Measurement of Aggregation of Red Cells in space--a project for the NASA space shuttle

Progress is described on the advanced stages in design of an instrument for the study of red blood cell aggregation and blood viscosity under near-zero gravity conditions. This paper gives a brief review of the experiment and its background and a description of the design of the instrument intended for space conditions. Summaries are given of solutions to some problems peculiar to a space experiment, particularly blood storage, microscope focusing, experiment control and data acquisition.