Bengaluru: To understand how microbes behave in an extreme environment, the research team from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Indian Science Institute (IISC) has developed modular devices, independent to grow microorganisms, which can enable scientists to conduct biological experiments in outer space.
In a study published in ‘Acta Astronautica’, the team has shown how devices can be used to activate and track the growth of bacteria called Sporosarcina Pasteurii for several days, with minimal human involvement.
“Understanding how these microbes behave in extreme environments can provide valuable insights for the mission of human spaces such as ‘Ignaan,’ The first spacecraft in India will be launched in 2022,” said IISC in a statement with TII.
Show that in recent years, scientists have increasingly explored the use of lab-on-chip platforms – which combine a lot of analysis into an integrated chip – for these experiments, IISC said there were additional challenges to design the platform for the outer space, when compared to the lab .
Koushik Viswanathan, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, IISC, and senior research writer, said: “It must be fully independent.
In addition, you cannot expect the same operating conditions as you do in a normal laboratory setting …
and you don’t Can have something a 500W guzzles, for example.
“New devices use a combination of LED sensors and photodiodes to track bacterial growth by measuring optical density or light scattering, similar to the spectrophotometer used in the lab.
It also has a separate compartment for different experiments.
IISC says each compartment or ‘tapes’ consists of space where bacteria and nutritional media can be mixed to kick growth, by flicking the switch remotely.