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SpaceXs CRS-32 Dragon cargo capsule with the Elvis 3D microscope on board approaches the international space station on April 22, 2025, | Credit: NASA
A new microscope has just arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) to examine the adaptability of life under extreme conditions using innovative imaging technology.
The existing life volumetry system or ELVIS was sponsored by the ISS international and developed by researchers at Portland State University (PSU) in cooperation with the NASAS Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
The instrument arrived in the circulation laboratory this morning (April 22nd) On a SpaceX Dragon freight capsuleWhat the company’s 32nd commercial supply services flies for NASA.
The ELVIS 3D microscopy system of Portland State University during the tests here on Earth. | Credit: Jay Nadeau
Elvis uses the most modern holographic technology known as volumetric imaging to create 3D images of microbes and other cells. The mission aims to examine how microscopic life adapts to the hard environment of space. His results could ultimately help scientists to identify life on other planets and moons like Jupiter Europe and Saturn EnceladusSay team members.
Related: The search for extraterrestrial life
In contrast to conventional two -dimensional microscopes, ELVIS enables researchers to observe the complicated structure and the behavior of living cells in a volumetric format. The system enables detailed biological reviews of how cells in the cells change Microgravity – A condition that researchers are only consistently available on board the ISS.
“We are pleased to use the ISS national laboratory to prepare Elvis for his future roles in space exploration missions”, Jay Nadeau, professor of PSU -Physics and Principal Investigator for the project, said in a PSU declaration.
“The successful operation of Elvis under the demanding room conditions not only paves the way for its use in off-eat environments, but also has an impact on improving biomedical and microbiological research on our planet,” added Nadeau.
Nadeau hit first a paper They argue that it could possibly recognize tiny signs of life that normal 2D microscopes may miss.
“It is more difficult to distinguish between a microbe and a dust stain than you would think.” Nadeau said in 2017As a research professor for medical technology and aerospace at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
“Digital holographic microscopy enables you to see and follow the smallest movements,” she said.
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This ability not only enables microbes to identify microbes between inert matter, as Nadeau and her colleagues were proposed in this article from 2017, but also enables the persecution of cellular changes that may not be visible from the flat 2D imaging. In the extreme room conditions that were better induced in the structure of a cell, Elvis was able to induce changes better than a 2D image.
During his ISS mission, Elvis will examine two earth-based organisms that are known for their toughness and resilience: Euglena Gracilisa highly adaptable microalga, and Colwellia PsychrerythraeaA cold -loving bacterium in deep waters of the ocean. By analyzing these life forms in microgravity, scientists want to uncover both observable and genetic changes that could claim life in foreign environments.
Elvis for space conditions develops, comprises durable, low-maintenance components and automation features that reduce the need for astronaut interventions so that the experiments can be carried out with minimal disorder, according to the members of the mission team.
