Research
- experiments preselected for the EMCS

The mission of the N-USOC is to provide qualified support to ISS-related life science activities. The N-USOC independently renders services to national and European researchers, industries and the public in general.

Several different experiments are currently under development. All experiments will utilize the European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS) facility onboard the International Space Station (ISS). EMCS is an experiment facility for biological investigations in microgravity, and N-USOC has at their disposal an Experiment Reference Model (ERM) where experimental procedures can be evaluated and modified before launch.

Below is a list of experiments that have been selected for implementation in the EMCS on the ISS in the near future.

TROPI - Analysis of a Novel Sensory Mechanism in Root Phototropism

The TROPI experiments include investigation of cellular mechanisms of phototropism in plants and determination of the effects and influences of gravity on light perception in plants.

GRAVI - Threshold Acceleration for Gravisensing

The scientific objectives of the GRAVI-1 experiment are to subject lentil (Lens culinaris var. anicia) seedling roots to centrifugal acceleration levels from 4 X 10-4 g to 10-2 g in microgravity in order to determine the threshold of acceleration to which the roots respond.

MULTIGEN - Multi-Generation Studies of Arabidopsis thaliana

To achieve successful long duration space exploration, a renewable food source for the astronauts must be available. Through the MULTIGEN experiment one will examine the possibility of sustainable plant growth for long duration space exploration by growing several generations of plants in orbit.

GENARA - Gravity Regulated Genes in Arabidopsis thaliana

The goal of the GENARA experiment is to address the existence of genes which are regulated by gravity, and whose expression depends upon the mechanism of gravisensing and the redistribution of hormones (especially IAA i.e. the plant hormone auxin [indole-3-acetic acid] and ABA [abscisic acid]).

WOSP - Short and Long-Term Effects of Microgravity on the Development of Rotifers and Nematodes

Two aquatic microscopic metazoan species - the rotifer Macrotrachela quadricornifera and the nematode Panarolaimus rigidus, will be cultivated inside the EMCS onboard the ISS. The aim of the experiment is to determine the effect of microgravity on the developmental process (both species are early determined) and the morphology of the animals (both are eutelic).