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News
Swiss Cube
EPFL launched 2009 the first Swiss satellite, called "Swiss Cube". It maps airglow, a result of solar radiation colliding with atmospheric particles. In the beginning the satellite rotated to fast, it took until March 2011 to obtain reasonable images.
Swiss Cube »»
Atlantis - last of the Space Shuttles - is back on EarthWith the landing of Atlantis, the 30-year saga of the Space Shuttles comes to an end. Originally, the intention of a reusable space craft was to safe the cost generated by one-way rocket stages. But then in the end, the Shuttles became even more expensive than conventional rockets. Last but not least, Atlantis brought back the fourth Experiment Container of the Fungi-A experiment supported by us. This container stayed on the International Space Station for four months. It was a long-term experiment to check the survival of fungi spores in the space environment. [22.07.2011]
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ROALD#2 (RESLEM) final ground testing
This is another experiment in the series of immune system investigations. This time, the role of the special protein Anandamide as a modulator of cell survival and death will be investigated. Before it can fly in the end of the year, it had to pass the final ground test, the so-called Experiment Sequence Test (EST). This test was just finished in July and preliminary analyses of the science team are promising. Our tasks are the overall experiment coordination, the preparation the operational products (e.g. procedures for astronauts) and the planning of the ROALD#2 on-orbit execution. [22.07.2011]
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Triplelux-A experiment preparations on going
The preparations for the Triplelux-A experiment are on going. The aim of this experiment is to test the human immune function by measuring the defence reaction of white blood cells (leukocytes). For that purpose, leukocytes in culture will ingest Zymosan (mimicking bacteria as intruders). This can be measured in real-time via a coupled light reaction. Currently, the next step of the preparations is the so called Science Validation Test, where the biology will have a rendezvous with the hardware designed for flight. It is a multi-national collaboration involving the science team, industry, user support centres (MUSC and BIOTESC) and the European Space Agency. [22.07.2011]
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Space Shuttle Discovery brought the Fungi-A samples safely back to Earth
Discovery brought the Fungi-A (aka CFS-A) samples from the International Space Station back to Earth. The fungal cultures stayed on orbit for eight days and were exposed to microgravity and cosmic radiation. The aim of the experiment is to gain insight into the growth and survival of coloured fungi. Data from this study will be used for calculation of the survival and possible proliferation of potential contaminants transferred from Earth to spacecrafts. BIOTESC as User Support and Operations Centre contributed to the success by implementing the planning, writing the astronaut’s procedure and monitoring the overall operations. [09.03.2011]
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SPHINX experiment sucessfully performed
This experiment had been performed on the ISS in November 2010, where blood vessel cells of the human umbilical cord (so called HUVECs: Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells) were exposed to microgravity for seven days. The scientist would like to gain further insight into the astronaut cardiovascular deconditioning and bone demineralization, as it has been previously demonstrated that simulated microgravity reversibly stimulates the growth of this cells. The Soyus 23S capsule brought the samples safely back to Earth. BIOTESC provided the Operational Products (e.g. Astronaut’s procedures) and monitored the experiment during execution. [12.12.2010] |
PADIAC experiment sucessfully performed
In the beginning of November 2010, the PADIAC experiment had been successfully performed on the ISS. The aim is to better understand why the activation of white blood cells (i.e. lymphocytes) is altered under microgravity conditions. A cocktail of activator-solutions was used to discriminate between different activation pathways. The PADIAC samples were brought back to Earth together with the Sphinx cells in the Soyus 23S capsule. The multinational science team (USA, Italy and Switzerland) is currently analysing the returned samples. The Space Biology Group had both the scientific and operational lead in this experiment. [12.12.2010] |
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