NSSDCA ID: 1975-066A-11
Mission Name: ASTP-ApolloIn the electrophoresis experiment (EPE), a continuous, free-flow electrophoresis study was conducted to evaluate the increase in sample flow rate and sample resolution achievable in space. Thermal convection and sedimentation limited the effectiveness of separation by this technique. This experiment was designed for the separation of four mixtures of biological cells with variable sample flow rates, buffer flow rates, and electric field gradients. The separation sample continuously entered a separation chamber in which a buffer solution flowed laminarly. When an electric field was applied perpendicular to the direction of flow, particles having different surface charge densities were deflected from the flow direction of the buffer by an angle determined by the electrophoretic mobility of the particle and by the flow rate. Leaving the lower end of the separation chamber, the separated zones were analyzed by measuring the deflection and density distribution of the fractions. The separation chamber consisted of two cooling plates that were adjusted to be exactly parallel to supply laminar flow and form a gap of about a 28-x 3.8-mm cross section. Along the sides, electrodes (180-mm long) provided the electric field perpendicular to the cell buffer flow. The samples prepared for this experiment were -- (1) rat bone marrow cells, (2) mixture of human and rabbit erythrocytes, (3) rat spleen cells, (4) rat lymph node cells with the addition of human erythrocytes as markers. It was possible to determine the applicability of the method and to study the sharpness of the separation by using an optical detection system. More details can be obtained from "Electrophoresis Experiment - Experiment MA-014," K. Hanning and H. Wirth, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, Preliminary Science Report, TMX-58173, 21.1-21.16, 1976.
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Name | Role | Original Affiliation | |
---|---|---|---|
Prof. K. Hanning | Principal Investigator | Max-Planck-Institut fur Extraterrestrische Physik |