Spaceflight Urine Analysis System

Exposure to microgravity results in a number of physiological changes including loss of bone and increased risk of kidney stone formation. Long duration spaceflight requires a near real-time of monitoring bone loss during flight to alert astronauts to the potentially debilitating problems and direct the use of countermeasures. Present technology requires post-flight measurement of urinary calcium on stored urine samples. The Creare Urine Analysis System (UAS) provides a unique solution to this problem by enabling spectrophotometry (a proven technique in clinical chemistry) to provide real time measurements of urinary calcium loss to serve as a marker of bone loss and risk of kidney stone formation. The Creare UAS can be fully integrated into the International Space Station Urine Monitoring System to provide astronauts with running totals of total urinary calcium loss during the past day, week, and entire mission. The real-time nature of the system will provide a non-invasive biosensor capable of early detection of excessive calcium loss, identification of crew members with elevated risk for kidney stone formation, and effective application of in-flight countermeasures.