Humans’ successful interactions with the external world rely on their ability to understand the laws of physics. Since the beginning of time, humans have evolved in a terrestrial gravity environment. The vestibular otoliths detect the direction of gravitational acceleration. Vestibular signals are integrated with visual, proprioceptive and visceral cues to create an internal model of terrestrial gravity. Here, we investigated how this model contributes to physical reasoning about the world. Healthy participants completed virtual tool-use games in which they were asked to make accurate predictions on the movement of an object in a virtual environment. Gravitational signaling was disrupted using stochastic Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (sGVS) that was applied during the task. Sham stimulation was used to control for non-specific effects. Differences in physical reasoning were measured by performance outcomes and the strategies used to solve the task. sGVS impaired the accuracy in performance in physical reasoning only in games which involve strong gravity-related predictions. Alterations in gravitational signaling also caused a shift in strategies. Our results show a clear contribution of the gravity model to physical reasoning, thereby emphasising the role of embodiment in human cognition.

Introduction/Background
Spaceflight conditions cause detrimental changes to the immune, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems [1]. These changes are reminiscent of health conditions faced by immunocompromised and elderly populations on Earth [2], suggesting astronauts may be at risk to similar health issues faced by these patient populations when on mission.
In immunocompromised and elderly patients, components of the skin microbiome can be a source of infection. Two such skin microorganisms commonly found together in infection in these patient populations are Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus [3]. Together, C. albicans and S. aureus co-infections are more virulent, have greater resistance to antimicrobial treatments, and show greater capacity for serious systemic disease than either species alone [4,5]. Previous studies have investigated the effect of microgravity on these species individually [6], however to date there are no studies on the effects of microgravity on the behaviour and virulence of the C. albicans/S. aureus dual species microbial community, leaving the potential risk to crew from this common synergistic pairing unknown.

Method/Experiment
Using the Cell Spinpod rotation suspension culture system to create simulated microgravity conditions, we are comparing simulated microgravity grown multispecies cultures of C. albicans/S. aureus to 1g controls. We aim to identify any microgravity-associated changes in several virulence factors including biofilm formation, S. aureus antimicrobial resistance capacity, C. albicans hyphal growth, and changes in population ratios. Our investigations also include metatranscriptomics to investigate whether pathways associated with biofilm formation and virulence in both C. albicans and S. aureus are differentially expressed under simulated microgravity conditions.

Result:
Preliminary data indicate simulated microgravity impacts several C. albicans/S. aureus virulence factors. Biofilm formation is altered, with the formation of small C. albicans/S. aureus aggregates under simulated microgravity in comparison to larger surface-attached biofilms at 1g. Variations in hyphae and population ratios between simulated microgravity and 1g are also observed.

Conclusions:
Spaceflight compromises health in ways that potentiate risk of infection from the microbiome. By investigating the impact of microgravity on skin microorganisms commonly associated with infections in similarly health-compromised terrestrial populations, we can further our understanding of the microbiome as a reservoir of infection, identify potential disease risk in flight, and develop countermeasures which can be applied in both spaceflight and Earth-based medicine.

Introduction

Nowadays, heat management by using Phase Change Materials (PCMs) is prioritized for energy optimization in Space applications [1]. Following the present trends, Moon and Mars explorations, the influence of the different gravity intensities on PCM’s melting to enhance the heat storage, becomes of vital importance [2]. The selection of the optimum PCM material for this purpose is a must-have requirement, as not all PCMs are suitable for space applications [1-3]. Consequently, the present paper studies the effect of different gravity environments (microgravity, Moon, Mars and Earth) at high temperature gradient on two feasible organic PCM candidates, n-Octadecane and succinonitrile (SCN). This implies the study of the combined effect of natural and Marangoni convections on the melting process.


Methodology

For the 2D simulation, a cuboidal domain with a height of 0.8 cm and a length of 8 cm has been proposed. The PCM materials selected have different Prandtl numbers: 56, n-Octadecane and 23, SCN. The simulations have been carried out by using an OpenFoam solver based on the enthalpy method described by Dubert et al. 2024 [3].


Results and Discussion

Fig. 1 plots the time evolution of the liquid fractions of both PCMs under microgravity (g=0 m/s2), gravity of the Moon (g=-1.61 m/s2), Mars (g=-3.72 m/s2) and Earth (g=-9.81 m/s2) conditions.
On the one hand, the melting process of SCN is greatly rushed compared to the one of n-Octadecane, in all g cases, due to its low Pr number. For instance, succinonitrile reached 0.95 of liquid fraction, under microgravity conditions, approximately 8 times faster than n-Octadecane.
On the other hand, analyzing the liquid fraction evolution of both materials individually, the higher the gravitational conditions applied faster the materials melted due to the influence of the natural convection, in addition to the Marangoni effect. This difference in melting time was reduced for SCN due to natural convection played a smaller role in the melting process. The above behavior was confirmed by Fig. 2 where the time each PCM material needed to reach 95% of liquid is plotted under all the g-level environments.

Conclusions

Prandtl number, temperature gradient conditions and gravity levels have a great influence on the melting process of the PCM materials. In case of SCN the gravity conditions had little influence on the melting time while for n-Octadecane this influence was slightly accentuated.
To wrap up, both PCMs can fit as PCM materials for space applications.

Introduction

During the last years thermal control devices using PCM have aroused great interest in aerospace applications. The ESA project, MarPCM, which investigates the effect of Marangoni convection on the heat transport during a melting process of paraffin materials, reflexes the above fact. The project is scheduled for the next following years onboard ISS, though presently is under a prior preparation on Earth. One important aspect to consider is the influence of the vibrations on the PCM melting process under both terrestrial and microgravity conditions. It has been confirmed that residual accelerations and j-jitters could affect appreciably the fluid mechanics experiments, especially onboard ISS [1,2]. Consequently, an exhaustive analysis of the behaviour of these systems under extreme accelerations is desired in order to ensure the optimum vibratory conditions. In this context, we have designed and built our own shaking table suitable for the MarPCM experiments.

Methodology
The shaking table of 15x15 cm (see Fig 1), incorporates a stepper motor NEMA17 with 200 steps per revolution, that generates a shaking vibration in y direction, with frequencies ranging between 0.1 to 10 Hz and amplitudes up to 15cm. The melting cell is placed on the table with the temperature gradient parallel or perpendicular to the shaking direction in order to analyse the influence of the shaking on PCM melting. The accelerometric signals are recorded by using an MPU-6050 3D accelerometer (16 bits) and stored on a SD card with a sampling rate of 1kHz for later processing.
Results and discussion
Figure 2 presents the raw acceleration components (x and y) as well as their Fourier spectra at shaking frequency of 1 Hz and amplitude 10 cm. The highest intensities of the acceleration are concentrated in the shaking direction. The spectrum of the signal in y direction reflects the participation of strong odd harmonics. The weak coupling between data in x and y direction indicates a small misalignment of the accelerometer with respect to the direction of vibration.
Conclusions
This work presents the preliminary characterization of the shaking table adapted to analyse the behaviour of PCM systems under controlled harmonic vibrations. The near future work will include the numerical simulation of these PCM systems under higher transversal and lateral accelerations and their influence during the melting process.

Introduction:
Small, room temperature stored patches can be used for extreme environments such as space travel, submarine travel or resource limited locations. Cell-free E. coli extracts (Figure 1) are aiming to be used to produce proteins for an on demand system. The cell free system will intrinsically need a purification system the purify the therapeutic proteins for dispensing.

Aims and Objectives:
To make the cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) system more thermally stable at room temperature after lyophilisation by addition of protective substances, polyethylene glycol, maltodextrin, and β-lactose. We also want to see if the cell-free reaction can complete within 24 hours at 22 degrees just in case the International Space Station loses power, causing power loss to our heater, leaving our samples at ambient temperature.

