Rhodium Science Chambers

NASA Astronaut Jeanette Epps works to transfer Rhodium science chambers to an ambient locker location. Swinburne Youth Space Innovation Challenge 2023 Examining Mushroom Growth in Microgravity (Rhodium Microgravity Mycelium) tests the growth rates of mycelia, the root structures of mushrooms, in space. Microgravity can alter the growth rates of other organisms and understanding how it affects mycelium growth rate and biomass production could provide insight into growth characteristics of fungi. Mushrooms have recognized nutritional value and results could lead to more efficient mushroom growth and new strains of mushrooms as potential food sources for space travel and for research on Earth. Efficient and Resilient Biomanufacturing in Variable Gravity – Mission 4 (Rhodium Biomanufacturing 04) continues work to examine how microgravity affects biomanufacturing of therapeutics and highly-nutritious foods from bacteria and yeast. Biomanufacturing uses living systems such as microorganisms to produce materials on a commercial scale, but microgravity is known to cause changes in microbes that can affect biomanufacturing performance. Results could advance the feasibility of biomanufacturing materials in space for use on future missions.