Auburn University researchers have built a rechargeable
microscope illumination system for NASA scientists who are using
it during Antarctic expeditions. Professor Vitaly Vodyanoy and
research assistant Oleg Pustovyy of the AU Department of
Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology built the patent-pending
Ilumna 120 to help NASA scientists observe microscopic life in
areas where there is no electricity. NASA used it on a
preliminary, 11-day trip in February and will take it in
November for three months during the Tawani Foundation
International 2008 Schirmacher Oasis Antarctica Expedition. The
device, which contains a battery pack, condenser and bulb with a
built-in collimator, attaches to standard research microscopes,
producing high-resolution images. It measures 3 inches high, 2
inches wide and 2.25 inches deep. For the NASA scientists, it is
attached to a microscope that previously used sunlight and a
mirror when electricity was not available. 'This one is brighter
and does not depend on the weather,' Vodyano