Method:
A cell-free protein synthesis reaction was made using E.coli extract, pET20b-sfGFP-His (positive control) or pET20b (negative control), energy components, amino acids, RNase inhibitor, K-glutamate and Mg-glutamate. Then two studies were followed on from this point on.
Protective substances study (Figure 2): Protective substances are added at this stage (maltodextrin, polyethylene glycol and β-lactose) in different concentrations to see the effect on stability of the sample. This is then lyophilised, stored at room temperature for four days, rehydrated overnight and then the fluorescence read.
22 Degree study (Figure 3): A cell-free study with the protective substances added was ran at 22 degrees to see if the reaction completed at this temperature.

Conclusion and Future Work:
Greater increased stability achieved (Figure 2 and 4). Future work will look into longer term stability for travel to space as approximately 3 months stability is necessary. Further years of PhD will look into using nanobodies and cellulose binding domains as a form of purification (Figure 5).

Most calories in the human diet come from complex carbohydrates, obtained mainly from the cultivation of cereals. Among cereals, rice is currently the main source of energy for the world population. Rice has also interesting nutraceutical characteristics: it contains small and readily digestible starch, does not contain gluten and, depending on the variety, can provide fibre, proteins, vitamin B, iron, and manganese. Rice is also one of the highest yielding cereals and can be easily grown with soil-less methodologies (e.g., hydroponics), which are currently considered the most adapted technologies and potentially applicable to space exploration scenarios.

Starting from the definition of the rice ideotype for future space applications, the project “Moon-rice” aims at using gene editing (CRISPR/Cas9) to create new rice varieties with specific attributes that enhance crop performance in future planetary bases. The development of growth systems for plant cultivation in space aims at minimising the resources required in terms of energy and volume. In this context, we will target the optimisation of the plant architecture and physiology in a controlled environment to maximise resource use efficiency and reduce waste. The selection of specific crops and cultivars combined with genetic approaches can speed up the process of obtaining space-adapted plants. We will aim at generating and selecting new rice dwarf varieties, compatible with efficient vertical farming systems. An ideal space crop, however, should also be highly productive, optimised for growth in a closed environment and resistant to space stressors (e.g., altered gravity, radiations, altered magnetic fields).

Introduction:
The Laminar Inflight Fixation Technology (LIFT) module is a frequent-flyer payload designed to enable a fast and reliable chemical fixation of biological samples during different phases of a sounding rocket flight for subsequent biochemical analysis.

The modularity and reliability of the LIFT module were already proven during the rocket campaigns MAPHEUS-13 (05/2023) and -14 (02/24) by chemically fixing different neural cell types, i.e. human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived motor neurons, and primary murine cortical astrocytes. The samples subjected to real microgravity and their corresponding controls at normal gravity (1g) are currently undergoing extensive analyses for proteomic, transcriptomic, as well as microscopic profiling to investigate changes in cell morphology. Analysing the effects of microgravity on these neural cell types will further our understanding of microgravity exposure on the brain and central nervous system of astronauts on a cellular level.

Methods:
The module comprises four containers with up to 32 microscope slides each. Between those containers a valve is activated for the fixation process, in which a pump injects the fixation agent into the culture medium. The platform is designed to hold 76 x 26 x 1 mm (L x W x H) glass or polymer slides, which are seeded with different adherend cell types. Chemical fixation can be induced at different timepoints to study different acceleration stages. Fixation takes place under controlled conditions in a very short time with low shear forces due to a high-volume flow made possible by a laminar flow distributed over a large area. The samples are cultivated at physiological conditions of 37°C in a pressure-tight chamber to ensure undisturbed environmental conditions during spaceflight. In MAPHEUS-13 and -14, the biological samples were chemically fixed directly after the launch (hyper-g) and following the microgravity phase.

Results:
The LIFT module continuously recorded environmental data during the flight including acceleration, absolute pressure, and temperature. Culturing media temperatures were recorded in each reactor, as well as the temperature inside of the pressure vessel. Further, we were able to verify sample integrity and a successful fixation performance of the LIFT module during post-flight analysis. The samples exposed to real microgravity on the rocket campaigns MAPHEUS-13 and -14 have been subjected to preliminary analysis and are now analysed further in regards of e.g. cell morphology, gene expression, as well as protein content.

Gravity is one of the pivotal aspects of human life. On Earth, gravity is always there: it is stable, it is permanent, it is unchanging. The vestibular otoliths – sophisticated receptors inside the inner ear – constantly detect the magnitude and direction of gravitational acceleration. Gravity is therefore the most persistent sensory signal in the brain. Since the early Apollo missions, astronauts reported regular flashes or streaks of light that seemed to come out of nowhere, depersonalisation/derealisation sensations and alterations in the state of consciousness. Weightlessness-Induced Psychotic-Like Experiences (WIPLEs) may be caused by a mismatch between the information signalled by the vestibular receptors and our lifelong experience with the terrestrial gravity prior. When such conflict occurs, the boundary between “reality” and “unreality” fades away. In this study, we investigated WIPLEs for the first time in controlled laboratory conditions. Specifically, we were interested in understanding how gravity serves as a reference point for anchoring organisms to the physical world. Visually Evoked Auditory Responses (vEAR) refer to illusory phenomena wherein silent visual stimuli trigger an auditory sensation. In this study, 26 participants (Age: M±SD = 25.54 ± 6.84) were asked to rate the strength of the auditory sensations triggered by 20 video sequences and 20 static images. Each stimulus was presented for 10 seconds at the center of a screen within an occluded visual field. To investigate whether the intensity of vEAR increases during alterations in gravity, we artificially simulated changes in gravity in a controlled lab setting using stochastic Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (sGVS). The sGVS was administered through an alternating sum-of-sines voltage waveform with frequencies at 0.16, 0.32, 0.43, and 0.61Hz, applied to the mastoids. Sham stimulation was used to control for non-specific effects. The intensity of Visually Evoked Auditory Responses exhibited a significant increase during alterations of gravity. In particular, sGVS enhanced the strength of visually evoked sounds in both vEAR videos and frames. These findings provide support for changes in cortical excitability in altered gravity conditions. 

Introduction
Plants are essential for human life support in space exploration. Therefore, a requisite for enabling plant culture in space is to understand their adaptive mechanisms to this environment. Several space experiments with Arabidopsis thaliana have shown deleterious effects on key plant cell functions. In the first part of the Seedling Growth (SG) experiment performed in space on the ISS, we found that blue light photostimulation during the last two days of the growth period could compensate for the deleterious effects on the global transcriptional profile of wild type Arabidopsis plants (Herranz et al., 2019; Vandenbrink et al., 2019). Using the EMCS rotors to generate partial g in the ISS experiments, we isolated phototropism and gravitropism responses at different g levels, being the 0.1g the most affected (approximately half the Moon gravity).

Methods
RNA was extracted and sequenced as described in Herranz et al.(2019). Plant RNA samples were used to generate sequencing libraries using the Illumina TruSeq RNA Library Preparation Kit (Illumina,USA) sequenced with the Illumina HiSeq2500. Sequencing was performed until the 25 million reads per sample objective were reached. Raw datasets from the SG studies have been deposited as the OSD-251(doi 10.26030/6kyv-m647) and OSD-346(doi 10.26030/6kyv-m647) at GENELAB repository.

Results
In this report, we will show the results in two mutants deficient in photoreceptors (PhyA and PhyB) that were exposed to similar gravity conditions (SG experiment) than the wild types. In a different but related experiment (ROOTROPS) using Ground Based Facilities, we have also studied the transcriptional profile of a crop species (Brassica oleracea) in hypergravity using a hardware with similar illumination profiles to that of the Seedling Growth experiment (Aronne et al.,2022). A similar RNA-seq approach has been performed to analyse the global effects of the exposure to several hypergravity conditions under blue, red and white illumination conditions in the ESA LDC facility.

Conclusions
The results will illustrate the value of light as a countermeasure of the altered gravity environments in which plants should be required as part of life support systems to facilitate human exploration of the Solar System. Comparing the effects of a model organism as Arabidopsis exposed to multiple spaceflight missions and a common crop on Earth as Brassica, will facilitate further development of these Life Support Systems. The improved responses to reduced gravity environments in these mutant strains opens the way to directed-mutagenesis strategies in crop design to be used in long-term space colonization scenarios.

