LOCAD
Encyclopedia
The Lab-on-a-Chip Applications Development (LOCAD) element is a set of related lab-on-a-chip
projects at NASA
. The projects develop integrated lab-on-a-chip products in three areas related to space exploration
: Environmental Control and Life Systems Support (ECLSS), Medical Systems, and Remote Exploration. NASA conducts activities related to these projects both at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
and aboard the International Space Station
(ISS).
and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
, including BAE Systems and Jacobs Technology, to modify the Endosafe-PTS device (and a sample handling system) for spaceflight. The LOCAD-PTS project has been funded in large part by NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD), under the Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP), and specifically under the umbrella of Advanced Environmental Monitoring and Control (AEMC).
The device itself (or reader) weighs 2.2 pounds and is a combined spectrophotometer, heater and pump, operated with multiple interchangeable cartridges for the detection of different microbial molecules. There are three different LOCAD-PTS cartridges aboard the ISS, for the detection of three different microbial molecules: endotoxin
, glucan and lipoteichoic acid. These three molecules are found mainly within gram-negative bacteria, fungi and gram-positive bacteria, respectively. Endotoxin and glucan are detected with the Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) enzyme
cascade, derived from the horseshoe crab
Limulus polyphemus. Lipoteichoic acid is detected with the Pro-Phenol Oxidase (PPO) enzyme cascade derived from the Jonah crab
, Cancer borealis. By the amplification of a small signal, these enzyme cascades allow detection of very low amounts of starting microbial material. An astronaut can take a swab sample from a cabin surface, dissolve it in endotoxin-free water, and analyze it quantitatively with LOCAD-PTS in microgravity, all in under 15 minutes. Traditional culture-based methods aboard the ISS take several days and often require return of samples to Earth for more in-depth analysis by scientists on the ground.
LOCAD-PTS was launched to the ISS on December 9, 2006, aboard Space Shuttle Discovery
STS-116
. Following a four-month period of storage aboard the ISS, the device was first used by Expedition 14
/15
Flight Engineer Suni Williams on March 31, 2007, to analyze surfaces within Unity. Since that time, LOCAD-PTS has been used extensively by the crews of Expedition 16
–Expedition 18
to monitor microbial material throughout the ISS. The LOCAD Team has supported each operation of LOCAD-PTS aboard the ISS from consoles at the NASA Payload Operations and Integration Center
(POIC) at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. LOCAD-PTS will continue to be used aboard ISS through October 2009 by Expedition 20 astronauts Mike Barratt and Tim Kopra.
The first phase of ISS operations took place between March 2007 to February 2008 (Expeditions 14–16), when LAL cartridges were used to detect endotoxin on surfaces within the ISS. Endotoxin was found to be distributed throughout the ISS, despite previous indications that most bacteria on ISS surfaces were gram-positive. Endotoxin was detected at 50% of all surface sites and commonly found on surfaces within exercise, hygiene, sleeping and dining areas. Endotoxin was found at every surface site where Colony Forming Units (CFUs) were observed with culture-based contact slide methods. LAL-Glucan cartridges, for the detection of Beta-1,3-glucan, were launched to the ISS aboard Space Shuttle STS-123
in March 2008. Preliminary results with these cartridges showed similar patterns to those observed for endotoxin, but glucan was found at higher levels and found to be far more widespread throughout the ISS. The Gram+ cartridges, for the detection of lipoteichoic acid) were launched to the ISS aboard STS-126
on November 14, 2008. Tests with these cartridges have been performed during Expeditions 18 – 20.
in the high Arctic (80N latitude) during the NASA-sponsored Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE), volcanoes in Kamchatka, far east Russia, during Russian-NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) Expeditions in 2004 and 2006, the desert of Arizona during the NASA Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) of 2005 and 2006, and the underwater habitat Aquarius in the Florida Keys during NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) Expedition 5, under command of astronaut Peggy Whitson
, and Mount Everest
.
