The Protein Crystallization Diagnostics Facility, a new European instrument to investigate biological macromolecular crystal growth on board the International Space Station

Abstract

Perfect crystals of biological macromolecules are needed to reveal structural information necessary for the understanding of their functions. Weightless conditions encountered during orbital space flights have been used for the past 20 years to grow better and larger crystals. The facilities and instruments used until now to grow crystals in space have primarily focused on growing crystals for post-flight analysis, and to a lesser extent on the understanding of phenomena associated with the crystallization processes. The Protein Crystallization Diagnostics Facility (PCDF), a new facility presently under development at DASA/Dornier under a contract of the European Space Agency (ESA), will fly on the International Space Station in 2002–2003. This new instrument will allow for the observation and study of the crystallization processes of biological macromolecules over long periods in microgravity using advanced diagnostics instruments, including video microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and Mach–Zehnder interferometry. This paper presents the actual design features of the PCDF and addresses the foreseen utilization scenario.