Calcium utilization by quail embryos during activities preceding space flight and during embryogenesis in microgravity aboard the orbital space station MIR.

A series of studies were conducted to determine the effect of activities preceding spaceflight and during space-flight on calcium utilization during quail embryonic development. In the pre-space trials, fertile quail eggs were subjected to pre-flight dynamics including forces of centrifugation, vibration, or a combination of vibration and centrifugation prior to incubation for 6 or 16 days. Quail eggs were also tested for survivability in a refrigerator stowage kit for eggs (RSKE) which was subsequently used to transport the eggs to space. Eggs in the RSKE were subjected to shuttle launch dynamics including G force and random vibration profiles. The space-flight trial involved 48 quail eggs launched on space shuttle Flight STS-76 which were subsequently incubated in a Slovakian incubator onboard space station, MIR. Two ground control trials, each with 48 eggs with and without exposure to shuttle launch dynamics were initiated 5 days post-launch. Eggshells from all study trials were retrieved and analyzed for calcium content. Results showed that neither pre-flight activities nor shuttle launch dynamics had an effect on calcium utilization by developing embryos. However, calcium utilization by developing embryos incubated in microgravity was impaired by 12.6% when compared to embryos incubated on earth under laboratory control environment. This impairment was believed to be due to unidentified factors of the microgravity environment.