Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Technical Review Vol. 53 No. 4 (December 2016)
36

Development of Mouse Habitat Unit for Use in“KIBO” Japanese Experiment Module on
International Space Station
YUSUKE HAGIWARA*1 MAKOTO OHIRA*2

HIROAKI KODAMA*2

HIROCHIKA MURASE*2

TOSHIMASA OCHIAI*2 HIROYASU MIZUNO*3

In-space experiments using mammals are one of the life science fields where researchers arein high demand. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has developed Japan’s first in-spacemouse habitat unit in accordance with a contract concluded with the Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency (JAXA), based on the outcomes of existing internal research and development. This unit
was used for the mouse-rearing experiment conducted on board the “KIBO” Japanese Experiment
Module (JEM) for the International Space Station (ISS) from July to August 2016, in which all themice were successfully returned to the ground alive. The alive return of all the experimental miceto the ground after a long-term stay in space was the first such successful mission ever recorded.
This report provides an overview and the outcomes of our newly-developed mouse habitat unit andits mission in space.

|1. Introduction
It has been known that in space, the human body suffers rapid changes like the age-related
ailments that the elderly experience on Earth. It has been discovered that these changes could occurin small animals including mice just like they do in humans. Therefore, research using mice is
expected to define the mechanism of the phenomena in further detail such as at the genetic level.
Mice are an extremely effective experimental model since they are mammals just like humans, theirstudy outcomes are reasonably applicable to humans and are likely to yield benefits thereto, andthere has already been a significant amount of research conducted on Earth. However, so far, nooriginal Japanese in-orbit experiment unit has been developed and in-orbit experiment
opportunities have been extremely scarce.
On the other hand, there have been a couple of long-term in-space mouse-rearing
experiments conducted overseas including those in the U.S. and Italy, which, however, had thefollowing issues in the rearing conditions or monitoring functions:・ Since the existing habitat units were designed to keep mice only in groups, no male micewith volatile temperaments could be used in the experiment.
・ Increasing contamination in the experimental habitat causes stress on the mice, and thecontamination of the camera lens hinders the monitoring of the mice as time passes.
Particularly, though it is extremely important to secure multiple mice alive in terms ofscientific outcomes, the safe return of all the mice alive after a long-term stay in space had always
been a great challenge with high technical difficulty, and is something which had never beenaccomplished until now.
The new Mouse Habitat Unit (MHU) we have developed is Japan’s first in-spacemouse-rearing unit. The unique features of the space experiments utilizing the MHU are as follows:・ Conducting mouse-rearing experiment in the “KIBO” JEM of ISS
・ Allowing comparative experiments in orbit between the microgravity environment andartificial gravity environment
・ Keeping mice individually which facilitates rearing and individual monitoring regardless of*1

Space Systems Department, Space Systems Division, Integrated Defense & Space Systems*2

Chief Staff Manager, Space Systems Department, Space Systems Division, Integrated Defense & Space Systems*3

Associate Senior Engineer, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

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the gender of the subject
MHI has been working on the internal research and development of in-space life science
experiment units. Our research outcomes are reflected throughout the MHU.
The following will provide an overview of the mouse-rearing experiment, the specificationsof the MHU and the outcomes of the first mouse-rearing experiment in-orbit.

|2. Operational overview of mouse-rearing experiment
Figure 1 shows an overview of the mouse-rearing mission utilizing the MHU. Figure 2
shows the individual components of the unit.

Figure 1 Mouse-rearing experiment overview

Figure 2 Unit structure of the MHU

The major components of the MHU unit include a habitat unit in which mice are reared
in-orbit, a transportation cage unit onto which mice are loaded at the time of launch and return, anda glove box which is used for maintenance purposes throughout the term of rearing, such as thetransfer of the mice and the cleaning of the cage units. The habitat unit consists of the mouse
habitat cage units, which are where the mice are kept, and an interface unit that is equivalent to acontrol system. There are also separate accessories used for the maintenance of the individual units.
The apparatuses used inside ISS, including the habitat unit and glove box, are launched prior
to the commencement of the in-orbit animal rearing experiment to prepare for accepting the mice inspace shortly before their launch. The mice are loaded onto a transportation cage unit which issubsequently loaded into the pressurized compartment of a transfer vehicle used to resupply ISS,
prior to being launched.
After arriving at ISS, the mice are transferred from the transportation cage unit to the mouse
habitat cage units. To prevent the mice from running away, the transfer operation is carried out