Future long-duration missions will require a sustainable supply of food to support human crews. The spaceflight cabin environment often contains very high concentrations of CO2 due to release of CO2 by astronauts that is not completely scrubbed from the cabin, and it is therefore crucial to understand plant responses to elevated CO2 (eCO2) environments. Much focus has been given to changes in plant photosynthetic and performance parameters in response to eCO2, but the effects of eCO2 on nitrogen (N) uptake are poorly understood. Shoot nitrate reduction may be reduced at eCO2, likely due to less reductant available for nitrate reduction because of reduced photorespiration and increased carbon fixation [1]. Relative growth rate can be reduced at eCO2 when N is provided only as nitrate and can be unaffected when N is supplied as ammonium [1]. However, N uptake in response to eCO2 has, to our knowledge, not yet been studied. An increased ‘preference’ for plants to take up N as ammonium at eCO2 could have important implications for growth in the space environment, where N is currently only supplied as nitrate. In this study, novel stable isotope approaches were used in conjunction with hydroponics and isotope ratio mass spectrometry to determine the effect of eCO2 on N preference for ammonium or nitrate in spring barley and lettuce when both N forms are provided equally. Several varieties of spring barley displayed increased ammonium preference at eCO2 (720 ppm) compared to ambient CO2 (410 ppm), though this was not true for all varieties [2]. In most cases, increases in ammonium preference were driven by increases in ammonium uptake at eCO2 and not decreases in nitrate uptake. Current research is assessing whether similar responses are observed in the candidate space crop lettuce, at levels of CO2 like those observed on ISS (3000 ppm), and these results will also be presented. This work will enable the development of optimized nutrient regimes for candidate crops in space environments and the selection of crop varieties adapted to eCO2 environments. Plants adapted to ammonium nutrition may play a role in future plant-based bioregenerative life support systems with higher ammonium concentrations due to waste recycling [3]. Moreover, this research will further our understanding of plant responses to the eCO2 environment brought about by climate change, allowing the development of future-proof crops that will help to maintain food security.

Introduction
The present theoretical work discusses the degree of accuracy on the forecasting of ISS acceleration time series by comparing the results obtained using three different methodologies, Seasonal AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) networks [1]. The first method is statistical, while the other two are neural networks based. The choice of a SARIMA model was due to the seasonality of the raw signal, detected by visual inspection. It is expected that these models can offer an alternative to resampling techniques [2].

Methodology
The selected raw signal of acceleration was recorded by the 121f03 SAMS triaxial sensor on June 24th, 2021 and corresponds to ten seconds of a quiescent period. The location of this sensor was the Destiny US Laboratory module (Lab 101 in the ER2 lower Z panel) and its sampling rate was 500 Hz [3]. The 90% of the signal has been used to train the three models and the remaining 10% served to validate the set of specific hyperparameters in each one. All calculations used Phyton’s Statsmodels and Tensorflow.Keras libraries.

Results and conclusions
To construct the SARIMA model, data stationarity was firstly analyzed by using the Augmented Dickey-Fuller test. The determination of the seasonal and non-seasonal orders of the autoregressive, integrate and moving-average parameters initially considered the information contained in the Partial Autocorrelation (PACF) as well as in the Autocorrelation (ACF) functions. The optimal values of these six SARIMA hyperparameters were determined by grid search, using as comparative metrics the Root Mean Square of the residuals (RMSE).

The initially normalized values used in both LSTM and GRU networks have been reorganized in blocks of N consecutive input data. The N+1 value was used as the exact output to train the model. No deep layers have been used. To facilitate the comparisons between the two networks, the same number of units in the input layer has been defined. Curves of training and validation have systematically been plotted to ensure the absence of under/overfitting. The length of the batch size and the epoch as well as the number of units in the input layer have been selected as the main hyperparameters to fine tune the results of both models using a random grid search and RMSE as comparative metrics. As an example, Fig. 1 shows results in the LSTM case.

To understand the Cosmos a variety of sensing techniques have been developed for investigating material in Space. An example of such a technology is aerogels, which can capture space debris for analysis on Earth. However, to directly capture and analyse material from Space in situ is challenging using conventional methods. In this work, we aimed to design a new generation of aerogels that can not only capture new materials, but directly sense their properties using fluorescence as a signal transduction method. We began by characterising the fundamental building blocks of aerogel - silica nanosensors -based on a tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) framework conjugated with the pH-sensitive dyes 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester and Oregon Green 488 followed by the precipitation of the sensor as characterised through fluorescent microscopy. Furthermore, the sensor was encapsulated within a silica matrix to form the fluorescent aerogel. Determined through fluorescent spectrophotometry, the fluorescent intensity is increased from 203 nm to 425 nm as the pH of the solution around the sensor increases from 2 to 8 pH. Relative sensor sizes were evaluated using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy. These methods revealed the sensors were on the nanoscale from 445nm to 367 nm. These nanosensors were utilised to further understand and synthesise fluorescent aerogels utilising tetraethoxysilane and tetramethoxysilane as frameworks. This approach resulted in the formation of solid alcogels, which were subjected to various drying techniques including ambient, freeze, and supercritical drying to produce different aerogels. These new fluorescent aerogels exhibited similar pH sensing capabilities as the previously investigated nanosensors. Texture analysis was used to determine the physical properties and comparisons of the aerogels, this revealed an enhanced stability of the fluorescent aerogels compared to silica aerogels due to a larger bond order. This will be important for debris capture or other systems which require strong lightweight responsive materials. Furthermore, microgravity studies were conducted on the sol-gel synthesis via a random positioning machine (RPM). Subsequently, the resulting alcogels were dried using the previously mentioned methods and compared to aerogels generated through conventional sol-gel methods. Upon further synthesis and characterisation, we anticipate the success in implementing pH-sensitive fluorophores within aerogels to create a new, more versatile sensing material which could be further optimised for a wider-ranging pH sensor, a multi-analyte sensor or other Space-based chemical sensors that could be synthesised and used in Space.

Exposure to microgravity triggers numerous physiological adaptations. Despite extensive research, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood and several pathways have been proposed. Among other candidates, specific ion channels are hypothesized to be gravity dependent. However, to date it has not been possible to conclusively demonstrate gravity dependency of specific protein entities. We therefore developed a miniaturized two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC) which allowed electrophysiological experiments on Xenopus laevis oocytes using the GraviTower Bremen Prototype (GTB-Pro) located at the Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) in Bremen, Germany. The GTP-Pro is capable of flying experiments on a vertical parabolic trajectory, providing microgravity for a few seconds.

The modified TEVC was mainly manufactured from commercial products and custom-made 3D-printed parts. To electrically access the cytosol, the oocytes were precisely impaled with pulled glass pipettes. We chose a compact design with minimal lever length, which ensured that the pipettes did not displace due to changes in gravitational load. Electronics and data acquisition were mounted on the lower side of the mechanical setup in a hanging configuration, such that the measuring wire’s length remained minimal. It consisted of a small data acquisition and control computer and a custom-made printed circuit board (PCB). Device control and data visualization was realized on a remote laptop via a network interface (TCP/IP). This allowed the experiment to also be controlled while the GTB-Pro was in operation. For setting up the devices, a separate control panel could be used which enabled the experimenters to execute the most frequent functions in a simple way.

As an interesting first candidate, we examined if the non-selective mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO1 is gravity dependent. Oocytes were injected with mRNA coding for PIEZO1 and successful overexpression was confirmed after six days by proteomics analysis and pharmacological ion channel activation in a TEVC setup. Exposure to acute microgravity conditions on the GTB-Pro showed no difference between PIEZO1-overexpressing and control oocytes. We therefore conclude that PIEZO1 is not sensitive to short and acute microgravity.

