mikegarrison Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 Why would organs need to be grown in space anyway? All of our current organs grow right here in the Earth's gravitational field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AckSed Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 25 minutes ago, mikegarrison said: Why would organs need to be grown in space anyway? All of our current organs grow right here in the Earth's gravitational field. They are usually surrounded by a pressure, nutrient and support structure: the human body. If we bio-print organs in microgravity, we might get away with not including the dissolving scaffold that usually supports the cell culture and that needs to be custom-made. Most soft tissues will collapse under their own weight. Print in 0G, let them grow in solution for a few weeks and they become self-supporting. This makes a kidney or heart, say, much simpler to grow. It's also an advantage if, when you're out there on the Moon or Mars and you suffer a kidney failure, need a new cornea and so on, you can culture new organs from the patient's own cells. Stepping further out on the future-limb, you could bio-print polymers with synthetic biology. Citation: Bioprinting in Microgravity: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c00195 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darthgently Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 25 minutes ago, mikegarrison said: Why would organs need to be grown in space anyway? All of our current organs grow right here in the Earth's gravitational field. The results in microgravity have been much better apparently. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microgravity_bioprinting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerbiloid Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 8 hours ago, darthgently said: has at least a small habitat with a rotating staff of technicians and engineers available +1 Cuz knowledge is power. Spoiler 8 hours ago, tater said: It depends on the actual requirement for 0 g, I suppose. Organs would probably not be so sensitive +1! Spoiler 8 hours ago, tater said: but from what I've read about some crystal growing, etc, vibration is a huge problem. +1! Though, every time they tell it, I recall the Spoiler which don't disturb the crystal growing. 7 hours ago, AckSed said: how many would work towards it because they heard 'astronaut' and not 'factory worker'? If the station is for crew of 1, you would hire guards to repel the volunteers. 6 hours ago, AckSed said: They are usually surrounded by a pressure, nutrient and support structure: the human body. Currenly the organs are being grown in hydro-simulated zero-gravity. Spoiler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnemoe Posted September 22 Share Posted September 22 On 9/20/2024 at 5:23 AM, AckSed said: I'm wary of 'never' statements. Reusability didn't make sense until it eventually did. Then, with Starlink eating spare capacity, the launch party started. Granted, commercial space stations will not make sense until someone sticks their neck out and it isn't immediately financially severed. Pharmaceutical research and manufacture and organ bio-printing might be an early way to keep the lights on. I'm pulling for perovskite solar panel or novel semi-conductor research, though. Note that NASA's commercial space station would have an deal there NASA want to probably add 2-3 modules and 4 astronauts to do science, this is making it an safe investment. The operators will do the ship and hotel services. Its like renting an ship, but other actors can join, companies, nation or just tourists. Then some manages to do real manufacturing it would become an separate station. For crystals and other stuff who require no vibrations. Have an free flying module. You could have it dock to an space station to set it up, do maintenance and transfer the product to an lander. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AckSed Posted September 22 Share Posted September 22 Oh yeah, thanks to that documentary, I now know what the 'can' on the end of the robot arm is for - it's a launch mechanism for smallsats. I was a bit confused when they called it an air-lock, but that is how it works: dock 'can' to docking port, equalise pressure, open airlock; load smallsats, close hatch, vent, attach robot arm, undock and use arm to point firing mechanism away from station. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted December 18 Share Posted December 18 Quote Axiom Space announced today that it is revising the Axiom Station module sequence to enable its commercial space station to become an independent orbital platform as early as 2028. ... Now, the on-orbit assembly sequence will start with the Payload Power Thermal Module (AxPPTM), followed by AxH1, an airlock, Habitat 2 (AxH2), and finally the Research and Manufacturing Facility (AxRMF). Supposedly on track to move the PPTM hardware to Houston late 2025 for fitting out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darthgently Posted December 18 Share Posted December 18 1 hour ago, tater said: Supposedly on track to move the PPTM hardware to Houston late 2025 for fitting out. Smart move. Looks like they might be moving away from old space mind set (which iirc has been an issue in their budget handling) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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