Biology in Space and Life on Earth – Effects of Spaceflight on Biological Systems

Enno Brinckmann, PhD, is the Senior Biologist at the European Space Agency (ESA) and served as Project Scientist for about 100 experiments in ESA's biological research facility BIORACK, that flew six times in SPACELAB and SpaceHab. His experience of active mission control and experiment support contributed to the development of new research facilities for the International Space Station (ISS).

Foreword.Preface.List of Contributors.Introduction (Enno Brinckmann) (with contributions from Rene Demets and Wolfgang Herfs).1 Flight Mission Scenarios.2 Sounding Rocket Experiments.3 Biobox on Foton and in the Space Shuttle.3.1 Biobox-1.3.2 Biobox-2.3.3 Biobox-3.3.4 Biobox-4.4 Biorack in Spacelab and Spacehab.1 The Gravity Environment in Space Experiments (Jack J. W. A. van Loon).1.1 Introduction to Gravity Research.1.1.1 Principle of Equivalence.1.1.2 Microgravity.1.1.3 Artifi cial Gravity.1.2 Gravity Phenomena on Small Objects.1.2.1 Sedimentation.1.2.2 Hydrostatic Pressure.1.2.3 Diffusion.1.2.4 Convection.1.2.5 Diffusion/Convection.1.2.6 Buoyancy.1.2.7 Coriolis Acceleration.2 Primary Responses of Gravity Sensing in Plants (Markus Braun).2.1 Introduction and Historical Background.2.2 Evolution of Gravity Sensing Mechanisms under the Earth's Gravity Conditions.2.3 Specifi c Location and Unique Features of Gravity Sensing Cells.2.4 Correlation between Statolith Sedimentation and Gravitropic Responses.2.5 Is the Actin Cytoskeleton Involved in Gravity Sensing?2.6 Gravireceptors.2.7 Second Messengers in Gravisignalling.2.8 Modifying Gravitational Acceleration Forces - Versatile Tools for Studying Plant Gravity Sensing Mechanisms.2.9 Conclusions and Perspectives.3 Physiological Responses of Higher Plants (Dieter Volkmann and Frantisek Baluska).3.1 Introduction: Historical Overview.3.2 Terminological Aspects.3.3 Microgravity as a Tool.3.3.1 Equipment.3.3.2 Testable Hypotheses.3.4 Microgravity as Stress Factor.3.4.1 Cellular Level.3.4.2 Developmental Aspects.3.5 Gravity-related Paradoxes.3.6 Gravity and Evolution.3.7 Conclusion and Perspectives.4 Development and Gravitropism of Lentil Seedling Roots Grown in Microgravity (Gerald Perbal and Dominique Driss-Ecole).4.1 Introduction.4.1.1 Development of Lentil Seedlings on the Ground.4.1.2 Root Gravitropism on Earth.4.2 Basic Hardware Used to Perform Space Experiments.4.2.1 Plant Growth Chambers: The Minicontainers.4.2.2 The Glutaraldehyde Fixer.4.3 Development in Space.4.3.1 Root Orientation in Microgravity.4.3.2 Root Growth.4.3.3 Cell Elongation.4.3.4 Meristematic Activity.4.4 Root Gravitropism in Space.4.4.1 Organelle Distribution within the Statocyte.4.4.2 Gravisensitivity.4.4.3 Gravitropic Response.4.5 Conclusion.4.5.1 Action of Microgravity on Root Growth.4.5.2 Gravisensing Cells and Perception of Gravity by Roots.5 Biology of Adherent Cells in Microgravity (Charles A. Lambert, Charles M. Lapiere, and Betty V. Nusgens).5.1 Why Cell Biology Research in Microgravity?5.2 Medical Disturbances in Astronauts.5.2.1 Similarity to Diseases on Earth.5.2.2 Cell Types Potentially Involved.5.3 Mechano-receptivity and -reactivity of Adherent Cells in Culture.5.3.1 Mechano-transduction at the Cell-Matrix Contacts.5.3.2 Mechano-transduction at the Cell-Cell Contacts.5.3.3 