On October 27, the first IGNIS Science & Tech Forum took place at the Copernicus Science Centre, featuring 13 Polish experiments conducted with astronaut Dr. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski 🧑🏼🚀.
Our Senior Engineer, Dr. Weronika Urbańska, presented the team’s experience with the Space Volcanic Algae experiment carried out on board the International Space Station (ISS). She also confirmed the successful completion of the reference experiment on Earth.
Preliminary results indicate that our algae produced oxygen significantly more efficiently in space than under terrestrial conditions, showing strong adaptability to the space environment. Further genetic and microscopic analyses are underway.
We extend our gratitude to all scientific partners and institutions supporting the evaluation of results, as well as to POLSA – Polish Space Agency for organizing the event and Dr. Sławosz Uznański for his valuable insights during the mission.
Our research marks an important step toward new biotechnologies in the Polish space sector, highlighting the potential of extremophilic organisms for future long-duration space missions.
Thank you to our partners and collaborator who made it there!
Wydział Inżynierii Środowiska Politechniki Wrocławskiej
Bartosz Kaźmierczak, Karol Leluk, Janusz Pętkowski
Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu, Collegium Medicum w Bydgoszczy UMK w Toruniu – Marcin Woźniak
Instytut Biologii Doświadczalnej im. M. Nenckiego PAN – Hanna Nieznańska, Andrzej Szczepankiewicz
