Understanding the impacts of microgravity on bacteria is vital for successful long duration space missions. In this environment, bacteria have been shown to become more virulent, more resistant to antibiotics and form more biofilms. To learn more about these phenomena, many experiments must be sent to the International Space Station, which is cost- and time prohibitive. Instead, the use of ground-based analogs is advantageous to define preliminary results that can later be verified with a space-based experiment. This research explored the development of an innovative 2D clinostat for simulating microgravity using bacteria. Computational fluid dynamics, standards established by previous literature and biological test methods were utilized to validate the system’s functionality. More specifically, biological validation consisted of optical density, biofilm analysis and gene regulation. Additionally, prototype vessels were created to utilize aerobic bacteria on future clinostat experiments.
","abstract_html":"<p>Understanding the impacts of microgravity on bacteria is vital for successful long duration space missions. In this environment, bacteria have been shown to become more virulent, more resistant to antibiotics and form more biofilms. To learn more about these phenomena, many experiments must be sent to the International Space Station, which is cost- and time prohibitive. Instead, the use of ground-based analogs is advantageous to define preliminary results that can later be verified with a space-based experiment. This research explored the development of an innovative 2D clinostat for simulating microgravity using bacteria. Computational fluid dynamics, standards established by previous literature and biological test methods were utilized to validate the system’s functionality. More specifically, biological validation consisted of optical density, biofilm analysis and gene regulation. Additionally, prototype vessels were created to utilize aerobic bacteria on future clinostat experiments.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Topolski, Collin R"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering","degree_level":"Thesis - Open Access","degree_discipline":"Mechanical Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:23Z","subjects":["simulated microgravity","bacteria","gene expression","gravitational biology","computational fluid dynamics","Biomechanical Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.erau.edu/edt/597","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Topolski, Collin R"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-06-16T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Mechanical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["simulated microgravity","bacteria","gene expression","gravitational biology","computational fluid dynamics","Biomechanical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/597"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Understanding the impacts of microgravity on bacteria is vital for successful long duration space missions. In this environment, bacteria have been shown to become more virulent, more resistant to antibiotics and form more biofilms. To learn more about these phenomena, many experiments must be sent to the International Space Station, which is cost- and time prohibitive. Instead, the use of ground-based analogs is advantageous to define preliminary results that can later be verified with a space-based experiment. This research explored the development of an innovative 2D clinostat for simulating microgravity using bacteria. Computational fluid dynamics, standards established by previous literature and biological test methods were utilized to validate the system’s functionality. More specifically, biological validation consisted of optical density, biofilm analysis and gene regulation. Additionally, prototype vessels were created to utilize aerobic bacteria on future clinostat experiments.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Validation of a Two-Dimensional Clinostat Design to Provide Functional Weightlessness to Custom Gas Exchange Vessels"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Topolski, Collin R"],"dc:date.available":["2021-06-16T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Understanding the impacts of microgravity on bacteria is vital for successful long duration space missions. In this environment, bacteria have been shown to become more virulent, more resistant to antibiotics and form more biofilms. To learn more about these phenomena, many experiments must be sent to the International Space Station, which is cost- and time prohibitive. Instead, the use of ground-based analogs is advantageous to define preliminary results that can later be verified with a space-based experiment. This research explored the development of an innovative 2D clinostat for simulating microgravity using bacteria. Computational fluid dynamics, standards established by previous literature and biological test methods were utilized to validate the system’s functionality. More specifically, biological validation consisted of optical density, biofilm analysis and gene regulation. Additionally, prototype vessels were created to utilize aerobic bacteria on future clinostat experiments.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/597"],"dc:subject":["simulated microgravity","bacteria","gene expression","gravitational biology","computational fluid dynamics","Biomechanical Engineering"],"dc:title":["Validation of a Two-Dimensional Clinostat Design to Provide Functional Weightlessness to Custom Gas Exchange Vessels"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Mechanical Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:23Z"}