University of Colorado Boulder researchers have launched a new device on board the International Space Station that will help astronauts save time while processing cell samples.

The device is called NEMO, or the Nikon Experimentation Microscope in Orbit. It’s one tool that combines incubators and microscopes, allowing multiple samples to be incubated and imaged with minimal crew intervention. NEMO allows for continuous live observation of cells in microgravity, supporting research that could lead to breakthroughs in understanding disease mechanisms and therapeutic responses

“We have microscopes onboard the ISS, and we have incubators, but the astronauts have to do all the work of switching samples and setting them up for imaging,” Stu Tozer, associate director of CU Boulder’s BioServe Space Technologies research institute, said in a release. “This device allows us to continuously image and incubate multiple samples at the same time.”

Orbiting 250 miles above Earth at 17,500 miles per hour, the International Space Station is a large spacecraft and science lab orbiting Earth. It’s run by NASA and other global space agencies, and has hosted nearly 300 astronauts from across the globe. NEMO is a collaboration between CU Boulder’s BioServe Space Technologies research center and the camera company Nikon.

NEMO launched in April and is now waiting for final commissioning aboard the International Space Station. NEMO, which was created by CU Boulder staff and student workers, builds off of CU Boulder’s SABL — Space Automated Bioproduct Lab — a solo incubator that has been in use on the International Space Station since 2016. That incubator was an enhancement of an even earlier BioServe design that began service on Space Shuttle flights in the 1990s.

“Contributing to flight hardware that is now in orbit is one of the most meaningful experiences I have had as an engineer,” said Ben Helfant, a BioServe employee who graduated from CU Boulder in May. “Knowing that this work helps enable new research capabilities in microgravity has been an incredibly rewarding experience.”

Subscribe to our new newsletter to get CU Boulder’s latest news sent straight to your inbox.