Rat In Space Polarized, Rat In Space, Fluorescence, & Rat In Space Binary

Forelimb bone of a growing rat (Rattus rattus) flown aboard the NASA Space Shuttle.

Left: A 100-micron thick section of the bone was imaged in polarized light.

Middle: The section was imaged in ultraviolet light to reveal fluorescent markers (blue) given to the rat before and after the Space Shuttle mission. To this image were added Left and Middle images to make a composite for study.

Right: The polarized image was digitally processed to preferentially reveal the linear detail (left to right).

Each lineation represents a daily increment of bone growth from the bottom to top of the image. Measurements of the widths between increments help to describe how rat development is affected by zero gravity. Our research shows that bone growth is significantly compromised in space. This Space Shuttle research is necessary for appreciating issues related to astronaut health in space and, ultimately, the NASA mission to colonize space: This includes communities complete with growing children.