ESA    Life in Space    Expanding Frontiers    Improving Daily Life    Protecting the Environment    Benefits for Europe  
   
Media Centre
Press ReleasesESA TelevisionLaunch Media CornerExhibitions
Services
CalendarPublicationsFrequently asked questionsESA-sponsored ConferencesHelpSite CreditsPortal terms of useCommentsSubscribe Bookmark and Share
 
 
 
 
Breaking the protein code with the Space Station
 
31 August 2001

The Granada crystallisation box experiment
Europe's second scientific experiment on the ISS, delivered to by a Russian Progress craft on 23 August, is designed to help unravel the structure of protein crystals. Financed by ESA, the Crystallisation Box Experiment was designed and built at the University of Granada's Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalograficos.
 
 
Granada Crystallisation  Box
Europe's second scientific experiment on the ISS, delivered to by a Russian Progress craft on 23 August, is designed to help unravel the structure of protein crystals. Financed by ESA, the Crystallisation Box Experiment was designed and built at the University of Granada's Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalograficos. Granada team hope to succeed where others have failed using a different crystallisation technique. The saturated solutions of salts and protein macromolecules are contained in capillary tubes - impossible on Earth because convection currents prevent the growth of large enough crystals for X-ray crystallography.
 
 
Experiments on the International Space Station
This artist's impression depicts the configuration of the International Space Station at the beginning of scientific utilisation, with from left to right: US Laboratory - Node 1 - FGB - Russian Service Module
 
 
Related news
First European experiment facility up and running on the ISS
Related links
Granada Crystallisation Box ExperimentLaboratory for Crystallographic Studies (University of Granada)Human Spaceflight and ExplorationESA's ISS utilisation websiteISS (NASA pages)
 
 
 
   Copyright 2000 - 2010 © European Space Agency. All rights reserved.