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inside the glove box. The mouse habitat cage units into which the mice are transferred are theninstalled inside an existing experiment unit (CBEF: Cell Biology Experiment Facility) which isplaced inside the “KIBO” JEM prior to the commencement of the in-orbit animal rearing.
CBEF has two compartments, a microgravity compartment and an artificial gravity
compartment, of which the latter generates artificial gravity through centrifugal force. The mouse
habitat cage units are placed in each compartment, which allows a comparative experiment
between the microgravity environment and artificial gravity environment. Six mouse habitat cage
units are installed in each of the compartments, for a total of 12. Figure 3 shows a habitat unit
installed inside CBEF. CBEF is an experiment unit developed by MHI, which has been renovatedfor the mouse rearing experiment, including the addition of a ventilation function between theinterior of CBEF and KIBO’s cabin.

Figure 3

Rearing unit

The habitat unit installed in the microgravity compartment (Upper right) and artificial gravity
compartment (Lower right) of CBEF

While the mice are kept in orbit, regular maintenance of the mouse habitat cage units is
conducted by the ISS crew members. Part of the maintenance operation is carried out while themouse habitat cage units are detached from CBEF and placed inside the glove box.
Upon the completion of the in-orbit rearing operation, the mice are again transferred from themouse habitat cage units to the transportation cage unit and returned to ground alive by a transfer
vehicle.

|3. Mouse Habitat Unit (MHU)
The major components of the MHU are described below. In the development/validation
phase of individual components, a verification test utilizing mice which was approved by JAXA
animal care and use committee was conducted under the supervision of a certified veterinarian inorder to verify the design validity.

3.1

Mouse habitat cage units

A mouse habitat cage unit is an apparatus in which the mice are loaded and kept during theirstay in orbit. Figure 4 illustrates the exterior and structure of a cage unit. One mouse is loaded into
every cage unit. To overcome extremely severe resource constraints (unit dimensions/weight)
imposed due to installation inside CBEF, the cage units are made compact, lightweight and mostly
from resin materials, with all the necessary functions optimally arranged. The individual functions
and specifications of a cage unit are described in the following paragraphs.
(1) Ventilation
In the microgravity space, unlike on the ground, there is no natural convection current.
Therefore, involuntary ventilation in the habitat is critical to sustaining the mice’s lives.

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Accordingly, each cage unit is equipped with 2 ventilation fans for redundancy. The ventilationfans secure the required amount of air volume and adopt a slim-type blower fan with excellent
static pressure characteristics to reduce the overall size of the units.
The air inside the habitat flows smoothly from the ceiling down to the floor in one
direction, by which, even in the microgravity space, food particles or mouse waste would settle
and accumulate in an underfloor waste collection equipment without floating around thehabitat.
In the downstream side of the waste collection equipment, a deodorizing filter is installed
to remove gases and odorous components mainly due to ammonia. The ingredients content of
the deodorizing filter and the combination ratio thereof are determined based on the outcomesof our internal research and development.

Figure 4 Exterior and structure of a mouse habitat cage unit

(2)

Habitat specifications
The dimensions of the mouse habitat were determined based on the standards for mouserearing on the ground where sufficient floor area and space were defined in design and thedesign validity in terms of the occupant comfort was confirmed through an actual
mouse-rearing experiment. Liquid-absorbing paper is used for the walls of the habitat, which
absorbs mouse urine and spreads it across the walls. Furthermore, a photocatalytic thermal
spray is applied to the liquid-absorbing wall paper to add deodorizing and antibacterial effects.
Specifications concerning noise and wind speed inside the habitat are defined inaccordance with the mouse-rearing standards. The air volume for ventilation is adjusted tosatisfy the requirements in the specifications.
(3) Food/water supply
The cage units are equipped with a water server and food feeder, which are capable ofautomatic food/water supply even in the microgravity environment. Crew members are only
required to top up water and food regularly, which is intended to reduce their workload.
The water server is based on medical infusion balloons in which the elasticity of theballoon pressurizes the water inside and supplies it as drinking water. The water level in theballoon can be detected with a sensor when it is full or when a certain amount has been
consumed. Every cage unit is equipped with 2 water supplying nozzles through which miceobtain water to ensure redundancy.
Food is supplied by a spring that pushes out a piece of molded food towards the feeding
location, and needs to be refilled once a week. However, the MHU adopts a cartridge system
for the food, which significantly facilitates replacement of the food cartridge by the crew
members.
(4) Monitoring
A camera is installed in every cage unit, from which images are downlinked to allow
monitoring of the mouse habitat conditions inside the individual cages from ground. The
camera has a switching function between day and night so that infrared filming is possible evenat night. Furthermore, to film the mice in artificial daylight/night or at night, white LED and
infrared LED lighting is installed. The camera also has a function that switches the individualMitsubishi Heavy Industries Technical Review Vol. 53 No. 4 (December 2016)40