LOCAD-PTS is a technology supported within NASA's Advanced Environmental Monitoring and Control (AEMC) Program, which is in turn, supported by the Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) of NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD). All technologies within AEMC have been reviewed by the National Research Council and LOCAD-PTS currently has over two years experience operating on orbit.
and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
. The goal of the experiment is to design and test procedures to monitor and document the spread of biological material associated with human spaceflight, both before and after launch, in preparation for the human exploration of the Moon and Mars. The LOCAD-PTS Exploration experiment has been funded by NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD), under the Moon and Mars Analogue Mission Activities (MMAMA) Program, and is the first SMD-funded experiment aboard the ISS.
The ISS Starboard S6 Truss-section was analyzed with LOCAD-PTS in October 2008 and December 2008—while located in the Space Station Processing Facility
(SSPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center
—and again in space following launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-119
.
The S6 Truss was swabbed in space on flight day 5, March 19, 2009, during the first spacewalk by Steve Swanson
(EV1) and Richard R. Arnold
(EV2). This 'swab' was performed indirectly with the spacesuit gloves. The gloves themselves were swabbed inside the ISS both before and after EVA, with LOCAD-PTS, by Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Sandy Magnus. Swab samples were then analyzed aboard the ISS by Magnus on flight day 7, March 21, 2009. This experiment marked the first time in human spaceflight that EVA crew checked themselves for microbes before EVA, and was mentioned by the STS-119 crew to President Obama during a video conference from space during STS-119. This type of procedure will be required to monitor and document the spread of biological material in support of NASA's goal to search for life on other planets and to comply with planetary protection
regulations.
Further LOCAD-PTS Exploration tests were performed on the Flight 17A Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
(MPLM) "Leonardo" in the Payload Changeout Room on Pad 39A during August 5-8, 2009. The 17A MPLM was also tested after insertion into the payload bay of Space Shuttle Discovery
STS-128
, scheduled for launch on August 25, 2009. In addition to the MPLM itself, a microbial survey of the entire Rotating Service Structure (RSS) and Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) was also performed. The external surfaces of the 17A MPLM will also be tested after landing of STS-128. Each MPLM is a cargo carrier and brought back to Earth in the Space Shuttle Payload Bay.
Lab-on-a-chip
A lab-on-a-chip is a device that integrates one or several laboratory functions on a single chip of only millimeters to a few square centimeters in size. LOCs deal with the handling of extremely small fluid volumes down to less than pico liters. Lab-on-a-chip devices are a subset of MEMS devices...
projects at NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
. The projects develop integrated lab-on-a-chip products in three areas related to space exploration
Space exploration
Space exploration is the use of space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
: Environmental Control and Life Systems Support (ECLSS), Medical Systems, and Remote Exploration. NASA conducts activities related to these projects both at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Marshall Space Flight Center
The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. The largest center of NASA, MSFC's first mission was developing the Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program...
and aboard the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
(ISS).
Portable Test System
The Lab-On-a-Chip Application Development – Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS) is a handheld device for microbial monitoring aboard the ISS. It evolved from the Endosafe-Portable Test System (Endosafe-PTS), developed by Charles River Laboratories for use in the pharmaceutical and health care industries. In 2004–2005, Charles River Laboratories teamed up with Carnegie Institution for ScienceCarnegie Institution for Science
The Carnegie Institution for Science is an organization in the United States established to support scientific research....
and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Marshall Space Flight Center
The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. The largest center of NASA, MSFC's first mission was developing the Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program...
, including BAE Systems and Jacobs Technology, to modify the Endosafe-PTS device (and a sample handling system) for spaceflight. The LOCAD-PTS project has been funded in large part by NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD), under the Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP), and specifically under the umbrella of Advanced Environmental Monitoring and Control (AEMC).
The device itself (or reader) weighs 2.2 pounds and is a combined spectrophotometer, heater and pump, operated with multiple interchangeable cartridges for the detection of different microbial molecules. There are three different LOCAD-PTS cartridges aboard the ISS, for the detection of three different microbial molecules: endotoxin
Endotoxin
Endotoxins are toxins associated with some Gram-negative bacteria. An "endotoxin" is a toxin that is a structural molecule of the bacteria that is recognized by the immune system.-Gram negative:...
