Daily Archives: May 4, 2014

Space Station Live: Molecular Behavior of Solids, Liquids and Gases
Tracy McMahan, a public affairs officer at the Marshall Space Flight Center, spoke with Gabriel Pont, DECLIC #39;s mission manager from the French Space Agency (...

By: ReelNASA

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Space Station Live: Molecular Behavior of Solids, Liquids and Gases - Video

OR07 Space station debris HD

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OR07 Space station debris HD - Video

Space to Ground - 5/02/2014
NASA #39;s Space to Ground is your weekly update on what #39;s happening aboard the International Space Station. Got a question or comment? Use #spacetoground to talk to us.

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Space to Ground - 5/02/2014 - Video

A pair of space pioneers, welcomed to the U S Astronaut Hall of Fame
Space shuttle astronauts Shannon Lucid, the only American woman to serve aboard the Russian Space Station Mir, and Jerry Ross, the first human to complete seven space shuttle missions, were...

By: NASA

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A pair of space pioneers, welcomed to the U S Astronaut Hall of Fame - Video

In the movies, humans often fear invaders from Mars. These days, scientists are more concerned about invaders to Mars, in the form of micro-organisms from Earth.

Three recent scientific papers examined the risks of interplanetary exchange of organisms using research from the International Space Station.

All three, Survival of Rock-Colonizing Organisms After 1.5 Years in Outer Space, Resistance of Bacterial Endospores to Outer Space for Planetary Protection Purposes and Survival of Bacillus Pumilus Spores for a Prolonged Period of Time in Real Space Conditions, have appeared in Astrobiology Journal.

Organisms hitching a ride on a spacecraft have the potential to contaminate other celestial bodies, making it difficult for scientists to determine whether a life form existed on another planet or was introduced there by explorers. So its important to know what types of micro-organisms from Earth can survive on a spacecraft or landing vehicle.

Currently, spacecraft landing on Mars or other planets where life might exist must meet requirements for a maximum allowable level of microbial life, or bioburden. These acceptable levels were based on studies of how various life forms survive exposure to the rigors associated with space travel.

If you are able to reduce the numbers to acceptable levels, a proxy for cleanliness, the assumption is that the life forms will not survive under harsh space conditions, explained Kasthuri J. Venkateswaran, a researcher with the Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a co-author on all three papers.

That assumption may not hold up, though, as recent research has shown that some microbes are hardier than expected, and others may use various protective mechanisms to survive interplanetary flights.

Spore-forming bacteria are of particular concern because spores can withstand certain sterilization procedures and may best be able to survive the harsh environments of outer space or planetary surfaces.

Spores of Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032 have shown especially high resistance to techniques used to clean spacecraft, such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation and peroxide treatment.

When researchers exposed this hardy organism to a simulated Mars environment that kills standard spores in 30 seconds, it survived 30 minutes.

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Space News: Space station research shows that hardy little space travelers could colonize Mars

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On Earth, we take for granted that a plant grows up and its roots grow down. In space, however, this seemingly predictable formula is upended. How do plants sense "up" and "down" where those relative positions don't exist?

The Biotube-MICRO investigation that recently arrived to the International Space Station aims to investigate, and what it finds could have big implications for long-duration human spaceflight.

The study was delivered to the space station April 20 aboard a Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) Dragon spacecraft. It's one of several science payloads on the SpaceX-3 mission, the company's third contracted commercial resupply flight to the orbiting laboratory.

"What we learn from this experiment will help us grow plants in space, because right now, roots grow in random directions due to the lack of gravity," explained Ralph Fritsche, a payload manager with the International Space Station Ground Processing and Research Project Office at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "It will also provide fundamental understanding of plant biology that benefits us on Earth."

Biotube-MICRO will help scientists understand how gravity guides plants into growing correctly. Since starch grains in plant cells react to magnetic fields, the study uses extremely strong magnets to try to influence the direction of root growth. If the root curves away from the magnet, it's an indication that plants can use magnetic fields, rather than the downward pull of gravity, to determine which way to grow.

The full name of the project is Biotube-Magnetophoretically Induced Curvature in Roots. Developed by the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, it contains three magnetic field chambers, each of which carries eight cassettes holding 10 Brassica rapa seeds. Brassica rapa is a quick-growing plant also known as field mustard.

Aboard the space station, resident crew members will install the Biotube-MICRO investigation in a standard payload rack, turn it on, and complete a startup sequence.

The study itself is completely automated. A small amount of water will be injected into each seed cassette, prompting the seeds to germinate. Small cameras will record the plants' growth and send these images to scientists on Earth, so they can decide when to conclude the study. At that point, application of either formaldehyde or RNAlater will stop the growth and preserve the seedlings.

"We don't need a lot of growth. We'll have a seed the size of a BB, and a root maybe an inch long," Fritsche said.

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Space Station study seeks how plants sense 'up' and 'down'