title: Ground-based facilities for simulation of microgravity: organism-specific recommendations for their use, and recommended terminology.
abstract: Research in microgravity is indispensable to disclose the impact of gravity on biological processes and organisms. However, research in the near-Earth orbit is severely constrained by the limited number of flight opportunities. Ground-based simulators of microgravity are valuable tools for preparing spaceflight experiments, but they also facilitate stand-alone studies and thus provide additional and cost-efficient platforms for gravitational research. The various microgravity simulators that are frequently used by gravitational biologists are based on different physical principles. This comparative study gives an overview of the most frequently used microgravity simulators and demonstrates their individual capacities and limitations. The range of applicability of the various ground-based microgravity simulators for biological specimens was carefully evaluated by using organisms that have been studied extensively under the conditions of real microgravity in space. In addition, current heterogeneous terminology is discussed critically, and recommendations are given for appropriate selection of adequate simulators and consistent use of nomenclature.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain. r.herranz@csic.es
authors.forename: Raul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Herranz
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Anken
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boonstra
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: Peter C M
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Christianen
authors.forename: Maarten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Geest
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hauslage
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hilbig
authors.forename: Richard J A
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lebert
authors.forename: F Javier
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Medina
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vagt
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ullrich
authors.forename: Jack J W A
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: van Loon
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hemmersbach
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000502:physiology; D018534:Earth, Planet; D013045:Species Specificity; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D018474:Weightlessness Simulation / Q000295:instrumentation*