SABL System

A CU-designed lab is being readied for experiments on board the International Space Station. The Space Automated Bioproduct Lab (SABL) is a new incubator for cell cultures and other biological experiments. The suitcase-sized lab is a project of CU’s bioastronautics program – designed, constructed, and tested through BioServe Space Technologies.

“We designed it in CAD. I’ve been involved in the hardware development and qualification testing – pressure tests, temperature tests,” says Tobias Niederwieser, an aerospace PhD student.

Students have played major roles throughout the process.

“I wrote software for the touch screen, the temperature controls, and interfaces for the lab to work with the ISS and ground computers,” says Jonathan Anthony, who started working on SABL two years ago as a graduate student. He graduated in May, and is continuing with the project as a research assistant.

SABL was designed to enhance the capabilities of the ISS's current incubator system, which was also developed by CU-Boulder and first flew onboard a space shuttle in 2001. The new lab has a larger experiment space and improved temperature controls. It also is water-cooled, eliminating the need for loud fans.

The first two SABL units were launched as part of a Cygnus resupply mission sent to the ISS in December. Experiments will begin later this year.

Additional information on the system is available here:

http://www.colorado.edu/aerospace/sabl-space-automated-bioproduct-lab