A compact, flow-through oxygen sensor device based on luminescence quenching was used to monitor dissolved oxygen levels during mammalian cell growth on the STS-93 mission of the Columbia space shuttle. Excitation of an oxygen-sensitive ruthenium complex was provided by a radioluminescent light source (0.9 mm in diameter, 2.5 mm long), and the intensity of the resulting luminescence was measured by a simple photodiode detector. The use of radioluminescence for the excitation light source is a unique approach that provides many features important for long-term and remote monitoring applications. For the spaceflight experiment, human lung fibroblast cells (WI-38) were grown in hollow-fiber bioreactors. Oxygen concentration was measured in the flow path both before and after the bioreactor cartridge in order to gain information about the metabolism of the cells. The sensor was found to be nonperturbing to cell growth and withstood the challenging physical conditions of shuttle launch and landing while maintaining a stable calibration function. In addition, the sensor provided physically meaningful oxygen predictions.

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A probe-type oxygen sensor was developed utilizing a radioluminescent (RL)-based light source and a ruthenium-based sensing chemistry for monitoring the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in a modified version of the NASA-designed high aspect ratio vessel (HARV), a batch rotating wall vessel. This sensor provided the means to monitor the DO concentration in the HARV without influencing the flow pattern, thereby retaining the low shear HARV environment conducive to the formation of 3-dimensional cell aggregates. This sensor lost significant signal as a result of exposure to the first three autoclave cycles, but only minimal change in signal was observed following exposure to subsequent autoclave cycles. A new calibration model requiring only one fitted parameter was developed that accurately fit data over the entire range from 0% to 100% oxygen saturation. The ability for DO concentration control within the vessel was demonstrated by using this sensor to monitor the DO concentration inside the HARV.