Development of a Microscopy Platform for the International Space Station

摘要

Microscopy in Zero-Gravity presents numerous challenges from slide and sample preparations to data handling and recording. A team of several Florida schools has established a distributed engineering and science team in conjunction with FSI and FSRI at Kennedy Space Center to address critical issues for an ISS microscopy payload. Flights aboard the KC-135 reduced gravity aircraft have provided engineers, faculty and students with valuable experience applied to the design of sample preparation procedures. Current plans include the development of flight hardware for flight aboard ISS in 2006. The payload includes both a high resolution scanning probe microscopy (SPM) unit and a low resolution light microscopy unit. The development of a Zero-Gravity Microscopy Analysis Platform (ZG-MAP) combines industry effort, in conjunction with academia, to deliver ISS access to both seasoned researchers and students.