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Growth Potency of Statoconia (Otoliths) in the Organ of Equilibrium of Gastropod Mollusks in Weightlessness (Statokonia)
03.22.12

Overview | Description | Applications | Operations | Results | Publications | Images

Experiment/Payload Overview

Information provided courtesy of the Energia website.
Brief Summary

Statokonia (Statoconia) investigates the development of gravity sensing organs called statoconia in snails. Snails use these organs to sense gravity and are responsible for the snail's normal preference for downward crawling on a vertical plate on Earth. Earlier studies have shown that snails that hatch and develop in space will form larger statoconia to compensate for the reduced gravity levels there.

Principal Investigator

  • G. I. Gorgiladze, Ph.D., , , , Russia

    • Co-Investigator(s)/Collaborator(s)

    Information Pending

    Payload Developer Information Pending

    Sponsoring Space Agency

    Roscosmos

    Sponsoring Organization:

    Information Pending

    ISS Expedition Duration:

    April 2005 - October 2007



    Expeditions Assigned

    11, 12, 13, 14, 15

    Previous ISS Missions

    Information Pending

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    Experiment/Payload Description

    Research Summary

    Information Pending

    Description

    Study of ultrastructure, composition by elements and morphometry of statokonias. Study of statokonia regeneration and growth.

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    Applications

    Space Applications

    Information Pending

    Earth Applications

    Information Pending

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    Operations

    Operational Requirements

    Ulitka Incubator, ART Pouch.

    Operational Protocols

    Bring Snails into microgravity environment for an extended period of time, then return to Earth.

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    Results/More Information

    The incubator Ulitka delivered back to Earth, and information concerning the experiment conditions made available by means of the independently operating temperature recorder.

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    Related Web Sites
  • Energia - Science Research on the ISS Russian Segment
  • Coordinating Scientific and Technical Council of the Russian Space Agency [Russian]

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    Publications

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    Ground Based Results Publications

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    ISS Patent Publications

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    Related Publications

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    Images

    imageUlitka Incubator.


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    imageART pouch.


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    Information provided by the investigation team to the ISS Program Scientist's Office.
    If updates are needed to the summary please contact JSC-ISS-Program-Science-Group. For other general questions regarding space station research and technology, please feel free to call our help line at 281-244-6187 or e-mail at JSC-ISS-Payloads-Helpline.
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