AUTOMATED FOOD DELIVERY TO RODENTS IN SPACE

THE PROPOSED PHASE I EFFORT IS AIMED AT A GENERAL AND BASIC NEED IN NASA'S FLIGHT HARDWARE FOR EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS: TO DELIVER FOOD TO RODENTS IN SPACE IN A MANNER THAT PERMITS FOOD CONSUMPTION DATA TO BE ACCURATELY COLLECTED AND STORED. OUR APPROACH TO HARDWARE DESIGN IS INNOVATIVE. WE CONSIDER THE TEST ANIMALS TO BE PART OF THE DESIGN TEAM AND WE INCORPORATE ANIMAL TESTING THROUGHOUT CONCEPTUAL AND MODEL-BUILDING PHASES OF THE STUDIES. RODENTS' FOOD HANDLING AND INGESTION PATTERNS WILL BE RELATED TO DIET TYPEAND FOOD FORM (PELLET SIZE AND SHAPE). MODE OF DELIVERY WILL BE DESIGNED TO MAXIMIZE EFFICIENT EATING AND MINIMIZE LOSS AND WASTAGE. FEEDING SYSTEMS ALSO INVOLVE ATTENTION TOWASTE PRODUCTS SUCH AS LOOSE PARTICLES, AS WELL AS URINE ANDFECES PRODUCTION. METABOLIC OUTPUT WILL BE MEASURED IN RELATION TO DIFFERENT DIETS. THE PROJECT WILL CULMINATE WITH THE FABRICATION OF AT LEAST THREE FUNCTIONAL MODELS OF INNOVATIVE FEEDING SYSTEMS, EACH CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING RODENTS DURING LONG-DURATION FLIGHTS, PROVIDING ACCURATELY MEASURABLE QUANTITIES OF DIET, AND SERVICEABLE WITHOUT OPENING THE ANIMAL HABITAT. OUR PRODUCTS SHOULD HAVE GENERAL APPLICABILITY THROUGHOUT NASA FLIGHT PROGRAMS AS WELL AS FOR AUTOMATED ASPECTS OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND EXPERIMENTATION.