October 29, 1998, is launched into space shuttle Discovery STS-95. I would go inside the crew of John Glenn, Pedro Duque, Steven Lindsey and Chiako Mukai.
Next to them, a "fifth element", an experiment that will try to find
out if it is possible to develop a new scent, a fragrance in space from
two rosebuds. This is the story of how NASA would bring back a very special flower opening a new field of research.
Rose space. Picture / NASA
Dr. Braja Mookherjee. Picture / International Flavors & Fragrances
And is that throughout its history, the space agency has carried out all kinds of parallel experiments, it is his famous spin-off in other areas of research partnering with third parties. What happened in 1998 is part of this type of project even though the original idea came from industry giant International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) with a question: flowers can travel into space and produce a new scent?
The proposal took into account two points: firstly the special conditions under which a rosebud would open in space. On the other it was questioned how affect the essential (or ether) in the same oil.
When we talk about these kinds of oils we mean the mixture of chemicals
biosynthesized by plants, those that give the characteristic aroma of
some flowers, herbs, fruits or seeds.
The essential oil is therefore a volatile chemical intense aromas,
which is also volatile in nature, very thin and alterable with light. These raw IFF develops the idea of launching a ground space, in this case two rosebuds, and try to get "something" new. They do not know for sure what might happen, but committed to develop "fragrance" of space, or at least try.
The mision
It is at this point that NASA appears. In 1998 IFF just working with the agency through the Wisconsin Center for Space Atomation and Robotics (WCSAR) with the idea of launching Discovery in two buds pink variety Overnight Scentsation evolve and investigate how the plant in a confined environment. WCSAR work is to help companies in the research of new products in space.
The first step was to build a "house" for the rose. WCSAR years ago he had developed a sealed plant growth chamber under the name ASTROCULTURETM compartment for the space shuttle.
According to explain Weijia Zhou, director of WCSAR, the camera would
provide plants temperature, humidity, light and proper nutrients during
spaceflight.
Before starting the mission, ASTROCULTURETM was modified by adding a
patent IFF, sampling technology plant physiology in microgravity. Heading into space two rosebuds for a 10-day flight aboard Discovery are well placed.
The flower that flew on STS-95, the Overnight Scentsation mission was a plant of no more than 7 inches tall waiting opened during flight.
According then explained Dr. Braja Mookherjee, the preconceived idea
they had was that the "seriousness" of space should affect the scent of a
flower as do other environmental factors on Earth. According to the doctor:
99% of small roses have no scent, but Scentsation Overnight is an exception. It emits a fragrance that could be described as a fresh and very green note.
Low gravity of space, Mookherjee explain that pink flowered and produced less volatile than it would on Earth essences. The fragrance that was generated had been altered and the flowers gave off a powerful fragrance.
Obviously, the astronauts could not smell the flower at that time.
To collect a utensil aroma similar to a syringe, the SPME, described as
a fiber yarn tiny silicone which was previously added a special liquid
capable of capturing the air generated around the flower adhering
molecules used around flower petal.
After the arrival on Earth of the rose and its new fragrance, the
Shiseido laboratories would achieve the same rights to commercialize it
through two products.
However, most importantly, the experiment led to a new field of
research on zero gravity and their uses for the development of chemicals
or pharmaceuticals. icid 2016
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