title: Exploration of plant growth and development using the European Modular Cultivation System facility on the International Space Station.
abstract: Space experiments provide a unique opportunity to advance our knowledge of how plants respond to the space environment, and specifically to the absence of gravity. The European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS) has been designed as a dedicated facility to improve and standardise plant growth in the International Space Station (ISS). The EMCS is equipped with two centrifuges to perform experiments in microgravity and with variable gravity levels up to 2.0 g. Seven experiments have been performed since the EMCS was operational on the ISS. The objectives of these experiments aimed to elucidate phototropic responses (experiments TROPI-1 and -2), root gravitropic sensing (GRAVI-1), circumnutation (MULTIGEN-1), cell wall dynamics and gravity resistance (Cell wall/Resist wall), proteomic identification of signalling players (GENARA-A) and mechanism of InsP3 signalling (Plant signalling). The role of light in cell proliferation and plant development in the absence of gravity is being analysed in an on-going experiment (Seedling growth). Based on the lessons learned from the acquired experience, three preselected ISS experiments have been merged and implemented as a single project (Plant development) to study early phases of seedling development. A Topical Team initiated by European Space Agency (ESA), involving experienced scientists on Arabidopsis space research experiments, aims at establishing a coordinated, long-term scientific strategy to understand the role of gravity in Arabidopsis growth and development using already existing or planned new hardware.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Space (CIRiS), NTNU Samfunnsforskning, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: A-I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Kittang
authors.forename: T-H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Iversen
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Fossum
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mazars
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carnero-Diaz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Boucheron-Dubuisson
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Le Disquet
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Legué
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Herranz
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pereda-Loth
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Medina
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000502:physiology; D004867:Equipment Design; D005060:Europe; D063245:Plant Development; D018531:Spacecraft
keywords: Arabidopsis thaliana; European Modular Cultivation System; European Space Agency Topical Team; International Space Station; microgravity; plant gravitropism; space operation