CSS-Dynamac's New Science Concierge Service Prepares SyNRGE3 Experiment for Its Trip to the International Space Station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Sept. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- CSS-Dynamac, the forerunner for providing science processing services to commercial space flight payloads, is pleased to announce that pre-flight preparations are complete for Drs. Michael Roberts and Gary Stutte, and the research is onboard the SpaceX-4 Dragon headed to the International Space Station (ISS).

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140922/147621
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140922/147622

Drs. Roberts and Stutte's flight research is the third in a series of Symbiotic Nodulation in a Reduced Gravity Environment (SyNRGE³) experiments for the International Space Station (ISS). SyNRGE³ examines how plants and microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) form mutually beneficial relationships, and whether gravity alters that relationship. One symbiotic relationship, biological nitrogen fixation, is a process that is critically important in nature, and is responsible for 20 percent of the protein in the human diet, either directly through consumption of legumes (pulses), such as beans, peas and lentils, or indirectly as feed for livestock.

Dr. Mike Roberts, formerly of CSS-Dynamac, and Dr. Gary Stutte, with the Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) in Ireland, were awarded an opportunity to fly their scientific payloads to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Space Florida ISS Research Competition in 2012. Dr. Stutte, the Marie Curie Research Fellow working at the Controlled Environment Laboratory for Life Science unit at LIT, said, "We are very optimistic about this experiment as it will tell us much about the operating limits of the biological process, which could lead to extremely valuable applications both in space and back here on earth. Our team in Limerick is equally energized as we are at this exciting stage, so close to launch. This is the first time an Irish institution has been a leader and principal investigator in an experiment to the ISS. This is a very significant endorsement of LIT's space research programme. Being able to partner with elite organizations in this area on this ISS experiment is a major achievement for the Institute."

CSS-Dynamac's Science Concierge Service is currently based at the Space Life Science Laboratory (SLSL) in Exploration Park near the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SLSL was specially designed to provide the ground support needs of scientific payloads destined for space. Mr. Doug Britt, CSS-Dynamac President and Chief Operating Officer, said the Concierge Service has been established to meet the ground support needs of the rapidly emerging commercial space transportation industry. He stated the company has serviced more than 100 scientific payloads for NASA over the past 17 years, and the Concierge Service now leverages that knowledge and lessons learned for the benefit of the private sector and its many potential commercial, academic, governmental and international customers.

About CSS-Dynamac – CSS-Dynamac is a small business using science and technology to create a healthier, safer and environmentally sustainable future for a diverse portfolio of customers in the private and public sector. www.css-dynamac.com

For more information contact: Ashleigh Ruggles
Email 
1 (321) 261-3650

SOURCE CSS-Dynamac