Microgravity induces changes in the cytoskeleton. This might have an impact on cells and organs of humans in space. Unfortunately, studies of cytoskeletal changes in microgravity reported so far are obligatorily based on the analysis of fixed cells exposed to microgravity during a parabolic flight campaign (PFC). This study focuses on the development of a compact fluorescence microscope (FLUMIA...

It is becoming increasingly important to address the long-term effects of exposure to simulated microgravity as the potential for space tourism and life in space become prominent topics amongst the World's governments. There are several studies examining the effects of exposure to simulated microgravity on various developmental systems and in various organisms; however, few examine the effects ...

During space exploration astronauts are exposed to the microgravity environment, which has an immediate impact on many biological systems. Osteoporosis-like bone mass loss is one of the most significant effects of microgravity, with reduction ranging around at least 1-2% per month in flight. An uncoupling of bone remodeling could be responsible for this process. Data obtained from astronauts sh...

We have recently established a culture system to study the impact of simulated microgravity on oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) development. We subjected mouse and human OPCs to a short exposure of simulated microgravity produced by a 3D-Clinostat robot. Our results demonstrate that rodent and human OPCs display enhanced and sustained proliferation when exposed to simulated microgravity ...

In astronauts and cosmonauts, exposure to microgravity has been associated with several physiological changes, including an osteoporosis like loss of bone mass. It has been reported that head-down tilt bed-rest studies mimic many of the observations seen in space flights. There has been no study of the effects of mandibular bone and alveolar bone loss in both sexes under conditions of simulated...

The loss of bone mass and alteration in bone physiology during space flight are one of the major health risks for astronauts. Although the lack of weight bearing in microgravity is considered a risk factor for bone loss and possible osteoporosis, organisms living in space are also exposed to cosmic radiation and other environmental stress factors. As such, it is still unclear as to whether and ...

The authors' experience of the application of X-ray diffraction imaging in carrying out space technological experiments on semiconductor crystal growth for the former USSR and for Russia is reported, from the Apollo-Soyuz programme (1975) up to the present day. X-ray topography was applied to examine defects in crystals in order to obtain information on the crystallization conditions and also o...

Background. While significant attention has been paid to the potential risk of pathogenic microbes aboard crewed spacecraft, the non-pathogenic microbes in these habitats have received less consideration. Preliminary work has demonstrated that the interior of the International Space Station (ISS) has a microbial community resembling those of built environments on Earth. Here we report the resul...

The abundant forms in which the major elements in the universe exist have been determined from numerous astronomical observations and meteoritic analyses. Iron (Fe) is an exception, in that only depletion of gaseous Fe has been detected in the interstellar medium, suggesting that Fe is condensed into a solid, possibly the astronomically invisible metal. To determine the primary form of Fe, we r...

Seeds of a tropical tree species from Brazil, Astronium fraxinifolium, or zebrawood, were germinated, for the first time in microgravity, aboard the International Space Station for nine days. Following three days of subsequent growth under normal terrestrial gravitational conditions, greater root length and numbers of secondary roots was observed in the microgravity-treated seedlings compared t...