FIGURE 1.

The BioRock Experimental Unit (EU). (A) Top-down image of four Experimental Containers (EC) containing one EU each, showing medium inflated culture chambers. (B) Rear side image of the EU showing two basalt slides inserted into the bottom of the culture chambers before closure of EU. (C) A lateral cross-section through the culture chamber showing the position of the basalt slide at the back of the chamber and the principle of medium injection and inversion of the membrane (in blue; left side closed, right side inflated with medium). A scale bar shows the size of the unit, which also applies to the images in (A) and (B). (D) ESA Astronaut Luca Parmitano inserts an EC into a KUBIK incubator on board the ISS (credit: ESA).