The Cytoskeleton Network and its Control by the Small RhoGTPases.5.3.4 Cells React to Mechanical Stress and Relaxation.5.4 Microgravity, the Loss of a Force, Leading to Cellular Disturbances.5.4.1 Biological View of the Biophysical Concepts.5.4.2 Short Time Microgravity and Space Flights.5.4.3 Modelled Altered Gravity.5.5 From Ground Research to Investigations in Microgravity.5.5.1 Testable Hypotheses.5.5.2 Experimental Strategy and Constraints.5.5.3 The Future.6 Microgravity and Bone Cell Mechanosensitivity (Rommel G. Bacabac, Jack J. W. A. van Loon, and Jenneke Klein-Nulend).6.1 Overview.6.2 Introduction.6.3 Mechanotransduction in Bone.6.4 Signal Transduction in Mechanosensing.6.5 Single Cell Response to Mechanical Loading.6.6 Rate-dependent Response by Bone Cells.6.7 Implications of Threshold Activation: Enhanced Response to Stochastic Stress.6.8 Stress Response and Cellular Deformation.6.9 Towards a Quantitative Description of Bone Cell Mechanosensitivity.6.10 Implications for the Extreme Condition of Unloading Microgravity.7 Bone Cell Biology in Microgravity (Geert Carmeliet, Lieve Coenegrachts, and Roger Bouillon).7.1 Overview.7.2 Introduction.7.3 Bone Remodelling: An Equilibrium between Osteoblasts and Osteoclasts.7.4 Human Studies: Response of Bone to Space Flight.7.5 Space Flight and Unloading in the Rat Mimics Human Bone Loss.7.6 Mechanisms of Decreased Bone Formation Induced by Unloading or Space Flight.7.7 Are Osteoblastic Cells In Vitro Responding to Altered Gravity Conditions?7.7.1 Proliferation and Apoptosis.7.7.2 Differentiation: Matrix Production.7.7.3 Differentiation: Growth Factors.7.8 Potential Mechanisms of Altered Osteoblastic Behaviour.7.9 Conclusion.8 Cells of the Immune System in Space (Lymphocytes) (Augusto Cogoli and Marianne Cogoli-Greuter).8.1 Introduction.8.2 Activation of T Cells.8.3 Earliest Data.8.4 Spacelab-1, 1983.8.5 Spacelab D-1, 1985.8.6 Stratospheric Balloon, 1986.8.7 Sounding Rockets Maser 3, 1989, and Maser 4, 1990.8.8 Spacelab Life Sciences SLS-1, 1991.8.9 Russian MIR Station, Missions 7, 8, 9, 1988-1990.8.10 Spacelab IML-1, 1992.8.11 Sounding Rockets Maxus 1B, 1992, and Maxus 2, 1995.8.12 Spacelab IML-2, 1994.8.13 Sounding Rocket Maser 9, 2002.8.14 Shuttle Flight STS-107, Biopack, 2003.8.15 Ground Simulations.8.16 Conclusion.9 Evaluation of Environmental Radiation Effects at the Single Cell Level in Space and on Earth (Patrick Van Oostveldt, Geert Meesen, Philippe Baert, and Andre Poffi jn ).9.1 Introduction.9.2 The Space Radiation Environment.9.3 HZE Track Detection.9.3.1 Confocal Scanning Laser Microscopy for Track Analysis in PADC.9.3.2 Time-resolved Track Detection.9.4 Results of the RAMIROS Experiment on board of the Soyuz Taxi Flight to the ISS.9.4.1 Methods.9.4.2 Results and Discussion.9.5 Combination of Radiation with other Biological Stress in Space Travel.9.6 Interactions between Radiation and Gravity.9.7 General Conclusions and Perspectives.10 Space Radiation Biology (Gerda Horneck).10.1 Radiation Scenario in Space.10.1.1 Cosmic Ionizing Radiation.10.1.2 Solar Electromagnetic Radiation.10.2 Questions Tackled in Space Radiation Biology.10.3 Results of Radiobiological Experiments in Space.10.3.2 Life and Solar Electromagnetic Radiation.10.4 Outlook: Radiation Biology and Future Exploratory Missions in the Solar System.Index.