Astronauts recently tested new equipment for advanced biology research aboard the International Space Station. Scientists sent muscle cells responsible for the rhythmic beating of the heart to live and grow in the new hardware system. The cells in this Bioculture System were on the space station for about a month before they were brought back alive to Earth.
This video shows the cadence of the heart cells’ beating after they’d flown in space — one aspect under study in the Cell Science lab at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. The Bioculture System was also developed here.
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The recent test validated the new hardware and all its systems, showing they were able to grow and maintain cells in the microgravity environment of space. Future studies using this research tool will help scientists improve our understanding of a wide range of biological processes that affect human health, both on Earth and in space.
Image Credit: NASA