Session
Weekend Poster Session 1
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
Over the past few years, the space sector has witnessed a growing interest in exploring how biological organisms, such as Escherichia coli or Saccharomyces cerevisiae, respond to high radiation and microgravity environments. Among the various biological space missions, CubeSats, particularly SmallSats, have emerged as a popular platform for conducting such experiments owing to their reduced size and cost-effectiveness, which allows for the integration of miniaturized labs to study microorganisms onboard. However, the biggest challenge facing such missions is the preservation of living organisms for extended periods before the start of the experiments.
The UVigo SpaceLab team is currently developing a CubeSat mission called BIXO (Bacteriological Intercommunication eXperiment in Orbit) to study the impact of prolonged exposure to radiation and microgravity in the space environment on the cell-to-cell communication process of Chromobacterium violaceum. The mission involves conducting three rounds of experiments on this bacteria over nine months, which requires the preservation of the bacteria in a dormant state for long periods. Therefore, successful preservation is a critical requirement for the mission's success.
This paper aims to explore the current state of the art in preserving biological microorganisms for space missions, with a particular focus on the BIXO mission. It will introduce the freeze-drying method as a powerful alternative for preserving C. violaceum cells and maintaining their viability for the mission. Additionally, it will detail the entire experimental process for obtaining the lyophilized samples of the bacteria, including the integration of the lyophiles into the satellite and an assessment of their viability.
Freeze-Drying as Chromobacterium violaceum's Preservation Method for the BIXO Mission
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Over the past few years, the space sector has witnessed a growing interest in exploring how biological organisms, such as Escherichia coli or Saccharomyces cerevisiae, respond to high radiation and microgravity environments. Among the various biological space missions, CubeSats, particularly SmallSats, have emerged as a popular platform for conducting such experiments owing to their reduced size and cost-effectiveness, which allows for the integration of miniaturized labs to study microorganisms onboard. However, the biggest challenge facing such missions is the preservation of living organisms for extended periods before the start of the experiments.
The UVigo SpaceLab team is currently developing a CubeSat mission called BIXO (Bacteriological Intercommunication eXperiment in Orbit) to study the impact of prolonged exposure to radiation and microgravity in the space environment on the cell-to-cell communication process of Chromobacterium violaceum. The mission involves conducting three rounds of experiments on this bacteria over nine months, which requires the preservation of the bacteria in a dormant state for long periods. Therefore, successful preservation is a critical requirement for the mission's success.
This paper aims to explore the current state of the art in preserving biological microorganisms for space missions, with a particular focus on the BIXO mission. It will introduce the freeze-drying method as a powerful alternative for preserving C. violaceum cells and maintaining their viability for the mission. Additionally, it will detail the entire experimental process for obtaining the lyophilized samples of the bacteria, including the integration of the lyophiles into the satellite and an assessment of their viability.
