How neat is this?
A scientist flying his own science on a suborbital craft!
Blue Origin announced the crew of the NS-26 mission yesterday. Rob Ferl will conduct BPS-funded research focused on testing new technology for gene expression in flight. Congrats, Dr. Ferl!
Here’s what it says in the press release about the experiment:
Ferl will be the first NASA-funded researcher to conduct an experiment as part of a commercial suborbital space crew. The experiment is designed to help scientists understand how plant genes react to the transition to and from microgravity. Ferl will activate a device called a Kennedy Space Center Fixation Tube, or KFT, to “fix” or take a snapshot of the gene activity of an Arabidopsis thaliana plant inside the tube so researchers can later study it in the lab. On the ground, co-investigator Anna-Lisa Paul will track Ferl’s actions and activate identical control KFTs at the same four times during the flight.