BACTERIAL ACCLIMATION AND ADAPTATION TO THE SPACE ENVIRONMENT CONDITIONS-B/-C
(BASE-B/-C), TWO INVESTIGATIONS
Research Area: Microbiology
Expedition(s): 18
Principal Investigator(s): ● Natalie Leys, MD, Belgium Nuclear Research
Center, Mol, Belgium
● Max Mergeay, Belgium Nuclear Research Center, Mol, Belgium
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The Bacterial Acclimation and Adaptation to the
Space Environment Conditions-B/-C (BASE-B/C)
investigations are a continuation of BASE-A that
studies the effects of space conditions such as
microgravity and cosmic radiation aboard the
International Space Station (ISS) on physiological
and metabolic processes in bacteria.
RESULTS
The preliminary results indicated that none of the 4 test bacteria samples were able to proliferate
in space during the incubation. The reason remains unclear, as all cells were viable, present in the
culture medium and temperature data indicated 28°C. In addition, all parallel ground control
cultures did grow. Only one of the bacteria samples that were packed for return showed growth in
the non-fixed cultures. It is suspected that growth occurred in these samples after incubation
during the 16.5 hours additional storage at ambient temperature in the Soyuz before return. As 4
different bacteria and different culture media were involved, a “biological” cause of failure can be
excluded. The 4 different bacteria and different culture media prepared by different research
groups used in the flight experiment units were checked postflight and have proven to be correct.
In addition, samples were prepared by different science teams, minimizing also the potential of
human error as cause of experiment failure. Although the experiment failure root cause could not
be identified, it is suspected that perhaps a possible error in the timeline, which may have caused
a too-short incubation time between automatic activation and fixation or removal from the
incubator, may have limited the cell proliferation. Unfortunately, as no bacteria proliferated during
flight, insufficient biomass was obtained to continue cell and molecular analysis. Thus the samples
from the BASE-B and BASE-C flight experiment cannot be exploited any further and no trustable
scientific data could be obtained.
This investigation is complete; however no publications are expected.
Kubik experiment hardware. ESA image.