抄録
Crystals ofproteins or macromolecules are at the basis of X-ray crystallography to reveal structural information necessary for the understanding of their likely mode of action. However, the structural resolution is strongly dependent on the crystalline quality, which is known to be related to gravity dependent processes. The facilities and instruments used so far to grow crystals in space have mostly focused on the growing of crystals for post-flight analysis, and less on the understanding of phenomena associated to the crystallisation processes. The Solution Crystallisation Diagnostics Facility (SCDF), developed by Astrium under contract of the European Space Agency (ESA), allows to study with several diagnostics means the crystallisation of macromolecules over long periods in microgravity. In order to prepare for the scientific use of the SCDF and of its diagnostics, several ground models with SCDF similar capabilities were developed to allow scientists to prepare their experiments. The SCDF will be launched at the end of 2007 on board ESA's Columbus Laboratory module to the International Space Station (ISS) for research in microgravity on protein nucleation and assembling sequences, as part of the project
