Science glove box: Unveiling the mysteries of space experiments

When we look up at the starry sky, in addition to our curiosity about unknown celestial bodies, we often have the idea that space is very "clean". After all, space is full of strong radiation, and the nearly vacuum environment seems to be a "forbidden zone for life" for bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms.

However, is this really the case?

The answer is of course no.

In the space station hundreds of kilometers away from the earth, astronauts live with millions of bacteria and microorganisms all the time. Where do these bacteria come from? What impact will they have on the space station and the astronauts' lives, work and even health?

Microbes on the Space Station

First of all, we need to know that the human body itself is a huge "colony" of microorganisms. When astronauts set out from Earth and embark on a journey to the space station, these microorganisms that parasitize on their bodies also begin their journey into space. During the construction and supply of the space station, a large amount of equipment and daily necessities are continuously transported to space. Although they will undergo strict cleaning and disinfection before launch, it is still impossible to prevent bacteria and microorganisms from hiding in them and then entering the space station with astronauts and cargo. (This article focuses on the scientific glove box of the space station and there is no need to extend it to other planets.)

It was found that some microorganisms not only survived tenaciously in the extreme environment of space, but also retained a certain degree of reproduction ability. In the space environment, the biochemical activity of most microorganisms even became more vigorous, and their drug resistance was significantly enhanced, as if they had embarked on a special "evolutionary journey."

Since space is not a sterile environment, how can the experiments that need to be conducted in the clean and confined space of the space station be carried out rigorously and orderly? This has to mention a crucial scientific research equipment in the space station - the scientific glove box.

Scientific Glove Box

When hearing the name "scientific glove box", many people may be confused. Just like a wardrobe is used to store clothes and a jewelry box is used to store jewelry, is this box only used to store the gloves needed by astronauts for experiments?

Of course not. The internal structure of the scientific glove box is exquisite and complex, and its functions are also very powerful. It is indeed equipped with gloves, but they are not ordinary gloves that can be seen everywhere in daily life. The scientific glove box of the Tiangong Space Station is carefully equipped with four gloves for astronauts to carry out experimental operations in the closed and clean glove box. Two of the gloves are placed at the front window, and the other two are symmetrically distributed on the left and right side windows. This layout allows two astronauts to carry out experimental operations in collaboration, which can greatly improve the efficiency of the experiment.

In addition, there are two sealed double-layer doors on the front window of the glove box, which facilitates the rapid replacement of experimental devices and samples. In addition, in order to achieve "personalized" precise control of different types of experiments, the glove box is also equipped with a large number of sensors. These sensors can record the voltage and current signals of key parts in the glove box in real time and accurately, and at the same time perform "personalized" precise control of environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, light intensity, wind speed, etc., to fully reflect the real-time working status of the glove box and built-in experimental devices.

Robotic arm in a scientific glove box

When the experiment involves high-precision operations, the precision robotic arm system in the glove box will come in handy. The precision robotic arm system includes a 6-DOF dexterous robotic arm with an operating accuracy of up to 0.2 mm, a 3-DOF micromanipulator with an operating accuracy of up to 5 microns, a 3-DOF cell clamping mechanism with an operating accuracy of up to 2 microns, a 3-DOF stage with an operating accuracy of up to 2 microns, and a high-power microscope camera. With the coordinated operation of these precision equipment, the scientific glove box can assist astronauts in completing experimental operations with an accuracy of up to 5 microns in orbit, providing strong technical support for many major topics in the field of life sciences.

The application scope of scientific glove boxes is extremely wide. It takes into account the research needs of multiple disciplines such as life sciences, biotechnology, aerospace medicine, and materials science, and builds a "scientific bridge" for scientific researchers on the space station to the microscopic world and explore the mysteries of the universe. However, facing highly professional disciplines such as life sciences and materials sciences, can astronauts accurately interpret the professional information fed back by the glove box and successfully complete various difficult experimental operations?

In fact, the scientific research team has fully considered this point when designing the scientific glove box. The scientific glove box precision robotic arm system has three working modes: the first is the on-orbit autonomous operation mode. In this mode, the precision robotic arm system relies on the built-in intelligent control software to independently identify and analyze the experimental targets, and accurately complete a series of complex operations according to the preset program steps; the second is the on-orbit remote operation mode. When the experimental task requires precise operation of the target object, the astronauts can use an external laptop to control the precision robotic arm system; the last one is the ground-to-earth remote science mode. When it comes to experimental projects that require extremely high professional knowledge, the team of scientists far away on Earth can remotely control the precision robotic arm system in the space station through the human-machine operation interface configured by the ground computer to perform fine operations on the experimental targets.

As a powerful assistant for scientific research in the space station, the scientific glove box provides a closed and clean operating space for space science experiments with its exquisite design, powerful functions and flexible working mode, and also provides a convenient platform for completing precision experiments. It is believed that with the continuous advancement and innovation of science and technology, the scientific glove box will play a more important role.

Some information comes from: Chinese Academy of Sciences, China News Network, NASA, etc.

(Scientific review: Zhu Linqi, Director and Researcher of the Asia-Pacific Office of the Satellite Commercial Applications Committee of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF))

This article comes from: China Digital Science and Technology Museum