Research Note • DOI: 10.2478/gsr-2019-0001 GSR • 7 • 2019 • 1-12 Gravitational and Space Research Challenges of ERAU’s First Suborbital Flight Aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard M7 for the Cell Research Experiment In Microgravity (CRExIM) Pedro J. Llanos1, Kristina Andrijauskaite2, Vijay V. Duraisamy3, Francisco Pastrana4, Erik L. Seedhouse1, Sathya Gangadharan3, Leonid Bunegin5, Mariel Rico6 1Department of Applied Aviation Sciences , Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), Daytona Beach, FL; 2Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSCSA), San Antonio, TX; 3Department of Mechanical Engineering, ERAU, Daytona Beach, FL; 4Department of Aerospace Engineering, ERAU, Daytona Beach, FL; 5Department of Anesthesiology, UTHSCSA, San Antonio, TX; 6NanoRacks, Internal Pressurized Payloads, Houston, TX Abstract Cell Research Experiment In Microgravity (CRExIM) was launched aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital vehicle on Tuesday, December 12, 2017, from the West Texas Launch Site in Van Horn, Texas. One of the aims of this science experiment was to assess the effects of microgravity on murine T-cells during suborbital flight. These cells were placed in a NanoLab with a data logger that sensed the acceleration, temperature, and relative humidity during preflight, flight, and postflight operations. Some discrepancies in sensor measurement were noticed, and these errors were attributed partly to the difference in sampling rates and partly to the different locations of the sensors, which made it difficult to obtain highly accurate measurements of the accelerations and to correlate both sets of data. This paper discusses the setbacks and lessons learned, which made our team find new alternatives while meeting all milestones as mandated by NanoRacks and Blue Origin. This manuscript highlights these alternatives that led to the success of the mission and gives recommendations that will enable customers to alleviate some of these challenges in future flights. Keywords Suborbital flight • Cell biology • Blue Origin • New Shepard • Sensors • Microgravity Introduction In early 2016, the Department of Applied Aviation Sciences flights), and NS3 (three flights) up to December 31, 2018. This (AAS) at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) research project was a joint collaboration among scientists at was granted a suborbital flight opportunity to work on a the College of Aviation and the College of Engineering at ERAU, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio research project. The Spaceflight Operations team in the AAS (UTHSCSA), and the Medical University of South Carolina department was already developing other suborbital payloads (MUSC), who worked on the preparation of the translational as part of the Arete STEM Project (ARETE) to demonstrate science research project aimed at investigating the effect of joint commercial spaceflight activities. The main aim of this microgravity on the T-cells of a murine model. research was to investigate the effect of microgravity on Suborbital space research is emerging as a popular platform T-cells and to understand how this research could be used to conduct scientific experiments. It has many advantages to develop T-cell-based therapeutics for cancer patients. compared to researching on the International Space Station, A second goal was to monitor the environment that T-cells such as cost-effectiveness, rapid turnaround, and an encountered during suborbital flight. The data recorded will opportunity to validate payloads before investing in more be used to better understand the behavior and functionality costly space laboratory environments. During the past 5 y, we of the T-cells when exposed to different stressors. With these have witnessed the emergence of new private stakeholders, aims in mind, this flight opportunity on Blue Origin’s New which stiffens the competition for suborbital launches as part Shepard crew capsule (CC) was originally scheduled at the of launch-testing technologies and STEM science payloads end of 2016 to early 2017; however, the flight did not occur across several universities. Currently, several companies until December 12, 2017. This suborbital flight was referred to have reusable vehicles and offer suborbital flights, including as Mission 7 (M7) aboard the first launch of the New Shepard Blue Origin’s New Shepard and EXOS Aerospace Systems & 3 rocket (or NS3) with a new CC 2.0. There have been three Technologies’ Suborbital Autonomous Rocket with GuidancE New Shepard vehicles labeled NS1 (single flight), NS2 (five (SARGE) vehicle. Other emerging suborbital research platforms † Corresponding author: Pedro J. Llanos E-mail: [email protected] 1 Gravitational and Space Research Figure 1. Life support system for T-cells. include the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo vehicle, American December 8, 2017. Vector