, glucan and lipoteichoic acid. These three molecules are found mainly within gram-negative bacteria, fungi and gram-positive bacteria, respectively. Endotoxin and glucan are detected with the Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
cascade, derived from the horseshoe crab
Horseshoe crab
The Atlantic horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, is a marine chelicerate arthropod. Despite its name, it is more closely related to spiders, ticks, and scorpions than to crabs. Horseshoe crabs are most commonly found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the northern Atlantic coast of North America...
Limulus polyphemus. Lipoteichoic acid is detected with the Pro-Phenol Oxidase (PPO) enzyme cascade derived from the Jonah crab
Jonah crab
The Jonah crab, Cancer borealis, is a species of crab found on the Atlantic coast of North America. It is closely related to the Dungeness crab of the Pacific coast, and is known for its strong claws, although it is not a very aggressive species. It has been fished on a small scale since the 1970s,...
, Cancer borealis. By the amplification of a small signal, these enzyme cascades allow detection of very low amounts of starting microbial material. An astronaut can take a swab sample from a cabin surface, dissolve it in endotoxin-free water, and analyze it quantitatively with LOCAD-PTS in microgravity, all in under 15 minutes. Traditional culture-based methods aboard the ISS take several days and often require return of samples to Earth for more in-depth analysis by scientists on the ground.
LOCAD-PTS was launched to the ISS on December 9, 2006, aboard Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States, and was operational from its maiden flight, STS-41-D on August 30, 1984, until its final landing during STS-133 on March 9, 2011...
STS-116
STS-116
-Crew notes:Originally this mission was to carry the Expedition 8 crew to the ISS. The original crew was to be:-Mission highlights:* The STS-116 mission delivered and attached the International Space Station's third port truss segment, the P5 truss....
. Following a four-month period of storage aboard the ISS, the device was first used by Expedition 14
Expedition 14
Expedition 14 was the 14th expedition to the International Space Station . Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, and flight engineer Mikhail Tyurin launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 18 September 2006, 04:09 UTC, aboard Soyuz TMA-9. They joined Thomas Reiter, who had arrived at the ISS on 6 July 2006...
/15
Expedition 15
Expedition 15 was the 15th expedition to the International Space Station . Four crew members participated in the expedition, although for most of the expedition's duration only three were on the station at any one time...
Flight Engineer Suni Williams on March 31, 2007, to analyze surfaces within Unity. Since that time, LOCAD-PTS has been used extensively by the crews of Expedition 16
Expedition 16
Expedition 16 was the 16th expedition to the International Space Station .The first two crew members, Yuri Malenchenko and Peggy Whitson, launched on 10 October 2007, aboard Soyuz TMA-11, and were joined by spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, the first Malaysian in space.Expedition 15...
–Expedition 18
Expedition 18
Expedition 18 was the 18th permanent crew of the International Space Station .The first two crew members, Michael Fincke, and Yuri Lonchakov were launched on 12 October 2008, aboard Soyuz TMA-13. With them was astronaut Sandra Magnus, who joined the Expedition 18 crew after launching on STS-126 and...
to monitor microbial material throughout the ISS. The LOCAD Team has supported each operation of LOCAD-PTS aboard the ISS from consoles at the NASA Payload Operations and Integration Center
Payload Operations and Integration Center
Also known as Huntsville Operations Support Center or Payload Operations Center, it is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration facility that works in conjunction with the Space Station and Space Shuttle Control Centers in Houston, TX...
(POIC) at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. LOCAD-PTS will continue to be used aboard ISS through October 2009 by Expedition 20 astronauts Mike Barratt and Tim Kopra.
