MULE Research

--- In ssi_list@yahoogroups.com, "jdr7181" wrote:
MULE Research (12/28/02)
by Dr. Richard Crews

Research suitable for the MULE can be thought of as falling into two
broad categories, each with two sub-categories. The research can be
either biological (concerned with life sciences) or non-biological
(concerned primarily with physical sciences). Within the category of
biological research, it can be either human or non-human oriented.
Within non-biological research, it can be either fundamental (seeking
general scientific knowledge) or commercial (aimed toward research
and development of marketable goods and services).

In the first of these four categories, human biology, there are four
general kinds of dangers or stresses that human beings are exposed to
in the exploration and development of space -- microgravity,
radiation, psychology of physical constraints and dangers, and social
isolation. Of these, only microgravity -- the effects, short and
long-term, of weightlessness -- cannot be studied on the Earth's
surface. And of course anything that can be studied on the Earth's
surface, should be, since that can be much cheaper, more convenient,
and less hazzardous than an environment in space.

It was clear in the early days of space flights that nausea ("sea
sickness") and spatial disorientation ("which way is 'up'?") would be
problems, but these seem to be quickly and naturally overcome by
automatic adaptations over a period of minutes to hours. Effects on
equilibrium, muscle strength, and bone growth are more persistent,
but for flights of less than several weeks, these are not significant
and resolve within a few weeks of returning to Earth without
permanent effects or damage. There has been a lot of concern that
longer microgravity tours might open up a Pandora's box of problems --
musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, even reproductive, for example.
Hundreds of studies have been done (and thousands more are needed) to
clarify these questions and develop remediations.

This whole complex and important area of problems in human biology --
physiological and psychological -- can be largely set aside in the
early development of the MULE. In fact, it is to avoid these
complexities that the MULE laboratory modules will be designed to be
unmanned.

However, the second broad category of space research -- non-human
biology -- has many areas of inquiry that are eminently suitable for
MULE research. Plants and primitive animals, extremophiles and
archeophiles, tissue cultures, and biological fluids can be
maintained and studied. Certain proteins and other crystals and
exotic chemicals can be best (or only) synthesized and manipulated in
a microgravity environment. There is a great deal to learn in these
areas.

The third broad category -- fundamental science -- has five areas of
research that are suitable for the MULE envirnoment -- studies in
fundamental physics, materials science, fluid physics, energy, and
combustion science. Studies in fundamental physics investigate the
basic laws that govern the physical world on all scales from the sub-
microscopic to the cosmic. Many studies are only possible or can be
greatly facilitated when the obscuring effects of the Earth's gravity
are not present -- for example, studies in gravitation and
relativistic physics, laser cooling and atomic physics, low
temperature and condensed matter physics, and areas of biological
physics.

Materials science is a vast and diverse field that includes
electronic and photonic materials, glasses and ceramics, metals and
alloys, and polymers and nonlinear optical materials. Numerous areas
of study in materials science can be advanced by long-duration, high-
quality microgravity conditions -- for example, studies in the
thermodynaics and kinetics of phase transformation, and modeling of
microstructure and defect formation. In addition, studies can be
done that are specifically related to longer-duration space flights
such as trips to Mars -- for example, studies on the effects of
radiation and prolongued microgravity on materials and processes
relevant to these missions.

Suitable studies in fluid physics include heat and mass transfer
processes, fuild dynamics, and the physics of complex fluids. Energy
studies involve use of solar and other radiation to produce and
harvest energy; storage of energy in batteries, flywheels, etc.; heat
exchange mechanisms; etc. Combustion science studies involve ways of
mitigating pollution and new methods for producing and handling
combustible materials under microgravity conditions.

All of these areas are interesting and potentially valuable.
However, the real forte of the MULE lies in the remaining category --
commercial research and development.

Research

I. Biological (concerned with life sciences)

A. Human biology
1. Microgravity
a. Nausea
b. Spatial disorientation
c. Disturbed equilibrium
d. Reduced strength of certain muslces
e. Bone loss and retarded bone regeneration and
healing
f. Longterm musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory,
reproductive, etc. problems
2. Radiation
3. Pharmacology and medical treatment
4. Psychology of physical constraints and dangers
5. Social isolation (including unavailability of medical
services and food production)
6. Other human-biology projects

B. Non-human biology
1. Plants
2. Primitive animals
3. Extremophiles and archeophiles
4. Tissue cultures
5. Biological fluids
6. Synthesis and study of certain proteins, crystals,
and other exotic chemicals
7. Other non-human-biology projects

