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Life Sciences Space Science in the Twenty-First Century -- Imperatives for the Decades 1995 to 2015 (1988) / Chapter Skim
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5. Space Biology
Pages 72-76

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From page 72...
... Studies of the early development and subsequent life cycles of representative samples of plants and animals in microgravity are of basic importance to the field of developmental biology. They are also essential to our ultimate ability to sustain humans for a year or more on the surface of extraterrestrial bodies or in spaceflight missions of long duration where resupply is not possible, and food must be produced in situ.
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From page 73...
... Spaceflight offers the unique opportunity to remove the gravitational stimulus from the developing plant system and to separate the gravitational input from other environmental stunuli known to influence plant growth (for example, phototropism and the circadian influences of the terrestrial environment)
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From page 74...
... These two physical factors are believed to be the principal intracellular phenomena in effecting the gravitational input within the cell a testable hypothesis at the appropriate microgravity level. Spacecraft to date have not provided that gravity level.
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From page 75...
... are needed. FUTURE WORK Continuing flight of the Space Shuttle will provide limited opportunity to expose living systems to microgravity, but it appears that the opportunity to do the critical experiments must wait for the development of spacecraft capable of providing both lower gravity levels and flight times of months to years.
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From page 76...
... This centrifuge should provide a one-g control for m~crogravity experiments, as well as the capability to explore a range of gravities between 10-5 and one-g, in order to study CELSS candidates and gravity thresholds for certain phenomena.
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Key Terms

  • gravitational input
  • gravity levels
  • special requirements
  • life cycles
  • space biology

  • microgravity environment
  • lower gravity
  • spaceflight provides
  • life support
  • terrestrial environment

  • flight times
  • period immediately
  • interplanetary flight
  • particularly plants
  • celss candidates

  • normal development
  • environment provide
  • environment provided
  • progressive phenomenon
  • thermal convection

  • study celss
  • orbital flight
  • amphibian egg
  • unique opportunity
  • expose living

  • response mechanisms
  • serious medical
  • basic importance
  • egg orients
  • biological cycling


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