OLNEY, Ill. — October 29, 2026 — Olney, Illinois-based Aerostratospheric has published a new set of research articles describing how its non-human biologics study is designed, documented and shared. Ground-based control work with Aerostratospheric's non-human biologics has begun in its lab. No non-human biologics flights have taken place, and no results or findings are claimed.

The newest article, "How We Document Non-Human Biologics Research Every Week," lays out Aerostratospheric's weekly research routine: count, code, film and file. One culture is planned to be split into five groups: a home habitat that never leaves the lab, two ground-control dishes, and two flight dishes that will fly to the stratosphere on a future mission. Each flight dish will have a fixed ground-control partner, set up on the same day from the same stock with the same water, feeding and starting count, so the main difference between them is the flight.

Aerostratospheric is already studying and recording microscope data for group AERO-554-A, the home habitat that never leaves the lab. All records follow a standard operating procedure: every 2 to 3 days, Aerostratospheric researchers log temperatures, water condition, feeding and separate counts of active, sluggish, dormant, dead and eggs, using fixed observation codes instead of free-text notes, and each week brings a full count and a recorded 10 to 30 second microscope video clip at the same magnification and lighting. The clips have not been posted yet; Aerostratospheric plans to share them so anyone can look again at what was counted. The ground-control and flight dish groups (AERO-554-B and AERO-554-C) are still planned and will follow the same procedure. No results or findings are claimed.

The article joins the Oct. 27 series on Aerostratospheric's research page: a plain-language explainer on non-human biologics, a guide to near-space conditions (UV, radiation, cold and low pressure), an overview of how balloon payloads are recovered and observed, and a post on how Aerostratospheric will share its data openly.

Aerostratospheric has also published its core research documents on Zenodo under the ORCID iD of Jeremy David Higgs (0009-0008-0022-6241):
- Study design paper: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23770397
- Research program overview: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23770639
- Data management plan: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23770504
- Biosafety risk assessment: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23770562
- Authorship, credit and data-use statement: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23770600

Aerostratospheric plans to publish raw sheets, microscope clips and payload logs through the Aerostratospheric Data Hub, so anyone can check or redo the analysis. Data from each flight will be released after its scoring is locked and checked, and null results will be shared the same way. Published data and documents are shared under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (CC BY 4.0).

The biologics flights will launch from xBioNexus, the Aerostratospheric Advanced Environmental Research Base in southern Illinois. No flight date has been set. Flights are planned to operate under the FAA rules for unmanned free balloons in 14 CFR Part 101 (Subpart D), as applicable. Aerostratospheric's first data mission has already flown.

This research is basic science and makes no medical or health claims. Plans, designs and timelines may change.

Read the article: https://midwestsds.com/how-we-document-non-human-biologics-research-every-week.html
Research page and documents: https://www.midwestsds.com/non-human-biologics-research.html

About Aerostratospheric
Olney, Illinois-based Aerostratospheric designs, builds, and flies lightweight high-altitude payload science platforms and publishes open atmospheric data for research, education, and public use. Aerostratospheric is an Illinois nonprofit corporation. Our research and near-space data missions are funded by grants, member dues, and flight sponsors. Corporate office: 801 S. West Street, Suite 101, Olney, IL 62450. Web: https://www.aerostratospheric.com/

Contact
Elena Vargas, Press & Communications Lead
Aerostratospheric
[email protected]
Corporate Office: 801 S. West Street, Suite 101, Olney, IL 62450

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