Astrobiological experiments in Low Earth Orbit - Experiments and research facilities in space
- Paper number
IAC-06-A1.6.01
- Author
Dr. Petra Rettberg, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany
- Coauthor
Dr. Elke Rabbow, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany
- Coauthor
Dr. Corinna Panitz, Germany
- Coauthor
Dr. Guenther Reitz, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany
- Coauthor
Dr. Gerda Horneck, Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Germany
- Year
2006
- Abstract
Astrobiology is the study of the origins, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe. Besides laboratory experiments where one or a few combinations of physical and chemical parameters of interest can be studied in detail under controlled and reproducible conditions, it is necessary to use the space environment as a tool for astrobiogical experiments as well. ESA offers different space facilities allowing the investigation of the combined effects of microgravity, extraterrestrial solar UV radiation, galactic cosmic radiation and vacuum on biological objects. Examples are the EXPOSE facility on the ISS and the BIOPAN facility on FOTON satellites. For the study of the responses of organisms to space environment and for the future exploration of Mars as another planet which has had the potential for the evolution of life the survivability of terrestrial resistant microbial forms, spores of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis as well as cells of the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans, exposed to different subsets of the extreme environmental parameters in space and on Mars (vacuum, simulated Martian UV climate, shielding by different Martian soil analogue materials) was investigated in the BIOPAN facility of the European Space Agency onboard of the Russian Earth-orbiting Foton M-2 satellite. This satellite was launched with a Soyuz-U rocket from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on Mai 31, 2005. The landing took place on June 16. The basic questions adressed in the experiment MARSTOX on FOTON M-2 are (i) To which extent are different martian soil analogues able to protect bacterial spores against the effects of UV radiation in vacuum? (ii) What are the effects of different mineralogical characteristics (grain size, dust vs. compact material) on the efficiency of protection by martian soil analogues? (iii) Are there (photo-)toxic effects of different martian soil analogues in intimate contact with bacterial spores during UV exposure? After exposure in space the survival as well as the mutation induction was analyzed in the laboratory together with parallel samples from the corresponding ground control experiment performed in the space simulation facilities of DLR. The results of this experiment provide new insights into the adaptation to environmental extremes on Earth or other planets which define the principal limits of life and at the same time bear the potential for the evolution and distribution of life.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
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