To help scientists determine the effects of the space environment on physical and biological elements, NASA has begun testing its multi-capability microscope in the International Space Station.
Protected from vibrations, the microscope captures well-defined, high-resolution images, which allow scientists to study individual cells of animals, plants and microorganisms.
The advantage of using the Light Microscopy Module (LMM) is that scientists can make observations in real time. Also the samples under observation are not required to return to Earth since they will be affected by the re-entry through the planet’s atmosphere.
Launched on 24 February 2011, the biological samples aboard the Discovery STS -133 include six cases containing live C. elegans worms; eight fixed slides of consisting of bacteria, yeast, a fly, a leaf, the wing of a butterfly, blood and tissue sections; a strip of florescent plastic and the typed alphabet "r".
The butterfly wing is from a study conducted in 2009, titled “Butterflies in Space” and a few worms are progeny of the ones from the Columbia STS-107 shuttle accident while in others fluorescence has been induced through modification. To study gene expression, scientists usually attach red, yellow or green florescent proteins.
Project Manager for the LMM at NASA’s Glenn Research Center, Ron Sicker explained that the commercial microscope was modified using cameras and 23 micro motors to enable scientists to control operations from Earth. The LMM technology was jointly developed by NASA’s Ames and Glenn research centers.