Template:Toulouse INSA-UPS/Exhibition

Exhibition concept

This exhibition includes 6 different and complementary themes. They will help you discover the current role of microbiology in space exploration and how crucial it will become in the years to come.

To skip to the next theme, swipe right or click on this control arrow:

Each theme gives you the possibility of exploring the subject further, by presenting additional information along with fun facts and quizzes. A photography exhibition directed by the astro club of INSA Toulouse will complete each theme with commented pictures to take you among the stars. To access additional information, swipe up or click on:

At any moment, you can go back to scrolling through the themes by swiping right or clicking on:

The iGEMINI logo indicates that you are following the main thread.

Theme 1 : Microbes for space conquest

Theme 1 : Microbes for space conquest

Discovering space and its secrets has been a challenge for humankind for hundreds of years. At each expedition in space, we transport a large diversity of microorganisms on and inside us, and even in our “luggage”.

Some microorganisms present on Earth are capable of surviving extreme temperatures and pressures, similar to those in space. And they are very resistant! An experiment on the ISS in 2018 showed that certain extremophile bacteria and archeae subjected to the harsh conditions of space survived for up to 18 months.

But… before going into the details…

Theme 1 : Microbes for space conquest

...what is a microorganism

Microorganisms

Microorganisms are microscopic unicellular organisms. Their length is between 1 and 5 µm (less than 1/20,000 of an inch). They are extremely diverse and can be found in all habitats even under extreme conditions (temperature, pH, salinity, pressure). However… no microorganisms coming from space have been found yet.

Theme 1 : Microbes for space conquest

How small is a micrometer (µm)?

Theme 1 : Microbes for space conquest

Microorganisms

Some microorganisms have a “nucleus”, a membrane that contains genetic information, they are called eukaryotes. Microorganisms deprived of nuclei are called prokaryotes. The genetic information of prokaryotes is free to move inside the cell.

Theme 1 : Microbes for space conquest

Click on each petri dish to see which microorganism it contains!

Necessary for our health and well-being!

Inside our body

The vast majority of microorganisms are not pathogenic (do not cause diseases). We actually use them all the time in our daily lives.

Their presence on our skin or inside our nose protects us from pathogens. In our gut they help us to digest.

We owe this protection to our microbiotas. When various populations of microorganisms grow in a symbiotic fashion (as mutual partners), we call this a microbiota. They can be found in the gut, the vagina, as well as our nose and our lungs.

Necessary for our health and well-being!

Industrial implementations

Microorganisms are widely used in industry, especially in agribusiness.
They enable the production of many of our daily products. Among them we can find cheese and yogurts, which are made with the help of bacteria, or beer and bread, which are made using yeast.

A promising solution for future space explorations?

Many constraints must be taken into account for long-duration inhabited journeys in space. Minimal size, weight and resource consumption for boarded items are among the greatest limitations. Thanks to their small size and their ability to grow on secondary resources or even waste, microorganisms are perfect candidates to meet these requirements. Some projects using microorganisms to recreate a terrestrial ecosystem in a spaceship are already under preparation. An example of this is the MELiSSA project undertaken by ESA (European Space Agency).
This years iGEMINI project, created by our team, also revolves around this challenge.

Did you know?

56 % of the cells in our body are microorganisms !

Quiz : Let's see what you've learned!

What are the 3 varieties of microorganisms that we presented?

1. Bacteria, filamentous fungi and single-celled algae
2. Archaea, bacteria and filamentous fungi
3. Yeast, bacteria and filamentous fungi
4. Cells, bacteria and filamentous fungi

Flame Nebula & Horsehead Nebula (NGC2024, IC434)
Can be observed in the constellation Orion
Alnitak and Orionis are two stars that radiate and ionize hydrogen atoms present in the nebulae. These atoms then emit back in the red spectrum. The dark zones in the nebulae are dense clouds of gas and dust that absorb the reddish radiation.
To the left we see the Flame Nebula, and to the right, a little more in the darkness, emerges a horsehead.

Theme 2: Synthetic biology

In the previous theme we saw that microorganisms could be a promising solution for space exploration. However, their native features are limited. This is where synthetic biology takes action!

Theme 2: Synthetic biology

Synthetic biology combines biology and artificial approaches in order to conceive and construct new biological systems.
Synthetic biology has two main objectives:

• improve our understanding of biological systems.
• build organisms with new biological functions.

