HUNTSVILLE, Ala., June 3 (UPI) -- Researchers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center are developing complex liquid and chemical laboratories on dime-sized chips for space exploration.
Lab-on-a-chip technology allows chemical and biological processes to be performed on a small glass plate with fluid channels, known to scientists as microfluidic capillaries.
The chips are made with the same micro-fabrication technique used to print circuits on computer chips. Chemicals and fluid samples can be mixed, diluted, separated, and controlled using channels or electrical circuits embedded in the chip.
"The micro array chip system developed to go to Mars will be lightweight, portable and capable of detecting organic molecules," says Dr. Lisa Monaco, the project scientist for the Lab-on-a-Chip Applications Development program. "This instrumentation can also easily be adapted for monitoring crew health and their environment."
The Marshall facility, in Huntsville, Ala., is one of just a few places in the world developing these specific technologies for space and exploration applications and has unique experience in miniaturizing these instruments and designing them for the harsh space environment.