LED lights on/off according to the timer installed in the interface unit.
It has been confirmed in previous overseas mouse-rearing experiments that monitoring
the inside of a cage unit through a camera becomes quite difficult when the camera observation
window becomes dirty due to contact with the mouse or suspended solids in the habitat. The
MHU is equipped with a wiper and a water supplying mechanism through a pump over theobservation window which facilitates the mopping thereof.

3.2

Interface unit

The interface unit is equivalent to the control system of the MHU. Figure 5 illustrates theexterior of the interface unit. The chassis form of the interface unit varies between the microgravity(μG) and artificial gravity (1G) compartments. However, the inner substrate functions are identicalin both cases.
The interface unit houses functions including the power supply to the individual electriccomponents installed in the mouse habitat cage units, sensor signal processing, camera, switchingof LED lighting between day and night, command processing and telemetry processing.
Furthermore, inside the chassis are a CO2 sensor and NH3 sensor, with which the levels of
CO2 and ammonia can be measured in the microgravity compartment and artificial gravity
compartment of CBEF.

Figure 5 Exterior of the interface unit

3.3

Transportation cage unit

The transportation cage unit serves as a life-support system for the mice at the time of launchfrom the ground to orbit and return from orbit back to ground. Figure 6 shows the transportation
cage unit and its structure. There are 12 cages installed inside the unit. Each cage accommodates 1
mouse. The use of this unit is based on the premise that it is loaded on to a special container forin-orbit transfer and storage, called the ISS Locker or Cargo Transfer Bag (CTB). The
transportation cage unit also has particularly severe restrictions on the outside dimensions, just likethe mouse habitat cage units. Accordingly, the resource constraints are satisfied by designing the
air flow channels inside the unit to be as compact as possible. The individual functions andspecifications of the transportation cage unit are described below.
(1) Ventilation
Like the mouse habitat cage units, the transportation cage unit is equipped with 2
ventilation fans to secure redundancy. Furthermore, to satisfy the requirements of themouse-rearing standards concerning noise and wind speed inside the cages, the control system
adjusts the rotation speed of the ventilation fans. In the downstream side of the cages, adeodorizing filter is installed, which has the same ingredient contents as the mouse habitat cage
units.
(2) Habitat specifications
The cages in the transportation cage unit are cylindrical, unlike the mouse habitat cage
units. This is to put the unit in a space of limited dimensions/capacity and to maintain the formof the floor surface in the direction of gravity even when the posture of the transfer vehicle

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Technical Review Vol. 53 No. 4 (December 2016)41changes when the unit is launched. Regarding the occupant comfort, a ground-based
verification was conducted utilizing actual mice.
Mouse waste is discharged to the waste collection area outside the habitat from a holemade in the cylindrical wall of the habitat. To minimize the generation of ammonia,
liquid-absorbing paper is applied to the outside of the cylindrical habitat wall and the wallaround the waste collection area.
(3) Food/water supply
The water server adopts the same method as the mouse habitat cage units where water ispressurized in a balloon and supplied. The molded food is used just like in the mouse habitat
cage units. The food used in the transportation cage unit is molded into a cylindrical shapewhich forms part of the cage walls.
(4) Other
Since there is no lighting window in the transportation cage unit, the day and night cycleis achieved by LED lighting. A control system manages the turning on/off of the LED lighting.
The transportation cage unit obtains its power from the transfer vehicle while on-board.
However, as the power is cut while the unit is transferred in orbit, the ventilation fans canobtain electricity from a portable battery box known as the transfer battery.
There is a thermo-hygro logger and a cosmic radiation meter installed on the outersurface of the unit, which allows the measurement of the environment the unit is installed in.

