Foraminifera are unicellular marine micro-fossils that build CaCO3 shells and serve for paleoclimatic studies. Their biomineralization mechanisms (including shell chemistry and isotopes) and their negative geotaxis will be studied under microgravity conditions.
Live foraminifera will be flown to space where they will be exposed to microgravity conditions. The shell structure and texture that will grow in space will be studied upon return to Earth together with their crystallography, chemistry and stable isotopes