Theme 2: Synthetic biology

Since 1953 and the solving of the DNA structure humans have can study the genome and its structure. Nowadays, we are able to cut and paste fragments of DNA like pieces of lego, to create new functionalities. This is synthetic biology. We should not however dissociate synthetic biology from its underlying ethical reflection, essential to the genetic engineering of microorganisms.

Synthetic biology

The cell

All cells contain DNA regardless of the type of living organism. Numerous viruses also contain DNA.

DNA

The DNA is a large molecule present in all cells made out of a series of “nucleotides” (adenosine, cytidine, guanosine, thymidine).

Genes

Series of these four nucleotide ‘blocks’ (A, T, C, G) in a very specific order form genes.

Chromosome

Collections of genes compose a chromosome.

Genome

The set of all genes and chromosomes of an individual form its genome.

Some examples of the applications of synthetic biology

The applications of synthetic biology:

a focus on insulin

Insulin is a protein hormone, synthesized and secreted by the pancreas, it regulates the levels of sugar in blood and enable organs to use this sugar. Malfunction in insulin synthesis or action cause diabetes. Since the beginning of the 1980s, insulin has been synthesized by organisms engineered by synthetic biology. Most countries have consequently abandoned insulin preparation from bovine pancreas. This was appreciated after the outbreak of mad cow disease, although no cases of virus transmission by insulin had been observed. This example illustrates the ethical principals of synthetic biology. Here, the benefit brought by synthetic biology is greater than the risk associated with genetic engineering of microorganisms.

Did you know?

Unfolded, the DNA contained in our cells is around 2m (6ft7”) long. By connecting end to end all the DNA in each of our 38 trillion cells, we could build a 78 billion km long thread that would cover 525 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun (150 million km / 93 million miles).

Quiz: Let's see what you've learned!

Synthetic biology consists of:

1. Cutting and pasting fragments of DNA, like pieces of lego, to create new functionalities
2. Improving our understanding of biological systems
3. Studying biological structures of very small sizes
4. Building organisms with new biological functionalities

Trifid Nebula (M20)
Can be observed in the constellation Sagittarius
This two-toned nebula is located 5,200 light-years away and is adjacent to the Lagoon Nebula.

Theme 3: From spaceship to Earth

Numerous daily tools were first invented for space exploration. Today, these objects are part of our daily lives and have allowed significant scientific progress.
What other inventions have yet to be discovered?

Theme 3: From spaceship to Earth

The space vacuum is an extreme and hostile environment that contains very few resources. This forces us to develop technologies, which leads to the creation of closed systems optimized for resource management. Some of these new space technologies are inspired by and try to emulate terrestrial ecosystems.

Theme 3: From spaceship to Earth

The example of the MELiSSA project

The MELiSSA project has been designed for space travel. As shown in the image on the left it is a system that allows recycling of all the waste in a cyclic manner, thus creating a closed ecosystem. The system consists of several compartments (biological reactors) containing different bacteria. The microorganisms transform waste into food, water and O₂ and remain in a closed system, without needing other resources than their own waste. Some compartments are tested on Earth; for example in Congo, where resources are scarce, to recycle as much of the available resources as possible.

The bacterium starring in the MELiSSA project is Spirulina platensis. Using photosynthesis, it can synthesize oxygen, vitamin A and minerals. Additionally, it is also a great source of protein, sugar and fat by itself!

When space technologies come back to Earth

Nike Air technology too!
A similar technology to those developed for elaborating the astronauts’ spacesuit!

Foil blankets
These metallic sheets are used on Earth to protect from extreme temperatures, notably in metal industry. This technology evolved from lightweight insulators that NASA developed to protect spacecrafts and astronauts.

Wireless technology
Wireless headsets have been invented by NASA to allow astronauts to communicate hands-free without wires!

Water purification system
In the 1960s, NASA created an electrolytic silver iodizer to purify the astronauts’ drinking water. This technology is now widely used to kill bacteria in recreational pools.

Did you know?

Our iGEMINI project is also a device designed for space that could have applications on Earth, in particular to combat vitamin A deficiencies in countries affected by this scourge!

Quiz: Let's see what you've learned!

Among the elements below, which ones have first been created for space?

1. Cell phone cameras
2. Lawn mower
3. Nike air technology
4. Walkie-talkie

Andromeda Galaxy (M31)
Can be observed in the constellation Andromeda
This galaxy is the nearest spiral galaxy to us and is located 2.5 million light-years away. The Andromeda Galaxy is slowly getting closer to the Milky Way due to gravity… We still have plenty of time before they collide though: according to NASA the collision is expected 4.5 billion years from now!