The third campaign of the DCMIX project studied non-isothermal mass transport in five ternary aqueous mixtures comprised of triethylene glycol (TEG), water (H2O) and ethanol (EtOH). Thermodiffusion experiments performed in the Selectable Optical Diagnostic Instrument (SODI) at 25 °C were analysed and published compared to results obtained in Earth laboratories using the two-colour Optical Beam Deflection (OBD) and the Thermogravitational Column (TGC) techniques [1]. Nevertheless, additional experiments were performed at 30 °C. Systems flown in Cell 2 (TEG 0.33| H2O 0.33| EtOH 0.33 in mass fraction) and Cell 3 (0.15|0.25|0.60) are now analysed. Thermodiffusion, molecular diffusion and Soret coefficients of the two systems are determined at an average working temperature of 30 °C, under both ground and microgravity conditions.
The experiments have been performed in two ground laboratories. In the laboratory of complex fluids at Mondragon Unibertsitatea (Spain), thermodiffusion coefficients measured by the extraction thermogravitational column are combined with the diffusion coefficients obtained by the Sliding Symmetric Tubes (SST) technique to get the Soret coefficients. In the experimental physics laboratory of the Physikalisches Institut of Universität Bayreuth (Germany), however, Soret coefficients are directly measured by the OBD technique. Likewise, data obtained in DCMIX3 has been evaluated to determine the Soret coefficients.
For the two analysed mixtures, the sign of the thermodiffusion coefficient shows that H2O moves towards the cold wall, while TEG and EtOH migrate to the hot wall and both are enriched in the top of the column. Although the mixture is not distributed as increasing density in function of the height of the column, and shows an adverse density gradient between TEG and H2O, the systems at the two mass fractions analysed here are stable within the thermogravitational column, reaching equilibrium in the steady state. As for Soret coefficients, all determined values are aligned within the margin of experimental error and their signs agree for all experimental techniques with the signs of the respective thermodiffusion coefficients. In this way we re-verify the applicability of the expression of the Soret coefficient of ternary mixtures, since reasonable values are obtained from direct methods (OBD and SODI) and indirect calculations (TGC and SST) and at the same time, we show a new state of thermogravitational stability under the thermogravitational effect in ternary mixtures.

Spaceflight presents significant challenges to the physiological state of living organisms. This can be due to the microgravity environment experienced during long-term space missions, resulting in alterations in muscle structure and function, such as atrophy. However, a comprehensive understanding of the adaptive mechanisms of biological systems is required to devise potential solutions and therapeutic approaches for adapting to spaceflight conditions. This review examines the current understanding of the challenges posed by spaceflight on physiological changes, alterations in metabolism, dysregulation of pathways and the suitability and advantages of using the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes to study the effects of spaceflight. Research has shown that changes in the gene and protein composition of nematodes significantly occur across various larval stages and rearing environments, including both microgravity and Earth gravity settings, often mirroring changes observed in astronauts. Additionally, the review explores significant insights into the fundamental metabolic changes associated with muscle atrophy and growth, which could lead to the development of diagnostic biomarkers and innovative techniques to prevent and counteract muscle atrophy. These insights not only advance our understanding of microgravity-induced muscle atrophy but also lay the groundwork for the development of targeted interventions to mitigate its effects in the future

Observing and monitoring plants in low gravity is a challenging and cost-intensiv task. Due to the increasing interest in biotech experiments conducted in space [1], there is a demand for affordable and easy-to-manage containers for biological experiments. We propose a 2U low-cost and autonomous greenhouse consisting of commercial of the shelf (COTS) parts. As part of the student project “Glücksklee”, it was successfully launched during the SPX-27 mission and stayed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in the TangoLab facility for 30 days [2]. During the mission, the greenhouse provided an environment for the growth of 13 Medicago Truncatula plants.

The greenhouse is divided into two parts: 1) an autoclavable biochamber with an outer dimension of ~150x94x87mm³ containing the experiment and 2) a technical part to monitor the experiment e.g. with camera images, temperature, humidity, pressure, acceleration, carbon dioxide and oxygen sensors. Both parts are screwed together to tightly fit in a 2U container while allowing gas exchange between them. A radial fan is used to prevent the accumulation of toxic gases that are produced by the plants. 9 LEDs simulate an adjustable day/night cycle. The Raspberry Pi Zero 2W runs a modular software that controls the actuators, retrieves and distributes sensor data and communicates with the TangoLab facility. A separate microcontroller was utilized to reboot the system in case of a software malfunction.

By using mostly COTS parts we were able to provide a complete experiment setup with a material budget of less than 500€. The experiment consumed less than 1.5 watts on average. Although the humidity reached 100% in some parts of the experiment all critical components survived for the whole duration of the mission without any failure. A secondary temperature/humidity sensor next to the LEDs yielded implausable values after 6 days in space.

Our main contribution consists of a modular and affordable design that separates the handling of technical parts and the experiment. With our mission onboard the ISS we verified the system's functionality in low-gravity environments and identified design flaws. An extendable framework for various different sensors and actuators is available to adapt this system for future missions. The system is now also used by others as ground preparation module for other space missions.

Polystyrene (PS) in toluene (Tol) is among the best-studied binary systems in polymer physics, therefore perfect for the investigation of novel phenomena and experimental techniques. Besides isothermal diffusion (D), also thermodiffusion (DT) and Soret (ST) coefficients are available over a broad molar mass and concentration range [1]. Most investigations consider dilute or semidilute solutions, but there is also data for a polymer mass fraction of almost 0.9. At such high concentrations, the solution approaches the glass transition at room temperature, which enslaves all dynamics and slows down both diffusion and thermodiffusion by many orders of magnitude. Photon correlation spectroscopy is the method of choice for the measurement of Fickian diffusion due to the availability of commercial instruments. Non-isothermal transport properties have been measured by means of, e.g., thermal diffusion forced Rayleigh scattering, optical beam deflection or thermogravitational columns.

We report on shadowgraph experiments on giant thermodynamic non-equilibrium fluctuations (NEFs), which have only recently been employed as an experimental tool for the determination of ST and DT. NEFs are observed in liquids under the influence of a temperature or a concentration gradient. They show a characteristic amplitude divergence for small wavevectors, which is, however, only fully observable in microgravity. On earth, it is quenched by gravity. At the core of the instrument is a Soret cell with the optical axis parallel of the temperature gradient. Image series of the shadowgraph of the fluctuations are recorded with different time steps, from which the structure function and, in turn, the transport coefficients are calculated.

Concentrated polymer solutions at different distances to the glass transition are among the systems that will be investigated during the ongoing ESA microgravity project GIANT FLUCTUATIONS onboard the ISS, for which the flight hardware is currently being built. In preparatory laboratory experiments, we have investigated the onset of nonlinearities present in strong temperature gradients. As a rule of thumb, linear models hold up to temperature differences that are of the order of the inverse of the Soret coefficient [2]. The polymer concentrations investigated so far reach up to a mass fraction of 0.5, which is the concentration of one of the samples for the first envisaged microgravity campaign. The same concentration has also been employed during the science campaign for the test of the perspective microgravity instrument. In our contribution, we will discuss both the outcome of the science campaign and systematic laboratory experiments, including the onset of nonlinearities.

Motion sickness (MS) is a common disturbance occurring in healthy people exposed to specific motion conditions. The most widely accepted hypothesis suggests a sustained conflict between expected and actual sensory inputs as the triggering factor.

In space, these mismatches cannot be resolved into a stable self-motion perception as the brain cannot sense gravity. Accordingly, each transition between gravity levels implies space motion sickness for roughly half of trained astronauts, significantly impairing missions and safety for days. Symptoms of motion sickness include vomiting and nausea, but also higher risk of disorientation, visual illusions and sopite syndrome.

Although drugs diminish symptoms (e.g. meclizine, promethazine or scopolamine), they come with unwanted side-effects (sedation, drowsiness) and risks related to intolerances, adaptation and addiction.
An alternative to ameliorate MS symptoms are training programs employing centrifuges or rotating chairs that were proven effective in aircraft pilots, but not in astronauts. The key problem is that how selfmotion perception adapts to weightlessness is not yet established. Interestingly, astronauts with natural tendency to rely more on an ego-referenced frame (ideotropic vector) than on visual cues have been shown to have less SMS symptoms and a shorter adaptation time.

