and technology are needed to allow humans to live and function productively in an environment away from the Earth’s surface? How can this knowledge benefit medical care on Earth?
Biotechnology / Why do some macromolecular crystals show improved order when grown in space, and how can we utilize an understanding of the growth process to improve terrestrial efforts in structural biology? How does mechanical stress influence mammalian cell and tissue culture, and how can we apply advances in tissue culture technology to problems in biomedical research?
Combustion Science / How do the fundamental principles controlling the combustion processes vary with different fuels and in different environments? How can this understanding improve the efficiency of fuel utilization and minimize the emissions of pollutants and fire involved in these processes?
Fluid Physics / What are the fundamental physical principles controlling the behavior of fluids, and how can this understanding be applied to improve other scientific and engineering disciplines?
Fundamental Physics / Which experiments can be performed in low-Earth orbit to test the laws and theories of physics to limits that are unachievable on Earth? What resultant technologies are enabled by such experiments?
Fundamental Biology / What are the effects of altered gravity and other aspects of the space environment on the evolution, development, and function of living organisms? How do these effects impact the interaction of living organisms with their environment?
Material Science / How are the structure, properties, and processing of materials affected by gravity, and how can space-based research into materials science improve life on Earth?
Space Science / What is the origin and propagation of cosmic rays in the universe?
Engineering Research & Technology Development / What engineering advancements and new technologies will lead to enhanced capabilities on the ISS and the enablement of safe missions for humans to other solar system bodies?
Space Product Development / How can we apply the knowledge gained on the International Space Station to life on Earth?
Earth Science / How does the Earth environment change over time, and what are the causes of these changes?
3Hardware
This section contains some examples of life science-dedicated equipment used (or to be used) in biological, pharmaceutical, and biomedical research. It should be noted that this constitutes only a fraction of all the hardware items developed by NASA and its research partners over the years. While this document list several items, it should be kept in mind that NASA and its partners may possess different version of one item category (i.e. more than just one type of animal holding facility).
- The primary source of information for current hardware for use on future space flight missions is the Flight Experiments Information Package, available online as a PDF document ( Other useful resources on the hardware that NASA makes available to Principal Investigators and end-users for space experimentation include:
- The Science Payloads Online Reference (SPORTs) Tool, which contains information on the Human Research Facility (
- The Life Sciences Laboratory Equipment (LSLE) Online Catalog (
- The NASA Life Sciences Data Archive Hardware Catalog (
- The Space Station Biological Research Project Web Site (
- The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Life Sciences Data Archive Hardware Catalog ( which lists hardware available for flight experiments proposed to the Small Payloads Program in response to NASA Research Announcements.
Links to these hardware items, as well as others in the same class are listed in the Life Science Flight Hardware Information Resources ( web site.
3.1Human Research Facility
One of the ongoing research facilities on ISS is the Human Research Facility (HRF), a complement of hardware and science experiments designed to chronicle and develop countermeasures for the effects of long-duration space flight on crewmembers. The HRF (Figure 3.1) contains a variety of instruments for measuring and collecting data and/or samples on human physiological parameters and performance, as well as other life science-related research due to its flexible design. The HRF Rack is an all-drawer International Standard Payload Rack. The rack provides International Space Station services and utilities to experiments and instruments installed in the rack. These include electrical power, command and data handling, cooling air and water, pressurized gases, and vacuum. The rack design accommodates drawer mounted experiments/ instruments using the International Subrack Interface Standard (ISIS) for structural, power, and data interfaces.[2]
Figure 3.1 – HRF Rack
3.1.1HRF 2 Centrifuge
The HRF Rack 2 contains additional hardware that permits further on-orbit biomedical research. One of HRF 2’s hardware elements is a Refrigerated Centrifuge (RC). The RC (Figure 3.2) is a mechanical device used to separate biological substances of differing densities. The centrifuge will be capable of maintaining a rotor chamber temperature of +4 degrees C. During launch and landing, the RC shall be rack mounted in an 12PU active drawer. During on-orbit operations, the RC shall be rack mounted in an HRF Rack 12 PU active drawer.
Figure 3.2 – HRF2 Refrigerated Centrifuge
According to its specifications, the RC shall:
- Provide a system for separation of biological samples based on differing sample densities.
- Be capable of running from 1 to 30 minutes, selectable in one minute increments.
- Have a hold feature to allow for indefinite run times.
- Provide selectable speed over a minimum range of 1000 to 5000 RPM, selectable in increments of 100 RPM, 10.
- Accommodate sample sizes from 0.5 to 50 ml with a minimum of 6 of the 50 ml vials at a time.
- Provide programmable centrifugation protocols that may be overridden if necessary.
- Provide a visual alert when centrifuge protocol has ended.
- Provide an emergency stop capability that will stop the rotor (brake) from spinning.
- Provide the capability to detect unbalanced conditions during centrifugation and automatically shut down the centrifuge.
- Provide refrigeration of the rotor chamber from ambient to +4C with selectable set points in increments of 2C. Percent error is +2C or –4C.
- Be capable of manually controlled (or equivalent) rotor angular acceleration and deceleration (braking).
Additional information on the RC can be found at
3.2Habitats
3.2.1Advanced Animal Habitat[3]
The Advanced Animal Habitat-Centrifuge (AAH-C, Figure 3.3), under development by STAR, Inc. (Bloomington, IN), is a research environment for laboratory rats and mice that will be orbiting for up to 90 days. It is been developed by STAR Inc. with the support of their sub-contractor SHOT Inc. The AAH-C is internally modularized so that it can be reconfigured to facilitate a wide range of rodent experiments during all stages of the animals' life cycle (that is, during pregnancy, birth, nursing, and post-weaning, and as an adult). When the International Space Station is completely assembled, 8 AAH-Cs will be available for experimental manipulation at the Life Sciences Glovebox, 4 will typically accommodate variable gravity on the 2.5-meter Centrifuge, and 4 will typically be in the microgravity environment of the Habitat Holding Rack. Each AAH-C will accommodate up to six rats (400 grams each) or up to 12 mice (60 grams each) in group-housed configurations, and up to three rats or three mice in individually housed configurations. An Animal Biotelemetry System (ABS) will acquire a variety of physiological measurements, including: temperature, ECG, EMG, EEG, neural recordings, blood flow and blood pressure. Real-time physiological data will be transferred from the ABS to the host system for downlinking to the ground.
