O/OREOS: A successful mission of NASA’s Astrobiology Small Payload Program
- Paper number
IAC-11,B4,2,1,x10510
- Author
Prof. Pascale Ehrenfreund, Space Policy Institute, George Washington University, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Antonio J. Ricco, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Richard Quinn, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Ames Research Center, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Nathan Bramall, U.C. Berkeley, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Kathy Bryson, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Ames Research Center, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Julie Chittenden, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Ames Research Center, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Amanda Cook, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Ames Research Center, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Rocco Mancinelli, SETI Institute, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Andrew Mattioda, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Ames Research Center, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Giovanni Minelli, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Wayne Nicholson, University of Florida, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Orlando Santos, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Ames Research Center, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. David Squires, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Ames Research Center, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Charles Fredericks, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Ames Research Center, United States
- Coauthor
Prof. Chris Kitts, Santa Clara University, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Mike Rasay, Santa Clara University, United States
- Year
2011
- Abstract
The O/OREOS (Organism/Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses) nanosatellite is the first science demonstration spacecraft and flight mission of the NASA Astrobiology Small-Payloads Program (ASP). On November 19, 2010, O/OREOS was launched successfully to a high-inclination (72°), 650-km Earth orbit aboard a US Air Force Minotaur IV rocket from Kodiak, Alaska. The free-flying satellite, with a nominal operational lifetime of six months, is a new exposure facility in low-Earth orbit (LEO) whose primary objective is to collect in-situ, real-time measurements of the survival, stability, and evolution of organic and biological materials in space environments. One of two O/OREOS science payloads, the Space Environment Survivability of Living Organisms (SELSO) experiment, focuses on the effects of the space environment on two different microorganisms. The second payload, the Space Environment Viability of Organics (SEVO) experiment, monitors the stability of important organic molecules and biomarkers. O/OREOS was built on a heritage of previous successful cubesat missions, such as GeneSat and PharmaSat, and benefited from other experiments flown in LEO and exposure facilities on the International Space Station (ISS). The science and technology rationale of O/OREOS is to support NASA’s scientific exploration program by investigating the local space environment as well as space biology relevant to Moon and Mars missions. It also serves as a precursor for experiments on future free-flying small satellites, the ISS, and lunar surface exposure facilities. Ham radio operators from 20 nations have supported the O/OREOS mission operations team at Santa Clara University by collecting and forwarding data from the satellite’s radio beacon. We will report on the flight assembly, payload integration, and the successful operational phase of the O/OREOS mission. We acknowledge the O/OREOS-Sat Engineering Team at NASA Ames and the Operation Team at Santa Clara University.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
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