Pathological visual over-reliance may occur in patients after a transient vestibular insult and become chronic (Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD)). A sudden exposure to weightlessness represents the equivalent of a strong vestibular insult: the vestibular sensors for gravity direction abruptly stop working. As for the PPPD patients, developing visual dependence is not uncommon in astronauts and has
been related to higher and persistent SMS. Multi-sensory cues to force reweighting of sensorial integration appear overall quite successful for vestibular patients. Although visual dependence and maladaptation are also issues for astronaut, transfer of the know-how from these novel patient rehab in pre-flight habituation has yet to be evaluated.

The main aim is to develop a pre-rehabilitation lessening space motion sickness (SMS) by simultaneous manipulation of different sensory cues to create sensory conflict conditions that can be resolved when the subject adopts our desired reference frame. In practice, as astronauts with natural
tendency to adopt an ego-referenced frame have been shown to suffer less SMS and adapt faster, the pre-rehabilitation should reinforce this reference frame against a visual-based one. A training paradigm successfully achieving this adapted state will have a double advantage: it will prevent overreliance on visual cues and promote a rapid switch to this learned strategy when gravity cues are absent.

Introduction/Background

Perchlorates are major contaminants produced from agriculture and production of munitions and rocket propellent which can damage the environment and pose a human health risk as endocrine disruptors. Calcium and magnesium perchlorates have also been identified on the surface of Mars in high concentrations. As a safe and resilient food source is essential of safeguarding human health, both on Earth and in Space environments, developing crops able to tolerate perchlorates is an important challenge.

Methods/Experiment
This project aims to explore the growth of three different crops willow, tomato and broad bean in different regolith simulants (MMS-1, MGS-1 and LHS-1) contaminated with perchlorates (Ca(ClO₄)₂). Using pot trials conducted at the University College Dublin, crop development under regolith and contaminant stress will be measured and root morphology will be captured using RhizoVision and 3D X-ray µCT. Perchlorate fate will be assessed by ion chromatography and the rhizosphere microbial community will be quantified through 16S rRNA gene amplification and whole (meta)genome sequencing.

Results
Initial results indicate that perchlorate contamination and addition of lunar and Martian regolith to the growth matrix will have differential effects on the development of the three crops. The assessment of perchlorate contaminant fate will reveal either reduction by rhizospheric bacteria taxa, leaching from the soil, or accumulation in plant organs. Capturing significant changes in the relative abundance of the distinct rhizosphere microbes associated with each crop will highlight specific species associated with improved stress tolerance function.

Conclusion
The selected plants encompass an important carbohydrate (tomato), protein (bean) and materials and biorefinery crop (willow), each of which has different natural resilience stress and diverse microbial associations which underly distinct rhizosphere functions and ecosystem services. Revealing how these functions might be resistant to, or compromised by, regolith and perchlorate stress could help in the development of crop biotechnology solutions which could contribute to safeguarding the environment of Earth and help the realise humanity's ambitions for interplanetary exploration and habitation.

NASA’s technology roadmap states that self-sufficient life support systems are crucial for sustaining life on long-duration missions, and this will be achieved through resource recovery, system closure, high-reliability, autonomous control, and minimal use of expendables. Deep-space missions will undoubtedly require food production within a space habitat. Crop production systems also provide multiple life support functions such as carbon dioxide reduction to oxygen, water recovery, and waste recycling. Autonomous crop production systems could save valuable crew time while also minimizing consumables. MarsOasis® integrates prior research and concepts into an autonomous greenhouse architecture. Once deployed on the Mars surface, a 10-12 foot greenhouse deployment system transforms a flat aerospace grade acrylic sheet into a sealed, rigid hemisphere to contain a plant atmosphere. Similar to state-of-the-art spacecraft window design, the design contains multiple layers providing increased safety and robustness. Between a few of these layers, a proprietary resin is injected that cures with exposure to sunlight, which blocks UV (below 400 nm) and permits transmission of VIS-NIR. In addition, an innovative gas separator, called PHILM™, captures and concentrates CO2 from the Martian atmosphere and delivers it to the plants inside. Space Lab Technologies, LLC has conducted a Phase I feasibility assessment and developed Phase II engineering demonstration units (EDUs) of the MarsOasis® deployable, rigidizing dome structure and the CO2 concentrator. This paper reviews MarsOasis® concept, feasibility assessment, EDU test results, and operational considerations for scalability, crew access, and surface habitat interfaces.

Space Lab Technologies, LLC (Space Lab) is investigating duckweed plants (family Lemnaceae) as a candidate crop to provide bioregenerative life support (especially crews diet supplementation) for deep space exploration. A desirable space crop is one that minimizes use of mass, volume, crew time, and energy, and has fast growth, high harvest index, nutritious biomass, and good taste. Duckweed has enormous potential for space life support applications, recognized by NASA since the beginning of the space program. Benefits include 100% edible and nutrient dense biomass production, atmosphere regeneration (with a high capacity for CO2 sequestration), wastewater treatment via highly efficient nutrient uptake, and gravity-insensitive, exceptionally fast growth. In addition to rapid growth, high volumetric yield, and nutritional density, duckweed exhibits natural robustness to environmental perturbation, making it extremely attractive for space applications. However, production of aquatic floating plants in a volume constrained microgravity environment presents unique engineering challenges. µG-LilyPond, developed by Space Lab Technologies, is a growth chamber for reliably and efficiently producing duckweed in microgravity. This presentation provides an overview of 1) benefits of duckweed as a space crop, 2) the challenges of duckweed production in a space habitat, and 3) progress in µG-LilyPond hardware development.

Since the dawn of the space age in 1957, humanity has launched more than 50,000 tonnes of material into space, many of which are now decommissioned and taking up valuable space. In the last two years, more satellites have been launched than in all six decades of space exploration. Space debris poses a significant risk to satellites, spacecraft and the space environment, which makes effective mitigation strategies necessary. But the question we often ask is, what mitigation strategies can be implemented?
Continuous monitoring? An automatic collection system for each device?
With the advance of orbiting space technology and emerging space exploration, the number of space debris is increasing exponentially. It is extremely difficult to monitor space debris in order to prevent it from accumulating significantly in orbit. Much of the material that was in orbit has returned, but currently around 10,000 tonnes remain in orbit and, on average, one object returns to Earth every week, unchecked. These numbers are rising rapidly. Several spacefaring countries have adopted special rules and guidelines to prevent the formation of space debris, but so far no methodology has proved really effective in combating it.
With current technologies and practices, the space debris population is monitored by radars and electro-optical sensors placed on the ground and in orbit, and it is possible to obtain some information about objects larger than 0.5-1 cm. In addition, the detection of objects around 10 cm in LEO and larger than 80 cm in GEO can be reliably tracked and catalogued.The sources of space debris can be grouped into several categories, for example inactive payloads and mission-related objects.
In addition to the excessive accumulation of space debris, which could affect the normal functioning of space exploration and jeopardise future generations, there is also a risk, which is increasing every day, of a catastrophic collision between a Space Shuttle-type spacecraft and space debris. The aim is to invest in cutting-edge technologies such as the introduction of artificial intelligence and machine learning for autonomous and precise monitoring to capture space debris of the most diverse orientations, sizes and configurations.

Keywords: mitigation, space debris, creativiy, net.