Habitat engineering data such as the specimen chamber's air temperature, humidity, power, food and water measurements, and light intensity will be monitored throughout the experiment and rodents will be observed remotely using video imaging of the entire cage volume during group-housed and individually housed configurations. The AAH-C will control temperature, humidity, and lighting, as well as food and water delivery, and waste management. An airflow rate of at least 10 changes per hour will prevent carbon dioxide and ammonia from accumulating in the specimen chamber. Air will be filtered and conditioned before being exchanged with the air in the Space Station environment; this will maintain bio-isolation between the crew and the specimens. Habitat parameters have the option to be controlled from the ground include, but are not limited to: power, light intensity, temperature, camera on/off, air velocity, and individual animal biotelemetry sensors on/off.
Figure 3.3 – Advanced Animal Habitat
3.2.2Animal Enclosure Module
The Animal Enclosure Module (AEM, Figure 3.4) is a rodent housing facility that supports up to six 250 gram rats and fits inside a standard Shuttle middeck locker with a modified locker door. It is composed of a stainless steel grid cage module, air circulation fans, a layered filter system, interior lamps, and a food and water supply. Animal floor space with water supply installed, is approximately 645 cm2 with a cage volume of 1100 in3. A removable divider plate provides two separate animal holding areas, if required. The AEM remains in the stowage locker during launch and landing. On orbit the AEM may be removed partway from the locker and the interior viewed or photographed through the Lexan cover on the top of the unit. When outfitted with an Ambient Temperature Recorder, temperatures within the AEM can be recorded automatically at up to four locations in intervals of 2 to 15 minutes throughout the mission.
The Main Circuit Breaker protects and distributes 28 volt DC power to the fan and lighting circuits. Additional circuit breakers independently protect lights and fans in diagonally opposed sections to ensure light and air circulation on each side of the AEM should one breaker fail. The AEM specimens are loaded approximately 20 hours prior to launch and AEM installation into the Orbiter Middeck is approximately 18 hours before launch. The AEM is available approximately 3 hours after landing. A custom designed muffler attaches to the front of the AEM to help reduce acoustical noise in the crew compartment during on-orbit operations
Figure 3.4 – Animal Enclosure Module
3.2.3Aquatic Habitat[4]
The Aquatic Habitat (AQH, Figure 3.5) is a support unit habitat that contains an aquarium package capable of conducting high-quality research using a variety of aquatic specimens within the Space Station Biological Research Project. The AQH will accommodate both freshwater and marine organisms, vertebrates and invertebrates, and aquatic plants. (Among vertebrates, the AQH will support both amphibians such as Xenopus and fish such as zebrafish and medaka.)
Compared to previous aquatic habitats, the AQH for the International Space Station will have several features not previously available on-orbit. First, the habitat will accommodate experiments for up to 90 days, making it possible to do research ranging from early-stage developmental studies through multi-generational selection studies. Second, the Aquatic Habitat will be compatible with the SSBRP 2.5 meter Centrifuge to provide an experimental acceleration force between 0 to 2 g. With this capability, experimenters will be able both to host 1 g control specimens and to identify response-threshold gravity levels for particular cellular and physiological processes. The centrifuge facility is also expected to have 6 replicate specimen chambers, each with its own independent water quality management system. Designs for an air-water interface are also being evaluated, which would allow for gas bladder inflation by larval fish and lung inflation by amphibians. Finally, water temperature will be regulated over the range of 14C to 30C. Oxygen concentration will be regulated between 60 to 95 percent saturation at 1.0 ATM (5.1-8.1 mg/l@STP), and water pH will be held between 6.7 and 7.5. These ranges will make it possible for experimenters to monitor developmental processes under carefully controlled experimental conditions. Sampling and fixation of all life stages will be possible, as will video recording from 1-40X. The capabilities of this facility will allow researchers to examine how organisms are able to adapt to microgravity conditions, and also how they have adapted over evolutionary time to the ever-present influence of Earth’s gravity.
Figure 3.5 – Aquatic Habitat
3.2.4Cell Culture System[5]
Under development by Payload Systems, Inc. (Cambridge, MA) and scheduled to fly on the UF-5 Shuttle missions, the Cell Culture Unit (CCU, Figure 3.6) is being developed for use on the International Space Station. This hardware will help to answer questions concerning the effects of spaceflight and microgravity on cells.
The CCU will accommodate many different cell specimens in up to 18 cell-specimen chambers. The chambers' environmental conditions (temperature, pH, and gas concentrations) will be maintained by medium recirculation and renewal, as well as gas and heat exchange. The CCU features the ability to add experimental agents automatically such as growth factors, automated sampling, and specimen monitoring by means of video microscopy. Microgravity experiments will be performed by the CCU within the Habitat Holding Rack; a CCU within the Space Station Centrifuge will serve as an on-board gravity-control unit. Seven reference specimens were selected to test the CCU's capabilities: muscle cell monolayers (C2C12 cell line), human dermal fibroblasts, osteogenic cells from bone marrow, three-dimensional muscle tissue, Euglena (a unicellular, aquatic organism), tobacco-cell suspension, and yeast-cell suspension.