Figure 1.

The experimental setups and fixation mechanisms of the TEXUS-54 FLUFIX hardware and the CELLBOX-PRIME hardware. (A) The layout of the FLUFIX hardware. Primary macrophages are stored inside two parallel cultivation chambers. Fixation solution is stored in a spring-loaded tank that injects its content into the two cultivation chambers upon valve release. Hereby, the cultivation chamber supernatant is flushed into the fixative container back chamber and thereby replaced by fixative. Metabolomics samples are gathered from the fixative container back chamber. Adapted from [17]. (B) The layout of the CELLBOX-PRIME hardware. The cell cultivation chamber is connected to two tanks, a fixative and a stabilizer container. First, the fixative is flushed into the cultivation chamber by the pump, thereby (partly) displacing the cell supernatant into the fixative tank back chamber. After fixation, the stabilizer is flushed into the cultivation chamber by the pump, partly displacing the cultivation chamber supernatant into the stabilizer container back chamber. Chambers that are highlighted in grey are used as metabolomics samples. (C) Human M1 Macrophages were used for both studies, displayed through a microscope. (D–H) TEXUS-54 hardware (D) Preparation of the slide containing the adherent macrophages. (E) Insertion of the bottom slide into the cultivation chamber. (F) Insertion of the top slide into the cultivation chamber. (G) Casing of the cultivation chamber. (H) Final assembly of the hardware unit. (I–L) CELLBOX-PRIME hardware, adapted from [17]. (I) Technical blueprint of the flight hardware with the two tanks and the pump at the bottom, casing, experimental chamber, and cover on top. (J) Tanks and hardware. (K) Experimental slide, compartmented into subslides. L Filled slides, carrying macrophages in media.