Theme 4: Recycling in the space station

Recycling – a necessity
Long-duration space travels require conceiving a fully autonomous spacecraft in terms of resources. It is inconceivable to transport the amount of oxygen and water astronauts require for long periods of time, considering their volume and cost. Recycling is therefore crucial.

Theme 4: Recycling in the space station

Theme 4: Recycling in the space station

Recycling O₂ in the spaceship
In spaceships O₂ is generated by water electrolysis. The resulting CO₂ from astronauts’ breathing is then reused in the Sabatier process. This process allows us to produce water from the waste gases (H2 + CO₂) that were released during the previous steps, which partially closes the cycle.

Recycling water in the spaceship
The water recovery and management system of the ISS ensures the availability of drinking water for the crew. This water is needed for their hydration and hygiene, as well as for oxygen production, toilet flushing and more.

However, we notice that CH₄ is released into space: our cycle is not closed. This is why water refuelling is absolutely necessary in the space station to this day.

Biology – a solution for the future of recycling in space?

Uses of biology in water recycling
Biological treatment systems of wastewater are currently developed by the ELS laboratory (Exploration Life Support of NASA) to purify water by eliminating the existing contaminants.

Uses of plants in O₂ recycling and production
Using plants is a way to address this issue, but plants have high living condition requirements (area, water, nutrients…) and are hard to maintain with our current knowledge.

Waste recycling

The current methods of waste disposal aboard the International Space Station rely on the astronauts for manually processing waste, bagging it and loading it in a designated vehicle for short-term storage. This vehicle will either send the waste back to Earth or burn it in the atmosphere. This disposal method will not be possible for other missions than low Earth orbit missions.

Waste management during long-duration space travels causes a real issue, as waste cannot simply be dumped into space via an airlock.

The discarded waste could intercept with the ship trajectory, which would definitely damage the ship. A second option in progress consists in converting waste into useful gases that would either be evacuated into space, or used in the ship’s propulsion system.

Did you know?

More than 30 metric tons of water and 0₂ supplies would be required for an inhabited mission to Mars!

Quiz: Let's see what you've learned!

Determine if the following statements are right or wrong:

TheO₂ exhaled by the astronauts in the station is produced from water and electricity:

True

False

The astronauts' urine and sweat and the ambient humidity in the station are recycled to retrieve water: Wrong

True

False

Orion Nebula (M42)
Constellation: Orion
This cloud of gas and dust is a nursery for stars and contains in its center a gas bubble at a temperature of 2 million degrees Celsius. In Greek mythology, Orion is a handsome and violent giant hunter who had to fight with a Scorpion before the latter ends up killing him. This explains why the constellation of the murderous Scorpion is located opposite to that of Orion.

Theme 5: The astronauts’ daily routine aboard the ISS

7:30am : Communication with Earth

After waking up around 6:00-6:30, the astronaut washes and gets ready for the day, then eats breakfast while reading the daily overview.
At 7:30, mission control makes contact with the astronauts to discuss the agenda.
Communication is established via geostationary satellites (located at an altitude of 36,000 km, which allows them to stay above a fixed point on Earth). There are several constellations of communication satellites.

Theme 5: The astronauts’ daily routine aboard the ISS

8:00am Work aboard the station

Astronauts spend half of their time on scientific research. The station’s laboratory is located in the Destiny module. Their unique microgravity environment allows astronauts to conduct experiments that would be impossible to under undertake on Earth.

Theme 5: The astronauts’ daily routine aboard the ISS

1:00pm : Lunch

The midday meal is prompt and solitary. « Everybody grabs the space equivalent of a sandwich, then goes right back to their activities. », explains Thomas Pesquet, an ESA astronaut.

Theme 5: The astronauts’ daily routine aboard the ISS

2:00pm Station maintenance

Since the ISS is the astronauts’ home, it needs to be maintained like a house to prevent the growth of bacteria, mold, etc.
In addition to this daily time window, Saturdays are also dedicated to household chores for the whole crew.

Theme 5: The astronauts’ daily routine aboard the ISS

5:00pm : Sport

Each astronaut has to attend a sports session of two hours a day to prevent the loss of bone and muscle mass during their mission.

