Murine Tendon Nanomechanics After 32 Days on the International Space Station

32 days aboard the International Space Station was the duration for this study of murine gastrocnemius tendon collagen fibrils. The dataset contains results from atomic force microscopy (AFM) on 17 fibrils from spaceflight and ground control mice, measuring morphology and Young's Modulus. It was produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Compare collagen fibril nanomechanical properties between spaceflight and ground control conditions based on Young's Modulus measurements.
• Analyze the relationship between fibril morphology and mechanical properties under microgravity based on diameter and height data.
• Model tissue adaptation timelines for long-duration space missions based on the 32-day experimental results.
• Validate atomic force microscopy quantitative imaging mode for tendon research based on the described AFM methodology.

Strengths

• Data originates from a controlled NASA Rodent Research-1 mission, providing a direct spaceflight comparison.
• Uses atomic force microscopy in quantitative imaging mode, a method described as a first for this application on post-spaceflight tendon.
• Includes results from 17 collagen fibrils analyzed with specific software versions (JPK 6.4.5, Gwyddion 2.62), detailing the processing pipeline.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The sample size is limited to 17 fibrils from an unspecified number of mice, which may affect statistical power.
• Data is stored in BIN format, which may require specialized tools for access and interpretation.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Atomic force microscopy on chemically processed and mechanically isolated tendon samples from mice on the ISS Rodent Research-1 mission.

Time Range

Study duration was 32 days of spaceflight.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 20:07:21.232930; freshness should be verified.

Geography

International Space Station and ground control.