Blueprints for Constructing Microgravity Analogs.

The desire to understand gravitational effects on living things requires the removal of the very factor that determines life on Earth. Unfortunately, the required free-fall conditions that provide such conditions are limited to a few seconds unless earth-orbiting platforms are available. Therefore, attempts have been made to create conditions that simulate reduced gravity or gravity-free conditions ever since the gravity effects have been studied. Such conditions depend mostly on rotating devices (aka clinostats) that alter the gravity vector faster than the biological response time or create conditions that compensate sedimentation by fluid dynamics. Although several sophisticated, commercial instruments are available, they are unaffordable to most individual investigators. This article describes important considerations for the design and construction of low cost but versatile instruments that are sturdy, fully programmable, and affordable. The chapter focuses on detailed construction, programming of microcontrollers, versatility, and reliability of the instrument.