The commercialization of orbital launch services and the resulting drop in payload cost is allowing more research to be conducted in microgravity. Biological experiments in this field require sealed enclosures with controlled onboard environmental conditions and complex ancillary circuits, sensors, microfluidics, etc. In order to successfully conduct experiments in microgravity, the research platform and its test subjects must survive the violent accelerations encountered while being launched on a rocket into Low Earth Orbit (LEO).The NASA BOARDS (Brain Organoid Advanced Research Developed in Space) research project at the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at University of California San Diego is studying the effects of microgravity on human brain organoids -- small, stem cell-derived masses of living cells -- by sending samples up to the International Space Station for study. The project uses Space Tango’s CubeLab research platform to protect and facilitate the experiment throughout the rigorous process of being launched to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.Developing detailed mechanical models to predict the physical behavior of biological subjects under complex launch forces is exceedingly difficult. Moreover, biological materials are transient by nature, presenting further hurdles to establishing accurate models. For these reasons, numerical dynamic simulations typically used in engineering against failure in high- or variable-g environments will not suffice; a means of empirical simulation is necessary.Herein, we will discuss the design and analysis of a dynamic simulation platform to empirically test the effects of high-acceleration launch regimes on LEO-bound research platforms. The research and design work towards BLAST (BOARDS Launch Acceleration Simulation Tool) seeks to meet this goal using a 7-foot beam centrifuge with a swing-bucket design. Rotation will be controlled such that the resultant acceleration experienced by its payload will closely mimic what the payload would experience during launch to LEO.The novelty of the BLAST platform lies in this control method. Typical research centrifuges are designed to sustain high accelerations in smooth curves over relatively long timescales. In contrast, BLAST can achieve the violent starts-and-stops associated with a multi-stage rocket launch by using a PID-controlled electric motor in tandem with an electrically actuated brake.The challenge at hand is not unique to BOARDS research. As access to payload space on orbital flights increases, so will the need for empirical dynamic simulation of orbital launch regimes. In an effort to fulfill this need, BLAST has been designed to accept a wide range of payload masses, and to be easily adaptable to future payload form factors.

Empirical Modeling of Launch-to-LEO Accelerations for Mechanical Characterization of Organoids

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/IMECE/IMECE2021/volume/85543

ASME 2021 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE2021)

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