Spaceflight media may not be the type of media that immediately comes to mind. In plant biology research, we often refer to the gel agar on a petri dish as “media”. Seeds are sown directly on the gel surface. This surface is sticky, easily retains moisture, and has sucrose and other nutrients in it. The consistency is similar to jello, maybe a little bit tougher. Spaceflight media is tougher than traditional media. This allows it to resist the rapid acceleration of rocket launch.
Purpose: to create a spaceflight-resistant gel agar that can be poured into petri dishes and then used to sow small seeds
Materials needed: sucrose, LS (Linsmaier Skoog) salts, deionized (DI) water, Phytagel, autoclave, cold (5 °C) storage, (square) petri dishes, glass bottles (>500 mL)
- Measure 3g of sucrose and 2.36g of LS (Linsmaier Skoog) salts into a bottle containing 1L of deionized (DI) water. Stir until homogeneous.
- Measure 5g of Phytagel into a glass bottle.
- Repeat Step 2 for a second bottle.
- Pour 500 mL of the solution from Step 1 into the bottle from Step 2. Then pour the remaining 500 mL of the solution from Step 1 into the bottle from Step 3.
- Cap both bottles and autoclave for 30 minutes.
- Remove and let rest/cool for 15 minutes.
- At this point, the bottles may still be hot to the touch, but ready to pour. Use gloves and towels for heat protection while pouring out the media. Observe zones of contamination.
- Deliver 35 mL of solution to a square petri dish. Repeat for as many plates as necessary or until the solution from both bottles is depleted.
- Let the plates set for 20 minutes.
- Tap the side of each plate to confirm the media has set.
- Put lids back on the petri dishes, place them in a sleeve or another secondary container, and store at 5 °C.
Technique learned from the Gilroy Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.