Figure 1
From: Rapid adaptation to microgravity in mammalian macrophage cells
Hardware of the ISS experiment TRIPLE LUX A. (A) Experiment system: Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured by photomultiplier tube (PMT) detected luminescence reaction. The main hardware items are: Stock Culture Bags (SCB) (storable down to −96 °C), Integrated Advanced Experiment Container (I-AEC) containing PMT detector systems with four measurement cuvettes and electronics, Handling Mechanism Plate Unit (HMPU) prepared with cell culture medium (storable down to −20 °C). NR8383 rat macrophage cells in SCBs and selected reagents were launched deep frozen at −80 °C and stored frozen on orbit (MELFI = Minus Eighty degrees Laboratory Freezer for ISS) and in the Biological Experiment Laboratory (BIOLAB) temperature controlled unit at −20 °C until the start of the experiment, respectively. Samples and reagents can be stored for several months on-orbit. SCBs were thawed at ambient temperature (18–28 °C) for 37 min (required for operational safety reasons), then reconstituted at 37 °C for 3 hours (BIOLAB), transferred to the measurement bags (MBs) and incubated with a mixture of zymosan (Zym), horse radish peroxidase (HRP) and luminol (Lum) via the internal filling bags (IFBs) from the automated ambient storage insert (AAS-I). (B) Assembled I-AEC with HMPU. (C) BIOLAB ground model (Microgravity User Support Center MUSC, DLR). (D) HMPU prepared with cell culture medium during integration procedure at Kennedy Space Center. (E) Front plate of assembled HMPU with insertion port for SCB and injection ports for the IFBs. All liquid handling was executed by the automated handling mechanism of the BIOLAB.