The first phase of ISS operations took place between March 2007 to February 2008 (Expeditions 14–16), when LAL cartridges were used to detect endotoxin on surfaces within the ISS. Endotoxin was found to be distributed throughout the ISS, despite previous indications that most bacteria on ISS surfaces were gram-positive. Endotoxin was detected at 50% of all surface sites and commonly found on surfaces within exercise, hygiene, sleeping and dining areas. Endotoxin was found at every surface site where Colony Forming Units (CFUs) were observed with culture-based contact slide methods. LAL-Glucan cartridges, for the detection of Beta-1,3-glucan, were launched to the ISS aboard Space Shuttle STS-123
STS-123
-Mission parameters:* Mass:* Orbiter liftoff: * Orbiter landing: * Perigee: 336 kilometers * Apogee: 346 kilometers * Inclination: 51.6 degrees* Period: 91.6min-Mission payloads:...
in March 2008. Preliminary results with these cartridges showed similar patterns to those observed for endotoxin, but glucan was found at higher levels and found to be far more widespread throughout the ISS. The Gram+ cartridges, for the detection of lipoteichoic acid) were launched to the ISS aboard STS-126
STS-126
-Crew notes:Originally scheduled to fly on STS-126 was Joan E. Higginbotham, who was a mission specialist on STS-116. On 21 November 2007, NASA announced a change in the crew manifest due to Higginbotham's decision to leave NASA to take a job in the private sector. Stephen G...
on November 14, 2008. Tests with these cartridges have been performed during Expeditions 18 – 20.
Field tests and scientific expeditions
Before LOCAD-PTS was launched to space, it was tested extensively in simulated microgravity with the use of parabolic flight, to verify nominal function of the instrument and sample handling procedures. It was also used for several years on scientific expeditions to study microbial life in extreme environments on Earth. These extreme environments included SvalbardSvalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
in the high Arctic (80N latitude) during the NASA-sponsored Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE), volcanoes in Kamchatka, far east Russia, during Russian-NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) Expeditions in 2004 and 2006, the desert of Arizona during the NASA Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) of 2005 and 2006, and the underwater habitat Aquarius in the Florida Keys during NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) Expedition 5, under command of astronaut Peggy Whitson
Peggy Whitson
Peggy Annette Whitson is an American biochemistry researcher, NASA astronaut, and NASA's Chief Astronaut. Her first space mission was in 2002, with an extended stay aboard the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 5. Her second mission launched October 10, 2007, as the first female...
, and Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
.
LOCAD-PTS is a technology supported within NASA's Advanced Environmental Monitoring and Control (AEMC) Program, which is in turn, supported by the Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) of NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD). All technologies within AEMC have been reviewed by the National Research Council and LOCAD-PTS currently has over two years experience operating on orbit.
LOCAD-PTS Exploration
LOCAD-PTS Exploration is an ISS experiment funded by the Moon and Mars Analogue Mission Activities (MMAMA) Program of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. It is a collaboration between BAE Systems, Charles River Laboratories (CRL), NASA Johnson Space Center (Astronaut Office, Crew and Thermal Systems Division, and Extravehicular Activity (EVA) and Crew Survival Systems Branch), NASA Kennedy Space CenterKennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Marshall Space Flight Center
The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. The largest center of NASA, MSFC's first mission was developing the Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program...
. The goal of the experiment is to design and test procedures to monitor and document the spread of biological material associated with human spaceflight, both before and after launch, in preparation for the human exploration of the Moon and Mars. The LOCAD-PTS Exploration experiment has been funded by NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD), under the Moon and Mars Analogue Mission Activities (MMAMA) Program, and is the first SMD-funded experiment aboard the ISS.
The ISS Starboard S6 Truss-section was analyzed with LOCAD-PTS in October 2008 and December 2008—while located in the Space Station Processing Facility
Space Station Processing Facility
The Space Station Processing Facility is a three-story, 42,500 m2 buildinglocated in the Kennedy Space Center industrial area, just east of the Operations and Checkout Building....
(SSPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
—and again in space following launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-119
STS-119
-Crew notes:This mission was originally scheduled to bring the Expedition 9 crew to the ISS. This crew would have consisted of:-Mission parameters:* Mass:* Orbiter liftoff: * Orbiter landing: * Perigee: * Apogee:...