Introduction:
Accurately measuring liquid propellant mass in low gravity is a fundamental technology for the success and reliability of extended space exploration missions. Traditional methods like bookkeeping, Pressure-Volume-Temperature (PVT) estimation, and Thermal Propellant Gauging System (PGS) show limitations such as error accumulation, accuracy loss at low pressure, and sensitivity to temperature variations, respectively. More advanced approaches like Radio Frequency Mass Gauging (RFMG) [1] and Modal Propellant Gauging (MPG) [2] have shown good results. However, their use is limited to a predetermined range of liquid configurations for which they have been calibrated. Recently, Spectral Mass Gauging (SMG) [3, 4] emerged as a promising non-intrusive technique that uses sound waves to determine the liquid volume in a tank, independent of the liquid’s configuration. SMG leverages Weyl’s asymptotic formula [5] to relate the number of eigenmodes in the acoustic cavity formed by the liquid, to its volume.
Method:
This research on the SMG technique focuses on conducting a series of experiments in normal gravity conditions (1g) to study its applicability in medium-sized tanks under various configurations. The results obtained in 1g allow us to derive guidelines on how to apply the technique in terms of optimizing the acoustic actuation and detection procedures, as well as improving the methods used for data analysis, before studying it under varying gravity levels. The setup consists of a 300 L cylindrical aluminium tank, filled with distilled water at room temperature. In an application of SMG, an acoustic actuation is used to probe the natural modes of the acoustic cavity formed by the liquid. The effectiveness of different alternatives for generating acoustic actuation are investigated, such as solenoids and piezoelectric transducers fed with different types of signals. Likewise, a series of sensors are studied to determine their adequacy for recording the liquid's response to the actuation, such as accelerometers and hydrophones.
Results:
Figure 1 (attached) shows the spectra obtained for tests conducted for two different cases: an empty tank (top figure), and a partially filled tank with 200 L of distilled water (bottom figure). For the empty tank, the spectrum can be observed to be almost flat with no prominent peaks. The partially filled case on the other hand, shows an increasing density of peaks for increasing frequencies. These observations qualitatively coincide with the predictions of Weyl’s asymptotic formula. Different approaches are being currently studied to address the discrepancies between the theoretical prediction and the obtained data.

Cells of the immune system patrol our body to destroy pathogens and cancer cells. To achieve this, immune cells need to reorganise their actin cytoskeleton constantly and quickly. At normal gravity, activation of the T cell receptor by a target cell stimulates large rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton within minutes of activation. The structure formed is termed an immune synapse and is capable of conveying signals from the interacting cell to the T cell nucleus and induce gene expression. The formation of the immune synapse aggregates the signals needed to determine the fate of the T cell and drives several T cell dependent immune processes, such as the activation of B cells and antibody production and the destruction of target cells by cytotoxic T cells. However, in conditions of real or simulated microgravity, T cell processes are impaired. Previous results from a dry immersion study showed that development and maturation of T cells was altered. This suggests that during space flight, T cells immunity would be compromised and could have difficulties to contain viral infections and prevent development of cancer. To understand how microgravity alters early T cell activation, we will use the S1X-4/MASER-16 sounding rocket equipped with the SSC Biology in Microgravity (BIM-5) module. The BIM-5 module will allow us to use microfluidic devices developed by Sioux technologies to inject T cells during the flight onto activating surfaces that mimic target cells and activate T cells resulting in the formation of immune synapses. Using this ESA platform, we will study the initial signalling events of T cell activation in microgravity conditions. Our hypothesis is that microgravity affects the actin cytoskeleton which is the scaffold structure that integrates the signals during T cell activation. Using a combination of advanced microscopy and sequencing techniques, we will study the early stages of the formation of the T cell immune synapse and unravel the connection between the actin cytoskeleton, T cell activation and microgravity.

Crewed space travel is costly. There is the monetary cost of building and carrying the weight of astronauts, equipment, and resources. There is also the physical and mental cost on the astronauts, these need to be mitigated in order to feasibly have crewed Mars missions. Whilst technological methods of mitigation are being examined by engineers and psychologists, as biological researchers there are suggestions that can be inquired within the field.

Hibernation is a biological phenomenon observed in a wide variety of animal species and it is not unlike the scientific community to take note of existing processes and abilities to further its own advancement. Whilst temporary forms of induced torpor already exist in practice, a long-term option is required and the implications of such a methodology requires analysis of its feasibility and effectiveness. If successful it would reduce the number of resources needed for the journey alone drastically. As well, it would reduce the mental and physical strain associated with months long excursions in small spaces with a small contingency of people.
This review scrutinizes various methodologies proposed for inducing hibernation-like states in humans, ranging from pharmacological agents to environmental manipulation and genetic engineering. Critical analysis of these approaches is conducted to assess their safety, efficacy, and potential translational applications in clinical settings.

A systematic review of literature was carried out to examine experiments that pertain to or would be relevant in the development of a biological method to induce long-term hibernation or torpor in humans. A total of 591 papers from the database Web Of Science were assessed using a PRISMA Flowchart. 19 studies were retrieved using the prompt “synthetic torpor” and 572 were retrieved using the prompt “human hibernation”. After four treatment stages a total of 17 studies were included in the final review, 5 from the “synthetic torpor” prompt and 12 from the “human hibernation” prompt.

Various studies examined hijacking the physiological processes that occur during hypothermia in order to synthetically induce torpor. This includes the injection of GABA-A into the Raphe Pallidus region of the brainstem. Another way this was carried out was to inject adenosine 5’ monohydrate and maintaining a low ambient temperature to induce torpor.

This study investigates the impact of microgravity on the crystal morphology of copper sulfate (CuSO4) polymorphs. A drop-casting technique deposited CuSO4 solution onto a paper substrate, which was subsequently dried under Earth's gravity. The paper sample was then subjected to a suborbital flight, experiencing microgravity for approximately 6 minutes. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was employed to characterize the morphology of CuSO4 crystals before and after the flight.
The pre-flight SEM images revealed flower-like CuSO4 crystals with well-defined, broad "petals." Conversely, post-flight images displayed a fascinating transformation. While retaining the flower-like structure, the "petals" appeared significantly thinner and more numerous. The exact timing and cause of this morphological change remain elusive. Potential factors influencing the transformation include turbulence encountered during the flight, exposure to specific frequencies, the induced stress, or the microgravity environment itself.
This study presents a novel application of suborbital flights to explore the influence of microgravity on crystal morphology. The observed transformation in CuSO4 polymorphs necessitates further investigation to pinpoint the causative factors. Unraveling this mystery holds significant implications for understanding crystal growth dynamics under reduced gravity and could pave the way for the development of novel materials with tailored properties in space environments.

Photonic crystals (PCs), biomimetic materials with periodic structures, offer diverse functionalities for solar cells, optical communication amplifiers, and health monitoring sensors. However, considering technology transfer to space applications, self-assembled PC structures face challenges in microgravity due to the complex interplay of nanoparticle interactions, material properties, and external forces.
This work addresses these challenges by investigating the optimization of self-assembled layers of colloidal particles, inverse opals, and sensing hydrogels on flexible substrates for use outside of terrestrial conditions. We employ various mechanical and vibrational tests, including elasticity tests, drop, shock, and vibration testing, to enhance the robustness of PC-based periodic nanostructures against stresses encountered during launch. Additionally, microgravity resistance is optimized by testing the nanomaterials in inverted positions (-g) and fine-tuning their components.
The resulting robust PC materials will be further developed into photonic sensors for health monitoring purposes in space. This research paves the way for the development of novel, wearable, and reliable photonic devices for the space industry.

Background
Lycotec has developed a range of clinically validated neutraceuticals, which can reverse a range of age-associated metabolic changes in elderly people. However, how to confirm that these changes can be translated into improvement of physiological parameters and reduce pathology risk development, i.e. slow-overall body ageing, requires many years of terrestrial trials and prohibitive costs.
Long exposure to microgravity causes pathological changes in many body organs and tissues resembling terrestrial ageing processes but at an accelerated rate. We propose, in partnership with astronauts at the ISS, to set up a “clinic”, a set of studies in microgravity where the advanced efficacy validation of anti-ageing products could be significantly accelerated, with the results of trials being generated within months rather than years, hence at reasonable cost.
This “clinic” would be a revolutionary springboard for accelerating developments in anti-ageing medicine to improve the health of the ageing terrestrial population.

Proposed studies
Advanced efficacy validation in microgravity of nutraceutical supplementation

1st trial – On Space Anaemia and Immunity.
Preliminary data demonstrated: stimulation of depressed hematopoiesis by the formation of blood progenitor cells + increased population of Bifidobacteria, the main immunity bacteria in the gut.
Proposed trial analysed parameters: haematology, immune activity tests, blood markers of systemic tissue hypoxia and inflammation, stool microbiome.
Trial terrestrial health benefits: advanced validation of nutraceuticals to slow down development of and perhaps treat anaemia and immune system decline in ageing.

