Bone Densitometer
Short Name:The short name or acronym of the facility. BD
Facility Description
The Bone Densitometer (BD) measures X-ray absorption by bone and soft tissue and reports bone density in mice. It can also determine soft-tissue density, lean/fat ratio and total animal mass (i.e., weighing mice in space). The BD flight unit was developed and manufactured to operate safely on the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station), where it currently resides for use in the National Laboratory. The BD technology provides bone mineral and body composition results from total body imaging in fewer than five minutes. Fast imaging allows faster access to important data and is safe for the animals.
The device allows automated, accurate and precise measurement of bone and tissue for small animals weighing 10-50 g. It uses a lower X-ray energy than that used for peripheral densitometry in humans in order to achieve contrast in the extremely low-density bone. Excellent precision of Bone Mineral Density (BMD) and %Fat makes it ideal for longitudinal studies.
Availability:The general availability status of the facility. Available. Please contact the facility manager.
ISS Environment:The facility location (internal or external to the ISS.) Internal
Owner:The entity that owns the facility. Redwire Space
Operator/Implementation Partner:The entity or ISS National Lab Implementation Partner that operates the facility.
Redwire Space
Developer(s):The entity, or entities, that developed the facility.
Redwire Space
Facility Manager:The name of the facility manager and their organization.
Ken Barton
Redwire Space
Manager Email:The facility manager's email address.
ken.barton@redwirespace.com
Parent Facility:Any facility that is necessary to operate the facility described on this webpage. i.e., a parent facility is one level higher in the operational hierarachy.
Child Facility:Facilities that can be operated within the facility described on this webpage.
Sponsoring Space Agency:The government space agency that sponsors investigations that use the facility. NASA
Equipment Category:"The facility's ISS National Lab equipment designation type. Designations include:
1. ISS National Lab Commercial Service Provider (CSP) Facility
2. Support Hardware
3. Capability Capability
Additional Information:Additional resources to learn more about the facility.
BD is available aboard the ISS today. It has completed 156 mouse scans to date.
