Experiment TUBUL is a part of the scientific research program to be conducted by ESA astronaut of the Dutch nationality Andre Kuipers onboard the ISS RS in the frame of DSM Delta Project. The European Space Agency is a customer of the preparation and implementation of the research program.

USED SCIENCE HARDWARE:

• TUBUL experiment containers (8 units)
  Each of the experiment containers includes a plunger box unit filled with plant cultures.
• TUBUL activation unit
• TUBUL Biokit
  for return of the experiment results to the ground.

• KUBIK AMBER is a thermally insulated container (incubator) with a set of mounting slots for TUBUL experiment containers with the insert centrifuge.

• KUBIK TOPAS is a thermally insulated container (incubator) with a set of mounting slots for the upload of the filled TUBUL experiment containers to ISS RS.
• Electronics units
• Memory modules

• AQUARIUS incubator
  for stowage of the experiment containers till the beginning of the experiment.

PURPOSE:

Study of the effect of microgravity on the cytoskeleton of individual walled plant cells.

OBJECTIVE:

Cultivation of plant cells in suspension culture (wild type Nicotiana tabaccum) and chemical fixation of these plant cells at different time points under µg-conditions.

EXPERIMENT RESULTS:

Cultivated plant cells of wild type Nicotiana tabaccum in TUBUL experiment containers.