The European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS) – A joint NASA/ESA facility for Life Science Research onboard the International Space Station

Paper number

IAC-07-A2.5.03

Author

Mr. Ulrich Kuebler, EADS Astrium Space Transportation, Germany

Coauthor

Dr. Christoph Puetz, EADS Astrium, Germany

Year

2007

Abstract

NASA and ESA’s joint facility for biological investigations under microgravity was launched to the ISS in July of 2006 and has already completed 2 experiments, a 3rd one is planned for July 2007. EMCS provides the environment for cultivation, stimulation and crew assisted operation of biological experiments under well controlled conditions, like temperature, atmosphere composition, water supply, illumination, observation, acceleration on centrifuges. EMCS is a self-standing facility that operates mainly autonomously. For experiment set-up and exchange of consumables (gas/water) crew involvement is needed. After finishing the experiment set-up the facility can be controlled by commanding either from the ground or by the on-orbit crew.

EMCS is installed in an EXPRESS rack onboard the International Space Station in the US-laboratory module Destiny. It has been developed by the European Space Agency and is operated under a joint utilization agreement between NASA and ESA.
The agreement includes the following setup:
ESA provides: 
- facility
- experiment containers
- re-supply modules
NASA provides:
- Rack accommodation
- Power
- Cooling via water loop \& avionics
- GN2 \& vacuum venting interface
- Data \& Video interface
- Mission preparation and integration services
- Shuttle up-/downmass for facility and all experiments
- Crewtime for all experiments

The utilization is shared between NASA and ESA equally. The first experiment TROPI was managed by the NASA’s Ames Research Center and the second one by ESA. The operations for both experiments were prepared and operated in collaboration between the Payload Operations and Integration Center POIC in Huntsville and the Norwegian User Support Center in Trondheim, which has the commanding authority for the EMCS facility.

EMCS was designed mainly to support experiments with plants, including seed to seed experiments for whole plants like Arabidopsis thaliana. Thee current configuration of EMCS includes two so-called Plant Rotors that offer room for 4 EMCS Experiment Containers per rotor. The EMCS modular design allows to implement other rotors e.g. for experiments with (larger) plants, invertebrates, and in potential future configurations also for confocal microscopic observations, or for aquatic species.

Abstract document

IAC-07-A2.5.03.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-07-A2.5.03.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.