Overview
- Built by Newcastle University from a Stanford open-source design, FlightScope is engineered for zero- and microgravity research at a fraction of traditional costs.
- During an ESA parabolic flight, the system imaged yeast taking up fluorescent glucose, with uptake appearing slower in weightlessness than under normal gravity.
- To withstand violent flight maneuvers, the team added rigid mountings, vibration dampening, and a custom fluid-handling module for rapid experiment switching.
- The researchers are releasing the design to broaden access to space biology experiments that require live-cell microscopy.
- The work was published in npj Microgravity, showcased at the Biophysical Society meeting, extended to Boulby salt mine studies of archaea, and is being adapted for a sounding-rocket platform targeting roughly two minutes of microgravity.