RR-9: Mouse Liver Transcriptional Data from 33-Day ISS Mission

10 week-old male C57BL/6J mice were launched on 8/14/2017 and housed on the ISS for 33 days to study the molecular effects of spaceflight. Liver tissue was collected from flight and multiple control groups, with RNA extracted for sequencing. The dataset was produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Identify differentially expressed genes in liver tissue based on the comparison of flight (FLT) and ground control groups.
• Analyze the effect of cohort timing and diet on transcriptional profiles based on the described Cohort Control (CC) groups.
• Model molecular pathways related to visual impairment or joint degradation based on the stated mission objectives.
• Assess the impact of mission logistics (e.g., launch date, housing) on biological samples based on the detailed experimental timeline.

Strengths

• Includes multiple control groups (Basal, Ground, Vivarium, and two Cohort Controls) to account for experimental variables.
• Experimental timeline is explicitly documented, including launch (8/14/2017), flight duration (33 days), and dissection dates.
• RNA sequencing was performed with a targeted depth (60 million clusters) and specific library prep (stranded, ribodepleted).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Control groups were derived from different mouse cohorts and studied at different times due to Hurricane Irma, introducing potential confounding variables.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Experimental data from the Rodent Research-9 (RR-9) mission; mice were housed on the ISS, tissues were dissected and preserved, followed by RNA extraction and sequencing.

Time Range

Primary experiment from launch on 8/14/2017 through dissections concluding in June 2018.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 19:31:35.605493; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Kennedy Space Center (launch), International Space Station (housing), Loma Linda University (dissection).