Recent Topics in Gravitational Biology Research at the DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine

Abstract

Ground-based facilities (GBFs) such as clinostats, Random Positioning Machines, centrifuges and others were utilized by European researchers during the ESA Ground-based Facility Program and projects and results were recently published. Here, we provide examples for the use of and experiences gained with GBFs at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (DLR), department of Gravitational Biology. We discuss differences and limitations of various facilities in comparison to each other in respect to their ability to provide altered gravity from the view of the biosystem employed. Our results support the necessity of a ground-based program, which at low cost - in comparison to space flight - provides the opportunity to intensively prepare experiments for space. Finally, ground-based data should ideally be validated in real microgravity, which we performed to some extent using the drop tower in Bremen, parabolic flights and sounding rockets. Furthermore, we give an overview of our current research topics such as mouse neuronal development in hypergravity as well as mouse embryonic stem cell differentiation, demonstrating a distinct influence of (altered) gravity on the underlying mechanisms.