.
The S6 Truss was swabbed in space on flight day 5, March 19, 2009, during the first spacewalk by Steve Swanson
Steve Swanson
Steve Swanson, of Tampa, Florida, is the current lead guitarist for the death metal band, Six Feet Under. He took over guitar duties from Allen West . Allen left the band in late 1997. Before Steve joined he was in Massacre with Terry Butler on bass...
(EV1) and Richard R. Arnold
Richard R. Arnold
Richard Robert "Ricky" Arnold II is an American educator and a NASA astronaut. He flew on Space Shuttle mission STS-119, which launched March 15, 2009 and delivered the final set of solar arrays to the International Space Station.Arnold was raised in Bowie, Maryland and is married to Eloise...
(EV2). This 'swab' was performed indirectly with the spacesuit gloves. The gloves themselves were swabbed inside the ISS both before and after EVA, with LOCAD-PTS, by Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Sandy Magnus. Swab samples were then analyzed aboard the ISS by Magnus on flight day 7, March 21, 2009. This experiment marked the first time in human spaceflight that EVA crew checked themselves for microbes before EVA, and was mentioned by the STS-119 crew to President Obama during a video conference from space during STS-119. This type of procedure will be required to monitor and document the spread of biological material in support of NASA's goal to search for life on other planets and to comply with planetary protection
Planetary protection
Planetary protection is the term used to describe a guiding principle in design of an interplanetary mission that aims to prevent biological contamination of both the target celestial body and the Earth. This principle arises from the scientific need to preserve planetary conditions for future...
regulations.
Further LOCAD-PTS Exploration tests were performed on the Flight 17A Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
A Multi-Purpose Logistics Module is a large pressurized container used on Space Shuttle missions to transfer cargo to and from the International Space Station . An MPLM was carried in the cargo bay of a Shuttle and berthed to the Unity or Harmony modules on the ISS. From there, supplies were...
(MPLM) "Leonardo" in the Payload Changeout Room on Pad 39A during August 5-8, 2009. The 17A MPLM was also tested after insertion into the payload bay of Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States, and was operational from its maiden flight, STS-41-D on August 30, 1984, until its final landing during STS-133 on March 9, 2011...
STS-128
STS-128
-Crew notes:Nicole Stott was originally scheduled to return aboard Soyuz TMA-15, but a change in the flight plan was made due to the possible flight delays in future shuttle missions, which may extend Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk's mission beyond the six-month duration preferred for station...
, scheduled for launch on August 25, 2009. In addition to the MPLM itself, a microbial survey of the entire Rotating Service Structure (RSS) and Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) was also performed. The external surfaces of the 17A MPLM will also be tested after landing of STS-128. Each MPLM is a cargo carrier and brought back to Earth in the Space Shuttle Payload Bay.
External links
- "Planetary Contamination Monitoring." NASA International Space Station Page (December 18, 2009). http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/locad.html
- LOCAD-PTS International Space Station (ISS) Page. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/experiments/LOCAD-PTS.html
- LOCAD-PTS Exploration International Space Station (ISS) Page. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/experiments/LOCAD-PTS-Exploration.html
- "No Foolin' -- 'Lab on a Chip' Works!" Science@NASA (April 6 2007). http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/06apr_locad2.htm
- "ISS Spacewalkers Test Planetary Protection Concept." Science@NASA (March 20 2009). http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/20mar_locadexploration.htm
- "Astronauts Swab the Deck." Science@NASA (February 6 2009). http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/06feb_locad.htm
- LOCAD-PTS Blogs from 2006 Desert-RATS and Arctic Mars Svalbard Analogue Expeditions (AMASE). http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/planetary_analogs/svalbard_updates.html
- LOCAD Home Page. http://locad.nasa.gov/
- NASA's Advanced Environmental Monitoring and Control (AEMC) Program. http://aemc.jpl.nasa.gov/