Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
My name is Francois, I'm from France and I'm 17.
Here's my second experiment.
Is the process of coagulation different between space and Earth environments?
On Earth, platelets restrained in your blood...
...can gather to form thrombus or blood clot.
It allows the end of bleeding.
I think, and that will form my hypothesis, that there are no differences...
...because coagulation is a chemical reaction...
...between microscopic molecules.
And I don't think that a microgravity environment...
...will influence on that reaction.
To perform that experiment...
...it will be necessary to centrifuge human blood on Earth.
Then we will conserve white blood cells in hermetic bags at 4 degrees Celsius.
The blood plasma will be frozen at minus degree Celsius--
Forty degrees Celsius.
But as you may know, the average life span of a platelet...
...is just five to nine days.
So we can bring them to space.
And I don't think that astronauts are allowed or want to give their blood.
That's why when white blood cells and blood plasma...
...will be mixed in the space lab...
...we will simulate the presence of the platelets.
We have two possibilities here.
But first, I've heard about the fantastic work of Erin Lavik...
...professor of Biomedical Engineering...
...at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
She created artificial platelets...
...and it could be really useful in that experiment.
Otherwise, we will inject vitamin K to coagulate the blood.
Finally, we will measure all of the blood with stage three...
...and compare with it with the same experiments on Earth.
I know this could be really helpful...
...if one day, people are allowed to live in a microgravity environment...
...and get hurt accidentally.
I hope you will support me and this experiment in the contest.
Thank you very much.