MESSAGE-2 experiment is a part of the science research program to be performed aboard the ISS RS by Pedro Duque, ESA astronaut of Spanish nationality in the frame of the SERVANTES Project and continued MESSAGE experiment performed under the ODISSEA Project. The European Space Agency is a customer for the preparation and implementation of the scientific program.

USED SCIENCE HARDWARE:

Four containers are used in the experiment: P1, P2, T and B.

• Containers P1 and P2
  contain 8 Petri dishes each with a solid bacterial culture.

• Container T
  is a thermally insulated container containing 6 experimental numbered bags, heat absorber and temperature logger. Each bag contains one Falcon tube, in which two microvials with liquid bacterial culture are contained.

• Container б
  To return experimental samples with the heat absorber and temperature data logger to the ground.

USED FLIGHT HARDWARE:

• Freezer Kriogem-03M
  to freeze the samples and heat absorbers on the ISS RS.

PURPOSE:

Investigation of the impact of space environmental conditions such as microgravity and space radiation onboard the ISS on the metabolic processes.

OBJECTIVE:

Incubation of a biological strain, Ralstonia metallidurans CH34 (genome sequenced) and non-pathogenic bacteria, Rhodosprillum rubrum S1H on the SS RS.

EXPERIMENT RESULT:

Incubated bacterial culture in Container B and Containers P1 and P2 (12 microvials and 16 Petri dishes).