2nd trial – On Brain Functions and Vision.
Preliminary data demonstrated: facilitation of brain-targeted delivery of Omega 3, essential for the nervous system + boost of depressed peripheral tissue oxygenation + reduction of markers of inflammation.
Proposed trial analysed parameters: cognitive, emotional balance, vision, retina status, sensory and motor function tests, hematology, blood markers of systemic tissue hypoxia and inflammation.
Terrestrial health benefits – advanced validation of nutraceuticals to help to slow down development of and perhaps treat mental and vision decline in ageing.

3rd trial – On Skin and Dry Eye.
Preliminary data demonstrated: restoring health of the epidermis and natural moisturisation of the skin, improving skin immunity.
Proposed trial analysed parameters: non-invasive skin tests for sebum quantity and quality, level of exfoliated corneocytes and skin bacteria load; tear production.
Terrestrial health benefits – advanced validation of nutraceuticals to help to slow down development of and perhaps treat dry eye disease and age-associated skin changes.

All nutraceuticals are safe for humans and do not require FDA approval.

Plant proprioception defines the ability of plant to perceive their curvature and to rectify it by the progressive establishment of straightening (1). This capacity to organ straightening needs a complex series of local growth adjustments, usually described as autotropism. Until recently, the signal behind this phenomenon of straightening has long been considered an integral mechanism of the gravitational responses and it remained poorly understood. Furthermore, the proprioceptive control could also be involved in straightening processes observed during phototropism (2), circumnutation (3) or other influences.
Until now, to decorrelate this process from graviperception, it has been studied using mathematical modelling (4, 5) or using experiments performed in simulated-microgravity conditions such as those performed on clinostats (6).
The overall aim of our space project is to decipher the contribution of multiple stresses induced by spaceflight conditions in the stem proprioceptive sensibilities. Plants grown on the International Space Station (ISS) will offer the unique opportunity to investigate the proprioception process in absence of graviperception. The experiments will be performed using Arabidopsis thaliana as a plant model, allowing the use of mutants or molecular tools targeted on specific molecular actors emerging as important in the proprioception process. The originality of the project lies in the use of a new generic phenotyping tool developed by the team and allowing the characterization of the dynamics of the gravi- and proprioceptive driving of plant curving/decurving movements, through image analysis associated with mathematical modelling using the NASA facilities of the Advanced Plant Habitat. We propose to identify molecular mechanisms underlying simultaneously the curvature perception and the active control of growth in de-curvature. We will address this issue by investigating the function of F-actin organization and its dynamics in proprioceptive control of stem straightening. Our first on-Earth results, obtained using clinostat, on mutants affected in the cytoskeleton organization will be presented. Such knowledge will improve not only our ability to grow plants in space but will also feed research aiming at selecting plants on their straightening abilities for agriculture on earth. Thus, the data obtained within this project could be integrated in the models of plant development implemented within the framework of "a bioregenerative life support system” in space.

Introduction: The impact of rocket exhaust on the surface of Mars during the final landing phase of a powered descent results in a disruption of the surface regolith material. Furthermore, the diminished gravitational force and sparse atmosphere on Mars do not exert the same level of deceleration on particles as they do on Earth. As a result, the ejected particles levitate for a longer duration and are capable of travelling at higher speeds and distances compared to Earth. The presence of contaminants in the lander equipment, such as sensors, solar panels, and antennas, presents potential hazards. Additionally, the cloud of dust has the potential to impair radio and radar systems in the final stages of the mission. Therefore, it is essential to understand the impact of the interaction between rocket plumes and regolith in Martian habitats, particularly in relation to forthcoming missions aimed at landing on Mars.

Method: The present study used the European Space Agency-funded, large-volume plume-regolith facility at the University of Glasgow Aero-physics Laboratory to study rocket plume impingement on Martian conditions.
With a total volume of 84m³, the facility ensures a nozzle pressure ratio of above 1500 between the stagnation pressure at the nozzle and the background during the entire nozzle operation. This research examined constant and pulsed nozzle operating modes. Schlieren flow visualisation, IR study, radar attenuation study, spacecraft base study, permeability plate study, and laser particle tracking study were successfully conducted.
The selection of an appropriate material to serve as a regolith simulant holds significant importance in the present investigation. Regolith simulants were chosen based on their density, size, and availability to replicate the planet’s surface soil. For the Martian simulant, dried and crushed walnut shells of mesh size 100 (149 µm) via dynamic scaling were selected.

Result: Schlieren studies reveal Martian plume structure and complicated shock arrangements. A very turbulent, fluctuating surface shock with marked strength at centre and sporadic generated weak shock at periphery may be detected at higher standoff, whereas the shock is steady with just initial shock cell in lower standoff. The right end tail shock oscillates due to wall jet interaction on inclined plates. The novel laser tracking method successfully captured the initial moments of the trajectory of the particles emitted from the regolith tray under Martian pressure conditions. The vector images indicate a triangular-shaped sheet of particles sweeping from the regolith bed at a positive inclination.

Introduction
The provision of food in future long-duration manned space missions and planetary outposts will need solutions for producing food in-situ with a view to:
• Provide a sustainable, fresh source for essential nutrients.
• Limit long shelf-life food to be transported and reliance on costly resupplies from Earth.
A feasibility study on Cellular Agriculture for Future Human Space Missions was carried out for ESA by an industrial consortium comprising Kayser Space Ltd., Cellular Agriculture Ltd. and Campden BRI. The study covers mission analysis and requirements, the assessment of cellular agriculture technologies with a conceptual system design and performance analysis, regulatory outlook and road-mapping and the identification of knowledge gaps and development plan for future space systems.

ESA feasibility study scope
Through discussions with experts from ESA, nutritional and logistics considerations were provided as key preliminary driving requirements. Technical requirements were derived to address astronaut nutrition needs and food safety for operational scenarios: a) transit phase to Mars, where the technology would be required to operate in a microgravity space environment, and b) Lunar and Martian outposts with their specific planetary environments and reduced gravity with respect to Earth. The properties of a wide range of potential protein sources - from insects to cyanobacteria and algae - were considered and associated technologies assessed. For space bound cellular agriculture systems, engineering budgets and performance factors related to mass, power and volume, as well as their input/output efficiency were determined. Issues related to in-situ resource utilisation, potential space radiation effects, shelf-life and waste management and re-cycling were also considered.

Study outcome and next steps
Cultured meat is identified to provide the optimum combination of properties overall, and meat cells will be utilised as the starting material for the cell culture process in future space systems based on techniques and processes used in tissue engineering. Bioreactors can achieve high density cell cultures by replicating in vivo conditions; a compact, low mass cellular agriculture production platform based on Hollow Fibre Bioreactor (HFB) technology was conceptualised for operation in space environments and its performance modelled in terms of input /output parameters and engineering budgets, sizing the HFB design to satisfy the protein requirements of the mission scenarios under study. Science and engineering questions still remain in the development of an efficient HFB closed loop system for space, some of which will be addressed in a proposed experiment on the ISS.

Introduction
Plants and microbes form intimate associations that are key determinants of an individual plant’s success. An important gap in our understanding of plant growth in spaceflight is how this environment may alter these associations. The APEX-10 investigation focuses on testing the hypothesis that the beneficial microbe Trichoderma harzianum (Tucci et al., 2011; Pieterse et al., 2014) will confer increased stress resilience and improved growth in tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) seedlings when grown together in microgravity on the ISS.