Theme 5: The astronauts’ daily routine aboard the ISS

7:15pm : Communication with Earth

Debriefing meeting to close off the day.

Theme 5: The astronauts’ daily routine aboard the ISS

7:30pm : Free Time

The astronauts use their free time to communicate with their relatives or entertain themselves through various activities (series, music, reading…). One of the flagship activities is photography. In the evening, they also like to share a convivial meal around a table, which gives rise to rather comical pictures with floating food.

Astronauts: experts of lockdown

For the whole duration of their mission, astronauts live aboard the station in a very small area that hosts five residents. To get some intimacy, compartments of 0.6m² each (6.5ft²) are furnished inside the station. This small area is also the place where they sleep and communicate with their family. The extravehicular activities (EVA) are one of the rare events where astronauts can exit the station and break their confinement.

Did you know?

Astronauts can see up to 16 sunsets a day!

Quiz : A vous de jouer !!!

Relie les heures aux bonnes activitées :

Sombrero Galaxy (M104)
Observable in the constellation Virgo
With its Mexican hat shape, it is easily recognizable! This dark demarcation is actually due to a lane of dust that gives the impression that the galaxy is cut in half. The latter hosts in its center a supermassive black hole that is said to be one billion times more massive than the Sun.

Theme 6: Synthetic biology for space conquest

For decades space conquest has fascinated and driven scientists. Humankind is trying to unravel the mysteries of space with constantly evolving and progressing technologies. Space travel is meant to last longer and longer, will this dream lead us to Mars soon? Synthetic biology could be a part of the answer...

What can synthetic biology bring to space exploration?
It allows us to bring new properties and functions to microorganisms, which turn into handy tools for any kinds of situations. For instance, they can be cultivated to produce food. They don’t take much space compared to conventional means of food production, it’s a great asset to have in a tight area like a spaceship! Here are some examples

Theme 6: Synthetic biology for space conquest

Some examples of “factory” microorganisms

Today, microorganisms already produce molecules of interests with applications covering pharmacology, biofuel and material production.
One of our future challenges is to apply these different domains to space conquest.

Biomaterials
Production of reliable and robust biomaterials.
Some “intelligent” materials of this type are used in the medical field (implants, bandages, etc.) They could eventually find their own application in space.

iGEMINI Project
Nutritious yeast enriched in provitamin A with different flavors for the astronauts.

Nutritious supplements
Microorganisms such as yeast or cyanobacteria are sources of nutrients (vitamins, proteins, lipids). The MELiSSA et iGEMINI projects take advantage of this property to supplement the astronauts’ diet.

The importance of ethics in synthetic biology

Ethics and regulations

No, we cannot just do anything we want with living beings!
All projects ought to include an ethical dimension. In the context of synthetic biology, it is all the more important to question the benefit/risk ratio when working with living organisms. As a matter of fact, synthetic biology is subject to numerous regulations around cultivationits, its use in laboratories and modified organism sales in Europe.

The iGEMINI project

The iGEMINI project is developed by our team. It aims to bring a solution to vitamin deficiencies that astronauts encounter in long-duration missions. To achieve this, the innovative aspect of iGEMINI is to set up a coculture of two different microorganisms to recover and recycle the available waste in spacecrafts. By doing so, the astronauts will be able to produce yeast enriched in provitamin A as well as choosing their flavor (lemon or sweet rose).
Here is a concrete example of the use of synthetic biology in space. For more information, please check out our promotion video!

Did you know?

iGEM is an international synthetic biology competition that pushes students to create and develop a project that is both innovative and good for the world.

Quiz : A vous de jouer !!!

On which domains can synthetic biology have a current or future impact in space?

1. Air recycling
2. Nutrition
3. Biomaterials
4. Water recycling

Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)
Can be observed in the constellation Canis Venatici
In clear weather and using binoculars, you can observe it by aiming for the tip of the Big Dipper handle of Ursa Major. It is comprised of a massive grand-design spiral galaxy and an irregular dwarf galaxy. The two communicate via a small bridge of matter. The Whirlpool Galaxy contains more than 100 billion stars.

Conclusion

Win an iGEMINI t-shirt by answering the questions!

Scan the QR code to access our questionnaire! Or click here

Pleiades (M45)
Can be observed in the constellation Taurus
This star cluster includes around 3000 stars, of which a dozen is visible to the naked eye. The brightest stars bear the name of the titan Atlas, Pleione, his wife, and their seven daughters.