The fast rotating clinostat:  a history of its use in gravitational biology and a comparison of ground-based and flight experiment results.
The fast rotating clinostat has been used in gravitational biology since 1965 to investigate effects of simulated microgravity.  Using a microscope, the behavior of cells and organelles within the cells under microgravity conditions can be directly observed during rotation.  Experiments with several mammalian cells and unicellular organisms have shown that different cellular functions are affected in simulated microgravity.  Almost no changes were noted in the area of developmental biology.  A comparison of results from the fast rotating clinostat and flight experiments reveals that the clinostat is a valuable tool to evaluate an organism's sensitivity to gravity changes.  Therefore, a biological object proposed for a flight experiment should first be investigated in the clinostat before it is selected.  This is especially true in the use of single cells and unicellular organisms.
Cogoli
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Space Biology Group, Institute of Biotechnology, ETH-Hönggerberg, Zürich, Switzerland.
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015509:Developmental Biology / Q000266:history; D005060:Europe; D006112:Gravitation; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D051379:Mice; D012399:Rotation; D013026:Space Flight / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014481:United States; D014893:Weightlessness