Chlorella vulgaris as a Model Organism for Microgravity Cultivation in a CubeSat

Victor Benedito Costa Ferreira ,Lia Cardoso Rocha Saraiva Teixeira ,Gil Pinheiro ,S P D Alves ,Carlos Antônio Ferreira De Sousa ,André Luís De Sá Salomão

doi:10.5829/ijee.2021.12.01.03

Victor Benedito Costa Ferreira , Lia Cardoso Rocha Saraiva Teixeira + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5829/ijee.2021.12.01.03

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Abstract

Chlorella vulgaris is one of the most common and characterized algae genus with several applications, including carbon sequestration, biofuel, food production and wastewater treatment. Chlorella sp. are considered suitable to be used as model organisms in space research due to their cultivation flexibility. Many studies have been carried out to ensure better conditions for supporting human life on long-term missions in deep space or on planetary surfaces, minimizing the need for resupplies. Regardless of the resilience of the genus Chlorella to space conditions has already been demonstrated, model organisms are useful in the improvement of new technologies. This research aimed to develop the culture conditions and a monitoring system for C. vulgaris, under microgravity, using an image capture device for CubeSats. The image acquisition system consisted of a digital microscope, with remote access, a Single Board Computer, a monitoring computer, and an image processing algorithm. Three microalgae colonies, under laboratory conditions, were evaluated in real time (every 30 minutes) using the size of the colonies as a parameter for evaluating growth rates. The highest microalgae biomass production for the three monitored colonies (C1-C3) was: increase of 28% for C1 after 90 h; 21% for C2 after 84 h; and 36% for C3 after 120 h. The results indicated that the system was able to monitor the growth of microalgae colonies. A specific support is being developed, which allows the installation of this image acquisition system for algae cultivation in a CubeSat, for future studies of algae growth in real microgravity conditions.

Highlights

A CubeSat is a nanosatellite primarily developed as an educational demonstration device
CubeSat and image acquisition system overview Regarding a consistent operation of microorganism monitoring during a CubeSat cruise an appropriate structure is crucial for a successful operation
CubeSat should be equipped with an attitude control for stabilization of CubeSat in the desirable orbit; a power supply for CubeSat remain powerful in orbit; and a board computer to control the entirely system

Summary

Introduction

A CubeSat is a nanosatellite primarily developed as an educational demonstration device. Since 2006, NASA has been launched several different CubeSat adapted for biological studies proposal [2]. These devices enable microorganism exposure to the space environment, allowing the observation of its behavior and survival under solar vacuum ultraviolet and ionizing radiation. The successful of long terms space missions depends on significant technological and biomedical development to protect the crew from the effects of chronic radiation exposure. CubeSat missions can unveil space environments conditions with robust biological systems monitored by autonomous technology and can play an important role in enabling future human exploration of deep space [2]. The exposure of extremophile organisms to extreme conditions should contribute to biotechnological applications for human space exploration. The aim of this study was to develop culture conditions to analyze the growth of C. vulgaris biomass in the laboratory using a remote sensing image capture system adapted to a CubeSat device

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