A facility for crystallization experiments in space named Granada Crystallization Facility-2 (GCF-2) is presented. GCF-2 is an inexpensive and compact modular platform featuring a high experiment density (number of experiments per liter of useful volume), a temperature control system, and a complete independence from human intervention after integration, which makes GCF-2 equally suited for manned and unmanned flights. The facility can be used for commercial quality crystal production and for fundamental crystal growth studies using ex situ diagnostics. The changes incorporated to the previous version and the complementary hardware (electronics and reactors) used are described. Also included is information on the performance of the facility during the European Space Agency FOTON-M3 mission on board the Russian unmanned FOTON capsule.

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (MEC) (PNE Projects ESP2005-23831-E and ESP2007-29071-E) and is part of the Consolider-Ingenio 2010 project “Factoria Española de Cristalizacion”. We thank Olivier Minster, Antonio Verga, and Philippe DeGieter (ESA, Noordwijk, NL). Also thanks to NTE and Triana Science and Technology for the development of the facility and an acknowledgment to the Russian team at the Integration Hall in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

6 pages, 3 figures.-- Supporting information (Video animation of the FOTON M-3 Mission and Photographs showing two views of the GCF) available at: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/cg800788e

Part of the special issue (Vol 8, issue 12) on the 12th International Conference on the Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules, Cancun, Mexico, May 6−9, 2008.

Peer reviewed