Space Systems’ Vector-R vehicle, and New Zealand’s During this time, the T-cells were kept in an incubator at about Electron launch vehicle, which will be launching suborbital 34°C–35°C. The incubator, assembled at UTHSCSA, was a payloads in the near future. Some international companies, lunch box (Figure 1). While in Van Horn, the T-cells were kept such as Europe’s first reusable suborbital rocket, PLD Space’s at 28–29°C for 3 d. Thus, 8 ft3/d or 226.53 L/d or 9.86 L/h or Arion 1, which have performed dozens of hot firings of their 0.164 L/min of gas mixture was required to keep the T-cells in liquid rocket engine successfully, are planning to conduct test the proper gas environment. flights in 2019 and to fly new research-oriented science-and- On the L–2 d (December 9, 2017), the team met at the Payload technology hardware (Llanos et al., 2018). Processing Facility (PPF) at the West Texas Launch Site Although we have been unveiling answers for decades, (WTLS). Here, the T-cells were kept at about 25.5°C during we are still lacking a comprehensive understanding of the the day and at about 28.0°C during the night in an electrical effects of space travel on human physiology (Alwood et al., heater. The life support system provided enough gas mix for 2017). There have been many initiatives by the National a day instead of 3 d since the team decided that placing the Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to accelerate T-cells in the electrical heater for a controlled temperature this research, such as the release of the Space Biology Plan environment was more important than having the T-cells in for 2016–2025, aimed at investigating the biological effects the proper gas mix due to the extreme cold temperatures in of long-term exposure to space environment (Tomko et al., Van Horn (–5–0°C). 2016). Therefore, our scientific findings will build upon current On the L–1 d (December 10, 2017), the team estimated the research to expand the knowledge on microgravity effect on new mass of the payload to be 441 g (initial mass of NanoLab T-cells. It will also establish a baseline for us to compare future was 498 g), which was less than that anticipated in previous findings from subsequent suborbital flights aboard various feasibility studies (Vela et al., 2017). This met the mass research platforms. In this study, we addressed the various requirement of <500 g. NanoRacks provided polycarbonate challenges encountered during the preparation of the in vitro standoffs placed on the outside of the NanoLab, which is a biological payload aboard New Shepard from the operational customer-developed payload package with dimensions of perspective. 10.16 cm × 10.16 cm × 20.00 cm (CubeSat Form Factor; NanoRacks, 2016), to help with flight vibrations. This added an additional 90.4 g. The NanoLab’s final weight was 532 g Materials And Methods (including the standoffs). On December 11, 2017 (intended launch day), the payload The T-cells were processed at the UTHSCSA on December was handed off to NanoRacks inside the PPF at 02:45. At 5, 2017, with the understanding that the launch was going to 02:40, the New Shepard vehicle was rolled out from the take place on December 11, 2017. T-cells were transported Vehicle Processing Facility. Fifteen minutes later, Blue Origin during a 6-h drive from UTHSCSA to Van Horn (Texas) on rolled out the payload from the PPF after being handed off by 2 Pedro J. Llanos et al.: Challenges of ERAU’s First Suborbital Flight Aboard Blue Origin’s... Figure 2. Temperature and relative humidity profiles on the day of the scrubbed Blue Origin launch (December 11, 2017). NanoRacks. The approximate temperature of the cells was the Eppendorf tubes and downloading the data from the data about 26.9°C or about 1° lower than the temperature set in logger. the electrical heater (28°C). At 03:35, the Blue Origin team Temperature at the WTLS was about 4°C at the time the loaded the payload into the CC. Our sensitive payload sat on vehicle was sitting on the launch pad. Early that morning, the the launch pad for about 6–8 h (Lewis, 2017) prior to liftoff. We temperature was even lower, around –2°C. One of the first expect to have later handover times in the near future. Teams actions by the team was to analyze the temperature profile were given a few hours of rest before leaving for the viewing from the data logger (Figure 2) for this scrubbed launch. site at 08:15. At 08:30, our team was notified that the CC had The highest temperature was 18.23°C, lowest temperature an internal temperature of 11°C. Launch was postponed for was 12.80°C, and average temperature was 14.60°C. These 1 h (initial launch time was 11:00). At 09:00, our team was temperatures are not desirable (too cold) for the T-cells – notified that fuel was being loaded into the vehicle, and a this issue was informed to the Blue Origin team immediately weather balloon was released to measure the winds aloft.