Session
Technical Session XI: Science/Mission Payloads I
Abstract
NASA’s PowerCell payload, as part of the German Space Agency’s (DLR’s) Eu:CROPIS (Euglena Combined Regenerative Organic-food Production In Space) mission, will compare the effect of multiple simulated gravity regimes on basic processes required for synthetic biology in space including growth, protein production, and genetic transformation of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. In addition, it will pioneer the use of a cyanobacterially-produced feedstock for microbial growth in space, a concept we call “PowerCell.” The PowerCell experiment system will be integrated on the DLR's compact satellite as a secondary payload to be launched during the summer of 2017. In order to simulate the gravitational range of different celestial bodies, the satellite will establish an artificial gravity level in the 1.4% – 52% of terrestrial gravity range prior to conducting each set of biological experiments, with experimental results compared to ground controls. Experiments will be carried out in microfluidics cards with experimental progress measured through absorbance as detected by the LED-based optical system. Here we describe the ground studies that led to these experiments, along with a description of the experiment system hardware and its performance. The mission results will provide foundational data for the use and production of genetically engineered organisms for extraterrestrial missions.
PowerCell Payload on Eu:CROPIS - Measuring Synthetic Biology in Space
NASA’s PowerCell payload, as part of the German Space Agency’s (DLR’s) Eu:CROPIS (Euglena Combined Regenerative Organic-food Production In Space) mission, will compare the effect of multiple simulated gravity regimes on basic processes required for synthetic biology in space including growth, protein production, and genetic transformation of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. In addition, it will pioneer the use of a cyanobacterially-produced feedstock for microbial growth in space, a concept we call “PowerCell.” The PowerCell experiment system will be integrated on the DLR's compact satellite as a secondary payload to be launched during the summer of 2017. In order to simulate the gravitational range of different celestial bodies, the satellite will establish an artificial gravity level in the 1.4% – 52% of terrestrial gravity range prior to conducting each set of biological experiments, with experimental results compared to ground controls. Experiments will be carried out in microfluidics cards with experimental progress measured through absorbance as detected by the LED-based optical system. Here we describe the ground studies that led to these experiments, along with a description of the experiment system hardware and its performance. The mission results will provide foundational data for the use and production of genetically engineered organisms for extraterrestrial missions.
