Just moments after the launch and ESA’s Expedition 30 Mission Director Claudio Sollazzo points out a screen at the front of the control room at the Columbus Control Centre – it is a countdown clock relating to one of the PromISSe mission experiments.
ROALD2 experiment already started in Soyuz spacecraft
This experiment investigates gene expression of the proteins involved in the metabolic control of the neurotransmitter Anandamide. Scientists want to find out the role of this lipid in the regulation of immune processes and in the cell cycle under microgravity conditions.
Claudio explained that it is critical that the ROALD2 samples are transferred to the Columbus laboratory from the Soyuz spacecraft shortly after Friday’s docking. There is a 72 hour window during which the transfer to a temperature controlled Kubik facility has to take place. Kubik has already been activated by the ground controllers in preparation. So just seconds into the mission and the control centre’s science monitoring role for the PromISSe mission is already underway.
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