II. Non-biological (concerned primarily with physical sciences)
A. Fundamental science
1. Physics
a. Gravitation
b. Relativistic physics
c. Laser cooling
d. Atomic physics
e. Low-temperature physics
f. Condensed-matter physics
g. Biological physics
h. Other fundamental physics
2. Materials science
a. Electronics and photonics materials
b. Glasses and ceramics
c. Metals and alloys
d. Polymers
e. Nonlinear optical materials
f. Aerogels and other exotic materials
3. Fluid physics
a. Heat and mass transfer
b. Fluid dynamics
c. Physics of complex fluids
d. Water purification
e. Other fluid physics projects
4. Energy
a. Solar (and other radiation)
b. Batteries (and other energy storage, such as
flywheels)
c. Heat conversion and exchange
d. Other energy projects
5. Combustion science
a. Mitigating pollution
b. Combustible materials in microgravity
c. Other combustion science projects

B. Commercial research and development

The last of these categories, commercial research and development --
that is, projects leading to marketable goods and services -- is the
most important for our purposes. In fact, it is not a separate or
discrete area of inquiry. It can "borrow" from any of the other
categories.

There have been hundreds of space projects designed with an eye
to "real" business and market applications. In many cases they have
been collaborative, joining academic and government efforts with
those of entrepreneurial private enterprise. NASA, the U.S. National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, has a specific legal mandate
and stated goal to facilitate privately capitalized space ventures.
They have developed a "Space Products Development Program" and a
series of 17 "Commercial Space Centers." During the period 1985-
2000, industry and academia invested $529 million through funding,
people, and equipment to NASA's Commercial Space Centers. During
that same period, $170 million was privately invested in spin-off
companies created by the Commercial Space Centers. Commercial
activity through these centers has resulted in development of
numerous new technologies, a dozen licensing agreements, and more
than 25 patents. Although most activity of this sort is centered in
the United States, NASA's efforts have attracted worldwide
participation.

Here are some examples of commercial space research and development
projects. Although all of these have an Earth-bound foundation and
ongoing ground-based support aspects, the emphasis in the projects
selected here is the use of the space environment -- as, for example,
would be available aboard a MULE module.

Example 1 -- BioServe Space Technologies is working with Amgen to
study the effects of OPG, a natural human protein being developed for
the treatment of osteoporosis. BioServe developed a model that
incorporates aging mice with spaceflight. A BioServe scientist
determined that certain strains of aging mice demonstrate a
consistent pattern of bone loss. However, the time period it takes
to observe this loss presents a challenge for preclinical trials due
to the expense of administering a test drug and the reaction of
antibody development in mice towards human-based therapies. Space
flight provides an opportunity to observe changes on a 1-2 month time
period that would normally take 6-12 months on the ground.
[www.colorado.edu/engineering/BioServe/biomedicine.html]

Example 2 -- BioServe Space Technologies has examined the effects of
space flight on antibiotic fermentation processes. They have
demonstrated increases in antiobiotic production up to 200% over
ground-based controls. A more efficient fermentation process -- even
by a small percentage -- could potentially save millions of dollars
in production costs. They have also noted that the development of
drug resistance in pathogens is often significantly retarded in
microgravity.
[http://www.colorado.edu/engineering/BioServe/biomedicine.html]

Example 3 -- The Center for Macromolecular Crystallography (CMC)
located at the University of Alabama at Birmingham has used the low-
gravity environment of space to grow protein crystals for use in drug
design. The CMC has attempted to crystallize hundreds of proteins in
space, each with a potential product. One product that is working
toward market readiness is a treatment for influenza. Neuraminidase
is a protein crucial to the flu's ability to infect the body. The
CMC was able to grow neuraminidase crystals in space, leading to
structurally purer crystals and thus more accurate crystallographic
analysis. The resulting structural data led to improvements in a
neuraminidase inhibitor that began clinical trials in 1998. Another
product resulting from improved X-ray diffraction analysis of
crystals grown in microgravity is an inhibitor to Factor D. Factor D
is a naturally occuring protein that causes problems for heart attack
and stroke victims, and for heart surgery patients.
[http://microgravity.nasa.gov/pegBiot.html]

Example 4 -- The Medical Informatics & Technology Applications (MITA)
at Yale University has used the space environment to develop improved
commercial applications of medical informatics and telemedicine, and
enhanced electromechanical interfaces connecting a health care team
with patients. [http://engineer.tamu.edu/tees/csce/links.htm]

Example 5 -- The Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics
(WCSAR) in partnership with other organizations established that
microgravity stimulates the rate of Agrobacterium tumefaciens-
mediated transformation over 10-fold in soybeans. This method could
be useful in obtaining transgenic plants from recalcitrant crops.
The WCSAR has used similar techniques to produce plant metabolites
used for environmental decontamination, synthesis of antibiotics and
edible vaccines, and the producction of biodegradable plastic.
[http://wcsar.engr.wisc.edu/activities.html]

Example 6 -- The Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center in Houston, Texas is
developing new techniques to use the ultra-vacuum of space for
processing ultra-pure, thin-film materials for improving electronics
and computers. In space they have used a vacuum environment that is
up to 10,000 times more pure than the best vacuum chambers on Earth.
[http://engineer.tamu.edu/tees/csce/links.htm]