Figure 6

3.4

Exterior and structure of the transportation cage unit

Glove box

A glove box is used for the transfer of mice and waste collection, especially when there is arisk of mouse runaway or the scattering of mouse wastes. Figure 7 illustrates the exterior of the
glove box and its structure.
The glove box consists mainly of a back panel, which is the foundation where the box isinstalled inside KIBO’s cabin, and a soft bag which is the work area, and ventilation fans providing
air circulation inside the soft bag. To reduce the amount of time required for assembly by the
astronauts, the soft bag is designed to be set up without tools. The material for the gloves was
carefully selected, which wouldn’t break even when being chewed by mice and has gooduser-friendliness. The gloves come in multiple sizes that can be selected depending on the size ofthe hands of the ISS crew in charge of conducting the experiment.
The special features of the glove box include soft vinyl materials used in the work area,
unlike the existing ISS glove box. Flexible materials facilitate the folding of the box when it is not
in use, maximizing the space inside the cabin. Furthermore, whenever anything becomes dirty or
broken, only the soft bag unit needs to be changed, rather than replacing the entire glove box.

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Figure 7

Exterior and structure of the glove box|4. Outcomes of the first mouse-rearing experiment
The first Mouse Epigenetics experiment was conducted from July to August 2016. The
purposes of the experiment include long-term mouse-rearing in space utilizing the MHU andanalyses of the changes of gene expression in the individual organs of each living mouse, as well as
the epigenomic*1 changes caused by different gravity environments. Furthermore, investigation of
the effects on the next generation is carried out to clarify the bio-response mechanism against the
space environment. The technical demonstration of the MHU is also one of the purposes of thisexperiment.
The major components including the habitat unit and glove box were loaded onto
“KOUNOTORI 5” (HTV-5), which was launched from Tanegashima Space Center on August 19,
2015. After KOUNOTORI 5 arrived at ISS, checkouts were carried out on the individualcomponents prior to confirming the soundness of the unit after launch.
Meanwhile, the transportation cage unit accommodating 12 mice intended for the experiment
was loaded on to the SpaceX Dragon (CRS-9) in the U.S., and was launched from Cape Canaveral
Air Force Station in the U.S. on July 18, 2016. The mice were transferred from the transportation
cage unit to the mouse habitat cage units on July 22, and the in-orbit mouse-rearing experiment
began.
The in-orbit mouse-rearing experiment lasted for 35 days, during which various operations
including the refilling of potable water/food and waste collection were conducted multiple times.
Adequate in-orbit preparation was made in terms of securing backup supplies, procedures in case of
emergency and establishing an operational scheme. While in orbit, the health of the mice was
successfully maintained. On August 25, all the mice were transferred to the transportation cage unit
(pre-launched for re-entry).
The transportation cage unit was loaded back on CRS-9, disengaged from ISS on August 26,
and landed in the Pacific Ocean. The 12 mice were all safely returned alive, recording the world’s
first successful long-term stay in space.
This in-orbit experiment (including the related ground-based tests and preparation) wasapproved by JAXA and NASA Animal Care and Use Committee. The astronauts engaged in thisexperiment conducted the operation with an approval of Ethics Committee from the safety aspect.
*1: DNA base sequence information is called genome. The information which chemically modifies the base sequenceand its skeletal protein is called epigenome. Even when the gene sequences are identical, the availability of a certain
function is determined by epigenome which is known to be susceptible to the surrounding environment.

|5. Conclusion
MHI has developed Japan’s first mouse habitat unit used in space, which keeps the mice inseparate cages and allows comparative experiments between the microgravity environment andartificial gravity environment, contributing to the safe return of all the mice alive in the first in-orbit
experiment. Following the successful outcome of this experiment, a series of in-orbit
mouse-rearing experiments utilizing the MHU will be carried out in the future. MHI will strive tomeet diverse future needs based on the lessons learned through the first experiment.