Methods
The experiment was successfully launched on January 30th, 2024 on the NG-20 Cygnus spacecraft. A parallel ground control was performed in the ISS environmental simulator chambers at Kennedy Space Center. The biological samples consisted of sterile Petri plates containing nutrient gel medium with either tomato seeds alone, tomato seeds inoculated with spores of T. harzianum, or Petri plates inoculated with fungal spores alone. A 2 mm pore size polyester mesh that was bounded by a 3 mm wide, 0.5 mm thick, 3d printed PETG perimeter rim was incorporated onto the top of the nutrient gel before planting of the seeds or spores to facilitate crew harvesting of plants and fugal colonies at the end of the experiment. Plants were grown under continuous light for 14 days in the Veggie hardware, with crew photography every other day. The experiment also included gas sampling of the air around the Veggies to allow stable carbon isotope analysis (Du et al., 2021) for calculation of photosynthetic and physiological parameters such as plant water use efficiency. On day 14, plates were opened in the Life Sciences Glovebox on the ISS (Garber, 2018) to ensure fungal containment and biological materials were harvested, frozen between aluminum blocks conditioned to -160˚C, and stored in the MELFI for sample return.

Results and Discussion
All the samples were returned frozen, along with the gas samples, on the CREW 7 vehicle that splashed down on March 12th, 2024. Ongoing post-flight analyses include RNAseq to catalog patterns of gene expression, glycomic profiling (Nakashima et al., 2023) to define cell wall polymer composition, measurements of the levels of chlorophyll and the stress pigment anthocyanin, and quantification of malondialdehyde, a biochemical measure of levels of oxidative stress in the plants (Hodges et al., 1999). Stable carbon isotope analysis is also being performed on the cabin air and plant samples at the University of New Mexico.

Advances in space exploration demands the capacity for sustainable food production in-situ, with fresh produce far more desirable than expensive resupplies or nutrient deficiencies from preserved food. Moreover, as private space stations begin to come online in the next decade, the demand for growing crops in space will only increase rapidly. Investigations into space agriculture have largely taken place in small, controlled environment test beds on the International Space Station, such as VEGGIE (Massa, 2017) and APH (Monje et al., 2020). The use of power-intensive technologies for crop production on Earth, however, is burdened further in orbit by the demand for thermal management, which can be costly to satellite systems. This study investigates the potential of using the abundant solar radiation in orbit to return to conventional agriculture, via the use of transparent orbital ‘greenhouses’ to grow plants. Representative plant species of each primary photosynthetic pathway (C3, C4, CAM) were grown under an ‘orbital photoperiod’ lighting regime that corresponds to a theoretical low-Earth orbit: a 90-minute cycle, 30 minutes of which in the shadow of Earth. Cultivated for 60 days with a control of a ‘long day’ 16:8 photoperiod, morphological comparisons and chlorophyll florescence analyses confirmed the detrimental effects of an orbital photoperiod on plant growth, and demonstrated that C4 species were the least impacted by the extreme light cycle. Results indicate further research investigating the potential of C4 crops for maximum productivity should be prioritised for orbital greenhouses.

Robust root establishment is essential to successful plant growth in lunar regolith. Plants can grow in lunar regolith simulant, albeit demonstrate major stress responses. In Arabidopsis roots grown in lunar regolith, the specific stressors that decrease plant fitness are poorly understood and transcriptomic data of plant response is limited to shoots primarily. From shoot transcriptomic data, there are indications of plant wounding (e.g., upregulation of aluminum exposure, immune response, and nutrient deficiency associated genes). To further our understanding of plant fitness in lunar regolith, we evaluated Medicago sativa L. (‘alfalfa’) roots responses in the new OPRH4W30 simulant and JSC-1A aiming to identify stressors and remediation potential.
Root architecture is modified in the presence of ion stress. Using rhizoboxes, we observed modifications in root architecture, employing 2D imaging daily and 3D imaging using computerized tomography 28 days post-germination. 3D imaging allows us to see potential wounding while keeping surrounding regolith intact. To understand root morphology changes, we collected root exudates for quantification and distribution, confocal microscopy, and reactive oxygen species production. The reduced growth and increased stress seen in Arabidopsis was likely caused by the abrasiveness of regolith and the high concentration of heavy metals. Therefore, we looked at the simulant properties from pre- to post-plant growth with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to understand the microstructural changes. Visible/near-infrared range (VNIR) was also used to look at iron redox state, regolith weathering, and spatial relationships during root growth. Using this work, we will evaluate plant performance in the presence of endophytes.

Orbital Paradigm (OP) is a recently born startup which aims at providing services to unlock the expansion of industry into orbit. OP develops Kestrel, a small reentry vehicle designed to fly both in rideshare on large launchers or on dedicated small launchers, with quick refurbishment and high cadence mission opportunities. Kestrel will start providing accessible and customized microgravity flights up to 3-6 months in orbit and will evolve to enable servicing&return missions in LEO. Kestrel’s maiden flight is scheduled not earlier than Q4 2026.
Currently, microgravity applications are not limited by mass capacity, but by flight opportunities and cadence, with researchers and companies requiring more mission frequency to enable fast iteration and scaling. As of 2024, it is possible to launch payloads to space on average every three days, while missions returning from orbit are available once every 3-4 months, with flights back from the ISS, implying complexity in the development process and limitations in access. Ramping up experimentation and in-space production for business applications will require a constant flux of space-manufactured goods for consolidation and scalability, which will come with routine return flights.
SpaceX laid the railroad infrastructure for routine access to space, with a continuous schedule of rideshare missions to orbit at costs approaching few thousands of dollars per kg.
Orbital Paradigm focuses on exploiting the existing low-cost shared launch opportunities to provide high cadence, routine return flights, with simple payload development and access, competitive price point, and recurring mssions. The limited size and mass of Kestrel is a design decision to allow providing such a frequent complementary service to large return vessels, focusing on low access barriers and customization capability due to the limited number of onboard customers. A customization example is related to thermal control settings, and power availability for advanced materials or biotech clients.
Kestrel is composed of two modules: a Re-entry Module (RM) with design mass of approximately 210kg, and a Service Module (SVM) with a design mass of 90 kg. The spacecraft is designed to operate in orbit during 3 months, that can be extended in case of clients’ requests. The RM makes use of a conical shape with 20 deg side angle, a base diameter of 1.6m, and a total height of 1.2m. The RM provides 200L pressurized volume, with controlled temperature setpoints between 25ºC to 37ºC. Kestrel is being designed for return to Europe, and includes a late access hatch.

The Bose Einstein Condensate and Cold Atom Laboratory (BECCAL) is a physics experiment facility designed to research ultracold atoms in microgravity [1]. It is planned to operate on the International Space Station (ISS) for several years, following the MAIUS sounding rocket missions. The large setup spans over five EXPRESS rack lockers and includes the main physics package, the laser system, and the control electronics. Within the ultra-high vacuum physics package, Bose Einstein condensates are generated using laser cooling and trapped in magneto-optical traps. Sensors and actuators distributed throughout the experiment are controlled by a control computer over a fiber-optical network.

Most of the electronics in BECCAL are custom FPGA-based boards, organized in a tree network topology. Communication from the control computer is routed through this precision timing network to the endpoints [2]. These endpoints consist of stacked boards controlled by a master over a bus system, which has already been flight-proven in the MAIUS missions. Most of the boards contain an FPGA or a microcontroller to control peripherals, gather sensor data, and communicate with the bus.

The radiation environment in low Earth orbit consists of protons trapped in the Van Allen radiation belt and sporadic heavy intergalactic cosmic rays. Since BECCAL contains more than 100 FPGAs, using radiation-hardened devices is not feasible; instead, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices are used. The radiation causes soft errors in the electronic components that must be handled. We demonstrate how error-detection architectures are employed into the FPGA fabrics, which report errors to the control computer via the network [3].

In this work, we present our strategy to recover the electronic system during operation in orbit. This includes the detection of radiation-induced errors and the subsequent notification of the control computer. Subsequently, reconfiguration of the FPGAs and microcontrollers is required. In our network, each node can reprogram all their following nodes via a JTAG interface. The stacked boards require a different solution, as JTAG typically operates in a chain through multiple devices and is incompatible with the bus infrastructure inherited from MAIUS. We have designed an improved bus structure that can reprogram FPGAs and microcontrollers and also communicate through a single interface. We show that this can be achieved with a small amount of additional hardware to the existing designs.