The Effects of Natural Space Conditions on a Living Organism Clarissa Olivar Magallanes, Pradeep Joshi, Cricket Wood, Joel Rothman

Abstract: The multicellular free living nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans can be placed in suspended animation, the state in which development is halted, through the process of freezing with glycerol as well as with Picking an Organism Memory Retention ethylene glycol in liquid nitrogen. When thawed, it takes C. elegans approximately 30 minutes to recover from suspended animation. The Associative learning is a process in which a new response becomes ability to be placed in suspended animation is a requirement for associated with a particular stimulus, in this case the odor stimulant prolonged interstellar travel. C. elegans has exactly 302 neurons and is butanone, which C. elegans are naturally attracted to. This attraction is capable of exhibiting sophisticated learning and behavior. However, little enhanced when the odorant is associated with food. Although C. is known about the effects that suspended animation has on physiology, elegans is naturally attracted to butanone, C. elegans will avoid the especially on learning and memory. C. elegans exhibit different degrees odorant when the odorant is associated with the lack of food. of chemotaxis to attractive odorants based on the nutritional status. When given the choice between two odorants, most C. elegans will have an attraction to the odorant in which they experienced an abundance of Goal: Determine if C. elegans is able to retain its memory food while most C. elegans will have an aversion to the odorant in which after being placed in suspended animation for the UCSB they experienced a lack of food. I studied chemotaxis under the condition of freezing in order to determine if C. elegans has a Experimental Cosmology Group’s spaceflight. permanent memory and optimized freezing and recovery from C. elegans suspended animation. Since the underlying molecular mechanisms in C. elegans are conserved, even among humans, demonstrating that C. C. elegans was picked as the organism to be sent to space because it is heavily Chemotaxis Index elegans is able to retain its memory predicts that humans may be studied (so there is a wide variety of information available on its physiology), placed in suspended animation, reanimated, and still remember the life has a nervous system and an organ system similar to that of humans, is they once lived before their development was halted. capable of associative learning, and most importantly it may be placed in The chemotaxis index (CI) is a number between -1 and +1 which suspended animation. quantifies the attraction or aversion C. elegans has to the odorant butanone. Butanone is diluted with ethanol and ethanol is the control Suspended animation is a state in which life in a body is temporarily slowed odorant. Sending an Organism to down or stopped. Suspended animation is a requirement for long term space travel and will be achieved in C. elegans through freezing in a glycerol solution and in an ethylene glycol solution submerged in liquid nitrogen. # �� ����� �� �������� − # �� ����� �� ��ℎ���� �� = Space ����� ������ �� ����� �� ����� Goal: Limit reanimation to 1 minute for Blue Origin’s New Glenn UCSB Experimental Cosmology spaceflight. Group Two Methods For Freezing

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+ number: attraction to butanone The association of the odorant butanone with the abundance of food Glycerol results in a positive chemotaxis index and a concentration of worms at Wafer scale spacecraft the odorant spot. Volume Tested (µL) Best Time Recorded (min) The UCSB Experimental Cosmology Group is an experimental astrophysics group, headed by Professor Philip Lubin, that primarily 200 2:41 focuses on studies of the early universe and astrophysical applications of directed energy. The destination of the wafer scale spacecraft is 100 4:18 Proxima Centauri, a star located approximately 4 light years away from the Sun. The trip will take approximately 20 years and will carry a small 50 1:07 volume of the chosen organism. 40 1:05 Blue Origin 30 1:06 20 1:02 10 No movement seen

- number: aversion to butanone Ethylene Glycol in Liquid Nitrogen The association of the odorant butanone with the absence of food results in a negative chemotaxis index and a concentration of worms at the control spot. Volume Tested (µL) Observation 50 (instantly Movement seen Conclusion: If a similar positive chemotaxis index, after being placed in submerged in thawing suspended animation, is obtained for the worms raised in the presence of food we may conclude that memory in C. elegans is retained liquid) throughout freezing. If a similar negative chemotaxis index, after being 50 (standard No movement seen placed in suspended animation, is obtained for the worms raised in the absence of food we may conclude that memory in C. elegans is retained membrane) throughout freezing. 50 (30 mm membrane) No movement seen 30 (standard Movement seen New Glenn membrane) 20 (standard No movement seen Blue Origin is a privately owned aerospace company founded by Jeff membrane) Bezos, CEO and founder of Amazon.com. The company aims to make space travel affordable, reliable, and accessible to the general public. Conclusion: Freezing with glycerol is preferable because it involves minimal The destination for New Glenn is Low Earth orbit. The trip will take human handling when compared to freezing with ethylene glycol in liquid approximately 5 minutes and will carry the chosen organism. nitrogen and yields better results.