group
What campus are you from?
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Natalie Brattain Kylie Nager Chloe Nissen Matas Ubartas
Lead Presenter's Name
Natalie Brattain
Faculty Mentor Name
Sean Crouse
Abstract
The Tardigrade Bio-ExplorAtion Reproduction Research Payload (tBEARR) is an external ISS standardized lab payload module mission under development by the Embry-Riddle Orbital Research Association (ERORA), an undergraduate research club at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, FL. As club-driven research, we actively encourage both undergraduate and graduate students to get involved in hands-on space research, providing opportunities to contribute to all aspects of mission design, science, and operations. The mission aims to launch four separate cultures of tardigrades aboard a payload module to Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) to study the effects of UV and cosmic radiation on their genetics and cell composition, which may, in turn, affect their reproduction cycle. Tardigrades are microorganisms renowned for their remarkable resilience to extreme conditions, including extreme temperatures, pressures, low-oxygen environments, and extended periods without food or water. Research into the mechanisms behind their cellular survival in these conditions remains limited, which is why the tBEARR team has chosen this as the focus for their primary payload aboard the payload module. Hypsibius exemplaris has been chosen as the primary species aboard the payload, with others awaiting testing verifications. Our hypothesis is that prolonged exposure to cosmic radiation will induce specific genetic and physiological adaptations in tardigrades, affecting their reproduction rates, mutations in genes, and overall cellular integrity. Insights from this research could contribute to the development of advanced radiation-hardening technologies, such as protective bioengineering techniques for electronics, enhanced resilience in plant cells for space-based agriculture, or cellular adaptations in humans to mitigate radiation exposure during long-duration space missions. In addition, this mission aims to design and build the first standardized laboratory payload module intended for attachment to external ISS platforms. It is intended for future use by students and researchers from other universities, easing overall access to space.
Did this research project receive funding support from the Office of Undergraduate Research.
No
Tardigrade Bio-ExplorAtion Reproduction Research Payload
The Tardigrade Bio-ExplorAtion Reproduction Research Payload (tBEARR) is an external ISS standardized lab payload module mission under development by the Embry-Riddle Orbital Research Association (ERORA), an undergraduate research club at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, FL. As club-driven research, we actively encourage both undergraduate and graduate students to get involved in hands-on space research, providing opportunities to contribute to all aspects of mission design, science, and operations. The mission aims to launch four separate cultures of tardigrades aboard a payload module to Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) to study the effects of UV and cosmic radiation on their genetics and cell composition, which may, in turn, affect their reproduction cycle. Tardigrades are microorganisms renowned for their remarkable resilience to extreme conditions, including extreme temperatures, pressures, low-oxygen environments, and extended periods without food or water. Research into the mechanisms behind their cellular survival in these conditions remains limited, which is why the tBEARR team has chosen this as the focus for their primary payload aboard the payload module. Hypsibius exemplaris has been chosen as the primary species aboard the payload, with others awaiting testing verifications. Our hypothesis is that prolonged exposure to cosmic radiation will induce specific genetic and physiological adaptations in tardigrades, affecting their reproduction rates, mutations in genes, and overall cellular integrity. Insights from this research could contribute to the development of advanced radiation-hardening technologies, such as protective bioengineering techniques for electronics, enhanced resilience in plant cells for space-based agriculture, or cellular adaptations in humans to mitigate radiation exposure during long-duration space missions. In addition, this mission aims to design and build the first standardized laboratory payload module intended for attachment to external ISS platforms. It is intended for future use by students and researchers from other universities, easing overall access to space.