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Samples

samples.Rd

samples() returns a metadata table for the 35 mouse retina samples collected in a spaceflight experiment conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and in matched ground-based controls on Earth. It includes key information about the biological specimen, experimental condition, and physical acceleration environment in which the mice were housed during the mission.

Usage

samples()

Source

doi:10.26030/d6dj-d777

Value

A tibble with 35 rows and 9 columns:

sample_id

Unique identifier for each RNA-seq sample. Encodes group and replicate.

organism

Biological species. All samples are from Mus musculus (mouse).

sex

Sex of the animal. All samples in this dataset are from male mice.

matrix

Biological matrix from which RNA was extracted. In this dataset, all samples are from the right retina.

spacecraft

The platform or habitat in which the mouse was housed:

  • "ISS" — aboard the International Space Station.

  • "Earth" — ground-based control under comparable conditions.

Note that the term "spacecraft" is used here to denote the physical environment supporting life during the experiment, including ground controls.

acceleration_source

Describes the physical mechanism by which the mouse experienced gravitational acceleration:

  • "Terrestrial Gravity" — natural 1G gravity at Earth's surface due to planetary mass.

  • "Centrifugal Acceleration" — artificial gravity generated by rotating the mouse habitat in a centrifuge aboard the ISS.

  • "Orbital Free Fall" — near-weightlessness resulting from continuous free fall in orbit (commonly referred to as microgravity).

This variable separates the mechanism of experienced acceleration from the platform (spacecraft).

gravity

Numeric representation of the effective gravitational acceleration (in multiples of Earth gravity, G) experienced by the sample. Values include:

  • 1 — either terrestrial 1G or 1G simulated via centrifuge on ISS.

  • 0.66 or 0.33 — partial gravity simulated by adjusting centrifuge speed.

  • 0.000001 — represents orbital free fall (a proxy for microgravity). Although gravitational pull is still ~90% of Earth’s at ISS altitude, this reflects the net effective acceleration in the free-fall frame.

This variable supports quantitative modeling of gravity-dependent effects.

gravity_class

Effective gravity categories as a factor variable.

weight_at_launch

Body weight of the animal at the time of launch (or analogous time point for ground controls), in grams.

weight_at_euthanasia

Body weight of the animal at euthanasia, in grams. Used to assess weight changes across experimental conditions.

Examples

samples()
#> # A tibble: 35 × 10
#>    sample_id        organism sex   matrix spacecraft acceleration_source gravity
#>    <chr>            <chr>    <fct> <chr>  <fct>      <fct>                 <dbl>
#>  1 MHU-8_RTN_FLT_F… Mus mus… male  Right… ISS        Centrifugal Accele…  3.3e-1
#>  2 MHU-8_RTN_FLT_F… Mus mus… male  Right… ISS        Centrifugal Accele…  6.6e-1
#>  3 MHU-8_RTN_FLT_F… Mus mus… male  Right… ISS        Centrifugal Accele…  1  e+0
#>  4 MHU-8_RTN_FLT_F… Mus mus… male  Right… ISS        Orbital Free Fall    1  e-6
#>  5 MHU-8_RTN_FLT_F… Mus mus… male  Right… ISS        Centrifugal Accele…  3.3e-1
#>  6 MHU-8_RTN_FLT_F… Mus mus… male  Right… ISS        Centrifugal Accele…  6.6e-1
#>  7 MHU-8_RTN_FLT_F… Mus mus… male  Right… ISS        Centrifugal Accele…  1  e+0
#>  8 MHU-8_RTN_FLT_F… Mus mus… male  Right… ISS        Orbital Free Fall    1  e-6
#>  9 MHU-8_RTN_FLT_F… Mus mus… male  Right… ISS        Centrifugal Accele…  3.3e-1
#> 10 MHU-8_RTN_FLT_F… Mus mus… male  Right… ISS        Centrifugal Accele…  6.6e-1
#> # ℹ 25 more rows
#> # ℹ 3 more variables: gravity_class <fct>, weight_at_launch <dbl>,
#> #   weight_at_euthanasia <dbl>