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Bacterial Acclimation and Adaptation to the Space Environment Conditions (BASE)
06.26.08

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

Experiment/Payload Overview

Brief Summary

The BASE investigation will study the effect of microgravity on bacteria and how bacteria adapts to the microgravity environment on ISS. The data provided by this investigation will give scientists valuable insight into how basic organisms adapt to new environments. This information could prove valuable when planning future long duration expeditions to the Moon and Mars.

Principal Investigator

  • Max Mergeay, D.Sc., Belgium Nuclear Research Center, Mol, Belgium

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

  • R. Wattiez, University of Mons-Hainaut, Mons, Belgium
  • J. Mahillon, Catholic University of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
  • P. Cornelis, M.D., Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
  • Natalie Leys, M.D., Belgium Nuclear Research Center, Mol, Belgium

    • Payload Developer

    Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, Mol, Belgium

    Sponsoring Agency

    European Space Agency (ESA)

    Expeditions Assigned

    |14|18|

    Previous ISS Missions

    No Information Available

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    Experiment/Payload Description

    Research Summary

    • The BASE investigation will provide confirmation and analysis of previous observations on short duration mission in microgravity.


    • The BASE investigation will allow the comparison of response of multiple bacteria under similar culturing conditions in space.

    Description

    In the BASE (Bacterial Adaptation to Space Environments) experiment, the science team will study how bacteria cope and adapt to the different space flight environmental parameters (e.g. weightlessness, cosmic radiation, space electromagnetism, space vibrations). Based on these results, scientists will try to assess how such adaptations might influence their potential to contaminate and biodeteriorate the space habitat, their potential to endanger crew health, or their function in waste recycling or food production systems. In the BASE project, scientists will also study the physiology, gene expression, gene rearrangement and gene transfer of cultures of several model bacteria grown under microgravity and other space flight conditions.

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    Applications

    Space Applications

    No Information Available

    Earth Applications

    No Information Available

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    Operations

    Operational Requirements

    No Information Available

    Operational Protocols

    No Information Available

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    Results/More Information

    No Information Available

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    Related Web Sites
  • The information provided is courtesy of the ESA Astrolab Mission web page.

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    Publications

    Results Publications

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      Related Publications

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        Images

        imageExample of Kubik incubator with centrifuge configuration loaded with experiment containers. Image courtesy of ESA.
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        Information Provided and Updated by the ISS Program Scientist's Office
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