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IMAGE RESOLUTION ENHANCEMENT FOR THE REMOTE SENSING OF STRESS IN ARABIDOPSIS DURING SPACEFLIGHT.  K.L. O’Brien¹, A-L. Paul² and R. J. Ferl². ¹Spaceflight and Life Sciences Training Program (SLSTP), Kennedy Space Center, ²University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.

A hardware prototype, the Transgenic Arabidopsis Gene Expression System (TAGES) Imager, has been designed to collect both white light and blue light images of Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis), that have been engineered with a reporter gene composed of the Adh gene promoter and GFP (Green Fluorescent Protein), during an upcoming spaceflight experiment.  The data currently available through this prototype are low-resolution images at one continuous camera focal length.  Without further modifications these images will not provide the information necessary for complete analysis of previously noted stresses in Arabidopsis.  Due to spaceflight restrictions on hardware components it is prudent to pursue modifications in the following areas:  spectral sensitivity, thermal signals, defect mapping, noise reduction, as well as storage formats. Each of these areas will be investigated separately, however, the most significant improvement will be a result of applying minor modifications pertaining to each investigation area through software imaging enhancement package, Maxim DL, and optimizing the data storage format.  Higher image quality is necessary to observe specific information that is fundamental in pursuing the cause of the stress signal perception and transduction observed in Arabidopsis in a previous flight experiment.